Cost of living by country

How far does the same amount of money go in different countries? Compare a consistent international price benchmark, explore what changes between food, housing and transport, and calculate an equivalent household basket.

2021 ICP benchmark · Published May 2024 · Reviewed 1 October 2026 · Sources & methodology

165Countries in this directory with observations

US = 100Each category has its own US reference

2021Price benchmark, not a 2026 budget estimate

What the index tells you

An index of 60 means the category’s price level was about 60% of the US level in the benchmark comparison, after converting currencies at the benchmark exchange rates. An index of 120 means about 20% higher. These figures compare prices; they do not measure salaries, disposable income or whether local residents can comfortably afford necessities.

This is a dated international benchmark. We use the World Bank’s 2021 International Comparison Program (ICP), published in 2024, because it compares expenditure categories within one statistical framework. It is not a live list of prices in October 2026. Inflation, exchange rates and changes within countries since 2021 can materially alter today’s costs.

The main column covers households and non-profit institutions serving households (NPISHs). It is a broad consumption measure, not a tourist’s shopping list. In this covered group, Syria has the lowest index (23.6) and Switzerland the highest (136.3). That is a statement about this dataset and year, not a recommendation about where to move.

Compare prices across five categories

Spain and Portugal illustrate why one overall index is not enough for a practical comparison. Spain’s household-consumption index is 78.1, while Portugal’s is 72.1, with the United States set to 100. Yet Portugal’s food index is 101.8, compared with 98.3 for Spain. The country with the lower overall index does not have the lower food index in this benchmark.

Japan provides another contrast: its overall consumption index is 99.5, close to the US benchmark, while its food index is 164.1. That is not a claim that every Japanese grocery item costs that much more. It describes the relative price of the comparable food category in the 2021 international exercise.

These examples explain why a household that spends heavily on groceries can experience a different comparison from one dominated by housing costs. They also explain why the categories should not be casually averaged: the overall consumption measure has its own expenditure weights. A personal budget would require a household-specific basket and current local prices.

The base ranking runs from the lowest to the highest overall consumption price level. Sort any category to explore a different basket. Housing and utilities refers to the ICP’s “actual housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels” category; it is not a rent-only index or the price of buying a home.

165 countries. Scroll the table for all entries. Base rank follows the page’s main measure; sorting another column keeps that rank.

