Cheapest Cities in Asia — Cost of Living Index (2026)

63 cities in Asia across 15 countries, ranked from cheapest to most expensive. New York City is the baseline at 100 — a city at 40 is roughly 60% cheaper than New York for the same basket of rent, food, transport, and utilities.

Cities ranked

Countries

Cheapest

Coimbatore · 16.8

Most expensive

Seoul · 65.4

Cheapest cities (one per country)

1.Coimbatore, India16.8
2.Rawalpindi, Pakistan20.8
3.Kathmandu, Nepal23.1
4.Chittagong, Bangladesh23.3
5.Bandung, Indonesia23.5
6.Da Nang, Vietnam26.3
7.Chongqing, China27.7
8.Davao, Philippines31
9.Colombo, Sri Lanka34.2
10.Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia34.5
11.Phnom Penh, Cambodia37.2
12.Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia38.8

Most expensive cities

1.Seoul, South Korea65.4
2.Tokyo, Japan58
3.Osaka, Japan43.5
4.Bangkok, Thailand41.1
5.Denpasar, Indonesia40
6.Shanghai, China39
7.Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia38.8
8.Shenzhen, China37.8
9.Beijing, China37.5
10.Phnom Penh, Cambodia37.2
11.Suzhou, China36.3
12.Guangzhou, China36

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Full ranking

#	City	Country	Index	vs. New York	1BR rent
1	Coimbatore	India	16.8	83% cheaper	$139
2	Rājkot	India	16.9	83% cheaper	$124
3	Lucknow	India	17.4	83% cheaper	$132
4	Guwahati	India	17.7	82% cheaper	$125
5	Indore	India	18	82% cheaper	$156
6	Surat	India	18.2	82% cheaper	$223
7	Jaipur	India	18.4	82% cheaper	$164
8	Kochi	India	18.6	81% cheaper	$195
9	Bhubaneswar	India	18.8	81% cheaper	$158
10	Patna	India	18.8	81% cheaper	$84
11	Kolkata	India	19.1	81% cheaper	$154
12	Vadodara	India	19.8	80% cheaper	$150
13	Chandigarh	India	20	80% cheaper	$172
14	Chennai	India	20	80% cheaper	$180
15	Thāne	India	20.4	80% cheaper	$261
16	Navi Mumbai	India	20.5	80% cheaper	$293
17	Noida	India	20.7	79% cheaper	$204
18	Ahmedabad	India	20.8	79% cheaper	$158
19	Rawalpindi	Pakistan	20.8	79% cheaper	$189
20	Hyderabad	India	21	79% cheaper	$223
21	Hyderabad	Pakistan	21	79% cheaper	$223
22	Lahore	Pakistan	21	79% cheaper	$128
23	Karachi	Pakistan	21.2	79% cheaper	$138
24	Bangalore	India	21.3	79% cheaper	$321
25	Bengaluru	India	21.3	79% cheaper	$321
26	Delhi	India	22.3	78% cheaper	$350
27	New Delhi	India	22.3	78% cheaper	$350
28	Pune	India	22.3	78% cheaper	$262
29	Kathmandu	Nepal	23.1	77% cheaper	$182
30	Chittagong	Bangladesh	23.3	77% cheaper	$127
31	Bandung	Indonesia	23.5	77% cheaper	$250
32	Islamabad	Pakistan	23.6	76% cheaper	$239
33	Dhaka	Bangladesh	25.4	75% cheaper	$148
34	Mumbai	India	25.7	74% cheaper	$600
35	Da Nang	Vietnam	26.3	74% cheaper	$300
36	Surabaya	Indonesia	27.2	73% cheaper	$309
37	Chongqing	China	27.7	72% cheaper	$356
38	Chengdu	China	28.2	72% cheaper	$413
39	Ho Chi Minh City	Vietnam	28.2	72% cheaper	$450
40	Hanoi	Vietnam	28.5	72% cheaper	$447
41	Jakarta	Indonesia	29.3	71% cheaper	$450
42	Qingdao	China	29.6	70% cheaper	$341
43	Nanjing	China	30.5	70% cheaper	$483
44	Wuhan	China	30.7	69% cheaper	$362
45	Davao	Philippines	31	69% cheaper	$296
46	Changsha	China	31.6	68% cheaper	$257
47	Quezon City	Philippines	32.2	68% cheaper	$257
48	Colombo	Sri Lanka	34.2	66% cheaper	$469
49	Manila	Philippines	34.5	66% cheaper	$400
50	Ulaanbaatar	Mongolia	34.5	66% cheaper	$569
51	Hangzhou	China	35.1	65% cheaper	$559
52	Guangzhou	China	36	64% cheaper	$596
53	Suzhou	China	36.3	64% cheaper	$425
54	Phnom Penh	Cambodia	37.2	63% cheaper	$622
55	Beijing	China	37.5	63% cheaper	$1,099
56	Shenzhen	China	37.8	62% cheaper	$700
57	Kuala Lumpur	Malaysia	38.8	61% cheaper	$500
58	Shanghai	China	39	61% cheaper	$889
59	Denpasar	Indonesia	40	60% cheaper	$330
60	Bangkok	Thailand	41.1	59% cheaper	$650
61	Osaka	Japan	43.5	57% cheaper	$765
62	Tokyo	Japan	58	42% cheaper	$1,368
63	Seoul	South Korea	65.4	35% cheaper	$900

Related rankings

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How this works

Every city is scored on a single index where New York City = 100. The score blends rent, groceries, restaurants, transport, and utilities into one comparable number, so a city at 50 costs about half what New York does for the same lifestyle.

We rank city-level data only — never a country average painted across its cities. A city is included only when it has genuine local price coverage (real rent and meal prices), which keeps the ranking credible at both ends. Countries under active-conflict travel advisories are excluded.

Want this personalized to your budget and home city? Read our full methodology.

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