Cost of Living inYangon, Myanmar
Image credit: Marcin Konsek
Purchasing Power vs. United States
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). Myanmar: $5,276/capita.
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 62% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Using the country-level NYC comparison for now. We do not have a defensible city-level aggregate cost index for this city yet.
Income Category
Happiness
4.3 / 10
#116 globally
GDP per Capita
City Population
Child Education
Public-school quality + expat access, alongside international and private school cost โ the two paths a relocating family weighs.
Public schools
Public-schooling rules are set nationally for Myanmar; Yangon-specific enrollment notes are still being verified.
Quality
Limited public-school fit
Expat access
Usually not practical for expats
not practicalInstruction
Burmese
Language fit is more manageable.
PISA / outcomes
Qualitative only
Using curated quality notes for now.
Why this quality rating
Myanmar's public-school system is not a realistic default path for most expat families, especially given current instability.
Why the expat-access rating looks like this
Even where resident enrollment is possible, Burmese-medium instruction and current system disruption make the public route usually unattractive for expat households.
โ Homeschooling
Not specifically regulatedMyanmar requires compulsory primary education but does not have a clear homeschooling framework. Enforcement varies significantly. Many expat families in Yangon (prior to instability) homeschooled without formal approval. The current political situation makes this largely academic.
Homeschool legality in Myanmar โ check current regulations before committing.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
International & private schools
Childcare & Domestic Help
Current nanny and household-help pricing snapshot for Yangon, Myanmar.
Full-time nanny (5 days)
$375-$525
monthly ยท confidence 0.65
Live-in / 24-7 nanny
$700-$900
monthly ยท confidence 0.65
Source: curated family relocation research
Getting Around
The concrete mobility picture for Yangon: airport access, urban transit, and rideshare practicality.
Airport
International airport
Yangon International remains Myanmarโs main practical air gateway and keeps the city connected to the countryโs broadest regional route set.
Urban transit
Bus-first urban transit
Yangon is still fundamentally road-led, with buses doing most of the practical daily city movement rather than a strong rail-based backbone.
Rideshare
Taxi-first, limited app coverage
Families should expect taxis and locally arranged rides to matter more than a deep or especially predictable app-hailed market.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
Healthcare
System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in Myanmar.
Method: country metrics come from public system indicators, facility coverage reflects mapped providers we can inventory, direct pricing only reflects observed self-pay pages, and relative care cost can fall back to broad cost-of-living healthcare indices. Sparse pricing does not imply sparse healthcare availability.
Healthcare system
LimitedCoverage looks thinner, doctor staffing is lighter, and hospital capacity looks tighter weigh on this rating.
Public care
LimitedPublic coverage looks thinner, public funding looks lighter, and patients still shoulder a meaningful share of costs weigh on this rating.
Private care
MixedA meaningful tracked hospital and clinic network and a clearly private facility base help, but self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse.
UHC coverage
52/100
2023
Physicians
0.76/1k
2019
Hospital beds
1.07/1k
2020
Out of pocket
71%
2023
Outcome signals
Life expectancy
67.1 yrs
2024
Maternal mortality
185/100k
2023
Neonatal mortality
19.6/1k
2024
International patient readiness
MixedA visible private hospital base and there is visible specialty depth help, but price transparency is still sparse and headline outcomes are less reassuring.
Pricing transparency
LimitedPublished self-pay prices are scarce weigh on this rating.
Facility coverage
Self-pay pricing visibility
No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in Myanmar yet.
This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.
Notable facilities
System metrics: World Bank WDI ยท Updated 2026-06-01
Safety & Governance
Street Safety
Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.
Political Stability
World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.
Wages by Sector
| Sector | Median |
|---|---|
| Administrative & Support Services | โ |
| Agriculture & Farming | โ |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | โ |
| Construction | โ |
| Education | โ |
| Finance & Insurance | โ |
| Healthcare & Social Work | โ |
| Hospitality & Food Service | โ |
| Information & Technology | โ |
| Manufacturing | โ |
| Mining & Quarrying | โ |
| Other Services | โ |
| Professional & Scientific Services | โ |
| Public Administration & Defence | โ |
| Retail & Wholesale Trade | โ |
| Transport & Logistics | โ |
| Utilities | โ |
2020 annual wages in Yangon, Myanmar ยท Source: ILO ILOSTAT (national)
Price Comparison vs. US
Visa Information (US passport)
Short-stay entry
US passport holders need advance travel authorization or a visa before entry.
Quick comparison FAQ
Structured from the deltas already shown on this page โ no invented facts, no extra data sources.
How far does your money go in Yangon compared with the US?
Your money goes about 7.3x further in Yangon than in the US, based on the current PPP estimate. We are using the country-level cost index for Myanmar here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
Is Yangon cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?
Yangon is cheaper overall than New York City โ overall living costs are about 62% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City) for Yangon. We are using the country-level cost index for Myanmar here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How does rent in Yangon compare with New York City?
Rent in Yangon is about 89% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City). We are using the country-level cost index for Myanmar here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Yangon?
Groceries in Yangon are about 62% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 84% cheaper than the same benchmark. We are using the country-level cost index for Myanmar here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
About Yangon
Yangon is Myanmar's largest city and former capital, replaced administratively by Naypyidaw in 2005 but still the commercial and cultural center of the country. It sits on the Yangon River near the Andaman Sea and retains the country's most concentrated stock of colonial-era architecture. For relocators the situation has changed sharply since the 2021 coup: most Western embassies have reduced staffing, international sanctions constrain banking and trade, and many foreign businesses have wound down. The remaining foreign community is small and weighted toward humanitarian and journalistic work. Burmese is essential for daily life, the tropical monsoon climate brings heavy rain from May to October, and infrastructure including electricity remains inconsistent.
See the full breakdown โ free
No password needed. Takes ~30 seconds.