Country rankings

Cheapest Countries to Live in

Monaco has the highest Monthly Cost Of Living (Living Cost) in 2026 ($6,776), followed by Cayman Islands ($3,795) and Switzerland ($3,270). Egypt has the lowest ($390).

196 of 235 countries

Monthly Cost Of Living (Living Cost), 2026

Green is better, red is worse (lower is better). Click a place to highlight it.

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Ranking

Best first: the first 15 and last 5 of 196 countries.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one country; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
$1,019
Middle half $724 – $1,344
Average
$1,166
196 countries
Lowest (best)
$390
Egypt
Highest (worst)
$6,776
Monaco

Over time · 2023–2026

The top 5 in 2026, against the median.

  • Median of all countries
  • Egypt
  • Pakistan
  • Libya
  • India
  • Bhutan

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

206 countries · # = rank by Monthly Cost Of Living (Living Cost)
#
1Egypt$39013.8
2Pakistan$40112.4
2Libya$40112.3
4India$40912.4
5Bhutan$412—
6Bangladesh$42913.8
7Algeria$44117.1
7Afghanistan$44112.7
9Central African Republic$502—
10South Sudan$506—
10Timor-Leste$506—
12Eritrea$508—
13Yemen$51432.0
14Liberia$515—
15Chad$518—
16Kiribati$526—
17Tunisia$53418.5
18Eswatini$540—
19Indonesia$54318.5
20Malawi$544—
20Haiti$544—
22Iran$54916.2
23Mali$554—
24Papua New Guinea$55839.2
25Sri Lanka$56322.0
26Syria$56416.1
27Madagascar$57415.8
28Gambia$578—
29Republic of the Congo$58242.4
30Djibouti$585—
31Philippines$60820.2
32Ukraine$61919.2
33Myanmar$63026.0
34Vietnam$63719.1
34Lesotho$637—
36Uganda$64319.6
37Mauritania$652—
38Tanzania$65418.8
39China$66321.5
40Botswana$66921.0
41Uzbekistan$68120.6
42Ghana$70023.7
43Somalia$714—
43Tuvalu$714—
45Belarus$71521.5
46Kyrgyzstan$71720.4
47Kenya$72119.5
47Kazakhstan$72121.4
49Bolivia$72319.0
50Tajikistan$72419.8
51Burundi$735—
52Morocco$73621.1
52Gabon$736—
54Togo$740—
55Paraguay$75120.3
56Angola$75534.5
57Nicaragua$75641.6
58Nigeria$76125.5
59North Macedonia$76923.2
60Iraq$78319.0
61Brazil$78720.5
61Mauritius$78726.1
63Azerbaijan$78821.3
63Nauru$788—
65Samoa$789—
66Benin$794—
67Bosnia and Herzegovina$80625.0
68Cameroon$81631.1
69Ecuador$81721.0
70Malaysia$81822.9
71Rwanda$81919.4
72Cambodia$83223.7
73Sudan$838—
73Venezuela$83842.2
75Guinea-Bissau$856—
76Moldova$85826.4
77Zimbabwe$86024.2
78Peru$86223.6
79Honduras$86525.7
80Thailand$88227.2
81Turkey$89127.6
82Argentina$89428.3
83Dominican Republic$90127.4
84Fiji$90826.7
85Suriname$91328.2
86Zambia$92722.0
87Colombia$92822.4
87Jordan$92825.3
89Mongolia$93525.1
90Burkina Faso$936—
91Georgia$94624.0
92Mozambique$95425.9
92Romania$95427.8
94Namibia$98226.4
95Laos$984—
95Cape Verde$98429.6
97Saint Vincent and the Grenadines$996—
98Sao Tome and Principe$1,011—
99Russia$1,02725.7
99Taiwan$1,02733.9
99Dominica$1,027—
102Chile$1,02826.8
102Guinea$1,028—
104Tonga$1,032—
105Guatemala$1,03329.5
106Albania$1,03731.7
107Belize$1,03832.0
108Bulgaria$1,04828.0
109DR Congo$1,051—
110Montenegro$1,06231.0
111South Korea$1,07441.3
112Mexico$1,07531.5
113Ethiopia$1,08131.3
114Grenada$1,08349.4
115Oman$1,10230.0
116Japan$1,10932.8
117Serbia$1,11229.5
118South Africa$1,11626.4
119Antigua and Barbuda$1,119—
120Armenia$1,12029.5
121Trinidad and Tobago$1,13835.2
122Ivory Coast$1,14834.5
123Niger$1,151—
124Brunei$1,15233.6
125Latvia$1,15734.3
126El Salvador$1,16429.4
127Palestine$1,17030.9
128Palau$1,174—
129Vatican City$1,179—
130Saint Lucia$1,194—
131Comoros$1,196—
132Guyana$1,21539.0
133Senegal$1,22335.5
134Lithuania$1,22735.3
135Equatorial Guinea$1,241—
136Greece$1,25336.0
137Bahrain$1,25635.9
138Sierra Leone$1,258—
139Saudi Arabia$1,25930.4
140Hungary$1,27732.3
141Cuba$1,29528.3
142Lebanon$1,31534.4
143San Marino$1,324—
144Jamaica$1,33038.7
144Barbados$1,330—
144Saint Kitts and Nevis$1,330—
147Maldives$1,34238.1
148Slovakia$1,34835.2
149Uruguay$1,35337.3
150Poland$1,36734.4
151Costa Rica$1,40238.3
152Croatia$1,41037.1
153Estonia$1,42540.5
154Kuwait$1,43733.3
155Portugal$1,45238.3
156Panama$1,45635.6
157Czechia$1,47838.6
158Marshall Islands$1,498—
159Solomon Islands$1,50165.4
160Slovenia$1,51339.1
161North Korea$1,596—
162Italy$1,62443.1
163Spain$1,62839.0
164Cyprus$1,63144.6
165Seychelles$1,63748.0
166Finland$1,64448.0
167Curacao$1,659—
168Malta$1,72544.1
169France$1,73747.5
170Sweden$1,75847.8
171Germany$1,76449.0
172Belgium$1,77548.6
173New Zealand$1,82345.0
174Andorra$1,83545.2
175Turkmenistan$1,861—
176Canada$2,00548.9
177Vanuatu$2,032—
178Austria$2,04250.7
179Qatar$2,09845.8
180United Arab Emirates$2,12448.2
181Denmark$2,13156.6
182Israel$2,36058.0
183Norway$2,37159.4
184Netherlands$2,37757.9
185United Kingdom$2,39951.9
186Australia$2,46052.7
187Liechtenstein$2,507—
188United States$2,52256.3
189Ireland$2,74458.7
190Bahamas$2,74777.1
191Luxembourg$2,76465.2
192Iceland$3,09575.9
193Singapore$3,09881.2
194Switzerland$3,27084.3
195Cayman Islands$3,79597.9
196Monaco$6,776—
—Nepal—13.8
—Hong Kong—69.8
—Puerto Rico—44.3
—Macau—46.3
—Jersey—72.5
—Isle of Man—55.7
—United States Virgin Islands—82.5
—Guernsey—65.3
—Bermuda—123.5
—Gibraltar—63.9

