Where Your Salary Goes Furthest
Type in what you earn and see how far it stretches in 100+ countries. A real cost of living and purchasing power comparison, not just exchange rates.
Cost of living vs your salary, by country
Where your salary goes furthest comes down to one thing: the cost of living gap between countries. This free cost of living and salary calculator converts your income into real purchasing power across 100+ countries, using each country's cost of living index and live exchange rates, so you can see what your money is actually worth abroad. The table below shows how $80,000 earned in the United States compares around the world. Enter your own income and country in the calculator above for personalised numbers.
| Country | Cost of living index (US=100) | Income feels like | Purchasing power | Est. living cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇵🇰 Pakistan | 24 | $333,333 | ×4.2 | $264/mo |
| 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | 25 | $320,000 | ×4.0 | $275/mo |
| 🇮🇳 India | 26 | $307,692 | ×3.8 | $286/mo |
| 🇳🇵 Nepal | 28 | $285,714 | ×3.6 | $308/mo |
| 🇪🇬 Egypt | 28 | $285,714 | ×3.6 | $308/mo |
| 🇦🇷 Argentina | 33 | $242,424 | ×3.0 | $363/mo |
| 🇨🇴 Colombia | 33 | $242,424 | ×3.0 | $363/mo |
| 🇻🇳 Vietnam | 33 | $242,424 | ×3.0 | $363/mo |
| 🇵🇪 Peru | 34 | $235,294 | ×2.9 | $374/mo |
| 🇹🇷 Turkey | 35 | $228,571 | ×2.9 | $385/mo |
| 🇮🇩 Indonesia | 35 | $228,571 | ×2.9 | $385/mo |
| 🇰🇪 Kenya | 35 | $228,571 | ×2.9 | $385/mo |
| 🇵🇭 Philippines | 37 | $216,216 | ×2.7 | $407/mo |
| 🇧🇷 Brazil | 38 | $210,526 | ×2.6 | $418/mo |
| 🇬🇪 Georgia | 38 | $210,526 | ×2.6 | $418/mo |
| 🇲🇾 Malaysia | 38 | $210,526 | ×2.6 | $418/mo |
| 🇿🇦 South Africa | 38 | $210,526 | ×2.6 | $418/mo |
| 🇲🇦 Morocco | 38 | $210,526 | ×2.6 | $418/mo |
| 🇲🇽 Mexico | 40 | $200,000 | ×2.5 | $440/mo |
| 🇷🇴 Romania | 40 | $200,000 | ×2.5 | $440/mo |
| 🇹🇭 Thailand | 40 | $200,000 | ×2.5 | $440/mo |
| 🇭🇺 Hungary | 42 | $190,476 | ×2.4 | $462/mo |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | 45 | $177,778 | ×2.2 | $495/mo |
| 🇨🇳 China | 45 | $177,778 | ×2.2 | $495/mo |
| 🇨🇿 Czechia | 50 | $160,000 | ×2.0 | $550/mo |
| 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | 52 | $153,846 | ×1.9 | $572/mo |
| 🇵🇹 Portugal | 52 | $153,846 | ×1.9 | $572/mo |
| 🇬🇷 Greece | 52 | $153,846 | ×1.9 | $572/mo |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | 55 | $145,455 | ×1.8 | $605/mo |
| 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | 55 | $145,455 | ×1.8 | $605/mo |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | 60 | $133,333 | ×1.7 | $660/mo |
| 🇶🇦 Qatar | 65 | $123,077 | ×1.5 | $715/mo |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | 65 | $123,077 | ×1.5 | $715/mo |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | 68 | $117,647 | ×1.5 | $748/mo |
| 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | 68 | $117,647 | ×1.5 | $748/mo |
| 🇰🇷 South Korea | 68 | $117,647 | ×1.5 | $748/mo |
| 🇸🇪 Sweden | 70 | $114,286 | ×1.4 | $770/mo |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | 72 | $111,111 | ×1.4 | $792/mo |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 72 | $111,111 | ×1.4 | $792/mo |
| 🇫🇷 France | 72 | $111,111 | ×1.4 | $792/mo |
| 🇳🇿 New Zealand | 72 | $111,111 | ×1.4 | $792/mo |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 74 | $108,108 | ×1.4 | $814/mo |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | 76 | $105,263 | ×1.3 | $836/mo |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | 78 | $102,564 | ×1.3 | $858/mo |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | 82 | $97,561 | ×1.2 | $902/mo |
| 🇮🇱 Israel | 85 | $94,118 | ×1.2 | $935/mo |
| 🇩🇰 Denmark | 86 | $93,023 | ×1.2 | $946/mo |
| 🇳🇴 Norway | 95 | $84,211 | ×1.1 | $1,045/mo |
| 🇺🇸 United States | 100 | $80,000 | 1.0× | $1,100/mo |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 122 | $65,574 | ×0.8 | $1,342/mo |
Cost of living index: United States = 100. Purchasing power shows how much further the same income goes. Estimates for a single person, excluding rent; use the calculator for your own income and currency.
Where your salary goes furthest
The countries where a typical Western salary buys the biggest lifestyle, cheapest first.
- 🇵🇰 Pakistan: your $80,000 lives like about $333,333 (×4.2 further); a local lifestyle runs around $264/month.
