Data study

The 2026 Cost of Living Index

We ranked all 56 cities in our database by real monthly cost -- rent, food, transport and coworking -- and indexed each against the global average. Here is where it is cheapest, where it hurts, and where you get the most for your money.

56 cities · Updated 2026 · Free to use and cite
Cheapest city
Da Nang
$1,289/mo
Index 33 vs global 100
Most expensive
New York
$8,077/mo
Index 208 vs global 100
Best value
Da Nang
63 score
Highest nomad score per dollar
Global average
56 cities
$3,875/mo
Median $3,130 · index base 100

Full ranking -- cheapest to most expensive

Every city, ranked by estimated monthly cost for a standard single-person lifestyle. The index shows each city relative to the 56-city average (100 = average; below 100 is cheaper, above is pricier).

#CityMonthly costIndexNomadSafety
1 Da NangVietnam $1,289 33 63 80
2 HanoiVietnam $1,410 36 50 70
3 PenangMalaysia $1,478 38 68 72
4 Chiang MaiThailand $1,630 42 67 85
5 TbilisiGeorgia $1,690 44 63 80
6 CairoEgypt $1,765 46 48 55
7 Ho Chi Minh CityVietnam $1,765 46 51 68
8 LimaPeru $1,863 48 45 52
9 BucharestRomania $1,872 48 68 66
10 BogotáColombia $1,960 51 59 55
11 BaliIndonesia $2,150 55 63 75
12 LagosNigeria $2,185 56 40 40
13 KigaliRwanda $2,205 57 67 75
14 Buenos AiresArgentina $2,235 58 53 55
15 Playa del CarmenMexico $2,268 59 60 52
16 MarrakechMorocco $2,335 60 59 65
17 Kuala LumpurMalaysia $2,360 61 74 72
18 MedellínColombia $2,430 63 64 60
19 BangkokThailand $2,475 64 73 70
20 São PauloBrazil $2,510 65 60 50
21 SplitCroatia $2,547 66 72 82
22 TaipeiTaiwan $2,552 66 84 91
23 AccraGhana $2,580 67 58 60
24 NairobiKenya $2,685 69 64 55
25 Mexico CityMexico $2,900 75 66 55
26 Cape TownSouth Africa $2,925 75 63 45
27 WarsawPoland $3,035 78 63 79
28 IstanbulTurkey $3,050 79 56 65
29 PortoPortugal $3,130 81 76 82
30 BudapestHungary $3,270 84 75 80
31 TallinnEstonia $3,395 88 78 88
32 AthensGreece $3,535 91 73 70
33 PragueCzech Republic $3,675 95 81 85
34 LisbonPortugal $3,690 95 81 85
35 SeoulSouth Korea $3,900 101 82 90
36 MadridSpain $4,515 117 79 75
37 BerlinGermany $4,536 117 82 80
38 RomeItaly $4,725 122 75 72
39 MontrealCanada $4,750 123 70 78
40 ViennaAustria $5,220 135 85 90
41 BarcelonaSpain $5,285 136 79 75
42 TokyoJapan $5,650 146 84 95
43 HelsinkiFinland $6,030 156 87 95
44 ParisFrance $6,275 162 80 70
45 StockholmSweden $6,275 162 87 92
46 SingaporeSingapore $6,330 163 83 97
47 MelbourneAustralia $6,350 164 73 87
48 TorontoCanada $6,550 169 73 82
49 AmsterdamNetherlands $6,600 170 85 80
50 OsloNorway $6,760 174 87 93
51 DubaiUnited Arab Emirates $6,780 175 87 95
52 SydneyAustralia $6,930 179 74 85
53 MiamiUnited States $7,200 186 67 68
54 LondonUnited Kingdom $7,670 198 74 75
55 Los AngelesUnited States $7,740 200 65 62
56 New YorkUnited States $8,077 208 74 75

Methodology

Each city's monthly figure is the sum of four core costs for a single person living centrally: accommodation, a standard food budget, public transport and a coworking membership. Figures are USD-equivalent and reflect a comfortable-but-not-luxury lifestyle.

  • Accommodation and food are derived from daily rates over a 30-day month.
  • The index sets the 56-city average at 100; a score of 70 means ~30% cheaper than average.
  • "Best value" ranks nomad score per $1,000 of monthly cost.
  • Data is maintained by Living Cost Atlas and refreshed for 2026.

Cite this study

Living Cost Atlas (2026). The 2026 Cost of Living Index.
www.livingcostatlas.com/cost-of-living-index-2026

Free to reference with a link back. Data licensed CC BY 4.0.

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