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Best Cities in Asia to Live

Asia spans the world's most affordable cities and its most advanced urban centers. Whether you're drawn to Chiang Mai's low costs, Tokyo's safety, or Singapore's infrastructure, we rank Asian cities using institutional data across 7 indices — giving you an objective comparison that goes beyond travel blog opinions.

Last updated: February 2026

Cities Ranked

$1,736

Avg. Monthly Cost

$650

Lowest Monthly Cost

Personalize Rankings for Asia

Top 20 Cities in Asia

Ranked using a balanced average across 7 city-level indices. Higher scores indicate better overall quality.

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Orchard

Singapore

/100

~$3,350/mo

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Jurong East

Singapore

/100

~$3,200/mo

🇭🇰

Central

Hong Kong

/100

~$3,500/mo

🇭🇰

Kowloon

Hong Kong

/100

~$3,350/mo

🇸🇬

Woodlands

Singapore

/100

~$3,050/mo

🇯🇵

Fukuoka

Japan

/100

~$2,500/mo

🇭🇰

Tsuen Wan

Hong Kong

/100

~$3,200/mo

🇸🇬

Tampines

Singapore

/100

~$2,950/mo

🇰🇷

Busan

South Korea

/100

~$2,800/mo

🇯🇵

Sapporo

Japan

/100

~$2,400/mo

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Sha Tin

Hong Kong

/100

~$3,050/mo

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Incheon

South Korea

/100

~$2,600/mo

🇹🇼

Taipei

Taiwan

/100

~$2,600/mo

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Daejeon

South Korea

/100

~$2,500/mo

🇹🇼

Kaohsiung

Taiwan

/100

~$2,450/mo

🇯🇵

Tokyo

Japan

/100

~$1,400/mo

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Taichung

Taiwan

/100

~$2,250/mo

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Osaka

Japan

/100

~$1,650/mo

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Tainan

Taiwan

/100

~$2,150/mo

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Seoul

South Korea

/100

~$1,550/mo

Plus 56 more cities ranked in Asia

View All Cities

#1 City in Asia

🇸🇬

Orchard

Singapore

86/100

Quality Score

$3,350

Est. Monthly Cost

View Full City Profile

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Asian cities are cheapest to live in?

Cities in Vietnam, Cambodia, Nepal, and India offer the lowest costs in Asia. Hanoi, Phnom Penh, and Kathmandu all fall well under $1,000/month for a moderate lifestyle based on our cost index calculations.

Which Asian cities are safest?

Tokyo, Singapore, Seoul, and Taipei consistently rank highest for safety. Japan's cities regularly top Asian safety rankings across all our safety indicators including the Global Peace Index and homicide rate data.

Do Asian cities offer good healthcare?

Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul, and Taipei offer world-class healthcare. Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur are popular medical tourism destinations with high-quality private hospitals at lower costs. Each city page shows the healthcare index score.

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