Cheapest Places to Live

Compare places ranked by Nomadr’s stored day-to-day affordability score, based on researched grocery, local transport and mid-range meal prices.

Ordered by our stored day-to-day affordability score, built from groceries, local transport and mid-range meal prices. The list draws from 318 of our 333 cities — cities we hold no score for are left out rather than ranked last. Showing 50 ranked cities; exact score-and-percentile ties share a rank and are never split alphabetically.

1. 1Bangalore · IndiaGood to know: Airbnb and rental-portal monthly prices vary hugely by building age and amenities — semi-furnished long-lease listings (common on portals like 99acres/Square Yards) are usually far cheaper than fully furnished serviced apartments aimed at short stays, so compare like-for-like before booking.Among the 1% cheapest cities day to dayVery Low
2. 2Varkala · IndiaGood to know: Varkala rents swing hard by season — peak season (roughly Nov-Mar) rates can run well above monsoon/off-season (Jun-Sep) rates, so negotiating a monthly deal directly with a guesthouse owner in low season is usually much cheaper than the posted nightly OTA rate.Among the 1% cheapest cities day to dayVery Low
3. 3Goa · IndiaGood to know: Housing prices vary sharply by exactly where you land: a furnished 1BR in Assagao or Siolim can cost noticeably more than the same size unit further inland or in South Goa's Palolem/Agonda area.Among the 1% cheapest cities day to dayVery Low
4. 4Udaipur · IndiaGood to know: Rental portals like 99acres and OLX are built around 11-month unfurnished/semi-furnished leases for Indian residents, not furnished month-to-month stays — expect to pay a premium over these listed figures for a genuinely short-term, fully furnished setup, and always confirm in writing what 'furnished' actually includes (AC, kitchen equipment, wifi router) before paying.Among the 1% cheapest cities day to dayVery Low
5. 5Dahab · EgyptGood to know: Furnished short-stay rentals for visitors cluster in Assalah and Mashraba, both walkable to the beach promenade, dive centers, and the main Asala Market.Among the 5% cheapest cities day to dayVery Low
6. 6Dharamkot · IndiaGood to know: Walk-in negotiation for a monthly room rate consistently beats booking the same room online, and many guesthouses in Upper Bhagsu and Dharamkot have an unpublished monthly price that never appears on booking platforms — just ask directly.Among the 5% cheapest cities day to dayVery Low
7. 7Rishikesh · IndiaGood to know: Property portals like 99acres and Square Yards list many 'furnished' flats that only include basics like a fan, bed and wardrobe rather than full appliances — always confirm exactly what's included before booking a monthly stay.Among the 5% cheapest cities day to dayVery Low
8. 8Arugam Bay · Sri LankaGood to know: Arugam Bay's east-coast surf season (roughly April to October, when the west/south coast gets its monsoon) is high season here — expect noticeably higher accommodation prices and fuller guesthouses than in the quieter off-season months.Among the 5% cheapest cities day to dayVery Low
9. 9Pondicherry · IndiaGood to know: White Town (French Quarter) commands a rent premium over the rest of the city — expect noticeably lower housing and grocery costs if you're willing to be a short auto-ride from the beach in areas like Lawspet, Reddiarpalayam or Auroville.Among the 5% cheapest cities day to dayVery Low
10. 10Cairo · EgyptGood to know: Many landlords in Zamalek and Maadi quote and expect rent in USD cash for foreign tenants, even though the legal local currency is the Egyptian pound — this is common practice but always confirm your lease currency in writing.Among the 5% cheapest cities day to dayVery Low
11. 11Ho Chi Minh City · VietnamGood to know: Thao Dien and An Phu (District 2) carry a clear rent premium over the rest of the city because of the concentration of international schools, Western cafes, and gourmet grocery stores (e.g. Annam Gourmet, MEGA Market) — budget-conscious nomads often find better value in District 1, District 3, or Binh Thanh while staying close to the same amenities.Among the 5% cheapest cities day to dayVery Low
