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# | Country or Territory | Region | COST OF LIVING GENERAL PRICE LEVEL | SAFETY Most people find this country to be … | CLIMATE Most people find the country's climate … | AIR & WATER POLLUTION Most people find the country's air & water … | ENGLISH PROFICIENCY | TAXATION TYPE |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Afghanistan | Asia | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | Very Dangerous (6/7) | Average (3/5) | Very polluted (5/5) | Very Low (5/5) | Residence-based | |
Albania | Europe | Very cheap (2/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Residence-based | |
Algeria | Middle East and North Africa | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | Average (4/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Andorra | Europe | Inexpensive (3/7) | The Safest (1/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Very clean (1/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Angola | Sub Saharan Africa | Moderate (4/7) | Average (4/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Very polluted (5/5) | Very Low (5/5) | Territorial | |
Anguilla (UK) | North and South America | Very expensive (6/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Average (3/5) | No Data | Native | No personal income tax | |
Antigua and Barbuda | North and South America | Moderate (4/7) | Average (4/7) | Average (3/5) | Clean (2/5) | Native | No personal income tax | |
Argentina | North and South America | Very cheap (2/7) | Average (4/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Average (3/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Residence-based | |
Armenia | Europe | Very cheap (2/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Average (3/5) | Average (3/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Australia | Oceania | Very expensive (6/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Very clean (1/5) | Native | Residence-based | |
Austria | Europe | Expensive (5/7) | The Safest (1/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Very clean (1/5) | High (2/5) | Residence-based | |
Azerbaijan | Asia | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | Safe (3/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Bahamas | North and South America | Extreme (7/7) | Very Dangerous (6/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Average (3/5) | Native | No personal income tax | |
Bahrain | Middle East and North Africa | Inexpensive (3/7) | Safe (3/7) | Average (3/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Low (4/5) | No personal income tax | |
Bangladesh | Asia | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | Average (4/7) | Average (3/5) | Very polluted (5/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Barbados | North and South America | Very expensive (6/7) | Safe (3/7) | Average (3/5) | Very clean (1/5) | Native | Residence-based | |
Belarus | Europe | Very cheap (2/7) | Safe (3/7) | Average (3/5) | Clean (2/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Belgium | Europe | Expensive (5/7) | Safe (3/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Average (3/5) | High (2/5) | Residence-based | |
Belize | North and South America | Inexpensive (3/7) | Very Dangerous (6/7) | Average (3/5) | Average (3/5) | Native | Territorial | |
Benin | Sub Saharan Africa | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | Safe (3/7) | Average (3/5) | Very polluted (5/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Bermuda (UK) | North and South America | Extreme (7/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Very clean (1/5) | High (2/5) | No personal income tax | |
Bhutan | Asia | Very cheap (2/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Average (3/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Territorial | |
Bolivia | North and South America | Very cheap (2/7) | Average (4/7) | Average (3/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Low (4/5) | Territorial | |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | Europe | Very cheap (2/7) | Safe (3/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Average (3/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Residence-based | |
Botswana | Sub Saharan Africa | Very cheap (2/7) | Average (4/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Clean (2/5) | High (2/5) | Territorial | |
Brazil | North and South America | Very cheap (2/7) | Very Dangerous (6/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Average (3/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Brunei | Asia | Inexpensive (3/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Bearable (4/5) | Very clean (1/5) | Low (4/5) | No personal income tax | |
Bulgaria | Europe | Very cheap (2/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Average (3/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Residence-based | |
Burkina Faso | Sub Saharan Africa | Very cheap (2/7) | Average (4/7) | Average (3/5) | Very polluted (5/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Burundi | Sub Saharan Africa | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | Average (4/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Cambodia | Asia | Inexpensive (3/7) | Safe (3/7) | Bearable (4/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Very Low (5/5) | Residence-based | |
Cameroon | Sub Saharan Africa | Very cheap (2/7) | Average (4/7) | Bearable (4/5) | Very polluted (5/5) | Very Low (5/5) | Residence-based | |
