Cost of living by country 2026: the cheapest countries to live in

Egypt is the cheapest of the 161 countries in this table, with a consumer price level of 15.7 when the United States stands at 100, ahead of Nigeria (20.9), India (22.8) and Pakistan (23.3). At the other end, Iceland reaches 129.7 and Switzerland 128.2. These figures are official: the World Bank's purchasing power parity for household consumption, divided by the official exchange rate. They are national averages, without a capital city's rent or an expat's shopping basket. Cheapest has a downside too: 8 of the first 10 have a negative political stability score at the World Bank, and low prices often go with low incomes. The table therefore shows both side by side. Keeping only countries scoring at least +0.3 on stability, Bhutan (24.2), Laos and Mongolia come first. The tool below converts your budget from one country to another.

Yearly budget, USDWhere you liveWhere you would go

Equivalent budget for the same consumption

$32,450

Price gap and levels: United States and Portugal
Price gap	−35%
Price level (United States = 100): United States	100
Price level (United States = 100): Portugal	65

How we calculate

Cost of living, country by country

Cost of living in Dubai Cost of living in Canada Cost of living in Singapore Cost of living in the USA Cost of living in the UK Cost of living in Australia Cost of living in Japan Cost of living in Thailand Cost of living in New Zealand

Cost of living by country, cheapest first

Price level, the 30 cheapest countries
Rank, country	Prices (US = 100)	Stability
1. Egypt	15.7	-0.89
2. Nigeria	20.9	-1.74
3. India	22.8	-0.61
4. Pakistan	23.3	-1.95
5. Bhutan	24.2	1.39
6. Tanzania	25.3	-0.48
7. Nepal	25.4	-0.44
8. Rwanda	26.1	0.12
9. Sri Lanka	27.0	-0.04
10. Belarus	27.6	-0.17
11. Uzbekistan	28.4	0.10
12. Ukraine	28.5	-0.33
13. Bangladesh	28.7	-0.94
14. Gambia	28.7	0.04
15. Laos	28.7	0.55
16. Madagascar	29.0	-0.52
17. Vietnam	29.6	0.12
18. Ethiopia	29.7	-1.85
19. Indonesia	30.7	-0.74
20. Algeria	31.7	-0.66
21. Azerbaijan	31.9	-0.09
22. Tajikistan	31.9	-0.30
23. Thailand	32.3	-0.56
24. Tunisia	32.7	-0.70
25. Burkina Faso	33.2	-1.80
26. Mali	33.2	-2.50
27. Zambia	33.2	-0.06
28. Mongolia	33.3	0.57
29. Malaysia	33.4	0.34
30. Kyrgyzstan	33.6	-0.02

