Relocate IndexMost Affordable Countries to Live In 2026
Two different questions hide behind "purchasing power". If your income comes from abroad, what matters is how cheap local prices are. If you will earn locally, what matters is how high local incomes are once local prices are taken into account. Relocator scores the first by default and switches to the second when you choose a local salary.
Scored using data from World Bank Price Level Ratio, World Bank GDP per capita (PPP). 59 countries ranked. 1 countries lack data for this dimension.
Data last updated:
Top 15 countries for purchasing power
India
South Asia · Overall: 50.4
Bulgaria
Eastern Europe · Overall: 63.9
Vietnam
Southeast Asia · Overall: 60.5
Indonesia
Southeast Asia · Overall: 52.6
Thailand
Southeast Asia · Overall: 55.9
Malaysia
Southeast Asia · Overall: 61.9
Philippines
Southeast Asia · Overall: 56.1
Colombia
Latin America · Overall: 54.2
Morocco
Africa · Overall: 56.0
South Africa
Africa · Overall: 62.0
Turkey
Middle East · Overall: 52.5
Argentina
Latin America · Overall: 61.7
Brazil
Latin America · Overall: 55.9
China
East Asia · Overall: 61.9
Romania
Eastern Europe · Overall: 65.6
Lowest-scoring countries
How purchasing power is calculated
How far income earned abroad (remote work, pension, savings) goes at local prices. If you will earn a local salary, choose "Local salary" and the score switches to local income levels. Country averages, not your personal salary.
Income from abroad: purchasing_power = price level ratio vs the US, inverted and scaled from 0.10 (100) to 1.50 (0). Local salary: purchasing_power = GDP per person at local prices (PPP), log-scaled from 8,000 (0) to 160,000 (100) international dollars.
Limitation: Country averages only, no city prices. Price levels move with exchange rates, so a sharp devaluation can make a country look cheaper than it feels. Argentina's price level is from 2021, the latest year with both price and exchange-rate data. GDP per person is an average and says nothing about how income is shared.
Frequently asked questions
Which country has the best purchasing power?
India ranks 1st for purchasing power with a score of 91 out of 100, based on data from World Bank Price Level Ratio, World Bank GDP per capita (PPP).
How is the purchasing power score calculated?
Two different questions hide behind "purchasing power". If your income comes from abroad, what matters is how cheap local prices are. If you will earn locally, what matters is how high local incomes are once local prices are taken into account. Relocator scores the first by default and switches to the second when you choose a local salary. Formula: Income from abroad: purchasing_power = price level ratio vs the US, inverted and scaled from 0.10 (100) to 1.50 (0). Local salary: purchasing_power = GDP per person at local prices (PPP), log-scaled from 8,000 (0) to 160,000 (100) international dollars.
How many countries are ranked for purchasing power?
59 countries have purchasing power scores in the Relocate Index. 1 countries lack sufficient data for this dimension.