Canada | North and South America | Expensive (5/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Bearable (4/5) | Very clean (1/5) | Native | Residence-based | |
Cape Verde | Sub Saharan Africa | Very cheap (2/7) | Safe (3/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Average (3/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Cayman Islands (UK) | North and South America | Extreme (7/7) | Safe (3/7) | Average (3/5) | Very clean (1/5) | Very High (1/5) | No personal income tax | |
Central African Republic | Sub Saharan Africa | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | Extremely Dangerous (7/7) | Bearable (4/5) | Very polluted (5/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Chad | Sub Saharan Africa | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | Extremely Dangerous (7/7) | Uncomfortable (5/5) | Clean (2/5) | Very Low (5/5) | Residence-based | |
Chile | North and South America | Inexpensive (3/7) | Safe (3/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
China | Asia | Inexpensive (3/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Residence-based | |
Colombia | North and South America | Very cheap (2/7) | Very Dangerous (6/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Average (3/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Comoros | Sub Saharan Africa | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | Average (4/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Very polluted (5/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Cook Islands (New Zealand) | Oceania | Moderate (4/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Very clean (1/5) | Native | Residence-based | |
Costa Rica | North and South America | Inexpensive (3/7) | Average (4/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Clean (2/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Territorial | |
Croatia | Europe | Inexpensive (3/7) | The Safest (1/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Very clean (1/5) | High (2/5) | Residence-based | |
Cuba | North and South America | Inexpensive (3/7) | Safe (3/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Curacao (Netherlands) | North and South America | Expensive (5/7) | Average (4/7) | Average (3/5) | Average (3/5) | Very High (1/5) | Residence-based | |
Cyprus | Europe | Moderate (4/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Average (3/5) | High (2/5) | Residence-based | |
Czech Republic | Europe | Inexpensive (3/7) | The Safest (1/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Very clean (1/5) | High (2/5) | Residence-based | |
Democratic Republic of the Congo | Sub Saharan Africa | Moderate (4/7) | Extremely Dangerous (7/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Very polluted (5/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Territorial | |
Denmark | Europe | Very expensive (6/7) | The Safest (1/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Very clean (1/5) | Very High (1/5) | Residence-based | |
Djibouti | Sub Saharan Africa | Inexpensive (3/7) | Very Dangerous (6/7) | Average (3/5) | Average (3/5) | Very Low (5/5) | Territorial | |
Dominica | North and South America | Inexpensive (3/7) | Dangerous (5/7) | Average (3/5) | Very clean (1/5) | Native | Residence-based | |
Dominican Republic | North and South America | Very cheap (2/7) | Average (4/7) | Average (3/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Low (4/5) | Territorial | |
East Timor | Asia | Very cheap (2/7) | Safe (3/7) | Average (3/5) | Average (3/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Ecuador | North and South America | Very cheap (2/7) | Average (4/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Average (3/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Egypt | Middle East and North Africa | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | Average (4/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Very polluted (5/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
El Salvador | North and South America | Inexpensive (3/7) | Average (4/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Low (4/5) | Territorial | |
Equatorial Guinea | Sub Saharan Africa | Very cheap (2/7) | Safe (3/7) | Average (3/5) | Average (3/5) | Very Low (5/5) | Residence-based | |
Eritrea | Sub Saharan Africa | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | Average (4/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Very clean (1/5) | Low (4/5) | Citizenship-based | |
Estonia | Europe | Inexpensive (3/7) | The Safest (1/7) | Average (3/5) | Very clean (1/5) | High (2/5) | Residence-based | |
Eswatini | Sub Saharan Africa | Very cheap (2/7) | Average (4/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Very clean (1/5) | Very High (1/5) | Territorial | |
Ethiopia | Sub Saharan Africa | Very cheap (2/7) | Average (4/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Fiji | Oceania | Very cheap (2/7) | Average (4/7) | Average (3/5) | Average (3/5) | Very High (1/5) | Residence-based | |
Finland | Europe | Expensive (5/7) | The Safest (1/7) | Bearable (4/5) | Very clean (1/5) | High (2/5) | Residence-based | |
France | Europe | Expensive (5/7) | Safe (3/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Clean (2/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Residence-based | |
