Cheapest Cities to Live
Most affordable major cities ranked by 100-point NYC-baseline cost-of-living index.
NYC-baseline cost-of-living index covering rent, groceries, transport, utilities, and dining. Lower scores rank higher.
This utility ranking is kept out of search indexing while the publication prioritizes longer-form editorial reports and city profiles.
Top 10 — Cheapest Cities to Live
Mumbai leads this ranking with a cost index of 36 (1-bedroom rent around $700/mo). Groceries and transit are similarly discounted vs the New York baseline.
A podium finish for Kuala Lumpur with a cost index of 38 (1-bedroom rent around $600/mo). Groceries and transit are similarly discounted vs the New York baseline.
Buenos Aires lands in the top three with a cost index of 38 (1-bedroom rent around $700/mo). The affordability is real — not just a rent story — once utilities and dining are added in.
A top-ten placing for Mexico City with a cost index of 42 (1-bedroom rent around $900/mo). The affordability is real — not just a rent story — once utilities and dining are added in.
Bangkok secures a top-ten spot with a cost index of 44 (1-bedroom rent around $800/mo). A mid-career salary here stretches noticeably further than in tier-one hubs.
Cape Town secures a top-ten spot with a cost index of 44 (1-bedroom rent around $900/mo). A mid-career salary here stretches noticeably further than in tier-one hubs.
Adelaide secures a top-ten spot with a cost index of 58 (1-bedroom rent around $1450/mo). A mid-career salary here stretches noticeably further than in tier-one hubs.
Madrid makes the top ten with a cost index of 58 (1-bedroom rent around $1300/mo). Groceries and transit are similarly discounted vs the New York baseline.
A top-ten placing for Montreal with a cost index of 62 (1-bedroom rent around $1500/mo). The affordability is real — not just a rent story — once utilities and dining are added in.
A top-ten placing for Berlin with a cost index of 62 (1-bedroom rent around $1500/mo). The affordability is real — not just a rent story — once utilities and dining are added in.
Full Ranking
- 1MumbaiIndia36
- 2Kuala LumpurMalaysia38
- 3Buenos AiresArgentina38
- 4Mexico CityMexico42
- 5BangkokThailand44
- 6Cape TownSouth Africa44
- 7AdelaideAustralia58
- 8MadridSpain58
- 9MontrealCanada62
- 10BerlinGermany62
- 11BarcelonaSpain62
- 12PerthAustralia63
- 13BrisbaneAustralia65
- 14DubaiUnited Arab Emirates68
- 15AucklandNew Zealand70
- 16AustinUnited States72
- 17StockholmSweden72
- 18TokyoJapan72
- 19MelbourneAustralia74
- 20ChicagoUnited States74
- 21TorontoCanada75
- 22VancouverCanada78
- 23AmsterdamNetherlands78
- 24DublinIreland78
- 25MiamiUnited States80
- 26SydneyAustralia82
- 27ParisFrance82
- 28SeattleUnited States84
- 29SingaporeSingapore85
- 30Los AngelesUnited States86
- 31Hong KongHong Kong SAR86
- 32LondonUnited Kingdom88
- 33BostonUnited States88
- 34ZurichSwitzerland90
- 35San FranciscoUnited States96
- 36New YorkUnited States100
What this ranking measures
The Cheapest Cities to Live ranking is built on a single principle: pick the indicator that most directly captures the underlying question, normalise it to a 0-100 scale, and rank consistently. NYC-baseline cost-of-living index covering rent, groceries, transport, utilities, and dining. The ranking is recomputed every time the underlying city dataset changes, so the order you see is always derived from the current numbers — not a cached editorial opinion.
The ranking includes every city we cover, so the leaderboard mixes premium global metros with mid-tier and affordable alternatives. That is deliberate: the goal is not to crown the "richest" city — it is to surface the city that most cleanly satisfies the criterion in the title.
Top three in depth
1. Mumbai, India. India's financial capital — dense, intense, world-class opportunities, premium-tier rents. On the metrics that drive this ranking, Mumbai pairs a livability score of 64 with a job market score of 78 and a safety score of 58. Cost-of-living index 36, 1BR rent $700. This is the city to beat in cheapest cities to live.
2. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Affordable, multilingual Southeast Asian capital — modern towers and food paradise. Close behind on the ranked dimension while differentiating on lifestyle depth (lifestyle 80, cost 38, rent $600).
3. Buenos Aires, Argentina. Paris of South America — European architecture, café culture, currency volatility. Rounds out the podium with a credible scorecard — livability 76, transport 76, climate 76, cost index 38.
How to use this ranking
Rankings are useful for shortlisting, not for deciding. A top-10 finish here means a city clears the bar on this dimension — but the right city for you depends on the basket of dimensions, weighted to your life. Use this list to draw a shortlist of three to five cities, then run each through our cost-of-living calculator, comparison tool, and suburb guide before committing.
Pay particular attention to the trade-offs. The top performers on affordability sometimes underperform on lifestyle or job market depth. The point of cross-checking against our other rankings is to make those trade-offs visible before you sign a lease.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the cheapest cities to live ranking calculated?
NYC-baseline cost-of-living index covering rent, groceries, transport, utilities, and dining. Cities with lower scores rank higher. Scores are normalised to a 0-100 scale and updated alongside the underlying source data.
Which city ranks #1 for cheapest cities to live?
Mumbai, India currently leads this ranking with a cost index of 36.
How often is the ranking updated?
Underlying city data is refreshed quarterly. Major changes (significant rent shifts, safety events, new transport infrastructure) trigger off-cycle updates documented in our methodology page.