Philippines Cited as One of World's Cheapest Countries to Live in

By:  Alixandra Caole Vila (Philippine Star)

On a venture to find out the living cost around the world, Movehub, a site that provides information to those looking to move across countries, mapped out an infographic showing the countries with the cheapest and most expensive cost of living.

The infographic was made based on figures taken from Numbeo, a site where global users including supermarket companies, government institutions and press reports among others, submit the prices of goods and services in their country.  Specifically, data from July 1, 2013 to Jan. 2, 2015 were used in the study.

This infographic shows the countries with the cheapest and most expensive living cost based on data taken from Numbeo. Screengrab from Movehub.

According to Movehub, “the Consumer Price Index, used to determine the difference in the living costs between countries takes into account the prices of groceries, transportation, restaurants and utilities.”

The living costs in each country are measured against a base of 100, which represents New York City's cost of living.  For example, the data below show that living in Philippines is 60 percent less expensive than living in New York City. Below are the 15 countries with the cheapest costs of living, according to Numbeo's data.

Photo showing the15 countries with the cheapest costs of living, according to Numbeo's data. Screengrab from Movehub.

Meanwhile, the study found out that Western European countries are among the most expensive places to live in. Switzerland's cost of living is highest, barely edging out Norway. The data show that living in Switzerland is over 26 percent more expensive than living in New York City. Singapore is the only Asian country on the list.

Photo showing the15 countries with the most expensive costs of living, according to Numbeo's data. Screengrab from Movehub.