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📊 Numly Cost of Living Index

Cost of Living Index 2026

The definitive ranking of 21 countries by affordability — housing, food, transport, utilities and lifestyle.

Updated May 2026 · Verified data · 21 countries · 5 categories

🔬

How the Index is Calculated

The Numly Index scores each country across 5 categories: Housing (30%), Food & Groceries (20%), Transport (15%), Utilities (15%), and Lifestyle (20%). Each category is scored 0–100 where 100 = most affordable. The overall score is a weighted average. All monetary values are converted to USD using May 2026 exchange rates and adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP).

🏠 Housing · 30%🛒 Food · 20%🚆 Transport · 15%⚡ Utilities · 15%🎭 Lifestyle · 20%

🔍 Key Findings 2026

Most Affordable Overall

🇮🇳

India

$380/mo · Score 82/100

Most Expensive Overall

🇸🇬

Singapore

$2,800/mo · Score 33/100

Best Value for Money

🇵🇹

Portugal

Low cost + high quality of life

Fastest Rising Costs

🇦🇺

Australia

Up 8% since 2024

🏆 Full Country Rankings

#↑Country↕Overall↕🏠 Housing↕🛒 Food↕🚆 Transport↕⚡ Utilities↕🎭 Lifestyle↕Monthly Basket↕vs AvgTrend
🥇🇮🇳India
82
95
88
92
86
86
$38080% cheaper→
🥈🇹🇭Thailand
78
87
82
84
74
80
$62067% cheaper→
🥉🇿🇦South Africa
72
80
76
72
68
74
$78059% cheaper↓
#4🇵🇹Portugal
65
70
68
68
63
66
$1,10042% cheaper↓
#5🇳🇿New Zealand
58
54
62
55
57
60
$1,65012% cheaper↓
#6🇩🇪Germany
56
57
57
63
49
56
$1,8004% cheaper→
#7🇫🇷France
54
53
55
61
53
54
$1,8502% cheaper→
#8🇳🇱Netherlands
53
48
54
59
51
53
$1,9001% pricier↓
#9🇪🇺Europe (avg)
52
60
56
63
50
54
$1,8701% cheaper→
#10🇮🇪Ireland
51
43
52
54
52
50
$1,9504% pricier↓
#11🇨🇦Canada
50
46
53
52
54
50
$2,0006% pricier↓
#12🇦🇺Australia
49
44
51
50
51
48
$2,0509% pricier↓
#13🇯🇵Japan
48
51
57
66
56
44
$1,7507% cheaper↑
#14🇬🇧United Kingdom
47
40
49
47
45
48
$2,10012% pricier→
#15🇺🇸United States
46
42
51
54
56
46
$2,20017% pricier→
#16🇩🇰Denmark
42
36
43
47
41
42
$2,40027% pricier→
#17🇸🇪Sweden
41
38
45
49
43
40
$2,35025% pricier→
#18🇳🇴Norway
39
33
41
43
46
38
$2,50033% pricier→
#19🇦🇪UAE
38
34
49
51
62
36
$2,60038% pricier↓
#20🇨🇭Switzerland
35
20
36
38
40
34
$2,90054% pricier→
#21🇸🇬Singapore
33
26
41
44
46
32
$2,80049% pricier→
↑ = cheaper than last year  ·  ↓ = more expensive than last year  ·  → = stable  ·  Click column headers to sort  ·  Score 100 = most affordable

📂 Category Breakdowns

📎 Citing this Index?

Use: According to the Numly Cost of Living Index 2026 (numlyapp.com/col-index)

Data sources: Numbeo, OECD, World Bank, national statistics offices. Exchange rates: ECB via Frankfurter API. Last verified: May 2026. Next update: January 2027. Scores represent affordability (100 = most affordable). All costs estimated for a single person.