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

62 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, Thailand41.8
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	Lahore	Pakistan	21	79% cheaper	$128
22	Karachi	Pakistan	21.2	79% cheaper	$138
23	Bangalore	India	21.3	79% cheaper	$321
24	Bengaluru	India	21.3	79% cheaper	$321
25	Delhi	India	22.3	78% cheaper	$350
26	New Delhi	India	22.3	78% cheaper	$350
27	Pune	India	22.3	78% cheaper	$262
28	Kathmandu	Nepal	23.1	77% cheaper	$182
29	Chittagong	Bangladesh	23.3	77% cheaper	$127
30	Bandung	Indonesia	23.5	77% cheaper	$250
31	Islamabad	Pakistan	23.6	76% cheaper	$239
32	Dhaka	Bangladesh	25.4	75% cheaper	$148
33	Mumbai	India	25.7	74% cheaper	$600
34	Da Nang	Vietnam	26.3	74% cheaper	$300
35	Surabaya	Indonesia	27.2	73% cheaper	$309
36	Chongqing	China	27.7	72% cheaper	$356
37	Chengdu	China	28.2	72% cheaper	$413
38	Ho Chi Minh City	Vietnam	28.2	72% cheaper	$450
39	Hanoi	Vietnam	28.5	72% cheaper	$447
40	Jakarta	Indonesia	29.3	71% cheaper	$450
41	Qingdao	China	29.6	70% cheaper	$341
42	Nanjing	China	30.5	70% cheaper	$483
43	Wuhan	China	30.7	69% cheaper	$362
44	Davao	Philippines	31	69% cheaper	$296
45	Changsha	China	31.6	68% cheaper	$257
46	Quezon City	Philippines	32.2	68% cheaper	$257
47	Colombo	Sri Lanka	34.2	66% cheaper	$469
48	Manila	Philippines	34.5	66% cheaper	$400
49	Ulaanbaatar	Mongolia	34.5	66% cheaper	$569
50	Hangzhou	China	35.1	65% cheaper	$559
51	Guangzhou	China	36	64% cheaper	$596
52	Suzhou	China	36.3	64% cheaper	$425
53	Phnom Penh	Cambodia	37.2	63% cheaper	$622
54	Beijing	China	37.5	63% cheaper	$1,099
55	Shenzhen	China	37.8	62% cheaper	$700
56	Kuala Lumpur	Malaysia	38.8	61% cheaper	$500
57	Shanghai	China	39	61% cheaper	$889
58	Denpasar	Indonesia	40	60% cheaper	$330
59	Bangkok	Thailand	41.8	58% cheaper	$677
60	Osaka	Japan	43.5	57% cheaper	$765
61	Tokyo	Japan	58	42% cheaper	$1,368
62	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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