Rankings

Cheapest Cities to Live In

The cheapest cities to live — inexpensive places to live with transparent living expenses comparison.

#	City	Country	Monthly	Score	Link
1	Marrakech	Morocco	$850	76	View
2	Buenos Aires	Argentina	$900	76	View
3	Chiang Mai	Thailand	$900	80	View
4	Ho Chi Minh City	Vietnam	$950	80	View
5	Kuala Lumpur	Malaysia	$1,050	82	View
6	Medellín	Colombia	$1,050	77	View
7	Bali (Denpasar)	Indonesia	$1,100	78	View
8	Bogotá	Colombia	$1,100	77	View
9	Cape Town	South Africa	$1,100	75	View
10	Istanbul	Turkey	$1,100	77	View
11	Bangkok	Thailand	$1,200	80	View
12	Bucharest	Romania	$1,200	80	View
13	São Paulo	Brazil	$1,200	75	View
14	Santiago	Chile	$1,300	77	View
15	Budapest	Hungary	$1,350	80	View
16	Mexico City	Mexico	$1,400	77	View
17	Porto	Portugal	$1,450	78	View
18	Warsaw	Poland	$1,500	79	View
19	Athens	Greece	$1,550	74	View
20	Playa del Carmen	Mexico	$1,600	74	View
21	Prague	Czech Republic	$1,600	79	View
22	Taipei	Taiwan	$1,600	80	View
23	Lisbon	Portugal	$1,650	77	View
24	Dubrovnik	Croatia	$1,700	74	View
25	Valencia	Spain	$1,750	75	View
26	Madrid	Spain	$2,050	75	View
27	Rome	Italy	$2,100	69	View
28	Barcelona	Spain	$2,200	73	View
29	Montreal	Canada	$2,200	70	View
30	Seoul	South Korea	$2,200	72	View
31	Abu Dhabi	UAE	$2,300	78	View
32	Berlin	Germany	$2,300	71	View
33	Milan	Italy	$2,400	70	View
34	Dubai	UAE	$2,500	78	View
35	Auckland	New Zealand	$2,600	67	View
36	Austin	United States	$2,600	66	View
37	Tokyo	Japan	$2,600	70	View
38	Denver	United States	$2,700	65	View
39	Amsterdam	Netherlands	$2,800	68	View
40	Toronto	Canada	$2,800	66	View
41	Melbourne	Australia	$2,900	64	View
42	Paris	France	$2,900	62	View
43	Vancouver	Canada	$2,900	64	View
44	Miami	United States	$3,100	60	View
45	Dublin	Ireland	$3,200	65	View
46	Sydney	Australia	$3,200	63	View
47	London	United Kingdom	$3,500	61	View
48	Singapore	Singapore	$3,800	68	View
49	New York	United States	$4,200	59	View
50	San Francisco	United States	$4,500	58	View

