Purchasing power index by city
A cheap city is not the same as a city where you end up with money left over. This index divides the average net tech salary by the full monthly cost basket — rent, groceries, transport, utilities, eating out and internet. 100 means pay exactly covers the basket; 270 (in Austin) means it covers it 2.7×.
| # | City | Power index | Verdict | Net tech pay | Cost basket | Left over / mo | €100k runway |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇺🇸 AustinUnited States | 270 | Very strong | €6,500 | €2,411 | €4,089 | 3.5 yrs |
| 2 | 🇺🇸 San FranciscoUnited States | 241 | Very strong | €9,500 | €3,942 | €5,558 | 2.1 yrs |
| 3 | 🇷🇴 BucharestRomania | 237 | Very strong | €2,600 | €1,095 | €1,505 | 7.6 yrs |
| 4 | 🇨🇭 ZürichSwitzerland | 237 | Very strong | €9,000 | €3,790 | €5,210 | 2.2 yrs |
| 5 | 🇵🇱 KrakówPoland | 222 | Strong | €2,800 | €1,260 | €1,540 | 6.6 yrs |
| 6 | 🇵🇱 WarsawPoland | 218 | Strong | €3,100 | €1,422 | €1,678 | 5.9 yrs |
| 7 | 🇦🇹 ViennaAustria | 216 | Strong | €4,000 | €1,856 | €2,144 | 4.5 yrs |
| 8 | 🇧🇬 SofiaBulgaria | 210 | Strong | €2,200 | €1,050 | €1,150 | 7.9 yrs |
| 9 | 🇸🇪 StockholmSweden | 210 | Strong | €4,700 | €2,233 | €2,467 | 3.7 yrs |
| 10 | 🇩🇰 CopenhagenDenmark | 207 | Strong | €5,300 | €2,563 | €2,737 | 3.3 yrs |
| 11 | 🇰🇷 SeoulSouth Korea | 207 | Strong | €3,400 | €1,639 | €1,761 | 5.1 yrs |
| 12 | 🇩🇪 BerlinGermany | 204 | Strong | €4,600 | €2,258 | €2,342 | 3.7 yrs |
| 13 | 🇨🇦 TorontoCanada | 197 | Strong | €5,400 | €2,737 | €2,663 | 3 yrs |
| 14 | 🇯🇵 TokyoJapan | 195 | Strong | €3,500 | €1,794 | €1,706 | 4.6 yrs |
| 15 | 🇸🇬 SingaporeSingapore | 195 | Strong | €6,000 | €3,070 | €2,930 | 2.7 yrs |
| 16 | 🇺🇸 New YorkUnited States | 192 | Comfortable | €8,200 | €4,270 | €3,930 | 2 yrs |
| 17 | 🇭🇺 BudapestHungary | 189 | Comfortable | €2,300 | €1,220 | €1,080 | 6.8 yrs |
| 18 | 🇦🇪 DubaiUAE | 186 | Comfortable | €5,200 | €2,794 | €2,406 | 3 yrs |
| 19 | 🇳🇱 AmsterdamNetherlands | 181 | Comfortable | €5,000 | €2,767 | €2,233 | 3 yrs |
| 20 | 🇨🇿 PragueCzechia | 179 | Comfortable | €2,900 | €1,618 | €1,282 | 5.2 yrs |
| 21 | 🇲🇾 Kuala LumpurMalaysia | 179 | Comfortable | €1,600 | €892 | €708 | 9.3 yrs |
| 22 | 🇫🇷 ParisFrance | 172 | Comfortable | €4,400 | €2,552 | €1,848 | 3.3 yrs |
| 23 | 🇮🇪 DublinIreland | 171 | Comfortable | €5,200 | €3,040 | €2,160 | 2.7 yrs |
| 24 | 🇬🇪 TbilisiGeorgia | 170 | Comfortable | €1,500 | €884 | €616 | 9.4 yrs |
| 25 | 🇹🇭 Chiang MaiThailand | 170 | Comfortable | €1,200 | €705 | €495 | 11.8 yrs |
| 26 | 🇹🇷 IstanbulTürkiye | 166 | Comfortable | €1,600 | €963 | €637 | 8.7 yrs |
| 27 | 🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh CityVietnam | 163 | Adequate | €1,300 | €799 | €501 | 10.4 yrs |
| 28 | 🇬🇧 LondonUnited Kingdom | 161 | Adequate | €5,600 | €3,468 | €2,132 | 2.4 yrs |
| 29 | 🇪🇸 MadridSpain | 157 | Adequate | €3,000 | €1,909 | €1,091 | 4.4 yrs |
| 30 | 🇪🇸 MálagaSpain | 152 | Adequate | €2,100 | €1,380 | €720 | 6 yrs |
| 31 | 🇦🇷 Buenos AiresArgentina | 150 | Adequate | €1,400 | €936 | €464 | 8.9 yrs |
| 32 | 🇮🇹 MilanItaly | 149 | Adequate | €3,200 | €2,149 | €1,051 | 3.9 yrs |
| 33 | 🇪🇸 ValenciaSpain | 148 | Adequate | €2,200 | €1,489 | €711 | 5.6 yrs |
| 34 | 🇲🇽 Mexico CityMexico | 148 | Adequate | €1,900 | €1,284 | €616 | 6.5 yrs |
| 35 | 🇿🇦 Cape TownSouth Africa | 143 | Adequate | €1,800 | €1,260 | €540 | 6.6 yrs |
| 36 | 🇭🇷 SplitCroatia | 142 | Adequate | €1,900 | €1,337 | €563 | 6.2 yrs |
| 37 | 🇬🇷 AthensGreece | 138 | Adequate | €1,700 | €1,236 | €464 | 6.7 yrs |
| 38 | 🇵🇹 PortoPortugal | 138 | Adequate | €2,100 | €1,526 | €574 | 5.5 yrs |
| 39 | 🇨🇴 MedellínColombia | 134 | Adequate | €1,300 | €968 | €332 | 8.6 yrs |
| 40 | 🇪🇸 BarcelonaSpain | 133 | Adequate | €2,800 | €2,105 | €695 | 4 yrs |
| 41 | 🇮🇹 RomeItaly | 129 | Tight | €2,300 | €1,777 | €523 | 4.7 yrs |
| 42 | 🇵🇹 LisbonPortugal | 128 | Tight | €2,400 | €1,874 | €526 | 4.4 yrs |
| 43 | 🇮🇩 Canggu, BaliIndonesia | 100 | Stretched | €1,100 | €1,095 | €5 | 7.6 yrs |