Cost of Living by Country· by numbers
Bermuda is the world’s priciest economy — price level 115 against the US at 100 — while Nigeria, at 12, is the cheapest: a nearly 10× gap. All 200 economies below, from World Bank price-level data.
Where money is expensive — and where it stretches
Overall price levels from World Bank purchasing-power-parity data, US = 100 — not a rent-and-groceries basket.
Hover or tap any country for its price level.
Source: World Bank / ICP, CC BY 4.0
Where does your money go further?
Enter an amount and two countries — see what it’s worth on the other side, formula on show.
The full price-level ranking
Every economy, ranked from priciest to cheapest. Sort any column; search for a country.
| # ▲ | Country | Index (US = 100) | vs US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Bermuda | 115 | +15% | 2024 |
| 2 |  Cayman Islands | 112 | +12% | 2023 |
| 3 |  Switzerland | 108 | +8% | 2024 |
| 4 |  Barbados | 107 | +7% | 2024 |
| 5 |  Tuvalu | 103 | +3% | 2023 |
| 6 |  Iceland | 103 | +3% | 2024 |
| 7 |  United States | 100 | = | 2024 |
| 8 |  Turks and Caicos Islands | 99 | −1% | 2024 |
| 9 |  Nauru | 96 | −4% | 2024 |
| 10 |  Bahamas | 96 | −4% | 2024 |
| 11 |  Micronesia | 96 | −4% | 2024 |
| 12 |  Israel | 95 | −5% | 2024 |
| 13 |  Vanuatu | 95 | −5% | 2024 |
| 14 |  Marshall Islands | 94 | −6% | 2024 |
| 15 |  Faroe Islands | 91 | −9% | 2024 |
What a price level really measures
A price level compares how far one unit of currency goes across whole economies, once you strip out the exchange rate. When Bermuda sits at 115 and the United States at 100, the same basket of goods and services costs about 15% more in Bermuda; when Nigeria sits at 12, it costs roughly an eighth as much.
This is an economy-wide measure, not a shopping list. It will not tell you the rent on a two-bedroom flat in Lisbon or the price of a coffee in Bangkok — it captures the average price of everything an economy produces, weighted the way the World Bank’s International Comparison Program weights it.
That is exactly why it travels well. A user-submitted city index can drift with who happens to be filling in prices; a national price level is built once, on a common method, for every country in the same year — so the ranking here is comparable end to end.
Frequently asked questions
What is a cost of living index?
An index comparing how expensive goods and services are between countries against a common baseline — here, overall price levels with the United States at 100, from World Bank purchasing-power-parity data.
Which country has the highest cost of living?
Bermuda, with a price level of 115 versus the US at 100 — ahead of the Cayman Islands (112) and Switzerland (108), the only economies pricier than the United States.
Which country has the lowest cost of living?
Nigeria, with a price level of just 12 — overall prices roughly 8× lower than the United States. Egypt, Syria and Burundi (all around 18) are close behind.
How is this different from Numbeo's cost of living index?
Numbeo builds its index from user-submitted prices for a consumer basket — rent, groceries, restaurants — and its data is proprietary. Our index uses the World Bank's openly licensed price-level data, which measures overall prices across the whole economy. It won't tell you the rent in a specific city, but every figure is sourced, dated and free to verify.
Can I see what my salary is worth in another country?
Yes — use the converter above: enter an amount and two countries to see the purchasing-power equivalent.
Cite this page
CC BY 4.0Our compilation on this page — the figures as arranged, ranked and dated here — is published under CC BY 4.0. Reuse it anywhere, including commercially, with a link back. The underlying data belongs to the organizations credited below.
Us, by Numbers. "Us, by Numbers." https://usbynumbers.com
Sources & method
Price levels via the World Bank International Comparison Program (CC BY 4.0).