12. 12Lombok · IndonesiaGood to know: Lombok runs noticeably cheaper than nearby Bali — one comparison guide notes nomads can expect to save 30-50% on rent and generally lower food costs versus Bali hotspots like Canggu or Ubud.Among the 5% cheapest cities day to dayVery Low
13. 13Phu Quoc · VietnamGood to know: Phu Quoc is a resort island, so many goods — especially imported items and anything sold near beach resorts — cost noticeably more than in mainland Vietnamese cities; shopping at local markets and Vietnamese-brand products keeps grocery costs down.Among the 5% cheapest cities day to dayVery Low
14. 14Hurghada · EgyptGood to know: Furnished, short-stay rentals in El Kawther/El Hadaba run well above the unfurnished long-lease numbers quoted in many generic cost-of-living articles - budget for the furnished figure, not the annual-lease one.Among the 5% cheapest cities day to dayVery Low
15. 15Hoi An · VietnamGood to know: An Bang Beach, about 4km from the Ancient Town, is the area most expats and long-term visitors gravitate to, offering a village feel plus beach access rather than the tourist density of the Old Town center.Among the 5% cheapest cities day to dayVery Low
16. 16Arequipa · PeruGood to know: Yanahuara is the center of gravity of the expat community, a twenty-minute walk from the historic center across the Río Chili, with the highest concentration of cafés with fast internet and English-language menus.Among the 5% cheapest cities day to dayVery Low
17. 17Pokhara · NepalGood to know: Lakeside is by far the easiest place to find furnished monthly rentals, but rates are negotiable — asking prices on Facebook Marketplace and homestay sites often drop with a longer stay or direct negotiation.Cheaper day to day than about 95% of citiesVery Low
18. 18Colombo · Sri LankaGood to know: Furnished rental listings that actually show up on property portals right now skew toward high-rise towers in Colombo 02, 03 and 07 — more modest furnished apartments and shared rooms exist but tend to be found via ikman.lk, Facebook expat groups, or word of mouth rather than international booking sites.Cheaper day to day than about 95% of citiesVery Low
19. 19Anilao · PhilippinesGood to know: Anilao functions as a dive-tourism enclave, not a residential town — there is no real furnished monthly-apartment market, so a longer stay in practice means negotiating an extended-stay rate directly with a dive resort.Cheaper day to day than about 95% of citiesVery Low
20. 20Labuan Bajo · IndonesiaGood to know: Furnished monthly rentals are much harder to find online here than in Bali - most nomads end up messaging landlords directly on WhatsApp or arranging viewings in person rather than booking through a platform.Cheaper day to day than about 95% of citiesVery Low
21. 21Kathmandu · NepalGood to know: Thamel has the densest supply of furnished short-stay apartments and is walkable to nightlife and cafés, but units there skew toward tourist turnover, can be noisy, and light/space are often limited.Cheaper day to day than about 95% of citiesVery Low
22. 22Ubud · IndonesiaGood to know: Warungs (small family-run local eateries) are dramatically cheaper than the cafes and brunch spots nomads tend to frequent — cooking or eating local can cut your food budget by 3-5x compared to eating exclusively at Western-style cafes.Cheaper day to day than about 95% of citiesVery Low
23. 23Vientiane · LaosGood to know: Vientiane's rental market is informally dollarized — most agents and landlords quote and expect payment in USD rather than Lao Kip, especially for furnished expat-oriented units.Cheaper day to day than about 95% of citiesVery Low
24. 24Hiriketiya · Sri LankaGood to know: Hiriketiya is a tiny village with no real supermarket right on the bay — most nomads do small daily shops at local shops in the bay and make a bigger supermarket run to Matara or Dikwella town for anything imported or in bulk.Cheaper day to day than about 95% of citiesVery Low
25. 25Kigali · RwandaGood to know: In Nyarutarama and Kimihurura, many landlords quote rent in both USD and RWF side by side — expect the RWF figure to move with the exchange rate even if the USD 'sticker price' stays fixed.Cheaper day to day than about 90% of citiesVery Low
