Cost of living · Edition 2026.1
What a month actually costs. City by city.
Monthly outgoings for a single resident — rent, utilities, groceries, transport and everyday prices — indexed against New York at 100 so any two cities can be read side by side.
Cities tracked
40
Cities across six regions
Cheapest
Chiang Mai · $610/mo
Thailand
Most expensive
New York · $4,650/mo
United States
Global average
$2,072
Per month · single resident
| City | Country | Monthly (single) | Rent 1BR centre | Meal | Index vs NYC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiang Mai | ThailandTH | $610 | $330 | $3 | 15 |
| Ho Chi Minh City | VietnamVN | $790 | $470 | $3 | 19 |
| Jakarta | IndonesiaID | $820 | $480 | $3 | 20 |
| Tbilisi | GeorgiaGE | $840 | $520 | $7 | 20 |
| Nairobi | KenyaKE | $890 | $520 | $6 | 21 |
| Casablanca | MoroccoMA | $920 | $540 | $5 | 22 |
| Kuala Lumpur | MalaysiaMY | $950 | $520 | $4 | 23 |
| Buenos Aires | ArgentinaAR | $980 | $560 | $9 | 23 |
| Bangkok | ThailandTH | $1,050 | $620 | $4 | 25 |
| Cape Town | South AfricaZA | $1,080 | $640 | $9 | 26 |
| Istanbul | TürkiyeTR | $1,100 | $650 | $9 | 27 |
| São Paulo | BrazilBR | $1,120 | $680 | $7 | 27 |
| Mexico City | MexicoMX | $1,150 | $720 | $8 | 27 |
| Santiago | ChileCL | $1,280 | $750 | $10 | 31 |
| Tallinn | EstoniaEE | $1,380 | $780 | $13 | 34 |
| Warsaw | PolandPL | $1,420 | $850 | $10 | 34 |
| Lisbon | PortugalPT | $1,450 | $950 | $12 | 33 |
| Prague | CzechiaCZ | $1,560 | $920 | $10 | 37 |
| Madrid | SpainES | $1,880 | $1,180 | $15 | 45 |
| Tokyo | JapanJP | $1,980 | $1,150 | $7 | 47 |
| Barcelona | SpainES | $1,990 | $1,280 | $16 | 48 |
| Berlin | GermanyDE | $2,050 | $1,300 | $15 | 49 |
| Vienna | AustriaAT | $2,130 | $1,250 | $16 | 51 |
| Seoul | South KoreaKR | $2,180 | $1,350 | $8 | 52 |
| Doha | QatarQA | $2,240 | $1,500 | $11 | 54 |
| Auckland | New ZealandNZ | $2,480 | $1,620 | $14 | 60 |
| Austin | United StatesUS | $2,580 | $1,700 | $20 | 59 |
| Paris | FranceFR | $2,690 | $1,750 | $19 | 65 |
| Toronto | CanadaCA | $2,780 | $1,850 | $18 | 66 |
| Amsterdam | NetherlandsNL | $2,840 | $1,950 | $20 | 68 |
| Melbourne | AustraliaAU | $2,840 | $1,920 | $16 | 68 |
| Dubai | United Arab EmiratesAE | $2,950 | $2,100 | $12 | 68 |
| Sydney | AustraliaAU | $3,050 | $2,150 | $16 | 73 |
| Tel Aviv | IsraelIL | $3,280 | $2,050 | $17 | 79 |
| Miami | United StatesUS | $3,290 | $2,350 | $25 | 75 |
| Singapore | SingaporeSG | $3,450 | $2,600 | $9 | 82 |
| London | United KingdomGB | $3,540 | $2,380 | $24 | 85 |
| Zurich | SwitzerlandCH | $4,180 | $2,400 | $28 | 101 |
| San Francisco | United StatesUS | $4,420 | $3,020 | $25 | 97 |
| New York | United StatesUS | $4,650 | $3,200 | $25 | 100 |
40 of 40 cities shown · click a row for the full breakdown
Indicative sample estimates informed by the Numbeo Current Cost of Living Index. Numbeo uses New York City as the 100 baseline. Values are placeholders for product testing, not live quotations or financial advice.
Images · Capital & Control studio