It’s no surprise that different cities around the world have different costs of living. After all, global metros like New York, London, and Singapore are constantly making “Most Expensive Places” lists while digital nomads and retirees jump ship for more affordable places in South America and Asia.
But what can be surprising is just how different those costs of living can be and why the spread is so wide. For example, the most expensive housing can be found in Luanda, Angola thanks to a shortage of accommodations for the expats working in the oil industry. You can expect to pay an average of $3,500 per month for a roof over your head there. Meanwhile, about 4% of that will get you a place in Karachi, Pakistan.
Interested in a pint after work? Alcohol isn’t permitted in the United Arab Emirates cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi unless you’re a non-Muslim and have a license. A cold one will cost you $11.45 and $9.77, respectively. But if that’s too rich then head north to Ukraine, where you’ll pay less than $1.
To see other examples of extreme cost of living around the world, check out our infographic below. We cover the five most expensive and least expensive places on the planet and show you where basic items like housing, coffee, beer, a fast food meal, and a pair of jeans are outrageously pricey or super cheap.
Want to share our cost of living infographic? Simply embed this code to display it on your platform.
<img style="width:100%; height:100%;" src="https://goodmigrations.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/GoodMigrations-Extreme-Cost-of-Living-Infographic.png" alt="Extreme Cost of Living Around the World Infographic" />
Note that this infographic is based on composite data collected in October of this year and has been standardized in United States Dollars. Given currency exchange fluctuations the relative cost of living may have shifted since then.