- 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka: your $80,000 lives like about $320,000 (×4.0 further); a local lifestyle runs around $275/month.
- 🇮🇳 India: your $80,000 lives like about $307,692 (×3.8 further); a local lifestyle runs around $286/month.
- 🇳🇵 Nepal: your $80,000 lives like about $285,714 (×3.6 further); a local lifestyle runs around $308/month.
- 🇪🇬 Egypt: your $80,000 lives like about $285,714 (×3.6 further); a local lifestyle runs around $308/month.
- 🇦🇷 Argentina: your $80,000 lives like about $242,424 (×3.0 further); a local lifestyle runs around $363/month.
- 🇨🇴 Colombia: your $80,000 lives like about $242,424 (×3.0 further); a local lifestyle runs around $363/month.
- 🇻🇳 Vietnam: your $80,000 lives like about $242,424 (×3.0 further); a local lifestyle runs around $363/month.
Where your salary is worth least
The most expensive countries, where the same income buys the least.
- 🇨🇭 Switzerland: the same $80,000 feels like about $65,574; expect roughly $1,342/month to live locally.
- 🇺🇸 United States: the same $80,000 feels like about $80,000; expect roughly $1,100/month to live locally.
- 🇳🇴 Norway: the same $80,000 feels like about $84,211; expect roughly $1,045/month to live locally.
- 🇩🇰 Denmark: the same $80,000 feels like about $93,023; expect roughly $946/month to live locally.
- 🇮🇱 Israel: the same $80,000 feels like about $94,118; expect roughly $935/month to live locally.
- 🇸🇬 Singapore: the same $80,000 feels like about $97,561; expect roughly $902/month to live locally.
How we calculate purchasing power
We take each country's cost of living index, compare it with your home country's, and convert your income at live exchange rates to show what your money would feel like locally. It is a guide for comparing destinations, not a relocation quote. Read the full methodology, or see how far $1,000 goes around the world.
Make your salary go further abroad
Beyond choosing a lower-cost country, avoid losing money on exchange. A Wise account lets you spend and withdraw at the real exchange rate. For more ideas, see the cheapest countries for digital nomads and the cheapest countries to travel, or compare any two places in the country comparison tool.
Frequently asked questions
How far does my salary go abroad?
It depends on the cost of living gap between countries. In low-cost countries like India, Vietnam or Egypt, a typical Western salary can stretch three to four times further, while in Switzerland or Norway it buys less than at home. Enter your income in the calculator to see your own numbers across 100+ countries.
Which country makes your salary go furthest?
Among major destinations, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal and Egypt give the most purchasing power for a typical Western salary, with costs roughly a quarter of US levels. Vietnam, Colombia and Georgia are close behind.
How is purchasing power calculated?
We compare each country's cost of living index (United States = 100) with your home country's, then convert your income at live exchange rates. The result is what your money would feel like locally in real purchasing power, not just a currency conversion.
How much salary do I need to live in another country?
As a rough guide, a single person's monthly living costs excluding rent range from about $250 in the cheapest countries to over $1,300 in the priciest. The calculator shows an estimated monthly living cost for every country.
Is a higher salary always better abroad?
Not necessarily. A lower salary in a low-cost country can deliver a higher standard of living than a bigger salary in an expensive one. Purchasing power, not the headline number, is what matters.
What is a cost of living index?
A cost of living index scores how expensive a country is relative to a baseline, here the United States at 100. A score of 40 means costs are roughly 40 percent of US levels, while 120 means about 20 percent higher.
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How to compare salaries between countries
A salary only means something next to what it costs to live. This free salary comparison tool works like an equivalent salary calculator: you enter your income, and it shows the equivalent salary by country once cost of living and live exchange rates are taken into account. So instead of asking whether £40,000 is more than ₹20 lakh, you can see which one actually buys the bigger life.
Under the hood it combines a curated cost of living index for each country with real-time currency conversion, then ranks every country by how far your money goes. It is the fastest way to run an international salary comparison, sanity-check a job offer abroad, or plan a move, without stitching together five browser tabs.
What the numbers mean
The tool expresses your salary as local purchasing power: what your income is genuinely worth in each destination after prices are adjusted. A high multiplier means your money stretches further there; a low one means the same salary buys less. Figures are estimates from cost-of-living indices and live rates, meant as a planning guide rather than an exact relocation quote. For a country-by-country view of prices, visas and the best time to go, open the GlobeDude Explorer.
Frequently asked questions
How do I compare my salary by country?
Enter your income and home country above, and the tool converts it to an equivalent salary in every other country using cost of living and live exchange rates, ranked from where it goes furthest to least.
Is this an equivalent salary calculator?
Yes. It shows what income you would need in another country to maintain a similar standard of living, and what your current salary is really worth there, which is the core of any international salary comparison.
How is purchasing power calculated?
Your salary is adjusted by a cost-of-living index for each country and converted at live exchange rates, giving an estimate of local purchasing power rather than a raw currency conversion.
Is the salary and cost of living calculator free?
Completely. There is no sign-up and no limit. You can compare your salary across 100+ countries as many times as you like.
Which country does my salary go furthest in?
It depends on your income and home currency. Enter your salary above to see your personal ranking, but South and Southeast Asia, Latin America and parts of Eastern Europe usually top the list.