26. 26Mui Ne · VietnamGood to know: Short-term furnished rental prices in Mui Ne swing a lot with the tourist season — expect noticeably higher nightly/weekly vacation-rental rates around Tet and the Dec-Feb peak, and cheaper deals in the off-season (roughly April-October).Cheaper day to day than about 90% of citiesVery Low
27. 27Penang · MalaysiaGood to know: Short-term, fully furnished monthly rentals cost noticeably more per month than a standard 12-month unfurnished Malaysian lease — if you plan to stay 3+ months, negotiating a longer lease directly with a landlord (rather than booking via Airbnb) usually saves a lot.Cheaper day to day than about 90% of citiesVery Low
28. 28Lijiang · ChinaGood to know: Lijiang's living costs are notably lower than China's tier-1 cities like Shanghai or Beijing — most nomad guides put a central 1-bedroom apartment around $400/month, well below big-city equivalents.Cheaper day to day than about 90% of citiesVery Low
29. 29Amed · IndonesiaGood to know: Amed is a strip of small beach hamlets rather than one town, so housing and pricing vary a lot depending on which stretch (Jemeluk, Lipah, Bunutan, etc.) you're in.Cheaper day to day than about 90% of citiesVery Low
30. 30Antalya · TurkeyGood to know: Konyaaltı and Lara are the two beachside neighborhoods most nomads and expats gravitate to, both offering coworking spaces, cafes, and beach access, but rents there run noticeably higher than in more residential districts like Muratpaşa or Döşemealtı.Cheaper day to day than about 90% of citiesVery Low
31. 31Canggu · IndonesiaGood to know: Rental prices in Canggu have been rising: reports point to increases of roughly 10-15% over the past two years, driven largely by digital-nomad and investor demand, so older 'Canggu is cheap' budgets may be out of date.Cheaper day to day than about 90% of citiesVery Low
32. 32Hanoi · VietnamGood to know: Tay Ho (West Lake) is the clear expat/nomad hub, but rental prices there vary enormously by street and view — a lakeside or park-view unit can cost double an identical layout a few streets back.Cheaper day to day than about 90% of citiesVery Low
33. 33Semporna · MalaysiaGood to know: Semporna is primarily a dive-tourism gateway town for Sipadan, Mabul, and Kapalai — it has no documented digital-nomad or long-term expat community, so there is almost no pre-listed 'monthly furnished rental' market; most accommodation is priced and marketed for short tourist stays.Cheaper day to day than about 90% of citiesVery Low
34. 34El Nido · PhilippinesGood to know: El Nido has very little formal long-term furnished rental inventory listed online — most nomads end up negotiating directly with guesthouses, apartelles, or coliving operators (like the ones in Corong Corong) for a monthly rate rather than finding it pre-listed.Cheaper day to day than about 90% of citiesVery Low
35. 35Windhoek · NamibiaGood to know: There isn't a large dedicated furnished short-term rental market in Windhoek the way there is in bigger nomad hubs — most 'monthly rental' inventory shows up on general platforms (Airbnb, Vrbo, Flatio) rather than dedicated long-stay portals, so it's worth messaging hosts directly to negotiate a monthly rate even if the listing shows nightly pricing.Cheaper day to day than about 90% of citiesVery Low
36. 36Bangkok · ThailandGood to know: Furnished monthly rentals booked via Airbnb or a landlord directly are almost always cheaper than a hotel-style serviced apartment for the same area — many hosts will accept a lower counter-offer for stays of a month or more.Cheaper day to day than about 90% of citiesVery Low
37. 37Accra · GhanaGood to know: Long-term unfurnished leases in Accra typically demand 1-2 years of rent paid entirely upfront — furnished short-term/monthly rentals (the figures used here) avoid that trap and are the realistic option for a nomad staying weeks to a few months.Cheaper day to day than about 90% of citiesVery Low