Price-level indices, 2021. United States = 100 within each column.
Base rank
1	Syria	23.6	62.1	7.6	26.7	49.2
2	Pakistan	26.2	50.9	15.5	47.0	24.9
3	Egypt	26.3	54.8	10.1	42.3	20.4
4	India	26.3	50.1	13.4	53.2	27.6
5	Sudan	27.4	52.8	14.2	48.1	20.2
6	Uzbekistan	27.4	62.8	7.5	46.1	37.2
7	Ethiopia	27.7	63.6	14.0	31.7	20.7
8	Azerbaijan	28.4	52.2	10.2	44.8	34.5
9	Tajikistan	28.5	61.1	6.0	52.8	35.3
10	Nepal	28.6	57.2	14.7	73.6	25.8
11	Kyrgyzstan	28.7	57.9	8.5	48.2	35.4
12	Bhutan	28.9	65.9	9.3	53.2	19.8
13	Belarus	29.1	51.5	13.8	49.5	34.7
14	Algeria	29.1	61.4	11.0	31.3	23.7
15	Sri Lanka	29.3	65.3	10.0	56.5	24.4
16	Rwanda	29.5	53.2	16.0	58.8	36.3
17	Madagascar	29.5	58.9	15.7	50.6	22.4
18	Tanzania	29.7	55.4	15.5	53.4	23.7
19	Gambia	30.0	69.6	10.2	46.1	32.2
20	Zambia	30.9	57.5	15.8	73.9	27.4
21	Suriname	30.9	69.1	7.8	63.9	40.7
22	Tunisia	31.2	55.7	12.4	51.9	23.4
23	Ukraine	31.8	61.3	15.3	67.7	31.3
24	Sierra Leone	32.3	76.0	9.9	57.9	33.4
25	Angola	32.3	73.6	15.2	33.2	29.4
26	Vietnam	32.4	67.6	17.5	60.3	25.3
27	Armenia	32.6	63.6	13.0	53.6	37.4
28	Guinea	33.1	81.5	13.1	51.4	22.3
29	Burundi	33.3	72.1	10.9	61.4	25.1
30	Georgia	33.3	69.5	15.8	52.2	36.0
31	Kazakhstan	33.4	55.1	23.6	44.2	33.1
32	Mauritania	33.6	69.0	14.7	49.2	40.1
33	Mongolia	33.6	65.1	22.7	49.4	30.7
34	Laos	33.6	75.5	16.3	71.9	33.8
35	Turkey	34.0	63.6	14.3	78.2	48.5
36	Bangladesh	34.3	73.4	14.6	63.6	27.8
37	Burkina Faso	34.7	65.0	14.4	64.1	37.2
38	Mali	34.8	72.3	8.6	83.0	45.2
39	Bolivia	35.2	59.2	17.8	53.0	34.5
40	Malawi	35.3	74.7	13.1	76.7	37.6
41	Nicaragua	35.7	69.2	14.3	52.0	34.0
42	Moldova	35.8	62.2	15.9	61.6	41.3
43	Mozambique	36.1	70.3	17.0	51.6	33.8
44	Cameroon	36.3	75.7	11.4	64.3	42.4
45	Thailand	36.6	72.9	12.1	59.0	29.3
46	Uganda	36.7	65.4	22.9	60.0	42.3
47	Indonesia	37.4	76.4	17.3	54.0	31.5
48	Malaysia	37.5	70.7	16.0	54.1	21.5
49	Niger	38.0	84.7	12.1	61.1	46.9
50	Cambodia	38.5	76.8	27.0	75.8	32.8
51	Kenya	38.7	79.7	18.4	65.4	30.4
52	Nigeria	38.8	86.2	24.0	54.2	35.3
53	Chad	38.9	74.2	18.6	66.6	47.9
54	Iraq	39.1	80.5	17.0	55.9	38.8
55	Guinea-Bissau	39.3	86.7	14.6	61.7	40.8
56	Lesotho	39.4	71.7	22.8	65.3	46.9
57	North Macedonia	39.4	64.7	21.9	78.1	39.8
58	Benin	39.5	84.6	13.1	76.1	41.4
59	Togo	39.8	84.4	15.2	72.7	52.2
60	Somalia	39.9	73.0	25.1	70.4	37.4
61	Colombia	40.2	67.4	26.9	60.4	47.0
62	Dominican Republic	40.4	78.6	11.9	69.8	55.8
63	Senegal	40.9	83.9	17.9	63.2	46.3
64	Paraguay	41.2	67.9	25.4	59.4	33.2
65	Eswatini	41.9	70.8	26.0	54.3	47.6
66	Philippines	42.1	79.1	27.0	65.4	33.8
67	Ghana	42.3	95.7	21.8	94.5	34.0
68	Lebanon	42.8	98.5	19.4	68.5	43.7
69	Ivory Coast	43.0	78.1	21.0	80.8	52.3
70	Republic of the Congo	43.7	95.7	18.8	65.9	39.6
71	Argentina	44.2	70.1	17.9	68.8	54.4
72	Guatemala	44.4	78.9	32.0	60.6	29.1
73	Mauritius	45.0	88.7	16.5	61.5	57.8
74	Bulgaria	45.0	80.2	24.4	86.4	44.1
75	Romania	45.1	69.9	30.7	89.1	56.7
76	Brunei	45.1	87.3	21.8	55.3	46.5
77	Bosnia and Herzegovina	45.3	79.0	18.1	87.1	55.0
78	Brazil	45.3	69.3	25.1	76.6	34.4
79	Morocco	45.5	79.6	24.6	74.7	40.4
80	Fiji	45.6	81.1	20.3	65.1	61.6
81	Liberia	45.9	96.8	31.2	66.7	49.2
82	Botswana	46.0	77.9	25.2	61.3	67.9
83	Sao Tome and Principe	46.4	107.1	19.0	67.3	43.6
84	Democratic Republic of the Congo	46.7	90.1	33.5	77.0	42.4
85	Guyana	47.6	109.4	20.5	70.6	43.3