Gabon | Sub Saharan Africa | Inexpensive (3/7) | Dangerous (5/7) | Average (3/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Gambia | Sub Saharan Africa | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | Average (4/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Average (3/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Georgia | Europe | Very cheap (2/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Low (4/5) | Territorial | |
Germany | Europe | Expensive (5/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Very clean (1/5) | Very High (1/5) | Residence-based | |
Ghana | Sub Saharan Africa | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | Safe (3/7) | Average (3/5) | Very polluted (5/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Residence-based | |
Greece | Europe | Inexpensive (3/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Average (3/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Residence-based | |
Grenada | North and South America | Inexpensive (3/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Average (3/5) | Average (3/5) | Native | Territorial | |
Guatemala | North and South America | Inexpensive (3/7) | Dangerous (5/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Low (4/5) | Territorial | |
Guinea | Sub Saharan Africa | Very cheap (2/7) | Very Dangerous (6/7) | Average (3/5) | Very polluted (5/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Guinea-Bissau | Sub Saharan Africa | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | Average (4/7) | Average (3/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Low (4/5) | Territorial | |
Guyana | North and South America | Inexpensive (3/7) | Dangerous (5/7) | Average (3/5) | Average (3/5) | Native | Residence-based | |
Haiti | North and South America | Inexpensive (3/7) | Dangerous (5/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Very polluted (5/5) | Very Low (5/5) | Residence-based | |
Honduras | North and South America | Very cheap (2/7) | Extremely Dangerous (7/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Low (4/5) | Territorial | |
Hong Kong | Asia | Extreme (7/7) | The Safest (1/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Territorial | |
Hungary | Europe | Very cheap (2/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Average (3/5) | High (2/5) | Citizenship-based | |
Iceland | Europe | Very expensive (6/7) | The Safest (1/7) | Average (3/5) | Very clean (1/5) | High (2/5) | Residence-based | |
India | Asia | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | Safe (3/7) | Average (3/5) | Polluted (4/5) | High (2/5) | Residence-based | |
Indonesia | Asia | Very cheap (2/7) | Safe (3/7) | Average (3/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Iran | Asia | Very cheap (2/7) | Average (4/7) | Average (3/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Iraq | Middle East and North Africa | Very cheap (2/7) | Dangerous (5/7) | Bearable (4/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Very Low (5/5) | Residence-based | |
Ireland | Europe | Very expensive (6/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Very clean (1/5) | Native | Residence-based | |
Israel | Middle East and North Africa | Very expensive (6/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Average (3/5) | High (2/5) | Residence-based | |
Italy | Europe | Moderate (4/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Average (3/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Residence-based | |
Ivory Coast | Sub Saharan Africa | Very cheap (2/7) | Very Dangerous (6/7) | Average (3/5) | Very polluted (5/5) | Very Low (5/5) | Residence-based | |
Jamaica | North and South America | Inexpensive (3/7) | Very Dangerous (6/7) | Average (3/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Native | Residence-based | |
Japan | Asia | Expensive (5/7) | The Safest (1/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Clean (2/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Jordan | Middle East and North Africa | Inexpensive (3/7) | Safe (3/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Very Low (5/5) | Residence-based | |
Kazakhstan | Asia | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | Safe (3/7) | Uncomfortable (5/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Kenya | Sub Saharan Africa | Very cheap (2/7) | Average (4/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Polluted (4/5) | High (2/5) | Residence-based | |
Kiribati | Oceania | Very cheap (2/7) | No Data | Average (3/5) | No Data | Very High (1/5) | Residence-based | |
Kosovo | Europe | Very cheap (2/7) | Safe (3/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Kuwait | Middle East and North Africa | Inexpensive (3/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Uncomfortable (5/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Low (4/5) | No personal income tax | |
Kyrgyzstan | Asia | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | Safe (3/7) | Bearable (4/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Very Low (5/5) | Residence-based | |
Laos | Asia | Inexpensive (3/7) | Average (4/7) | Average (3/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Latvia | Europe | Inexpensive (3/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Average (3/5) | Very clean (1/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Residence-based | |
Lebanon | Middle East and North Africa | Moderate (4/7) | Average (4/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Very polluted (5/5) | High (2/5) | Territorial | |
