The Best Value Cities in the World (+ Finder)

What is a best value city?

A best value city is one where life is good for what it costs. Cheap alone isn't value if the weather's harsh or the internet drops, and a great city isn't value if it costs twice as much.

This ranking weighs both halves equally: how livable a place is for someone who works online, and how much everyday things cost there.

Who is the best value cities finder for?

It's for anyone making their money go further:

• Best bank accounts for digital nomads – people who earn in one currency and spend in another
• Money transfer comparison – anyone moving money to a new home
• Tax rates by country – people checking what a move does to their taxes
• Digital nomad locations – nomads comparing places by their own picks

Lower costs matter most when your taxes and banking are sorted too.

The 15 best value places

Here are the places that score highest, among those whose US travel advice is Level 1 or 2:

1. Plovdiv, Bulgaria – about 23% of US prices, four mild, dry months, fast internet
2. Sofia, Bulgaria – about 23% of US prices, six mild, dry months, good internet
3. Bansko, Bulgaria – about 23% of US prices, four mild, dry months, good internet
4. George Town, Penang, Malaysia – about 32% of US prices, fast internet
5. Florianópolis, Brazil – about 46% of US prices, fast internet
6. Ha Giang, Vietnam – about 29% of US prices, five mild, dry months, slower internet
7. São Paulo, Brazil – about 46% of US prices, eight mild, dry months, fast internet
8. Koh Phangan, Thailand – about 31% of US prices, one mild, dry months, good internet
9. Kathmandu, Nepal – about 24% of US prices, five mild, dry months, slower internet
10. Dahab, Egypt – about 15% of US prices, five mild, dry months, slower internet
11. Grand Baie, Mauritius – about 39% of US prices, nine mild, dry months, slower internet
12. Nha Trang, Vietnam – about 29% of US prices, two mild, dry months, good internet
13. Koh Lanta, Thailand – about 31% of US prices, one mild, dry months, good internet
14. Valparaíso, Chile – about 48% of US prices, three mild, dry months, fast internet
15. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – about 46% of US prices, five mild, dry months, good internet

Everyday prices are for the country; big cities often cost more than the national level.

The best value in each region

Here are the top three in each region, by the same score:

• Europe – Plovdiv, Sofia, Bansko
• Asia – George Town, Penang, Ha Giang, Koh Phangan
• Latin America – Florianópolis, São Paulo, Valparaíso
• North America – Toronto, San Diego, Vancouver
• Africa – Dahab, Grand Baie, Mauritius, Nairobi
• Oceania – Auckland, Wellington, Gold Coast

Pick a region in the finder, sort by best value, and every place there lines up.

How value is scored

Value is half livability and half everyday prices, each from 0 to 1:

• Livability – the weather across all 12 months (40%), safety (30%) and the internet against the other places (30%)
• Everyday prices – the World Bank's price level, full at 25% of US prices or less and empty at 115% or more

A place without an internet figure counts as the middle for that part. The stay cost on each card is Inside Airbnb's median night, where the city has one.

Where the numbers come from

Every figure comes from an open source, and each place's page names its own:

• Weather – NOAA's monthly station summaries where a station is close, IDEAM's normals for Medellín, and NASA POWER's climate averages elsewhere
• Internet – M-Lab's open speed tests within 25 km of each place over the last 12 months
• Everyday prices – the World Bank's price level for the country, where 100% means US prices
• Safety – the US State Department's travel advisory level, with Levels 1 and 2 both counting as everyday travel
• Air – fine particles (PM2.5) from OpenAQ's open air quality data, the stations within 25 km whose license allows commercial use, each month's average since 2023

The videos and photos come from Pexels, Coverr, Pixabay and Wikimedia Commons, each credited on its place.

More ways to find your next place

These tools use the same places and data, each for a different question:

• Digital nomad locations – every place, with your own picks for the month
• Climate finder – where the weather is right in any month
• Best places to travel right now – this month's best places
• Fastest internet cities – the places ranked by M-Lab's speed tests
• Cleanest air cities – the places ranked by the fine particles in their air
• Most livable cities – weather all year, safety and internet
• Random travel destination generator – one place, picked for you
• Visa-free countries – how long your passport lets you stay
• Internet speed test – your own line, on the same M-Lab test

Every place links to its own guide, with the weather by month, the internet and the visa, tax and money tools for its country.