Cost of living — expatriation news
All our news in the Cost of living section: reforms, conditions and figures, with their sources and dates, newest first.
Cost of living
Germany: length of tenancy weighs on rents in major cities
According to an index published on 30 October 2026, rents on long-standing leases are markedly lower than those on new contracts in twelve major German cities. Munich remains the most expensive, ahead of Stuttgart and Frankfurt.
· Editorial team
Cost of living
Europe: income left after rent, from Lisbon to Zurich
According to Deutsche Bank Research Institute's Mapping the World's Prices 2026 report, picked up by Euronews, the gap between European cities is very wide. A couple of employees is left with €253 in Lisbon after rent, compared with €9,140 in Zurich.
· Editorial team
Cost of living
Georgia: Tbilisi among the cheapest capitals for nomads
A year's stay without a visa, a very low turnover tax up to a ceiling, and local wages well below Western European levels: what makes Tbilisi a base for freelancers, and what the official statistics really say.
· Editorial team
Cost of living
Bali: rents rise as nomads pour in
Rents in southern Bali have risen sharply with the influx of remote workers. The gap with the rest of Indonesia has widened to the point where the cost-of-living argument no longer holds for the most sought-after areas.
· Editorial team
Cost of living
Morocco: Marrakech, an affordable haven for French-speaking retirees
Marrakech attracts French-speaking retirees with its cost of living and proximity. Moroccan taxation, however, is not light: it is the pension regime and the tax treaty with France that make the project worthwhile.
· Editorial team
Cost of living
Colombia: Medellín, Latin America's nomad capital
Medellín has become a leading destination for remote workers in Latin America. The Colombian visa is accessible, but the tax residency threshold is counted over a rolling period — which makes it easier to cross than elsewhere.
· Editorial team
Cost of living
Thailand: retirees' purchasing power at its highest
The purchasing power of a European pension in Thailand depends first on the exchange rate, then on taxation. Both variables change, and the second has changed recently without many people noticing.
· Editorial team
Cost of living
Paraguay: the lowest cost of living in South America
Paraguay has one of the lowest costs of living in South America, and territorial taxation built into its tax system. What it does not offer is a tax treaty with France or any automatic effect on French tax domicile.
· Editorial team
Cost of living
Mauritius: a tropical setting on a controlled budget
Mauritius offers a tropical setting with a degree of legal certainty unusual in these latitudes. The budget can be kept under control, provided you distinguish the market aimed at foreigners from the rest of the island.
· Editorial team
Cost of living
Bali: the nomad paradise keeps its price advantage
Bali’s price advantage remains real outside the international areas of the south. Within them it has largely disappeared, and Indonesian taxation has never been advantageous.
· Editorial team
Cost of living
Morocco: high purchasing power three hours from Paris
Morocco combines a low cost of living with being three hours from Paris. Yet its standard taxation is not light: it is the regime for pensions that makes the country worthwhile.
· Editorial team