Mapping The Global Cost Of Living In 2026

VolkAI February 10, 2026 Leave a Comment Imported News, Zerohedge

How does the cost of living vary across countries in 2026?

To find out, this graphic, via Visual Capitalist’s Dorothy Neufeld, visualizes Numbeo’s Global Cost of Living Index, which measures the price of everyday expenses, including rent, relative to New York City (baseline of 100).

If a country has an index score of 80, prices are 20% lower than in New York. Scores above 100 indicate higher everyday costs.

While inflation has eased in many regions, the cost of living remains a major global challenge. Across 28 countries, home prices have risen more than 50% since 2020, and grocery costs have risen sharply in countries such as Mexico, Germany, and Malaysia, continuing to strain household budgets worldwide.

Global Cost of Living by Country

Below, we show the cost of living index for 155 countries or territories in 2026, highlighting stark differences in everyday costs around the world.

Bermuda has the highest cost of living worldwide, a British Overseas Territory synonymous with high-end real estate, luxury tourism, and offshore wealth.

Rank	Country	Cost of Living Index 2026
1	🇧🇲 Bermuda	123.5
2	🇰🇾 Cayman Islands	97.9
3	🇨🇭 Switzerland	84.3
4	🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands	82.5
5	🇸🇬 Singapore	81.2
6	🇧🇸 Bahamas	77.1
7	🇮🇸 Iceland	75.9
8	🇯🇪 Jersey	72.5
9	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	69.8
10	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	65.4
11	🇬🇬 Guernsey	65.3
12	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	65.2
13	🇬🇮 Gibraltar	63.9
14	🇳🇴 Norway	59.4
15	🇮🇪 Ireland	58.7
16	🇮🇱 Israel	58
17	🇳🇱 Netherlands	57.9
18	🇩🇰 Denmark	56.6
19	🇺🇸 United States	56.3
20	🇮🇲 Isle Of Man	55.7
21	🇦🇺 Australia	52.7
22	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	51.9
23	🇦🇹 Austria	50.7
24	🇬🇩 Grenada	49.4
25	🇩🇪 Germany	49
26	🇨🇦 Canada	48.9
27	🇧🇪 Belgium	48.6
28	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	48.2
29	🇫🇮 Finland	48
30	🇸🇨 Seychelles	48
31	🇸🇪 Sweden	47.8
32	🇫🇷 France	47.5
33	🇲🇴 Macao (China)	46.3
34	🇶🇦 Qatar	45.8
35	🇦🇩 Andorra	45.2
36	🇳🇿 New Zealand	45
37	🇨🇾 Cyprus	44.6
38	🇵🇷 Puerto Rico	44.3
39	🇲🇹 Malta	44.1
40	🇮🇹 Italy	43.1
41	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	42.4
42	🇰🇷 South Korea	41.3
43	🇪🇪 Estonia	40.5
44	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	39.2
45	🇸🇮 Slovenia	39.1
46	🇪🇸 Spain	39
47	🇬🇾 Guyana	39
48	🇯🇲 Jamaica	38.7
49	🇨🇿 Czech Republic	38.6
50	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	38.3
51	🇵🇹 Portugal	38.3
52	🇲🇻 Maldives	38.1
53	🇺🇾 Uruguay	37.3
54	🇭🇷 Croatia	37.1
55	🇬🇷 Greece	36
56	🇧🇭 Bahrain	35.9
57	🇵🇦 Panama	35.6
58	🇸🇳 Senegal	35.5
59	🇱🇹 Lithuania	35.3
60	🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago	35.2
61	🇸🇰 Slovakia	35.2
62	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	34.5
63	🇦🇴 Angola	34.5
64	🇵🇱 Poland	34.4
65	🇱🇻 Latvia	34.3
66	🇹🇼 Taiwan	33.9
67	🇧🇳 Brunei	33.6
68	🇰🇼 Kuwait	33.3
69	🇯🇵 Japan	32.8
70	🇭🇺 Hungary	32.3
71	🇾🇪 Yemen	32
72	🇧🇿 Belize	32
73	🇦🇱 Albania	31.7
74	🇲🇽 Mexico	31.5
75	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	31.3
