What is the Cheapest Country in the World?

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.

Vietnam5. Vietnam

VietnamDespite 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.

Macedonia4. Macedonia

MacedoniaThe 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.

Algeria3. Algeria

AlgeriaThe 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.

Pakistan2. Pakistan

Pakistan Mountains SkarduThe 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.

India1. India.

IndiaDespite 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. 

By | 2013-05-26T11:56:57+00:00 December 22nd, 2012|Advice|12 Comments

12 Comments

  1. SHAMBHU 23/02/2014 at 15:51 - Reply

    Hello! It’s me shambhu. Myself introduce as trekking and tour guide of Nepal. I do not see about Nepal in this page. Almost adventures people says Nepal is the best and chepest country in the world and i do fell as same. I did several treks and couple peak climbing. Such as Mt. Everest, Annapurna, Langtang, Manaslu, upper Mustang, Dolpa, Kanchanjang, Island peak, Mera peak, Labuche peak, Pisang peak, Chulu peak. So if anybody wanna know more about Nepal or intrested to adventure activities then mail me @: rai_shambhu3@yahoo.com

  2. anish varshney 03/09/2013 at 10:50 - Reply

    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.

  3. John Newton 24/08/2013 at 19:58 - Reply

    I think Luxembourg is very cheap to live in…

  4. Johnathan 20/07/2013 at 12:39 - Reply

    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.

    • Jamie 25/07/2013 at 20:51 - Reply

      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.

  5. abhay 30/05/2013 at 22:21 - Reply

    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.

    • Jamie 31/05/2013 at 08:30 - Reply

      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.

  6. M Atif 08/02/2013 at 09:47 - Reply

    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

    • jamie 08/02/2013 at 22:35 - Reply

      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.

  7. Leslie Patrick 22/12/2012 at 05:43 - Reply

    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! 🙂

    • jamie 15/01/2013 at 01:57 - Reply

      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!

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