Show the full ranking

Price level, the remaining countries
31. Benin	33.7	-0.40
32. Libya	33.8	-1.84
33. Niger	34.3	-1.77
34. Kenya	34.8	-1.12
35. Lesotho	34.8	-0.01
36. Philippines	35.7	-0.84
37. Cameroon	35.9	-1.69
38. Kazakhstan	36.6	-0.20
39. Cambodia	36.7	0.33
40. Russia	36.8	-0.94
41. Nicaragua	37.0	-0.01
42. Uganda	37.1	-0.87
43. Togo	37.5	-0.85
44. Paraguay	38.1	0.14
45. Chad	38.3	-1.57
46. Dominican Republic	38.4	0.61
47. Guinea-Bissau	38.6	-0.53
48. Fiji	38.7	0.98
49. Senegal	38.9	-0.17
50. Bolivia	39.1	-0.16
51. Côte d’Ivoire	39.2	-0.72
52. Botswana	39.3	1.08
53. Mozambique	39.3	-1.66
54. Congo	39.7	-0.49
55. Georgia	39.7	-0.50
56. Angola	39.9	-0.44
57. Brunei	40.3	1.50
58. Armenia	41.0	-0.43
59. North Macedonia	41.0	0.38
60. Colombia	41.1	-0.95
61. Namibia	41.3	0.74
62. Ghana	41.8	0.09
63. Suriname	41.9	0.60
64. Iraq	42.0	-1.87
65. Morocco	42.3	-0.54
66. South Africa	43.3	-0.38
67. Mauritius	43.7	0.93
68. Ecuador	44.2	-0.64
69. Bosnia & Herzegovina	44.3	-0.34
70. Central African Republic	44.5	-1.69
71. Timor-Leste	44.6	0.65
72. Guatemala	44.7	-0.21
73. Jordan	44.8	-0.32
74. Türkiye	45.0	-0.88
75. Equatorial Guinea	45.5	-0.15
76. Brazil	46.2	-0.38
77. Guyana	46.9	0.20
78. El Salvador	46.9	0.11
79. Oman	47.3	0.60
80. China	48.1	0.02
81. Gabon	48.3	0.12
82. Honduras	48.6	-0.44
83. Bahrain	48.8	-0.33
84. Romania	48.8	0.21
85. Montenegro	49.5	0.45
86. Panama	49.7	0.24
87. Djibouti	49.8	-0.49
88. Saudi Arabia	49.9	0.02
89. Moldova	50.5	-0.11
90. Serbia	50.9	-0.32
91. Chile	51.2	0.17
92. Peru	54.0	-0.50
93. Cape Verde	54.1	0.86
94. Albania	54.3	0.09
95. Belize	54.4	0.81
96. Poland	54.9	0.69
97. Trinidad & Tobago	56.9	0.47
98. Seychelles	57.4	1.17
99. Dominica	57.7	0.98
100. Hungary	57.9	0.51
101. Comoros	58.3	-0.23
102. Croatia	58.8	0.68
103. Mexico	58.8	-0.61
104. St. Lucia	59.1	1.13
105. Kuwait	59.8	0.42
106. Macao	61.6	1.06
107. Jamaica	61.7	0.54
108. Grenada	61.8	1.24
109. South Korea	61.9	0.92
110. Lithuania	62.1	0.93
111. Maldives	62.1	0.08
112. St. Vincent & Grenadines	62.2	1.22
113. Kiribati	62.4	1.25
114. Latvia	62.4	0.81
115. Costa Rica	62.5	1.22
116. Slovakia	63.9	0.67
117. Portugal	64.9	0.70
118. Greece	65.5	0.28
119. Cyprus	66.9	0.44
120. Czechia	67.0	1.02
121. Papua New Guinea	67.0	-0.55
122. Slovenia	67.0	0.88
123. Samoa	67.4	1.34
124. São Tomé & Príncipe	67.6	0.55
125. Spain	68.7	0.18
126. United Arab Emirates	68.8	0.83
127. Japan	69.0	1.26
128. Malta	69.0	1.04
129. Uruguay	72.5	1.30
130. Italy	72.9	0.46
131. Hong Kong	74.0	0.77
132. Qatar	75.7	1.04
133. Estonia	75.9	0.89
134. Tonga	77.9	1.31
135. Singapore	78.3	1.33
136. Antigua & Barbuda	81.2	1.21
137. Germany	81.2	0.21
138. France	82.8	-0.09
139. San Marino	83.0	1.43
140. Austria	84.8	0.53
141. Netherlands	86.7	0.53
142. Belgium	87.2	0.17
143. New Zealand	88.9	1.18
144. Canada	90.2	0.81
145. Sweden	90.5	0.85
146. Finland	90.6	0.96
147. Solomon Islands	91.8	0.75
148. United Kingdom	92.4	0.29
149. Australia	94.4	0.78
150. Norway	96.2	1.08
151. Palau	96.3	1.30
152. Luxembourg	98.6	1.19
153. United States	100.0	-0.30
154. Vanuatu	101.6	0.95
155. Ireland	102.1	0.75
156. Haiti	102.2	-1.38
157. Denmark	104.5	0.79
158. Israel	105.9	-0.91
159. Bahamas	109.0	1.02
160. Switzerland	128.2	1.12
161. Iceland	129.7	1.32

The 15 cheapest with stability of at least +0.3

Cheapest stable countries: prices and political stability
Bhutan	24.2	1.39
Laos	28.7	0.55
Mongolia	33.3	0.57
Malaysia	33.4	0.34
Cambodia	36.7	0.33
Dominican Republic	38.4	0.61
Fiji	38.7	0.98
Botswana	39.3	1.08
Brunei	40.3	1.50
North Macedonia	41.0	0.38
Namibia	41.3	0.74
Suriname	41.9	0.60
Mauritius	43.7	0.93
Timor-Leste	44.6	0.65
Oman	47.3	0.60

Year 2024 or 2025 by country for prices, 2025 for stability. World Bank, data under a CC BY 4.0 licence.

The cheapest stable countries

Political stability is scored from about −2.5 to +2.5. The column says nothing about a district, or about visa or healthcare access. Thailand stands at 32.3, Portugal at 64.9, Spain at 68.7, the United Arab Emirates at 68.8. For an employee, what tax leaves also counts: see the country pages.

What this table leaves out

Not listed here are Burundi, Bulgaria, Micronesia, Iran, St. Kitts & Nevis, Lebanon, Liberia, Mauritania, Malawi, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Kosovo: either the data predate 2024, or the official exchange rate gives a result out of line with the GDP published by the same source, which happens with multiple exchange rates or a change of currency. We prefer to drop those rows. We do not use private crowd-sourced indexes, often quoted on this subject.

Other rankings

Safest countries Happiest countries Richest countries Average salary by country Human Development Index Life expectancy by country Best education system India income tax Malaysia income tax Digital nomad visa FBAR Lowest tax countries Safety, schools, health No income tax

Questions

What is the cheapest country to live in?

Egypt on price level, at 15.7 against 100 in the United States, which is not enough to live well there: its stability score is -0.89. Among more stable countries, Bhutan stands at 24.2. A national average reflects neither a capital city nor a foreign lifestyle.

What are the most expensive countries?

Iceland at 129.7, Switzerland at 128.2 and the Bahamas at 109.0, against 100 in the United States. The measure covers all household consumption. It also moves with the year's exchange rate: a country whose currency rises looks dearer without its local prices having moved.

How do I compare the cost of living between two countries?

Divide their price levels: the United Kingdom at 92.4 and Portugal at 64.9 give about 30% less in Portugal. The calculator does this for every country in the table. The result holds for average consumption: housing and an international school can differ widely.

Sources

Published by Radif Partners

Independent publisher of international tax comparisons built from official tax tables

Updated on November 3, 2026 · Editorial policy · Contact

Figures 2026, checked on November 3, 2026