Cost of living abroad in 12 countries: budgets side by side and why they are not comparable

Most "cost of living" pages give one number and no working. We wrote twelve country articles that build a monthly budget line by line, with a source and a date for each line. This hub puts the headline results side by side and explains why they cannot simply be compared. Every figure is copied from its country article, in euros per month, as of October 2026, with the same caveat. General information, not financial advice.

Why these budgets are not directly comparable

• Different base cities. The budgets are built for Sofia, Athens, Istanbul, Dubai and, for Georgia, Tbilisi and Batumi. In Spain, Cyprus, France and Portugal the modest and the comfortable case use different cities (for example Alicante and central Madrid, or Larnaca and Limassol).
• Different sources. Some lines come from official statistics and rent indices, others from Numbeo, which is crowd-sourced and rests on small samples in places.
• Different assumptions. Flat sizes differ (Italy uses 45, 60 and 85 square metres) and so do the meanings of modest and comfortable.
• Different completeness. Georgia's budget is partial, Montenegro's leaves out health insurance, mobile, local transport, leisure and clothing, and Turkey's is a floor. Bulgaria's and France's family budgets are shown without rent. Germany's totals are an extrapolation from the housing block.
• Different money. Turkey is in lira (inflation was 29.73% in September 2026, according to the Turkey article), and the UAE is in dirhams converted at 4.13 to the euro.

The numbers, country by country

The order is alphabetical, not a ranking. For each country: a single person (modest, then comfortable), then a family of four.

• Bulgaria, Sofia. Single: about 868 and 1,251. Family of four: about 966 and 1,574, without rent and school, because we found no sourced rent for a larger flat.
• Cyprus, Larnaca and Limassol. Single: 1,378 (Larnaca, modest) and 2,143 (Limassol, comfortable) before extras such as private health cover and fuel, which bring them to about 1,510 to 1,530 and 2,290 to 2,380. Family: 3,894 in Larnaca (4,236 in Nicosia) and 5,160 in Limassol (5,665 in the centre), school fees extra.
• France, a Toulouse-type and a Lyon-type city. Single: 1,430 and 2,041. Family of four before rent: 1,965 and 3,190. With 80 square metres at undated rates the totals would be about 3,245 and 4,870 outside Paris (our multiplication).
• Georgia, partial. Single: 405 and 638. Family: 1,193 and 2,344 to 3,366. These count only rent, electricity, transport and, for families, school places. Groceries, eating out, internet, mobile, private health insurance, leisure and a car are missing. Our reading of two disagreeing third-party totals is about 900 to 1,500 all in for one person.
• Germany, extrapolated. Single: about 1,700 (average rent of the eight biggest cities) and 3,700 (Munich rent). Family: about 4,000 and 7,550. An order of magnitude, not a statistic.
• Greece, Athens. Single: 1,083 and 1,758. Family: 2,156 (state schools, no car) and 4,619 (one child at an international school). Several lines are our assumptions.
• Italy. Single: about 1,300 (a cheap southern city) and 2,000 (Rome, with a comfortable allowance). Family: about 3,930 and 5,380. Health cover, childcare, school fees and a car are not included.
• Montenegro. Single: 782 to 998 and 1,256 to 1,654. Family: 1,314 to 1,896 and 2,300 to 3,055. Health insurance, mobile, local transport, leisure and clothing are not included, and the family rents are 2023 data, probably low.
• Portugal. Single: about 1,534 in Lisbon, 1,206 in Porto and 1,232 in the Algarve at median rents. At asking rents Lisbon is 1,950 to 2,250 and Porto 1,550 to 1,750. Family: about 3,557 in Porto to 4,286 in Lisbon.
• Spain. Single: 1,576 (Alicante, modest) and 2,384 (central Madrid, comfortable). Family: 4,430 and 5,999. With an international school, as an upper bound, the comfortable family figure is 8,657.
• Turkey, Istanbul, a floor. Single: about 950 and 1,480. Family: about 2,060 (state school, rent used as a floor) and 3,670 (two children at a bilingual school), at about 54 lira to the euro.
• UAE, Dubai. Single: about 2,133 (JVC) and 3,403 (Marina, with a car). Family: about 6,815 and 9,268, including school fees that may be counted twice.

What drives the differences

• Rent decides the budget. In Spain, moving from central Madrid to Alicante lowers a single budget by about 800 euro in our sums. In France, a two-room flat in Paris costs about 2.1 times one in Toulouse (July 2026). In Germany, Munich asks about 44% more per square metre than the eight-city average, and Georgia's rent is its largest and least certain line.
• Energy. Cyprus has a low energy-only tariff (about 10.3 cents per kWh) but an all-in price of 25 to 32 cents, and a large villa can pass 300 euro a month in July and August.
• Health cover works differently. Germany's statutory insurance is 14.6% plus an average 2.9% of gross pay and is not in the totals. Bulgaria's state fund contribution is 24.81 euro a month for those who pay their own. Cyprus's GESY takes 2.65% of gross pay for employees. In Dubai the law requires employers to insure employees, but family cover is usually your cost.
• School fees can match the rent. International schools are the largest family line: the Anglo-American School of Sofia about 22,300 euro a year (an aggregator), the International School of Athens 12,500 to 14,500, St Julian's in Portugal 12,384 to 28,113, the American Academies in Cyprus 4,130 to 9,165 and Montenegro 3,000 to 10,000.
• Cars. Cyprus has limited public transport and most households run at least one car. In the UAE we assume AED 1,080 a month for fuel and tolls.

How to build your own budget for any country

• Pick one city and one household, and say so if the modest and the comfortable case use different cities.
• Start with rent, the line that moves most. Use a dated rent index or portal report and say whether it shows signed leases or asking rents.
• Add utilities, internet and mobile, groceries, eating out, transport and leisure, each with a source and a date. Add health insurance and, for a family, schooling or childcare as separate lines.
• Mark every number that is your own assumption, and keep flat sizes and consumption visible.
• Show the arithmetic, label the total as your own sum, and convert at a stated rate and date.
• Re-check the lines you could not source, and show disagreement between sources instead of hiding it.

What this means for a normal buyer or resident

• Use these figures to see which lines matter, not to choose a country by the cheapest total.
• Rent, health cover and schools decide most budgets. Price those three for your own situation first.
• If you buy or move, add the running costs of owning and check the health and school rules: see annual property tax and bills for owners abroad, utilities and community fees for foreign owners, healthcare for EU residents abroad and schools and education when relocating abroad.

FAQ

Which country is the cheapest to live in? We do not rank the countries. The budgets differ in city, source and completeness, so a lower number can simply mean fewer lines priced.

Why do other sites give different numbers? They use different cities, household sizes and definitions, some are crowd-sourced, and prices and exchange rates move. Ours are sums of dated lines, and we say which lines are assumptions.

How should I use these budgets? As a starting point. Replace our lines with current quotes for your own rent, insurance and school, and treat the total as a range.

If you are weighing a move or a purchase, an independent buyer-side adviser can help you compare places and bring in a local lawyer. D.H. Realting works from Warsaw as an independent consultant; ask us how we are paid, as you would ask anyone.

Information only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Data as of October 2026.