Visual Capitalist: The Global Cost Of Living Index 2025

🌍 Mapped: The Global Cost of Living Index 2025

Source: Visualization originally published by Visual Capitalist using data from Numbeo.
Summary and commentary adapted for our readers.

Key Insights

Numbeo’s Global Cost of Living Index compares the relative price of goods, services, and rent around the world, with New York City as the baseline (100).

• Wealth hubs such as Switzerland and Singapore remain among the most expensive places to live.
• Meanwhile, South Asian countries like India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh continue to offer the lowest living costs globally.

The index highlights how wide the affordability gap remains—between countries with strong currencies and high-income economies, and those where everyday expenses are just a fraction of Western norms.

Understanding the Index

The data comes from Numbeo, the world’s largest crowd-sourced database of cost-of-living data.
Each country’s score combines consumer goods, services, and rent, giving a fuller picture of overall affordability.

For example:
A score of 80 means that prices in that country are 20% lower than New York City.

The Most Expensive Countries

At the top of the list is the Cayman Islands (94.3), followed by Switzerland (82.3) and Singapore (80.9)—three economies driven by finance, tourism, and premium real estate.

Across Europe, nations like Iceland, Ireland, and Norway also appear among the top 20, reflecting high wages and strong living standards that come with higher consumer costs.

The Most Affordable Nations

On the other end, Pakistan (11.3), Libya (11.3), and Afghanistan (11.6) record the lowest cost of living.

In South Asia, countries like India (12.8) and Bangladesh (13.0) have costs roughly one-eighth those of New York City. Lower wages, cheaper services, and lower real estate costs all contribute to this affordability.

The Takeaway

The 2025 Global Cost of Living Index reveals a world where cost disparities remain stark—and where location continues to shape lifestyle, opportunity, and financial comfort.

Read more at Visual Capitalist, “Mapped: The Global Cost of Living Index 2025.”
(Data source: Numbeo, 2025)

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-the-global-cost-of-living-index-2025/