If you’re living in a city where rent has skyrocketed to “list your kidney on Craigslist, and/or participate in a satanic ritual at a crossroads in hopes that you can sell your soul to the devil in exchange for a modest one bedroom apartment with park views”-levels then you may have fantasized about moving somewhere else. Because sure, New York is great and San Francisco has nice hills, but with the cost of living so far above our means, are we really even that happy in big US cities anymore? We were drawn to these sprawling, expensive metropolises because there was “so much to do.” But a fantastic restaurant, bar, and theater scene starts to matter less when you’re scraping together pennies to afford a cup of ramen.
If you’ve finally decided to throw in the towel and give up that rat infested studio you’ve been crouching in for $2000 a month, then you might consider moving to a place where you’ll get the tons of bang for you buck.
Recently, the Economist Intelligence Unit put out their Worldwide Cost of Living Survey. The results offer up the most expensive and least expensive cities to call home in the world — by examining the cost of over 150 products and services like food, entertainment, clothing, and personal hygiene expenses. The most pricey cities in the world are Singapore, Hong Kong, and Zurich (and we’ll avoid living in those at all costs, thank you very much). But the least expensive cities show some real promise.
So check out this visual tour of the most affordable places in the world and get packing. There are probably some trade offs and we’re leaving ourselves open for plenty of snarky comments, but with prices like these, a year of living like a digital nomad deserves some consideration.
10. New Delhi, India
This beautiful city is a vibrant, bustling mix of gorgeous ancient buildings and new construction. New Delhi is growing quickly with exciting businesses flocking to the affordable city. With lots of green space and a great public transportation system, this Indian capital city is an awesome choice for those ready for a big change.
With the cost of living so low, you’ll be sure to live a comfortable lifestyle on far less than you would in other global cities.
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9. Bucharest, Romania
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Who says you can’t live in Europe while keeping costs low? This city has absolutely gorgeous architecture and quaint winding, picturesque neighborhood streets. Plus you’ll feel incredibly connected to the rest of the world — as Romania (weirdly) has the fastest internet speeds in Europe.
While you get to live in/ explore a large accessible city, the rest of Romania is right at your fingertips with incredible forests, nature, and villages to uncover.
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8. Kiev, Ukraine
While they still have a long way to go, Kiev is growing by leaps and bounds with new restaurants and bars opening up all the time. So get in on the ground floor, while Kiev is still incredibly affordable! There are tons of parks and plenty to do in the summer. Plus, the people are friendly and welcoming — a huge perk!
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7. Mumbai, India
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With the cost of living this low, you can easily hire a maid, cook, or chauffeur in this huge, busy city. And you’ll definitely need a chauffeur as the traffic would be maddening if you had to drive yourself. But once you get where you’re going you’ll find tons of treasures in Mumbai.
Art and great live entertainment are everywhere, delicious street food is plentiful, and you can have literally everything and anything delivered straight to your door for pennies on the dollar.
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6. Chennai, India
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This is one of the best cities to live and work as an expat in India. Even though there are a ton of people, the city is spread out making it feel significantly less congested. It’s one of the most scenic cities too!
In Chennai there are gorgeous beaches, stunning temples, and lots of delicious food to try. All of which makes it a delightful place to call home.
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5. Algiers, Algeria
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This coastal city couldn’t be more beautiful and is probably the most picturesque place on this list. With a mediterranean climate, its weather is great, and while Algeria can be very conservative, this big city has plenty of more westernized entertainment options, bars, nightclubs, and restaurants to enjoy.
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4. Karachi, Pakistan
Karachi is filled with people and as such has a wide range of options. It’s not the safest city. It has a pretty high murder rate (often putting it on “most dangerous cities in the world” lists). But with the low cost of living and beautiful beaches, it may be a city you want to take a chance on.
3. Bangalore, India
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This westernized city has many modern conveniences while keeping the cost of living ridiculously low. One of the huge draws of Bangalore is the weather — as it doesn’t get nearly as hot as other Indian cities. It’s filled with green space and gardens, and the food is some of the best in the country!
2. Lagos, Nigeria
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This one is slightly misleading as the poverty of the majority of the city makes the cost of living seem very low, but if you are an expat your cost of living is probably going to be substantially higher for modern, westernized conveniences and living.
Still, this beautiful city is the hub of West Africa, and there are tons of opportunities for wealth and growth if you know what you’re doing.
1. Almaty, Kazakhstan
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The biggest draw of this city is its beautiful mountains and accessibility to nature. But you’ll also find an increasing number of restaurants offering international cuisine and upscale bars. Real estate is increasing in value rapidly as more and more people move to Almaty — so it’s a good idea to buy now, and it’s a great place to enjoy the lower cost of living while still getting a beautiful landscape to call home.
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