Marrakech, Morocco

$850/mo · Score 76

Buenos Aires, Argentina

$900/mo · Score 76

Chiang Mai, Thailand

$900/mo · Score 80

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

$950/mo · Score 80

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

$1,050/mo · Score 82

Medellín, Colombia

$1,050/mo · Score 77

Bali (Denpasar), Indonesia

$1,100/mo · Score 78

Bogotá, Colombia

$1,100/mo · Score 77

Cape Town, South Africa

$1,100/mo · Score 75

#10

Istanbul, Turkey

$1,100/mo · Score 77

#11

Bangkok, Thailand

$1,200/mo · Score 80

#12

Bucharest, Romania

$1,200/mo · Score 80

#13

São Paulo, Brazil

$1,200/mo · Score 75

#14

Santiago, Chile

$1,300/mo · Score 77

#15

Budapest, Hungary

$1,350/mo · Score 80

#16

Mexico City, Mexico

$1,400/mo · Score 77

#17

Porto, Portugal

$1,450/mo · Score 78

#18

Warsaw, Poland

$1,500/mo · Score 79

#19

Athens, Greece

$1,550/mo · Score 74

#20

Playa del Carmen, Mexico

$1,600/mo · Score 74

#21

Prague, Czech Republic

$1,600/mo · Score 79

#22

Taipei, Taiwan

$1,600/mo · Score 80

#23

Lisbon, Portugal

$1,650/mo · Score 77

#24

Dubrovnik, Croatia

$1,700/mo · Score 74

#25

Valencia, Spain

$1,750/mo · Score 75

#26

Madrid, Spain

$2,050/mo · Score 75

#27

Rome, Italy

$2,100/mo · Score 69

#28

Barcelona, Spain

$2,200/mo · Score 73

#29

Montreal, Canada

$2,200/mo · Score 70

#30

Seoul, South Korea

$2,200/mo · Score 72

#31

Abu Dhabi, UAE

$2,300/mo · Score 78

#32

Berlin, Germany

$2,300/mo · Score 71

#33

Milan, Italy

$2,400/mo · Score 70

#34

Dubai, UAE

$2,500/mo · Score 78

#35

Auckland, New Zealand

$2,600/mo · Score 67

#36

Austin, United States

$2,600/mo · Score 66

#37

Tokyo, Japan

$2,600/mo · Score 70

#38

Denver, United States

$2,700/mo · Score 65

#39

Amsterdam, Netherlands

$2,800/mo · Score 68

#40

Toronto, Canada

$2,800/mo · Score 66

#41

Melbourne, Australia

$2,900/mo · Score 64

#42

Paris, France

$2,900/mo · Score 62

#43

Vancouver, Canada

$2,900/mo · Score 64

#44

Miami, United States

$3,100/mo · Score 60

#45

Dublin, Ireland

$3,200/mo · Score 65

#46

Sydney, Australia

$3,200/mo · Score 63

#47

London, United Kingdom

$3,500/mo · Score 61

#48

Singapore, Singapore

$3,800/mo · Score 68

#49

New York, United States

$4,200/mo · Score 59

#50

San Francisco, United States

$4,500/mo · Score 58

Morocco · Africa

MA Marrakech

$850/mo

Overall score 76

Argentina · South America

AR Buenos Aires

$900/mo

Overall score 76

Thailand · Asia

TH Chiang Mai

$900/mo

Overall score 80

Vietnam · Asia

VN Ho Chi Minh City

$950/mo

Overall score 80

Malaysia · Asia

MY Kuala Lumpur

$1,050/mo

Overall score 82

Colombia · South America

CO Medellín

$1,050/mo

Overall score 77

Indonesia · Asia

ID Bali (Denpasar)

$1,100/mo

Overall score 78

Colombia · South America

CO Bogotá

$1,100/mo

Overall score 77

South Africa · Africa

ZA Cape Town

$1,100/mo

Overall score 75

Turkey · Europe

TR Istanbul

$1,100/mo

Overall score 77

Thailand · Asia

TH Bangkok

$1,200/mo

Overall score 80

Romania · Europe

RO Bucharest

$1,200/mo

Overall score 80

Cheapest cities to live: global cost of living comparison

Searching for the cheapest cities to live, the most inexpensive places to live, or the least expensive places to live outside your home country? This ranking is a data-driven cost of living comparison built for relocators, remote workers, and families who need more than a headline index. We combine rent, groceries, transport, healthcare, lifestyle, and tax assumptions into a monthly price of living baseline you can personalize with our cost of living calculator and living expenses calculator.

Why inexpensive places to live still require a calculator

A city can be cheap on average yet expensive for your lifestyle. Central studios, international schools, or car ownership flip outcomes. That is why we treat living expenses comparison as a process: start with ranked baselines, then run a cost of living estimator with your income, housing type, and household size. The same workflow powers our cost of living converter mindset — model USD income against local living expenses without guessing.

What “cheapest” means in our model

We sort by estimated monthly cost for a single person, then validate with affordability scores (higher = cheaper relative to global peers). Cities in Southeast Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and North Africa frequently dominate inexpensive places to live lists, while still offering workable infrastructure for remote work.

Price of living vs cost of living: wording searchers use

Many users type price of living comparison, price of living, or even cost of life comparison. The intent is identical: “How far does my salary go?” Our tables answer that with explicit monthly figures and links to city-level cost of living comparison pages where you can drill into visas, safety, and taxes.

United States context: cost of living by state

U.S. residents often research cost of living by state and the cheapest states to live in before considering international options. Domestic state averages hide metro differences — Austin, Miami, Denver, New York, and San Francisco behave like different countries on housing alone. Use this global ranking alongside our U.S. city pages when deciding whether international cheapest cities to live beat a domestic move.

How to use this living expenses comparison

Who should prioritize least expensive places to live?

Remote workers paid in strong currencies, founders extending runway, retirees on fixed income, and families needing space without coastal premiums benefit most. If career network effects matter more than savings, also review our most expensive cities list for a balanced price of living comparison.

Methodology and disclaimers

Figures are estimates synthesized from public indexes and editorial review — not financial or immigration advice. Exchange rates, visa rules, and neighbourhood choice can shift outcomes ±20–40%. Always confirm leases, tax residency, and healthcare requirements locally.

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