Lesotho | Sub Saharan Africa | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | Very Dangerous (6/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Liberia | Sub Saharan Africa | Inexpensive (3/7) | Dangerous (5/7) | Average (3/5) | Very polluted (5/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Libya | Middle East and North Africa | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | Extremely Dangerous (7/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Average (3/5) | Very Low (5/5) | Territorial | |
Liechtenstein | Europe | Very expensive (6/7) | The Safest (1/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Very clean (1/5) | High (2/5) | Residence-based | |
Lithuania | Europe | Inexpensive (3/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Average (3/5) | Very clean (1/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Residence-based | |
Luxembourg | Europe | Very expensive (6/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Very clean (1/5) | High (2/5) | Residence-based | |
Macau | Asia | Expensive (5/7) | The Safest (1/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Territorial | |
Madagascar | Sub Saharan Africa | Very cheap (2/7) | Dangerous (5/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Very polluted (5/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Malawi | Sub Saharan Africa | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | Average (4/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Low (4/5) | Territorial | |
Malaysia | Asia | Very cheap (2/7) | Safe (3/7) | Bearable (4/5) | Average (3/5) | High (2/5) | Territorial | |
Maldives | Asia | Inexpensive (3/7) | Average (4/7) | Bearable (4/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Residence-based | |
Mali | Sub Saharan Africa | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | Very Dangerous (6/7) | Bearable (4/5) | Very polluted (5/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Malta | Europe | Moderate (4/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Native | Residence-based | |
Marshall Islands | Oceania | Inexpensive (3/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Average (3/5) | Polluted (4/5) | High (2/5) | Territorial | |
Mauritania | Sub Saharan Africa | Very cheap (2/7) | Dangerous (5/7) | Average (3/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Mauritius | Sub Saharan Africa | Very cheap (2/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Average (3/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Residence-based | |
Mexico | North and South America | Very cheap (2/7) | Dangerous (5/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Average (3/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Micronesia | Oceania | Moderate (4/7) | No Data | Average (3/5) | No Data | Very High (1/5) | Territorial | |
Moldova | Europe | Very cheap (2/7) | Safe (3/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Average (3/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Residence-based | |
Monaco | Europe | Extreme (7/7) | The Safest (1/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Very polluted (5/5) | High (2/5) | No personal income tax | |
Mongolia | Asia | Very cheap (2/7) | Safe (3/7) | Uncomfortable (5/5) | Very polluted (5/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Montenegro | Europe | Very cheap (2/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Clean (2/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Montserrat (UK) | North and South America | Very expensive (6/7) | The Safest (1/7) | Average (3/5) | No Data | Native | Residence-based | |
Morocco | Middle East and North Africa | Very cheap (2/7) | Safe (3/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Mozambique | Sub Saharan Africa | Inexpensive (3/7) | Average (4/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Myanmar | Asia | Very cheap (2/7) | Average (4/7) | Bearable (4/5) | Very polluted (5/5) | Very Low (5/5) | Citizenship-based | |
Namibia | Sub Saharan Africa | Very cheap (2/7) | Dangerous (5/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Clean (2/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Territorial | |
Nauru | Oceania | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | The Safest (1/7) | Average (3/5) | Average (3/5) | High (2/5) | Territorial | |
Nepal | Asia | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | Safe (3/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Very polluted (5/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Netherlands | Europe | Expensive (5/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Very clean (1/5) | Very High (1/5) | Residence-based | |
New Zealand | Oceania | Expensive (5/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Very clean (1/5) | Native | Residence-based | |
Nicaragua | North and South America | Very cheap (2/7) | Average (4/7) | Average (3/5) | Average (3/5) | Low (4/5) | Territorial | |
Niger | Sub Saharan Africa | Inexpensive (3/7) | Dangerous (5/7) | Uncomfortable (5/5) | Very polluted (5/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Residence-based | |
Nigeria | Sub Saharan Africa | Very cheap (2/7) | Extremely Dangerous (7/7) | Average (3/5) | Very polluted (5/5) | High (2/5) | Residence-based | |
North Korea | Asia | Moderate (4/7) | Extremely Dangerous (7/7) | Average (3/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Very Low (5/5) | Not enough information | |
North Macedonia | Europe | Very cheap (2/7) | Safe (3/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Residence-based | |
