Research · August 2026

Moving Readiness Index

Name: CheckCostOfLiving Moving Readiness Index
Creator: CheckCostOfLiving

Original ranking of cities we cover for relocators — not just cheapest, but ready to move: money, visa, safety, jobs, and tax ease. Full formulas on the methodology page.

Affordability 28%Visa accessibility 22%Safety 18%Employment 17%Tax burden (higher = easier) 15%

#	City	Readiness	Monthly	PPP idx	Overall
1	MY Kuala LumpurMalaysia	83	$1,050	190	82
2	TH BangkokThailand	82	$1,200	167	80
3	TH Chiang MaiThailand	82	$900	222	80
4	RO BucharestRomania	81	$1,200	167	80
5	HU BudapestHungary	80	$1,350	148	80
6	VN Ho Chi Minh CityVietnam	80	$950	211	80
7	PT PortoPortugal	80	$1,450	138	78
8	CZ PragueCzech Republic	80	$1,600	125	79
9	TW TaipeiTaiwan	80	$1,600	125	80
10	ID Bali (Denpasar)Indonesia	79	$1,100	182	78
11	PT LisbonPortugal	79	$1,650	121	77
12	CO MedellínColombia	79	$1,050	190	77
13	PL WarsawPoland	79	$1,500	133	79
14	AE Abu DhabiUAE	78	$2,300	87	78
15	MA MarrakechMorocco	78	$850	235	76
16	MX Mexico CityMexico	78	$1,400	143	77
17	CO BogotáColombia	77	$1,100	182	77
18	AR Buenos AiresArgentina	77	$900	222	76
19	AE DubaiUAE	77	$2,500	80	78
20	TR IstanbulTurkey	77	$1,100	182	77
21	CL SantiagoChile	77	$1,300	154	77
22	GR AthensGreece	76	$1,550	129	74
23	HR DubrovnikCroatia	76	$1,700	118	74
24	MX Playa del CarmenMexico	76	$1,600	125	74
25	ES ValenciaSpain	76	$1,750	114	75
26	ZA Cape TownSouth Africa	75	$1,100	182	75
27	ES MadridSpain	75	$2,050	98	75
28	BR São PauloBrazil	74	$1,200	167	75
29	ES BarcelonaSpain	73	$2,200	91	73
30	IT MilanItaly	70	$2,400	83	70
31	KR SeoulSouth Korea	70	$2,200	91	72
32	DE BerlinGermany	69	$2,300	87	71
33	IT RomeItaly	69	$2,100	95	69
34	CA MontrealCanada	68	$2,200	91	70
35	JP TokyoJapan	68	$2,600	77	70
36	NL AmsterdamNetherlands	67	$2,800	71	68
37	NZ AucklandNew Zealand	66	$2,600	77	67
38	SG SingaporeSingapore	66	$3,800	53	68
39	IE DublinIreland	64	$3,200	63	65
40	CA TorontoCanada	64	$2,800	71	66
41	US AustinUnited States	63	$2,600	77	66
42	US DenverUnited States	63	$2,700	74	65
43	AU MelbourneAustralia	63	$2,900	69	64
44	CA VancouverCanada	63	$2,900	69	64
45	AU SydneyAustralia	61	$3,200	63	63
46	FR ParisFrance	60	$2,900	69	62
47	GB LondonUnited Kingdom	59	$3,500	57	61
48	US MiamiUnited States	57	$3,100	65	60
49	US New YorkUnited States	55	$4,200	48	59
50	US San FranciscoUnited States	55	$4,500	44	58

PPP index is relative purchasing power vs a $2,000/mo reference basket (higher = cheaper). Use Compare to stress-test finalists with your income.