38. 38Boracay · PhilippinesGood to know: Rent and grocery prices swing noticeably between peak season (roughly November-May) and low season, and between the busy Station 1-3 strip versus quieter Balabag/Bulabog areas — always ask what's included (wifi speed, aircon hours, utilities) before booking a monthly stay.Cheaper day to day than about 90% of citiesVery Low
39. 39Phnom Penh · CambodiaGood to know: Cambodia's economy is heavily dollarized: rent, restaurant bills and most significant purchases are quoted and paid in US dollars, with the Cambodian riel used mainly for small change — so a nomad's real-world budget here is almost entirely USD despite riel being the official currency.Cheaper day to day than about 90% of citiesVery Low
40. 40Skopje · North MacedoniaGood to know: Skopje rental listings — even on local Macedonian property portals — are almost always quoted in euros (EUR), not the local denar (MKD), so don't be surprised to see rent advertised that way even though everyday shopping is priced in denar.Cheaper day to day than about 90% of citiesVery Low
41. 41Kampala · UgandaGood to know: Furnished, short-term-friendly apartments in Kampala carry a real premium over standard unfurnished leases, so budget above typical 'cost of living' averages if you need a move-in-ready place.Cheaper day to day than about 85% of citiesVery Low
42. 42Jeffreys Bay · South AfricaGood to know: Jeffreys Bay is a small surf town, not a big-city rental market — furnished short-term listings are concentrated on Airbnb-style platforms and local holiday-letting agents rather than long-term lease portals, and prices can spike sharply during peak surf season (June–August, around the Ballito/J-Bay Open events) and December holidays.Cheaper day to day than about 85% of citiesVery Low
43. 43Dumaguete · PhilippinesGood to know: Furnished apartment listings cluster around Bagacay, Piapi, Sibulan, and areas just outside the city center like Junob and Bacong — these are worth checking first for short-term furnished stays.Cheaper day to day than about 85% of citiesVery Low
44. 44Tashkent · UzbekistanGood to know: Most furnished-apartment listings aimed at foreigners in Tashkent are priced and negotiated in USD even though the local currency is the Uzbek som (UZS) — expect landlords to quote and sometimes prefer payment in dollars.Cheaper day to day than about 85% of citiesVery Low
45. 45Maldives · MaldivesGood to know: The Maldives isn't a typical digital-nomad base — most foreigners living here are on resort, dive-industry, or government/NGO contracts with employer-provided housing, so independent long-term rentals in Malé are comparatively uncommon and can be hard to arrange without a local contact or employer help.Cheaper day to day than about 85% of citiesVery Low
46. 46Manila · PhilippinesGood to know: Most furnished condo listings in Makati and BGC are advertised as monthly rent but actually require a minimum 1-year lease with 2 months advance plus 2 months deposit — genuinely flexible 1-3 month furnished stays are more limited and typically found via Airbnb/serviced-apartment operators rather than standard property portals, often at a premium over the advertised long-lease rate.Cheaper day to day than about 85% of citiesVery Low
47. 47Bishkek · KyrgyzstanGood to know: Rental prices in Bishkek are noticeably seasonal — one relocation guide notes it's worth looking for housing before or after the May-to-September high season, when prices tend to be lower.Cheaper day to day than about 85% of citiesVery Low
48. 48Cusco · PeruGood to know: Furnished apartment prices in San Blas and the Historic Center can rise noticeably during the June-August peak tourist season — booking a month ahead in shoulder season tends to get better rates.Cheaper day to day than about 85% of citiesVery Low
49. 49Marrakech · MoroccoGood to know: Furnished monthly rentals are much easier to find in Gueliz/Hivernage than in the Medina, where most short-stay listings are tourist-oriented riads rather than month-long apartment rentals.Cheaper day to day than about 85% of citiesVery Low
50. 50Prague · Czech RepublicGood to know: Rents have risen sharply in recent years and are now widely described as the single biggest expense for nomads in Prague, so budget more generously for housing than for food or transport.Cheaper day to day than about 85% of citiesVery Low