86	Montenegro	47.7	82.5	23.1	95.1	54.9
87	Poland	48.1	72.7	25.7	88.7	69.0
88	Ecuador	48.5	85.4	24.1	51.8	56.2
89	Serbia	48.5	85.8	24.9	94.8	55.6
90	Jordan	48.6	85.4	24.1	79.1	43.3
91	Honduras	48.9	80.7	26.0	59.7	55.1
92	Namibia	49.0	79.8	37.5	62.1	46.0
93	Albania	49.0	83.6	29.7	96.3	43.6
94	El Salvador	49.4	75.8	42.9	56.8	52.8
95	Peru	49.4	76.8	51.1	64.1	48.9
96	Central African Republic	49.8	103.1	29.4	76.2	65.5
97	South Africa	50.9	75.7	35.5	85.3	42.3
98	South Sudan	51.6	112.6	21.1	83.4	35.7
99	Equatorial Guinea	51.9	114.9	18.8	70.0	50.6
100	Oman	53.4	93.9	35.1	53.8	48.9
101	Mexico	53.8	86.0	38.1	81.5	59.3
102	Gabon	54.1	105.9	37.8	80.2	47.6
103	Saudi Arabia	54.5	110.6	22.1	61.1	53.7
104	Djibouti	54.5	109.6	28.2	78.6	38.3
105	Hungary	54.7	85.8	38.2	95.5	57.8
106	Comoros	54.8	141.4	17.3	53.6	53.0
107	Bahrain	55.5	102.7	32.1	60.2	50.5
108	Taiwan	56.0	120.2	33.1	74.7	43.8
109	Panama	56.3	93.2	33.4	55.5	55.0
110	Belize	56.4	94.6	32.3	87.2	57.8
111	Croatia	57.1	97.9	30.1	99.9	73.9
112	Lithuania	57.7	89.0	31.9	97.7	68.3
113	Seychelles	58.1	113.0	31.2	80.5	87.4
114	Cape Verde	58.4	85.3	34.0	96.1	51.6
115	Costa Rica	58.6	106.8	31.4	72.1	62.8
116	Jamaica	59.1	105.3	62.9	60.8	51.1
117	Trinidad and Tobago	60.1	115.3	19.7	76.6	102.8
118	Dominica	60.2	137.5	27.3	92.1	52.9
119	Saint Lucia	60.9	146.7	23.2	118.1	72.7
120	Palestine	62.1	103.9	41.3	115.8	82.3
121	China	62.2	111.6	32.2	70.8	59.7
122	Chile	62.5	107.2	44.4	78.7	71.9
123	Czech Republic	62.6	89.9	50.5	97.3	54.1
124	Kuwait	63.5	110.9	35.4	66.7	76.3
125	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	64.0	129.6	28.8	90.9	89.4
126	Zimbabwe	64.4	118.7	42.6	105.6	60.2
127	Latvia	64.8	97.9	43.6	97.2	76.3
128	Maldives	66.7	88.5	63.8	87.2	48.6
129	Slovakia	67.4	95.8	55.0	102.5	75.2
130	Uruguay	68.3	119.7	47.4	89.2	61.7
131	Grenada	69.3	142.8	25.9	129.7	65.1
132	Slovenia	71.0	100.2	50.3	105.0	81.7
133	Greece	71.0	106.9	47.3	108.8	82.2
134	Portugal	72.1	101.8	54.3	115.2	66.1
135	Malta	72.3	117.6	40.8	105.8	87.8
136	Estonia	72.5	98.2	55.4	106.8	87.7
137	Cyprus	73.7	109.9	51.5	105.0	83.5
138	United Arab Emirates	74.3	118.2	47.6	66.2	78.2
139	Spain	78.1	98.3	69.2	113.3	78.2
140	Singapore	78.8	110.7	62.9	149.1	49.1
141	Antigua and Barbuda	78.8	136.8	45.6	108.8	64.1
142	Qatar	79.8	108.6	72.1	69.4	74.6
143	Italy	82.0	106.2	66.5	122.3	103.1
144	South Korea	82.5	175.2	50.6	98.7	99.8
145	Saint Kitts and Nevis	84.1	131.3	58.6	105.9	84.4
146	Germany	87.6	104.7	78.7	130.9	105.1
147	Austria	89.2	107.8	74.2	131.8	97.4
148	France	90.6	110.5	80.7	132.0	111.0
149	Belgium	92.1	106.1	82.6	129.4	117.2
150	Netherlands	94.3	98.4	90.8	142.4	114.2
151	United Kingdom	99.1	95.0	112.1	138.2	92.6
152	Japan	99.5	164.1	82.7	129.7	104.1
153	Canada	99.6	125.1	93.8	110.7	106.2
154	United States	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
155	Finland	102.6	114.1	92.1	141.8	124.2
156	Sweden	104.2	118.4	86.0	160.1	124.1
157	New Zealand	108.5	120.2	135.8	113.7	122.1
158	Luxembourg	112.9	125.6	127.0	120.3	125.5
159	Australia	113.4	127.2	120.0	117.2	132.0
160	Denmark	115.1	120.5	120.1	153.2	145.3
161	Ireland	116.0	120.0	130.2	134.4	121.2
162	Norway	116.8	150.1	83.3	160.0	154.6
163	Iceland	123.2	139.8	102.4	156.8	154.2
164	Israel	124.2	162.8	125.2	146.9	151.5
165	Switzerland	136.3	166.0	133.5	146.4	160.9