Norway | Europe | Very expensive (6/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Average (3/5) | Very clean (1/5) | High (2/5) | Residence-based | |
Oman | Middle East and North Africa | Inexpensive (3/7) | The Safest (1/7) | Average (3/5) | Very clean (1/5) | Very Low (5/5) | No personal income tax | |
Pakistan | Asia | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | Average (4/7) | Average (3/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Palau | Oceania | Inexpensive (3/7) | Safe (3/7) | Average (3/5) | Very clean (1/5) | High (2/5) | Territorial | |
Palestine | Middle East and North Africa | Inexpensive (3/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Territorial | |
Panama | North and South America | Inexpensive (3/7) | Safe (3/7) | Average (3/5) | Average (3/5) | Low (4/5) | Territorial | |
Papua New Guinea | Oceania | Inexpensive (3/7) | Very Dangerous (6/7) | Average (3/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Paraguay | North and South America | Very cheap (2/7) | Average (4/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Low (4/5) | Territorial | |
Peru | North and South America | Very cheap (2/7) | Dangerous (5/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Very polluted (5/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Philippines | Asia | Very cheap (2/7) | Average (4/7) | Average (3/5) | Polluted (4/5) | High (2/5) | Residence-based | |
Poland | Europe | Inexpensive (3/7) | The Safest (1/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Average (3/5) | High (2/5) | Residence-based | |
Portugal | Europe | Inexpensive (3/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Very clean (1/5) | Very High (1/5) | Residence-based | |
Puerto Rico (USA) | North and South America | Expensive (5/7) | Very Dangerous (6/7) | Average (3/5) | Average (3/5) | Very High (1/5) | Citizenship-based | |
Qatar | Middle East and North Africa | Expensive (5/7) | The Safest (1/7) | Uncomfortable (5/5) | Average (3/5) | Low (4/5) | No personal income tax | |
Republic of the Congo | Sub Saharan Africa | Moderate (4/7) | Dangerous (5/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Very polluted (5/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Residence-based | |
Romania | Europe | Very cheap (2/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Average (3/5) | High (2/5) | Residence-based | |
Russia | Europe | Inexpensive (3/7) | Average (4/7) | Bearable (4/5) | Average (3/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Residence-based | |
Rwanda | Sub Saharan Africa | Very cheap (2/7) | Safe (3/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Clean (2/5) | Very Low (5/5) | Residence-based | |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | North and South America | Inexpensive (3/7) | Average (4/7) | Average (3/5) | Average (3/5) | Native | No personal income tax | |
Saint Lucia | North and South America | Moderate (4/7) | Dangerous (5/7) | Average (3/5) | Clean (2/5) | Native | Territorial | |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | North and South America | Very cheap (2/7) | Very Dangerous (6/7) | Average (3/5) | Average (3/5) | Native | Residence-based | |
Samoa | Oceania | Inexpensive (3/7) | Safe (3/7) | Average (3/5) | Clean (2/5) | High (2/5) | Residence-based | |
San Marino | Europe | Inexpensive (3/7) | The Safest (1/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Very clean (1/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Residence-based | |
Sao Tome and Principe | Sub Saharan Africa | Very cheap (2/7) | The Safest (1/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Average (3/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Saudi Arabia | Middle East and North Africa | Inexpensive (3/7) | Safe (3/7) | Bearable (4/5) | Average (3/5) | Very Low (5/5) | No personal income tax | |
Senegal | Sub Saharan Africa | Inexpensive (3/7) | Safe (3/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Very polluted (5/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Serbia | Europe | Very cheap (2/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Average (3/5) | High (2/5) | Residence-based | |
Seychelles | Sub Saharan Africa | Moderate (4/7) | Safe (3/7) | Average (3/5) | Very clean (1/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Territorial | |
Sierra Leone | Sub Saharan Africa | Very cheap (2/7) | Average (4/7) | Average (3/5) | Very polluted (5/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Residence-based | |
Singapore | Asia | Extreme (7/7) | The Safest (1/7) | Bearable (4/5) | Very clean (1/5) | Very High (1/5) | Territorial | |
Slovakia | Europe | Inexpensive (3/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Clean (2/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Residence-based | |
Slovenia | Europe | Moderate (4/7) | The Safest (1/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Very clean (1/5) | Very High (1/5) | Residence-based | |
Solomon Islands | Oceania | Moderate (4/7) | Very Dangerous (6/7) | Bearable (4/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Residence-based | |
Somalia | Sub Saharan Africa | Very cheap (2/7) | Extremely Dangerous (7/7) | Average (3/5) | Average (3/5) | Very Low (5/5) | Territorial | |
South Africa | Sub Saharan Africa | Inexpensive (3/7) | Extremely Dangerous (7/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Average (3/5) | Very High (1/5) | Residence-based | |
