Most and Least Affordable Cities by City Size

Explore how affordability varies by city size around the world. This ranking compares the most and least affordable cities within small, mid-sized, and large population categories, helping you understand how urban scale impacts cost of living. Use the interactive table and map to filter cities by size group and compare Cost of Living Index values. Whether you're looking for a budget-friendly small city or evaluating affordability in major global hubs, this page provides a clear, data-driven comparison.

Lowest

Highest

Region Worldwide Europe Asia North America South America Africa Oceania

Rank	City	Population	Living Index
391	Balikesir, Turkey	1,196,170	45
392	Ahvaz, Iran	1,184,788	28
393	Saitama, Japan	1,182,115	57
394	Srinagar, India	1,180,570	19
395	Chifeng, China	1,175,391	36
396	Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, India	1,175,116	20
397	Aurangabad, India	1,175,116	19
398	Fes, Morocco	1,167,842	33
399	Hue, Vietnam	1,166,500	25
400	Samara, Russia	1,163,645	51
401	Dhanbad, India	1,162,472	16
402	Zhoushan, China	1,157,817	33
403	Kisumu, Kenya	1,155,574	30
404	Langfang, China	1,147,591	33
405	Benin, Nigeria	1,147,188	23
406	Anyang, China	1,147,000	34
407	Rizhao, China	1,143,000	37
408	Monterrey, Mexico	1,142,994	80
409	Van, Turkey	1,141,015	45
410	Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo	1,139,064	55
411	Campinas, Brazil	1,139,047	43
412	Amritsar, India	1,132,761	19
413	Kigali, Rwanda	1,132,686	40
414	Ulsan, South Korea	1,129,827	71
415	Yerevan, Armenia	1,129,300	73
416	Tegucigalpa, Honduras	1,126,534	45
417	Navi Mumbai, India	1,120,547	27
418	Aydin, Turkey	1,119,084	44
419	Rostov-on-Don, Russia	1,114,806	51
420	Kahramanmaras, Turkey	1,112,634	50

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update: February 24, 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

Affordability is based on the Cost of Living Index, which compares average expenses such as housing, food, transportation, and services. Cities are grouped by population size to allow fair comparisons within similar urban categories.

Larger cities often have higher housing demand, stronger job markets, and greater infrastructure costs, which can increase living expenses. Smaller cities may offer lower housing and daily costs but sometimes fewer economic opportunities.

Not always. While small cities are often more affordable, factors like salary levels, job availability, quality of life, and services should also be considered. This ranking helps you compare affordability within each city size category.