Download the complete data as CSV ↓

Why are 31 countries absent?

Afghanistan, Andorra, Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Kiribati, Libya, Liechtenstein, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Monaco, Myanmar, Nauru, North Korea, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Samoa, San Marino, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Vatican City, Venezuela, Yemen. No household-consumption observation for these directory entries is present in our selected ICP series and benchmark. The source’s wider economy coverage includes territories that fall outside this site’s country convention.

What would an equivalent basket cost?

Choose the country where you know a basket’s dollar cost, then a comparison country. The calculation multiplies that amount by the destination index divided by the starting index. It illustrates relative price levels; it does not price identical brands or promise an apartment for a particular rent.

Compare the same basket between countries

Country ACountry BBasket cost in A (US$)

A basket costing US$1,000 at United States’s price level corresponds to about US$781 at Spain’s price level.

Both amounts illustrate the 2021 ICP benchmark, expressed in US dollars at that benchmark’s exchange rates. This is an illustration of average consumption price levels, not a personal relocation budget or a current exchange-rate quote.

Why the percentage depends on the starting point

If A has an index of 50 and B an index of 100, B is 100% more expensive than A, while A is 50% less expensive than B. Both statements describe the same ratio. The calculator shows the actual basket amounts so the denominator stays visible.

A low overall index can hide a very different food bill

The six countries below have the largest positive gap between their food and housing indices in this dataset. They illustrate why a single overall ranking is insufficient: food can be relatively close to US prices while the housing category is much further below its US reference.

Largest food-minus-housing index gaps, calculated from the 2021 benchmark
Country	Food, US = 100	Housing, US = 100	Index-point gap
South Korea	175.2	50.6	124.6
Comoros	141.4	17.3	124.1
Saint Lucia	146.7	23.2	123.5
Grenada	142.8	25.9	116.9
Dominica	137.5	27.3	110.2
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	129.6	28.8	100.9

This gap compares relative prices in two categories. It does not mean a month of groceries costs more than a month’s rent. Each column is normalized against the US price level of that same category. Nor should you average the five columns: they omit other expenditure categories, and the overall ICP aggregate uses expenditure weights rather than an equal-weight average.

Turn a country comparison into a useful local budget

Choose a city and household. A capital-city apartment for a family is a different question from a room in a smaller town. A national average cannot resolve it.
Price the big items directly. Use current local listings for housing, utility tariffs, transport fares and the groceries you actually buy. Separate deposits and setup costs from recurring spending.
Account for access and eligibility. Health care, education and other services can cost different amounts depending on residency and the type of service used. The benchmark does not quote an individual’s entitlements.
Use a current currency conversion. This table freezes the benchmark’s exchange-rate relationship. A present-day budget should record the date and rate used for every conversion.
Compare with income on the same basis. A low price level alone says nothing about how affordable those prices are on a local salary.

Why can another cost-of-living site rank countries differently?

It may cover different cities, use contributor-submitted prices, include or exclude rent, choose different spending weights, or refresh exchange rates more frequently. Those choices answer different questions. Before combining two tables, check the basket, geography, date and reference country; an index called “100” has no meaning without its base.

Sources & methodology

We retain the ICP’s 2021 PX.WL observations and calculate each displayed category as 100 × country’s world-based index ÷ United States’ world-based index for that same category. No independently fetched exchange-rate series is spliced into the calculation. Country-level records are matched by ISO3. Full-precision derived indices determine sorting, comparisons and CSV exports; the page displays one decimal place. This snapshot is reproducible using the linked API queries.

World Bank International Comparison Program: 2021 results
Benchmark year 2021, published May 2024. The benchmark includes detailed price-level indices for comparable expenditure categories.
ICP methodology: price levels and purchasing power parities
Explains how price surveys, expenditure information and international comparisons are assembled.
ICP data: Households and NPISHs final consumption
2021, classification PX.WL (world = 100). We rebase this category to its own US observation = 100. Retrieved 1 October 2026; World Bank open-data terms.
ICP data: Food and non-alcoholic beverages
2021, classification PX.WL (world = 100). We rebase this category to its own US observation = 100. Retrieved 1 October 2026; World Bank open-data terms.
ICP data: Actual housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels
2021, classification PX.WL (world = 100). We rebase this category to its own US observation = 100. Retrieved 1 October 2026; World Bank open-data terms.
ICP data: Transport
2021, classification PX.WL (world = 100). We rebase this category to its own US observation = 100. Retrieved 1 October 2026; World Bank open-data terms.
ICP data: Restaurants and hotels
2021, classification PX.WL (world = 100). We rebase this category to its own US observation = 100. Retrieved 1 October 2026; World Bank open-data terms.

Country lists follow our 196-profile directory convention: 193 UN members, Vatican City, Palestine and Taiwan. Dependent territories are identified separately. A missing observation never means zero.

What the index tells you

A world map of household price levels

Compare prices across five categories

What would an equivalent basket cost?

Compare the same basket between countries

Why the percentage depends on the starting point

A low overall index can hide a very different food bill

Turn a country comparison into a useful local budget

Why can another cost-of-living site rank countries differently?

Sources & methodology

Keep exploring

Poorest countries

Richest per capita

Life expectancy