South Korea | Asia | Moderate (4/7) | The Safest (1/7) | Average (3/5) | Average (3/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Residence-based | |
South Sudan | Sub Saharan Africa | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | Extremely Dangerous (7/7) | Bearable (4/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Very Low (5/5) | Residence-based | |
Spain | Europe | Moderate (4/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Clean (2/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Residence-based | |
Sri Lanka | Asia | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | Safe (3/7) | Bearable (4/5) | Average (3/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Sudan | Middle East and North Africa | Very cheap (2/7) | Safe (3/7) | Uncomfortable (5/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Very Low (5/5) | Residence-based | |
Suriname | North and South America | Very cheap (2/7) | Safe (3/7) | Average (3/5) | Average (3/5) | High (2/5) | Residence-based | |
Sweden | Europe | Expensive (5/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Average (3/5) | Very clean (1/5) | Very High (1/5) | Residence-based | |
Switzerland | Europe | Extreme (7/7) | The Safest (1/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Very clean (1/5) | High (2/5) | Residence-based | |
Syria | Middle East and North Africa | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | Dangerous (5/7) | Average (3/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Very Low (5/5) | Territorial | |
Taiwan | Asia | Inexpensive (3/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Average (3/5) | Low (4/5) | Territorial | |
Tajikistan | Asia | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | Average (4/7) | Average (3/5) | Average (3/5) | Very Low (5/5) | Residence-based | |
Tanzania | Sub Saharan Africa | Very cheap (2/7) | Average (4/7) | Average (3/5) | Average (3/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Thailand | Asia | Very cheap (2/7) | Safe (3/7) | Average (3/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Togo | Oceania | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | Safe (3/7) | Average (3/5) | Very polluted (5/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Tonga | Oceania | Very cheap (2/7) | Average (4/7) | Average (3/5) | Average (3/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Residence-based | |
Trinidad and Tobago | North and South America | Inexpensive (3/7) | Extremely Dangerous (7/7) | Average (3/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Native | Residence-based | |
Tunisia | Middle East and North Africa | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | Safe (3/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Turkey | Asia | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | Safe (3/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Turkmenistan | Asia | Inexpensive (3/7) | Average (4/7) | Average (3/5) | Very clean (1/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Residence-based | |
Tuvalu | Oceania | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Average (3/5) | Average (3/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Territorial | |
Uganda | Sub Saharan Africa | Very cheap (2/7) | Average (4/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Very polluted (5/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Residence-based | |
Ukraine | Europe | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | Average (4/7) | Average (3/5) | Average (3/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Residence-based | |
United Arab Emirates | Middle East and North Africa | Expensive (5/7) | The Safest (1/7) | Bearable (4/5) | Average (3/5) | Moderate (3/5) | No personal income tax | |
United Kingdom | Europe | Expensive (5/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Clean (2/5) | Native | Residence-based | |
United States | North and South America | Very expensive (6/7) | Safe (3/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Very clean (1/5) | Native | Citizenship-based | |
Uruguay | North and South America | Moderate (4/7) | Safe (3/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Clean (2/5) | Low (4/5) | Territorial | |
US Virgin Islands (USA) | North and South America | Extreme (7/7) | Extremely Dangerous (7/7) | Average (3/5) | Very clean (1/5) | Native | Citizenship-based | |
Uzbekistan | Asia | Dirt-cheap (1/7) | Safe (3/7) | Average (3/5) | Average (3/5) | Very Low (5/5) | Residence-based | |
Vanuatu | Oceania | Expensive (5/7) | Safe (3/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Clean (2/5) | Moderate (3/5) | No personal income tax | |
Venezuela | North and South America | Inexpensive (3/7) | Extremely Dangerous (7/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Vietnam | Asia | Very cheap (2/7) | Very Safe (2/7) | Average (3/5) | Very polluted (5/5) | Low (4/5) | Residence-based | |
Yemen | Middle East and North Africa | Inexpensive (3/7) | Very Dangerous (6/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Very polluted (5/5) | Very Low (5/5) | Residence-based | |
Zambia | Sub Saharan Africa | Inexpensive (3/7) | Average (4/7) | Comfortable (2/5) | Very polluted (5/5) | Low (4/5) | Territorial | |
Zimbabwe | Sub Saharan Africa | Very cheap (2/7) | Average (4/7) | Very comfortable (1/5) | Polluted (4/5) | Very High (1/5) | Residence-based |
To complement the cities-only ranking that we have been publishing in the past, starting from 2022 we also started publishing the country-specific data too.
