Map Options
$0
$1K
$2K
$3K
$4K
$5K
$6K
$7K
Cheapest Countries to Live in 2024
Snapshot
A country's cost of living is determined by comparing local prices of basic goods and services to those in a baseline location, such as New York City; however, methodologies vary among organizations.
Pakistan, Libya, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Nigeria, and Tunisia appear on both Living Cost's and Numbeo's lists of the least expensive countries to live in.
The cost of living is the amount of money needed to sustain a certain comfort level in a location. The cost of living covers such basics as housing, groceries, taxes, and healthcare. Some countries have a very high cost of living, particularly in areas surrounding large cities.
For example, in the United States, cities like New York and San Francisco have a very high cost of living, while such areas as rural Mississippi, Kansas, or Oklahoma may be notably more affordable. Some nations have a very low cost of living, which can make them attractive destinations for expats, retirees, and others interested in reducing their expenses.
As a rule, cost of living computations start by recording the cost of various needs, from rent/mortgage and health care to a loaf of bread, in a given city. Those costs are then compared to the price of the same necessities in a baseline location, such as New York City (USA), or Prague in the Czech Republic. Finally, the numbers for each region in a given country are averaged to enable nation-to-nation comparisons.
Every source adds its own spin on the math, which results in slightly different lists. The table below presents a full list of the countries and their scores. To explore the opposite end of the spectrum, take a look at the most expensive countries to live in.
Top 10 Cheapest Countries to Live In (New York City, USA = 100%) - Numbeo
Country | Cost Of Living Plus Rent vs NYC [100] (Numbeo) |
|---|---|
| Pakistan | 11.1 |
| Afghanistan | 13.3 |
| Libya | 13.3 |
| Bangladesh | 14.4 |
| India | 14.6 |
| Syria | 15.1 |
| Nepal | 16.1 |
| Madagascar | 17 |
| Nigeria | 17.4 |
| Tunisia | 17.4 |
Top 10 Cheapest Countries to Live In (per month US$) - Living Cost
Source
The data and analysis methodologies used by the three organizations—Living Cost, Numbeo, and Global Economy—vary by year collected, factors analyzed, calculation equation used, and countries included.
- The Numbeo Cost of Living Plus Rent Index measures the average cost of living plus rent in each country and expresses it as an undeclared percentage of the average cost of living plus rent in New York City, which is given a baseline a value of 100.
- For example, a score of 76 would indicate a country whose average cost of living plus rent was 76% as high as (or 24% lower than) the average cost of living plus rent in NYC. By comparison, a country with a score of 131 would cost 31% more than NYC.