Cost of Living
Compare cost of living across 95 countries. See rent, groceries, transport, and healthcare costs with real data. Free interactive tool.
Powered by our open cost-of-living dataset · methodology
Data last updated: September 2026
Quick answer
Key facts
- 95 countries · 380 cities same dataset that powers the paid plans · public-domain institutional sources.
- 14 expense categories rent, groceries, transport, utilities, healthcare, dining, entertainment, clothing, and more.
- Basket median: $1,450/mo 49 countries with category-level data · detailed rankings below.
- 176 pre-computed city comparisons each at /tools/cost-of-living/compare/[slug] with full category-level breakdown.
- Free · no signup · CC BY 4.0 URL-shareable; raw data at /data/cost-of-living-2026 · JSON + CSV download.
Healthcare costs — top 5 destinations vs US
Five common line items. Grey bar = US median; primary-green = destination median; amber appears only when the destination is MORE expensive than the US (rare for healthcare).
Updated · WhereNext healthcare-cost dataset
Private ins./mo
GP visit
Specialist visit
ER visit
Dental cleaning
| Line item | Country | Local range | US median | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private ins./mo | 🇵🇹 Portugal | $56-$104 | $500 | −$420 |
| Private ins./mo | 🇪🇸 Spain | $70-$130 | $500 | −$400 |
| Private ins./mo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | $56-$104 | $500 | −$420 |
| Private ins./mo | 🇹🇭 Thailand | $70-$130 | $500 | −$400 |
| Private ins./mo | 🇮🇹 Italy | $105-$195 | $500 | −$350 |
| GP visit | 🇵🇹 Portugal | $45-$90 | $225 | −$157 |
| GP visit | 🇪🇸 Spain | $40-$75 | $225 | −$167 |
| GP visit | 🇲🇽 Mexico | $25-$45 | $225 | −$190 |
| GP visit | 🇹🇭 Thailand | $25-$45 | $225 | −$190 |
| GP visit | 🇮🇹 Italy | $30-$60 | $225 | −$180 |
| Specialist visit | 🇵🇹 Portugal | $75-$150 | $375 | −$262 |
| Specialist visit | 🇪🇸 Spain | $65-$125 | $375 | −$280 |
| Specialist visit | 🇲🇽 Mexico | $40-$75 | $375 | −$317 |
| Specialist visit | 🇹🇭 Thailand | $40-$75 | $375 | −$317 |
| Specialist visit | 🇮🇹 Italy | $50-$100 | $375 | −$300 |
| ER visit | 🇵🇹 Portugal | $360-$750 | $1.9K | −$1.3K |
| ER visit | 🇪🇸 Spain | $300-$625 | $1.9K | −$1.4K |
| ER visit | 🇲🇽 Mexico | $180-$375 | $1.9K | −$1.6K |
| ER visit | 🇹🇭 Thailand | $180-$375 | $1.9K | −$1.6K |
| ER visit | 🇮🇹 Italy | $240-$500 | $1.9K | −$1.5K |
| Dental cleaning | 🇵🇹 Portugal | $30-$60 | $150 | −$105 |
| Dental cleaning | 🇪🇸 Spain | $25-$50 | $150 | −$112 |
| Dental cleaning | 🇲🇽 Mexico | $15-$30 | $150 | −$127 |
| Dental cleaning | 🇹🇭 Thailand | $15-$30 | $150 | −$127 |
| Dental cleaning | 🇮🇹 Italy | $20-$40 | $150 | −$120 |
How much does it cost to live abroad in 2026?
For the standard 11-category, single-person basket, monthly living costs among the 49 countries with category-level data range from $550/month in Egypt to $3,585/month in Switzerland. The median is $1,450/month. The five lowest-cost countries are Egypt ($550/month), India ($555/month), Vietnam ($695/month), Indonesia ($700/month), Philippines ($700/month); the five highest-cost countries are Switzerland ($3,585/month), United States ($3,510/month), Norway ($2,750/month), Singapore ($2,540/month), Sweden ($2,520/month). Each estimate covers rent, utilities, internet and mobile, groceries, restaurants and coffee, transport, healthcare, leisure, household goods, clothing, and a miscellaneous buffer. Source: WhereNext Cost of Living Index 2026, compiled from World Bank PPP data, OECD price level indices, and national statistical agencies across institutional public-domain datasets.
What is the cost of living in Portugal vs Spain in 2026?
Portugal is approximately 6% cheaper than Spain on the standard 11-category single-person basket ($1,725/month vs $1,835/month). Lisbon is ~$1,750/month on the price-index model across a broader consumption basket, versus $1,790/month on the lean single-person basket: sourced 1-bedroom rent outside the centre + utilities, transport, mobile, and meal-price-derived groceries/dining. Porto is ~$1,550/month on the price-index model across a broader consumption basket, versus $1,437/month on the lean single-person basket: sourced 1-bedroom rent outside the centre + utilities, transport, mobile, and meal-price-derived groceries/dining. These city baskets are not the country-level basket. Both countries offer digital nomad visas: Portugal's D8 requires EUR 3,680/month income, Spain's requires EUR 2,442/month (200% of the 2026 SMI). Source: WhereNext Cost of Living Index 2026 (World Bank ICP 2021).
Which countries are 50% cheaper than the US?
In the same standard 11-category, single-person basket, the selected countries below are 70–80% cheaper than the United States (baseline $3,510/month): Thailand (75% cheaper), Mexico (70% cheaper), Colombia (75% cheaper), Vietnam (80% cheaper), Indonesia (80% cheaper), Philippines (80% cheaper). Savings vary by category, so use the calculator's category breakdown rather than treating this overall comparison as a rent or healthcare estimate. Source: WhereNext Cost of Living Index 2026, World Bank, OECD.
▶▼Methodology & related tools
Compare monthly expenses across 95 countries and 380 cities, broken down into 14 categories — rent, groceries, transport, healthcare, dining, and more. Every estimate uses World Bank PPP data and national statistical agencies. How the calculator works.
Every figure names its source and the date we verified it — institutional statistics first, with crowd-sourced market indexes used only for city-level calibration and always named. Never an AI guess. How we know this.
When to use this tool
- You are shortlisting countries and need to compare real monthly expenses
- You want a category-level breakdown, not just a single “cost index” number
- You need to compare city-level costs (e.g., Lisbon vs Porto vs the Algarve)
- You want data you can share with a partner or financial planner