Cost of Living
by Country
Compare monthly budgets, rent, groceries, and real purchasing power across 40 major economies. See where your salary goes furthest — or barely covers the basics.
How Much Do I Need to Live in...?
Enter a salary you earn (or want to earn) in one country. We'll show you the equivalent amount you'd need elsewhere to maintain the same lifestyle.
Salary Equivalence Calculator
Converts between countries using cost-of-living parity.
Moving $70,000 of purchasing power from United States to Portugal, your money would go 35% further — you'd only need about $45,382 there to maintain your lifestyle.
Formula: equivalent = amount × (COL index of destination) / (COL index of source). Uses Numbeo 2026 Cost of Living + Rent indices (NYC = 100) — higher index means more expensive.
Cheapest & Most Expensive Countries
Ranked by combined cost-of-living + rent index (NYC = 100).
5 Cheapest Countries
Your money goes furthest
5 Most Expensive Countries
Premium prices, usually premium wages
Popular Cost-of-Living Comparisons
Side-by-side cost comparisons for the most-searched country pairs.
United States vs United Kingdom
United Kingdom is roughly 8% cheaper overall.
United States vs Canada
Canada is roughly 10% cheaper overall.
United States vs Germany
Germany is roughly 15% cheaper overall.
United States vs Mexico
Mexico is roughly 89% cheaper overall.
United States vs India
India is roughly 209% cheaper overall.
United Kingdom vs Ireland
United Kingdom is roughly 19% cheaper overall.
United Kingdom vs Australia
United Kingdom is roughly 11% cheaper overall.
Germany vs France
Germany is roughly 4% cheaper overall.
Germany vs Netherlands
Germany is roughly 13% cheaper overall.
Switzerland vs Singapore
Singapore is roughly 9% cheaper overall.
Portugal vs Spain
Portugal is roughly 4% cheaper overall.
India vs Thailand
India is roughly 33% cheaper overall.
1,560 pair comparisons available — cheaper country always wins, but look at the rent vs groceries split before you move.
All 40 Countries Ranked by Cost of Living
Sorted cheapest to most expensive. Click any country for a detailed breakdown.
| # | Country | COL+Rent Index | Budget/mo | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 18.2 | $497 | View |
| 2 | Indonesia | 18.5 | $632 | View |
| 3 | Vietnam | 19.1 | $647 | View |
| 4 | Philippines | 20.2 | $676 | View |
| 5 | Brazil | 20.5 | $774 | View |
| 6 | Colombia | 22.4 | $828 | View |
| 7 | Malaysia | 22.9 | $761 | View |
| 8 | South Africa | 26.4 | $1,111 | View |
| 9 | Chile | 26.8 | $1,117 | View |
| 10 | Thailand | 27.2 | $932 | View |
| 11 | Turkey | 27.6 | $1,052 | View |
| 12 | Argentina | 28.3 | $1,007 | View |
| 13 | Mexico | 29.8 | $1,175 | View |
| 14 | Saudi Arabia | 30.4 | $1,114 | View |
| 15 | Japan | 32.8 | $1,320 | View |
| 16 | Poland | 34.4 | $1,505 | View |
| 17 | Greece | 36.0 | $1,379 | View |
| 18 | Portugal | 36.5 | $1,592 | View |
| 19 | Spain | 38.0 | $1,575 | View |
| 20 | South Korea | 41.3 | $1,515 | View |
| 21 | Sweden | 44.0 | $1,765 | View |
| 22 | Italy | 45.8 | $2,068 | View |
| 23 | Finland | 48.0 | $1,878 | View |
| 24 | Germany | 49.0 | $2,000 | View |
| 25 | Belgium | 49.4 | $2,145 | View |
| 26 | Austria | 50.7 | $2,142 | View |
| 27 | France | 50.8 | $2,245 | View |
| 28 | Canada | 51.1 | $2,510 | View |
| 29 | United Kingdom | 51.9 | $2,390 | View |
| 30 | New Zealand | 56.0 | $2,695 | View |
| 31 | United States | 56.3 | $2,865 | View |
| 32 | United Arab Emirates | 56.5 | $2,825 | View |
| 33 | Netherlands | 56.6 | $2,610 | View |
| 34 | Denmark | 56.6 | $2,607 | View |
| 35 | Australia | 58.4 | $2,885 | View |
| 36 | Norway | 59.4 | $2,655 | View |
| 37 | Ireland | 64.0 | $3,400 | View |
| 38 | Hong Kong | 69.8 | $3,558 | View |
| 39 | Singapore | 77.6 | $3,985 | View |
| 40 | Switzerland | 84.6 | $3,805 | View |
Budget = rent (city) + groceries + utilities + 15 mid-range restaurant meals + transit pass. All prices USD, single-person urban lifestyle.
