Most of you guys probably noticed that I moved to Chiang Mai (Thailand) a half year ago. I thought seriously that this is the cheapest place in the world. Well, it turned out, it isn't. But for sure, it's one of them.

For the past months, I've been living in a nice apartment with swimming pool and paid the ridiculous amount of US$150 rent per month. My monthly expenses were below 500 bucks, and still I was living like a queen. I'm eating outside every day and spending a fraction of the money I would spend back in Germany.

Recently I was thinking to change my location again, I've been long enough in Thailand so I was looking for a new home base.

There is this super useful website called Numbeo where you can compare the cost of living of different countries.

Basically, it's a huge database on costs and prices, contributed by users from all around the world. It shows you prices for apartment rental, utilities, transportation, groceries, restaurants and more. 

If you're on a budget and looking to move abroad or spend a year traveling, this will certainly help you finding the cheapest places and avoiding the most expensive ones. Needless to say, the cheaper the country, the lower the salaries.

This list is not a guide to find a well paid job in a country with a small cost of living. It's a guide for travelers who live off their savings and for digital nomads who make money online. If you work remotely, this is for you.

So, what's on top of the list? Here we go...

Countries with the LOWEST cost of living:

I've been to India, Egypt, Colombia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Yes those countries are cheap. But what's on the other end? What are the most expensive countries?

Countries with the HIGHEST cost of living:

I've been to six of the 15 most expensive countries. I'm glad Japan is not on the list because I keep telling people to travel to Japan because it's like no other place. Japan is not as expensive as everyone thinks. I also wrote an article about how to stay in Tokyo on a Budget if you're interested.

You want to know more? Below a detailed map from MoveHub that reveals living costs around the world:

Have you lived in any of those places? Where would you like to go and stay for a while? Please share your ideas in the comments.

Thank you for reading.

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