By averaging several publicly-available rankings, we have come up with our own Sovereign Man ranking, where we graded the cost of living in 200 countries and territories, from “Dirt-cheap” to “Extreme”.
There are seven levels in total:
We have done this to help you in your Plan B adventure. The information about how cheap or expensive the place is should help you determine a country (and a city within it) where to live or just spend time in.
Some of the countries (and cities in them) may seem unreasonably expensive in our ranking.
For example, how is it possible that in 2022, the Republic of the Congo has the same price level as Italy — Moderate (4/7)… all while the difference in the standard of living of citizens in both countries is enormous?
The explanation is simple — while the average Congolese indeed lives on just a few dollars a day, we measure the cost of living on an expat living a comfortable lifestyle and using amenities such as a car, eating in restaurants, and an accommodation in the nice part of the city.
And exactly these extra amenities tend to be very overpriced in many (but not all) developing societies.
Additionally, other countries look pricey due to the unrealistic official exchange rate of local currencies to USD. When local prices are converted to USD for an apples-to-apples comparison with other counties, data there gets distorted.
In 2022, Venezuela, Turkmenistan and Lebanon are in this category.
Starting from the next update of the ranking, we will use black market rates to present the undistorted data.
To help you make a more informed decision, we also included other pieces of relevant information for each country:
Keep in mind, however, that all of this data (except Taxation) is crowdsourced. It is people’s perception of the climate, safety, etc. in each country.
In other words, it’s subjective. For example, what people consider “safe” in Canada can differ significantly from what people consider “safe” in Brazil.
The same goes for the climate. Some people love tropical weather, for example, while others can’t stand it.
Still, even this subjective information is very valuable because it describes how locals and expats, on average, feel about the country’s climate, crime, pollution, etc.
For example, we defined five categories for climate: “Very comfortable,” “Comfortable,” “Average,” “Bearable,” and “Uncomfortable.” As the cost of living, we also added a corresponding number range. In this case, numbers range from 1 (Very Comfortable) to 5 (Uncomfortable).
(To try to compensate for subjectiveness in Safety gradings, we accounted for the hard data — the homicide rates in each country.)
And why do we care about the tax system?
If you decide to spend significant time in the country, in most cases, you will be caught in the country’s tax net. You typically need to spend more than six months a year on the ground for this to happen, but there are also many exceptions.
Countries with “territorial” taxation systems and countries with “no personal income tax” obviously get extra points here.
In the former countries, you will only be taxed on your income generated within the country’s territory. And in the latter, there will generally be no tax to pay at all.
But don’t discard countries with residence-based taxation either. Although they do tax their tax residents on their worldwide income, many of the country’s boast low tax rates across the board (Montenegro, Andorra, etc). And others offer special tax breaks to new residents (Portugal, Spain, Chile, etc.) making your life there practically tax-free for several years.
All of that tax information we tried to reflect in the Taxation Type column of the table and pop-ups that would if you hover a mouse over the appropriate cell.
For more information about taxation in each country, refer to this comprehensive resource compiled by Deloitte.
Besides the countries themselves, we also delved much deeper into various cities within each country (wherever it was possible).
After all, you will be living in a specific place in the country, and not in a country as a whole.
And as we know, the cost of living (and also climate, safety, etc) can vary widely within the same country. New York is very different from Albuquerque. And Malaga is different from Madrid.
We analyzed 302 cities in 128 countries, spanning every continent except Antarctica.
And to our surprise, many years in a row, the most expensive city was not New York or Zurich, Switzerland… but a remote place in the Atlantic Ocean – Hamilton, Bermuda.
Bermuda’s remoteness and a very successful financial services economy is an explanation for this.
And the cheapest cities among the whole group routinely belong to Pakistan.
Out of the 46 cities in the US we analyzed, New York and San Francisco typically come as the most expensive. And Albuquerque, New Mexico is the cheapest.
After we figured out the approximate cost of living for each city, we grouped the cities into seven categories, ranging from “Dirt-cheap” to “Most expensive.” We also assigned a number range to these categories, from 1 (“Dirt-cheap”) to 7 (“Most expensive”).
