Expatistan

A clean side-by-side cost comparison between two specific cities

By NomadGear Editorial · Verified 06 Aug 2026

Expatistan is built around one job: comparing two cities head to head across rent, food, transport and utilities in a simple percentage breakdown. That narrow focus makes it faster to read than a full index when the real question is just 'city A or city B'. Useful as a quick sanity check before booking a flight to a new base.

What is Expatistan

Expatistan is a free, crowdsourced cost of living calculator that compares two cities head to head across rent, food, transport, and utilities, then shows the gap as a single percentage. Pick "City A" and "City B" and you get a plain answer to the question that actually matters before a move: is the new base cheaper than where you live now. The price data comes from thousands of cities worldwide, submitted by users and travelers rather than pulled from official statistics.

Why it works for digital nomads

Most nomads picking between two shortlisted cities do not need a full household budget, they need to know if Chiang Mai is cheaper than Da Nang right now, or how much more Lisbon costs than Tbilisi. The comparison runs dozens of everyday items, from a one-bedroom apartment in the city center to a cappuccino, and breaks the total gap down by category so you can see whether rent or groceries is driving the difference. The core tool has no login wall and no paywall.

Where it falls short

The data is crowdsourced, so coverage is wide but individual price points can be old or based on a handful of submissions, especially in smaller nomad hubs outside the usual Southeast Asia and Latin America circuit. Like its better-known rival Numbeo, Expatistan compares cities as single units. It cannot tell you that one neighborhood runs cheaper than another across town, and it says nothing about safety, healthcare, or internet speed. Treat the output as a directional check, not a budget you build a visa run around.

Pricing

The city-to-city comparison is free, no account required. Expatistan also sells an optional custom salary calculation PDF that estimates the salary you would need to keep your standard of living in a new city. Confirm the current price on the site before quoting it. Most nomads never need it, since the free comparison already answers the "which city is cheaper" question.

Free city-vs-city comparison, no signup
Crowdsourced data across thousands of cities and dozens of tracked items
Optional paid salary calculation PDF for relocators, not typically needed by nomads

What works

Free, no-signup comparison of any two cities
Percentage breakdown by category shows exactly where the cost gap comes from
Covers thousands of cities, including smaller nomad hubs official statistics skip
Faster to scan than a full cost of living index when you just need a yes or no on one route

What to watch

Crowdsourced pricing means some city entries rest on thin, possibly outdated submissions
No neighborhood-level detail, and no data on safety, healthcare, or internet quality

Pricing: freeRegion: globalBest for: a fast city-versus-city cost comparison before deciding where to go nextVerified: 06 Aug 2026

Questions at the counter

Is Expatistan accurate?

It works well for broad, directional comparisons but not for precise budgeting. Prices are submitted by users rather than pulled from official data, so well-traveled routes like Bangkok vs Lisbon tend to be reliable, while smaller or less-visited cities can have thinner, older data.

Is Expatistan free?

Yes, the core city-to-city comparison is completely free with no account needed. The only paid product is an optional custom salary calculation PDF aimed at relocating employees, not the comparison tool itself.

Expatistan vs Numbeo, which is better for digital nomads?

Expatistan is faster and cleaner for a quick two-city comparison. Numbeo goes further, covering crime, healthcare, traffic, and property prices too. Pick Expatistan if you just need to know which of two cities is cheaper; pick Numbeo if you want a fuller quality-of-life picture.

How many cities does Expatistan cover?

Expatistan holds cost of living data for thousands of cities worldwide, tracking dozens of everyday products and services per city, from rent to a cup of coffee. Confirm exact counts on the site itself.

Also filed under Cost of Living

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