Our Estimate: all 12 countries (monthly, USD)
| Country | Single, smaller city | Single, major city | Couple, smaller city | Couple, major city |
|---|
| 🇨🇴 Colombia | $1,295 | $1,625 | $2,030 | $2,420 |
| 🇻🇳 Vietnam | $1,305 | $1,555 | $1,990 | $2,290 |
| 🇲🇽 Mexico | $1,380 | $1,630 | $2,150 | $2,450 |
| 🇹🇭 Thailand | $1,390 | $1,640 | $2,120 | $2,420 |
| 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | $1,660 | $1,940 | $2,420 | $2,820 |
| 🇵🇹 Portugal | $1,775 | $2,025 | $2,720 | $3,020 |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | $1,810 | $2,160 | $2,825 | $3,325 |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | $1,860 | $2,260 | $2,945 | $3,445 |
| 🇵🇦 Panama | $1,870 | $2,220 | $2,710 | $3,110 |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | $1,935 | $2,385 | $2,940 | $3,540 |
| 🇫🇷 France | $1,980 | $2,450 | $3,135 | $3,685 |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | $3,155 | $3,855 | $4,585 | $5,485 |
Sorted by single-person cost in a smaller city. Estimates for a comfortable (not luxury) lifestyle: rent, groceries, utilities and internet, healthcare, public transportation, dining and entertainment, and household help.
How other sources compare (single person, monthly, USD)
| Country | Our Estimate | Wise | Expatistan | International Living |
|---|
| 🇨🇴 Colombia | $1,295 | n/a | ≈1,184 | 1,070+ |
| 🇻🇳 Vietnam | $1,305 | n/a | ≈1,368 | n/a |
| 🇲🇽 Mexico | $1,380 | 1,362 | ≈1,425 | 1,537 |
| 🇹🇭 Thailand | $1,390 | ≈710–1,190 | ≈1,128 | n/a |
| 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | $1,660 | 2,097 | ≈1,575 | n/a |
| 🇵🇹 Portugal | $1,775 | 1,780 | ≈2,430 | 2,000 |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | $1,810 | 1,802 | ≈2,207 | 1,970 |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | $1,860 | 1,799 | ≈2,426 | 2,317 |
| 🇵🇦 Panama | $1,870 | n/a | 2,184 | 1,724–3,620 |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | $1,935 | n/a | ≈2,074 | n/a |
| 🇫🇷 France | $1,980 | 1,886 | ≈2,607 | n/a |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | $3,155 | 3,188 | ≈4,095 | ≈2,790–3,350 |
Headline figures as published by each source, rounded and converted at approximate exchange rates (≈ marks a conversion). “n/a” means that source had no comparable single-person figure we could use. Each site defines its basket differently, so we show them for context rather than as a target.