76	🇨🇲 Cameroon	31.1
77	🇲🇪 Montenegro	31
78	🇵🇸 Palestine	30.9
79	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	30.4
80	🇴🇲 Oman	30
81	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	29.6
82	🇷🇸 Serbia	29.5
83	🇱🇧 Lebanon	29.5
84	🇦🇲 Armenia	29.5
85	🇬🇹 Guatemala	29.5
86	🇸🇻 El Salvador	29.4
87	🇨🇺 Cuba	28.3
88	🇦🇷 Argentina	28.3
89	🇸🇷 Suriname	28.2
90	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	28
91	🇷🇴 Romania	27.8
92	🇹🇷 Turkey	27.6
93	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	27.4
94	🇹🇭 Thailand	27.2
95	🇨🇱 Chile	26.8
96	🇫🇯 Fiji	26.7
97	🇿🇦 South Africa	26.4
98	🇳🇦 Namibia	26.4
99	🇲🇩 Moldova	26.4
100	🇲🇺 Mauritius	26.1
101	🇲🇲 Myanmar	26
102	🇲🇿 Mozambique	25.9
103	🇭🇳 Honduras	25.7
104	🇷🇺 Russia	25.7
105	🇳🇬 Nigeria	25.5
106	🇯🇴 Jordan	25.3
107	🇲🇳 Mongolia	25.1
108	🇧🇦 Bosnia And Herzegovina	25
109	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	24.2
110	🇻🇪 Venezuela	24
111	🇬🇪 Georgia	24
112	🇰🇭 Cambodia	23.7
113	🇬🇭 Ghana	23.7
114	🇵🇪 Peru	23.6
115	🇲🇰 North Macedonia	23.2
116	🇲🇾 Malaysia	22.9
117	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	22.5
118	🇨🇴 Colombia	22.4
119	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	22
120	🇿🇲 Zambia	22
121	🇧🇾 Belarus	21.5
122	🇨🇳 China	21.5
123	🇰🇿 Kazakhstan	21.4
124	🇦🇿 Azerbaijan	21.3
125	🇲🇦 Morocco	21.1
126	🇧🇼 Botswana	21
127	🇪🇨 Ecuador	21
128	🇺🇿 Uzbekistan	20.6
129	🇧🇷 Brazil	20.5
130	🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan	20.4
131	🇵🇾 Paraguay	20.3
132	🇵🇭 Philippines	20.2
133	🇹🇯 Tajikistan	19.8
134	🇺🇬 Uganda	19.6
135	🇽🇰 Kosovo (Disputed Territory)	19.5
136	🇰🇪 Kenya	19.5
137	🇷🇼 Rwanda	19.4
138	🇺🇦 Ukraine	19.2
139	🇻🇳 Vietnam	19.1
140	🇮🇶 Iraq	19
141	🇧🇴 Bolivia	19
142	🇹🇿 Tanzania	18.8
143	🇹🇳 Tunisia	18.5
144	🇮🇩 Indonesia	18.5
145	🇩🇿 Algeria	17.1
146	🇮🇷 Iran	16.2
147	🇸🇾 Syria	16.1
148	🇲🇬 Madagascar	15.8
149	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	13.8
150	🇳🇵 Nepal	13.8
151	🇪🇬 Egypt	13.8
152	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	12.7
153	🇵🇰 Pakistan	12.4
154	🇮🇳 India	12.4
155	🇱🇾 Libya	12.3

Many of the world’s most expensive places, in terms of cost of living, are islands and often tax shelters or financial centers. The U.S. Virgin Islands, Jersey, and Cayman Islands all make the top 10 in the cost of living index. High concentrations of wealth, combined with heavy reliance on imports, push up prices across these island economies.

Switzerland ranks third overall, with Zurich named the world’s most expensive city in 2026. Beyond a strong Swiss franc, high wages and elevated living standards significantly drive up costs.

Singapore has the highest cost of living in Asia, placing fifth worldwide. Limited land availability has fueled high real estate prices, while the country’s reliance on imports—around 90% of its food—adds further cost pressures.

The U.S. ranks 19th globally, with a cost of living index score of 56.3. By comparison, the global median index score in 2026 stands at 30.8.

To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the world’s most unaffordable housing markets.

Tyler Durden
Tue, 02/10/2026 – 04:15ZeroHedge NewsRead More