Understanding Cost-of-Living Indices
A cost-of-living index is a single number that summarises how expensive it is to live in one place compared to another. All figures on this site use New York City = 100 as the baseline. An index of 50 means prices are roughly half of NYC's; an index of 120 means 20% more expensive.
The combined Cost of Living + Rent Index is the best single-number summary because rent is typically the largest monthly expense. The pure COL index (excluding rent) is useful when you already own a home or have subsidised housing.
Rent Index
Measures average residential rent prices. Biggest driver of cross-country differences — a Swiss apartment can cost 5× what the same size costs in Portugal.
Groceries Index
Standard basket of everyday food items. Less volatile than rent but still varies 2–3× between cheapest and most expensive countries.
Restaurant Index
Average prices at mid-range restaurants. Strong “lifestyle” signal — a sign of the cost of eating out, drinking coffee, and socialising.
Purchasing Power
Average local salary divided by local cost of living. Higher means people can afford more with their income.
Combine Cost of Living with Tax Data
Cost of living is only half the story — see how taxes + COL together determine your real purchasing power.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which country has the lowest cost of living?
In our 40-country comparison, India has the lowest cost of living at roughly 18% of New York City's benchmark (NYC = 100). Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Brazil round out the five cheapest after the Sprint H data refresh. Monthly one-person urban budgets (including rent) range from under $700 in India, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines to around $1,500 in Japan or Portugal — then jump to $2,800+ in Switzerland or Singapore.
Which country has the highest cost of living?
Switzerland tops the list at roughly 85% of NYC's baseline cost index, followed by Singapore, Hong Kong, Ireland, and Norway. In Switzerland, a single-person urban monthly budget easily exceeds $4,000, with premium rents in Zurich or Geneva.
How is the cost of living index calculated?
We use Numbeo's crowd-sourced 2026 country-ranking data, which rebases every country to New York City = 100. The 'Cost of Living + Rent Index' combines groceries, restaurants, transport, utilities, and housing. Values below 100 mean cheaper than NYC; above 100 mean more expensive. We also pair it with OECD 2025 PPP rates where available for cross-validation.
How much money do I need to live in X?
Our interactive calculator lets you enter a salary in one country and see its purchasing-power-adjusted equivalent in another. As a rule of thumb: a $70,000 net salary in the US 'feels like' around $25,000 in India, $45,000 in Portugal, or $110,000 in Switzerland — because the same dollar buys very different amounts in each place.
Is crowd-sourced Numbeo data reliable?
Numbeo is the most widely-used international cost-of-living dataset. It aggregates thousands of user submissions per country, which gives strong signal for averages. Caveats: actual prices vary meaningfully by city (New York vs rural Kansas, Zurich vs Ticino), and Numbeo can lag rapid local inflation by 3–6 months. Treat the index as a directional comparison, not a precise budgeting tool.
Why does cost of living matter more than salary?
A high salary in a high-cost country can leave you with less disposable income than a moderate salary in a low-cost country. That is why we combine take-home pay (tax efficiency) with cost of living (real purchasing power) throughout this site. The 'true winner' in a country comparison is whoever has the best net salary AFTER adjusting for what that salary can actually buy locally.