Rent, groceries, entertainment, life. All things considered, what is the cheapest country in the world to live in?
Rather than giving a one word answer to this in depth question, here are the five cheapest countries in the world and some sample prices.
All of the following data has been submitted by individuals on numbeo. The prices reflect average prices for the whole of the country. Prices between cities and areas may vary.
5. Vietnam
Despite recent increases in tourism, Vietnam has still managed to remain one of the cheapest countries in the world and offers some of the lowest priced restaurants that you can hope to find on the planet. Act fast though; with the number of visiting foreigners increasing every year, it is only a matter of time before the country becomes more expensive.
Average prices in Vietnam include: Cheap meal in a restaurant, £1.72. Three course meal for 2 in a mid-range restaurant, £8.86. 1kg of rice in a shop, £0.31. 1.5 litre bottle of water, £0.31. One way ticket on local transport, £0.12. Price per km in a taxi, £0.31. Monthly rent for 1 bedroom apartment in city centre, £307.75. Monthly rent for 1 bedroom apartment outside city centre, £200.04.
4. Macedonia
The 148th biggest country in the world, with a population of little over two million people is not a typical tourist destination. The birthplace of Mother Teresa has only been existence since 1991 and only half the region of Macedonia lies within the country, Republic of Macedonia.
Average prices in Republic of Macedonia include: Cheap meal in a restaurant, £2.44. Three course meal for 2 in a mid-range restaurant, £12.57. 1kg of rice in a shop, £1.59. 1.5 litre bottle of water, £0.29. One way ticket on local transport, £0.41. Price per km in a taxi, £0.32. Monthly rent for 1 bedroom apartment in city centre, £155.52. Monthly rent for 1 bedroom apartment outside city centre, £111.39.
3. Algeria
The largest country in Africa (and 10th largest in the world) is 80% desert and lists it’s national dish as couscous. In this country, more than half the 34 million inhabitants have to survive on less than £1 a day.
Typical prices in Algeria include: Cheap meal in a restaurant, £2.48. Three course meal for 2 in a mid-range restaurant, £8.94. 1kg of rice in a shop, £0.81. 1.5 litre bottle of water, £0.22. One way ticket on local transport, £0.15. Price per km in a taxi, £0.28. Monthly rent for 1 bedroom apartment in city centre, £81.25. Monthly rent for 1 bedroom apartment outside city centre, £56.28.
2. Pakistan
The sixth most populated country in the world is also responsible for being one of the largest producers of footballs. Notable for it’s incredibly cheap rent, Pakistan is the second cheapest country in the world.
Typical prices include: Cheap meal in a restaurant, £1.26. Three course meal for 2 in a mid-range restaurant, £8.13. 1kg of rice in a shop, £0.73. 1.5 litre bottle of water, £0.25. One way ticket on local transport, £0.13. Price per km in a taxi, £0.24. Monthly rent for 1 bedroom apartment in city centre, £73.86. Monthly rent for 1 bedroom apartment outside city centre, £46.16.
1. India.
Despite being home to more millionaires than most other countries in the world, India is also home to the largest concentration of people living below the World Bank’s international poverty line. With a population that exceeds 1.2 billion, this sadly, is a lot of people and as a result, India is the cheapest country in the world.
Typical prices in India include: Cheap meal in a restaurant, £1.12. Three course meal for 2 in a mid-range restaurant, £5.58. 1kg of rice in a shop, £0.45. 1.5 litre bottle of water, £0.22. One way ticket on local transport, £0.13. Price per km in a taxi, £0.17. Monthly rent for 1 bedroom apartment in city centre, £89.28. Monthly rent for 1 bedroom apartment outside city centre, £55.80.
All information is based upon data submitted by users of numbeo.com. Great Big Scary World and the author of this post offer the above information as a guide and cannot guarantee it’s accuracy. If you have any comments on the above findings, please leave a comment below.
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myself anish varshney from india. i have travelled most of the places in india. this report is absolutely correct. best quality experience avilable in very reasonable price
the standard double bedroom in a 5 star hotel starts from 150$ to 200$
deluxe double bedroom in a 3star and 4 star hotel may cost around 100$
first class train fare ranges from 50$ to 100$
business class airfare for domestic airlines cost around 150$
mid range hotel vegetarian meal cost around 1.5$
monthly rent for a luxurious 2bhk apartment cost around 300$
monthly rent for a deluxe 3bhk apartment with daily room service in city center may cost around 150$
best three four star hotel chain ginger hotels offer extremely reasonable and discounted rates for deluxe double bedrooms which starts from 20$
these are the prices for metropolitian cities – mumbai, new delhi, kolkata, chennai. these cost goes down in tier 2 and tier 3 cities like bangalore, pune, hyderabad, ahmedabad but the quality of service is extraordinary.
I think Luxembourg is very cheap to live in…
!!
I’ll have to disagree, Bangladesh is even cheaper then these countries, around 1.5USD per meal and transport from 10cents for the bus or 2USD for a CNG. A 1.5 liter bottle being around 0.30 USD.
I’d love to check it out one day. In my experience, Uganda is the cheapest country in the world. A meal for about $0.30-0.50. These are just national averages based upon contributions from users.
Hello I am Indian, the costs mentioned here are true for a lower middle class Indian but for tourist specially from west these costs are not actually correct. In my view just double up all costs as a tourist. I am suggesting it in keeping safety, hygiene, favourable place and food in mind. Nowdays Hotels, restaurents and super markets in big cities are getting more expensive day by day….renting an apartment is good option.
Still It doesn´t make it expensive….enjoy India.
Hi Abhay, thanks for sharing your thoughts. It is very hard to price a whole country… particularly India which has over a billion people. Even in England, a relatively small country, a pint of beer in my university town could cost as little as £1, whereas in London, £5-6 is a fairly normal price. One day (soon) I hope to come to India and see for myself. I may rent an apartment as you suggested.
Yes, you wrote well. and being a Pakistani, I am agree with your mentioned prices.
I want to add some other things;
there is a negative perception about Pakistan, yes, there were instability in some area of country, but how 1% instability can be compare to whole country?
And if you are planning a trip to get lost in the natural beauty, then the Northern Areas of Pakistan are the ultimate option for you. check out these areas in Google.com
– Murree
– Gilgit
– Hunza
– Lake of Saif ul Mulook
and many others.
And if you want to live in the peaceful city with lot of greenery then the Capital of Pakistan Islamabad is the best, with a planned structure.
There are many other things which are still uncovered to others, I think reader should make a research about Pakistan to wash out negative perceptions.
Regards
M Atif
Pakistan is a country that I have never been to. A very close friend of mine spent a few weeks hitchhiking and travelling through your country and had quite a wonderful time. I would love the opportunity to experience it for myself one day. I have heard about the natural beauty of Pakistan and this is one of the things that attracts me most of all. As for negative press, unfortunately world media is both wonderful and terrible at opening and closing our eyes to the world around us. Rest assured, I will make no judgements of your country until I have been lucky enough to experience it for myself.
Great post Jamie! Those are some surprising places that I wouldn’t have suspected. Not sure I want to make the leap to Macedonia anytime soon, but great post! 🙂
Thanks. I haven’t ever thought much about Macedonia either but I wouldn’t say it’s not on my rather long, never ending list!