What correlates with Monthly Cost Of Living (Living Cost) (2026)?

Pearson r against 1,401 other country metrics sharing at least 118 countries. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Monthly Cost Of Living (Living Cost) tend to score higher on these

  1. Restaurant Price IndexCost of Living by Country
    r = +0.91 · very strong · n = 129
    Plot
  2. Consumer Spending per CapitaConsumer Spending by Country
    r = +0.89 · very strong · n = 138
    Plot
  3. GDP per Capita - World BankGDP per Capita by Country
    r = +0.89 · very strong · n = 174
    Plot
  4. Cost of Living Index (Numbeo)Cost of Living by Country
    r = +0.89 · very strong · n = 130
    Plot
  5. GDP per AdultAverage Net Worth by Country
    r = +0.88 · very strong · n = 195
    Plot
  6. GDP per Person (US$)Economic Indicators by Country (World Bank)
    r = +0.88 · very strong · n = 179
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Monthly Cost Of Living (Living Cost) tend to score lower on these

  1. Failed States IndexFailed States
    r = −0.73 · very strong · n = 176
    Plot
  2. Fragile States Index
    r = −0.72 · very strong · n = 177
    Plot
  3. RichAds 2024Tier 1 Countries
    r = −0.69 · strong · n = 133
    Plot
  4. EconomyFailed States
    r = −0.68 · strong · n = 176
    Plot
  5. Individuals Making Under $10kWealth Inequality by Country
    r = −0.68 · strong · n = 168
    Plot
  6. Vulnerability ScoreGlobal Slavery Index by Country
    r = −0.68 · strong · n = 156
    Plot

Quick answers

Which country has the highest Monthly Cost Of Living (Living Cost)?
Monaco has the highest Monthly Cost Of Living (Living Cost) in 2026, at $6,776, followed by Cayman Islands ($3,795) and Switzerland ($3,270).
Which country has the lowest Monthly Cost Of Living (Living Cost)?
Egypt has the lowest Monthly Cost Of Living (Living Cost) in 2026, at $390.
What is the median Monthly Cost Of Living (Living Cost) across countries?
The median is $1,019 across the 196 countries with data in 2026.
Where does this cheapest countries to live in data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Cost of Living by Country - Living Cost; Cost of Living Index - Numbeo; Cost of Living - Country Rankings - Global Economy; Cost of Living Ranking by Country - Expatistan.