Cost of Living by Country

95 countries ranked cheapest first — see where a remote salary stretches furthest.

Country	Cost index	Monthly est.	Rent	Groceries
Egypt	19	$700	93	68
India	21	$750	90	71
Myanmar	21	$750	81	71
Sri Lanka	21	$750	93	62
Nepal	22	$800	90	67
Rwanda	22	$800	89	69
Georgia	23	$850	89	59
Turkey	23	$850	90	63
Laos	24	$900	88	56
Vietnam	24	$900	87	61
Bangladesh	26	$950	90	57
Moldova	26	$950	89	64
Colombia	28	$1,000	81	61
Indonesia	28	$1,000	88	55
Thailand	28	$1,000	91	58
Cambodia	29	$1,050	81	55
Malaysia	29	$1,050	89	59
Nigeria	29	$1,050	83	50
Dominican Republic	30	$1,100	92	54
Kenya	30	$1,100	87	54
Ghana	31	$1,150	84	44
Romania	31	$1,150	78	59
Argentina	32	$1,150	87	59
Bosnia and Herzegovina	32	$1,150	87	54
Bulgaria	32	$1,150	83	53
Philippines	32	$1,150	81	54
Mauritius	33	$1,200	88	48
Montenegro	33	$1,200	83	52
Serbia	33	$1,200	82	50
Albania	34	$1,250	79	51
Guatemala	34	$1,250	77	54
Brazil	35	$1,300	82	60
Morocco	35	$1,300	82	54
Poland	35	$1,300	82	58
Jordan	36	$1,300	83	50
Tunisia	36	$1,300	70	62
Ecuador	37	$1,350	83	50
Peru	37	$1,350	63	55
Mexico	38	$1,400	73	50
Mongolia	38	$1,400	68	60
Hungary	39	$1,450	73	50
North Macedonia	40	$1,450	66	59
South Africa	40	$1,450	75	56
Croatia	41	$1,500	79	43
Bahrain	42	$1,550	77	40
Lithuania	42	$1,550	77	48
Oman	42	$1,550	75	45
Papua New Guinea	42	$1,550	64	57
Panama	43	$1,550	76	46
Saudi Arabia	43	$1,550	84	36
Taiwan	43	$1,550	76	30
Czechia	44	$1,600	64	48
Jamaica	44	$1,600	55	39
Chile	45	$1,650	68	38
Costa Rica	46	$1,700	78	38
Fiji	46	$1,700	60	53
Latvia	47	$1,700	69	43
Slovakia	48	$1,750	61	44
China	50	$1,850	77	35
Greece	52	$1,900	66	38
Uruguay	52	$1,900	66	30
Estonia	53	$1,950	60	43
Kuwait	53	$1,950	75	35
Portugal	54	$2,000	61	41
Slovenia	54	$2,000	64	42
Trinidad and Tobago	55	$2,000	49	45
Malta	56	$2,050	71	32
Cyprus	58	$2,100	63	36
United Arab Emirates	59	$2,150	66	31
Qatar	60	$2,200	48	37
Spain	60	$2,200	51	43
Singapore	61	$2,250	55	36
South Korea	62	$2,250	64	0
Italy	63	$2,300	52	38
Hong Kong	64	$2,350	55	16
France	67	$2,450	42	36
Germany	68	$2,500	44	39
Austria	72	$2,650	47	37
Belgium	72	$2,650	41	38
Japan	74	$2,700	41	4
Netherlands	75	$2,750	35	43
Canada	78	$2,850	33	27
United Kingdom	79	$2,900	20	45
Finland	80	$2,950	34	34
New Zealand	80	$2,950	3	30
United States	82	$3,000	28	42
Sweden	84	$3,050	38	31
Denmark	88	$3,200	14	30
Australia	91	$3,350	14	26
Ireland	91	$3,350	7	30
Luxembourg	95	$3,500	9	27
Norway	95	$3,500	40	13
Israel	97	$3,550	10	5
Iceland	99	$3,600	27	19
Switzerland	109	$4,000	4	3

Index is relative to a global baseline (100). Data: WhereNext (getwherenext.com), CC BY 4.0, which compiles it from official government and institutional sources. Figures are indicative — always confirm current details with the official source before making decisions.

Compare the cost of living across 95 countries to plan where your remote income goes furthest. Each country has a cost index (relative to a global baseline), an estimated monthly budget in USD, and sub-indexes for rent, groceries, utilities, and transport. Sort from cheapest to most expensive to shortlist affordable bases, then open any country for a full breakdown. Figures are indicative and refreshed periodically — useful for comparison, not a substitute for a personal budget.

Frequently asked questions

Which country has the lowest cost of living?+

Sort the table by cost index, ascending, to see the most affordable countries first. The index is relative, so a value of 40 means roughly 40% of the baseline cost. We cover 95 countries.

What does the monthly estimate include?+

The monthly USD estimate is a rough single-person budget covering rent, food, utilities, and local transport in a typical city. Your actual costs depend heavily on the city, lifestyle, and housing choices.

How current is this data?+

Cost-of-living figures come from an open dataset built on institutional sources (World Bank ICP, OECD, Eurostat) and are refreshed periodically. Use them for comparison; confirm live prices before committing to a move.