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 Africa Northern Africa Western Africa Middle Africa Eastern Africa Southern Africa

Rank	City	Population	Living Index
91	Agadir, Morocco	504,768	35
92	Oujda, Morocco	494,252	33
93	Suez, Egypt	488,125	21
94	Djibouti, Djibouti	475,332	102
95	Morogoro, Tanzania	471,409	22
96	Tembisa, South Africa	463,109	50
97	Ndola, Zambia	455,194	36
98	Luxor, Egypt	451,318	23
99	Constantine, Algeria	448,374	38
100	Ado-ekiti, Nigeria	446,749	32
101	El Mahalla El Kubra, Egypt	431,052	22
102	Anyama, Ivory Coast	389,592	39
103	Akure, Nigeria	387,087	33
104	Tetouan, Morocco	380,787	33
105	Bloemfontein, South Africa	370,000	47
106	Newcastle, South Africa	363,236	49
107	Ismailia, Egypt	352,000	17
108	Randburg, South Africa	335,000	52
109	Roodepoort, South Africa	325,000	67
110	Safi, Morocco	323,888	31
111	Windhoek, Namibia	322,500	56
112	Zawiya, Libya	318,726	21
113	Temara, Morocco	313,510	41
114	Nakuru, Kenya	307,990	29
115	El Faiyum, Egypt	306,393	22
116	New Cairo, Egypt	298,343	34
117	Batna, Algeria	290,645	30
118	Djelfa, Algeria	289,226	26
119	Setif, Algeria	288,461	23
120	Zagazig, Egypt	285,097	21

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.