Of course, Hamilton (Bermuda) and San Francisco are two of the five cities included in the “Most expensive” group. (Zurich, New York and Hong Kong are the other three.)
And the crisis-ridden Mendoza, Argentina falls into the “Dirt-cheap” category.
In many countries, we were able to locate and analyze the cost of living data for multiple cities — the United States has more than 40 cities featured in our cities ranking, and the United Kingdom – more than a dozen.
But in other cases, the data will be available on the country level only.
Take Monaco, for example. The place is so small that dividing it into different municipalities didn’t make sense (and there is not enough specific data available anyway).
The same applies to the Cayman Islands, Seychelles, Barbados, Curacao, etc.
If you can’t find the specific city in our cities ranking, switch to countries ranking and look for a country it is situated in.
Now let’s delve into our calculations.
To calculate each city’s monthly cost of living, we first aggregated publicly available price data on approximately 100 items. Multiplied by 302 cities, that’s more than 30,000 data points.
Then we identified the expenses that expats usually incur.
Fortunately, most of the Sovereign Man team has been living outside of their home countries for most of their adult lives. So, it was easy to come up with an exact list of goods and services to include in this calculation.
For a SINGLE person, we calculated the monthly cost of living as:
We then increased that figure by a further 20% to account for a single expat’s other typical expenses. These various expenses could be going to the movies, visiting clubs or bars, etc.
That resulted in our cost of living number for 302 cities around the world.
In several countries, we had to substitute certain products.
In India, for example, cows are considered sacred animals, and finding beef can be hard. As a result, we substituted beef with buffalo meat.
And in the Muslim countries where the sale of alcoholic beverages is prohibited, we substituted them with alcohol-free beverages, such as alcohol-free beer and wine.
And for a FAMILY OF FOUR we calculated the monthly cost of living as:
Again, we then increased that figure by a further 20% to account for a family’s other typical expenses. These various expenses could be going to zoos and museums, children’s activities or paying for cell phone service for the entire family.
But most importantly, the calculation does NOT include international school tuition or kindergarten cost for your kids.
We left out education expenses because of the vast discrepancy in the quality of public education among countries.
Fewer people will enroll their kids in an expensive private school in Finland or Australia, where public education is excellent and free. But almost all expats will consider private education (or homeschooling) for their kids when moving to anywhere in Latin America – largely, a region with poorly performing public schools.
So, if you plan to educate your kids in a private school (or kindergarten), please manually add the relevant costs. You’ll find the exact prices on our Cost of Living website.
Of course, we realize that monthly expenses can vary from person to person, depending on your spending habits.
One individual may live comfortably on $2,000 a month. But another individual in the same city can easily spend $5,000 or more.
The Cost of Living Calculator summarizes our best estimates of an expat’s average monthly spending. If you’re a member of an exclusive golf club or if you have other expensive memberships, those costs won’t be included.
Besides the general level of cost of living in each city, we also included specific data on prices there.
To see it, you will need to switch to “Show All Costs” mode by pressing the button with the same name.
We included the price data of more than 30 items in each city, from the average rent to the cost of a haircut.
We broke all the items into seven major categories:
If you review this part of the website, you’ll know exactly how much a taxi ride may cost you in Medellin, Colombia or how much you can expect to pay at a restaurant in Reykjavik, Iceland.
If you switch to “Show All Costs” mode and scroll all the way to the right side of the website, you’ll discover the “Fun Facts” section.
There, we bundled prices for various situations. For example, you can see how much you’ll spend on an average date in every city, calculated as the cost of a dinner for two, two cappuccinos, and two taxi rides.
Here are the exact situations and what we included in them:
Another reason to explore the “Fun Facts” section is for the additional price information.
Most prices we present here don’t repeat anywhere else (such as the price of cappuccino).
See each city’s popup for this additional data.
We used a rigorous selection process to collect all the necessary data.
In the end, we used about a dozen publicly available sources.
Numbeo.com proved to be great for collecting price data and for people’s perception of cities’ safety, climate and pollution.
The source for the hard crime statistics came from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) — was used to determine the Safety grades as well.
And weatherbase.com served us well for the exact climate information.
As supporting sources we used Expatistan.com, Nomadlist.com, and more.