Ranked: Countries With the Highest Purchasing Power

Where Do Salaries Have the Most Purchasing Power?

A high salary doesn’t always translate into greater purchasing power. What matters is how much workers earn relative to local living costs, including housing, groceries, and everyday expenses.

This graphic uses Numbeo’s 2026 Local Purchasing Power Index, which compares average net salaries with local prices, including rent. New York City serves as the benchmark at 100, meaning a score of 120 indicates 20% greater local purchasing power than NYC.

The Gulf’s Purchasing Power Advantage

Kuwait leads the ranking with an index of 175.8, followed closely by Qatar (168.1) and Switzerland (165.7).

The Gulf’s strong showing reflects more than high salaries. Energy wealth supports well-paying industries, while low personal income taxes and subsidized essentials such as fuel and utilities can help workers retain more of their earnings.

Rank	Country	Local Purchasing Power Index (2026)
1	Kuwait	175.8
2	Qatar	168.1
3	Switzerland	165.7
4	Luxembourg	155.1
5	Oman	151.3
6	U.S.	144.5
7	Denmark	141.2
8	Australia	134.8
9	Germany	130.0
10	Sweden	128.6
11	Brunei	128.0
12	Netherlands	124.3
13	Norway	123.2
14	Finland	119.8
15	New Zealand	119.4
16	UK	118.2
17	Bahrain	117.3
18	Belgium	117.1
19	Saudi Arabia	115.7
20	Israel	115.0
21	Canada	114.8
22	Austria	114.2
23	Iceland	113.6
24	UAE	113.4
25	France	113.3

Oman ranks fifth, ahead of the U.S. and Denmark. Its salary purchasing power is roughly 7% higher than Denmark’s, even though Denmark produces nearly four times as much economic output per person.

The U.S., meanwhile, ranks sixth globally. Despite rising housing, grocery, and other living costs, American salaries still have roughly 11% more purchasing power than those in Germany and 26% more than those in Canada.

A More Than 70-Fold Gap Between the Extremes

At the other end of the ranking, Cuba has an index of just 2.4, followed by Syria at 6.4 and Nigeria at 8.8. These figures highlight how limited local purchasing power can be in economies facing severe economic challenges.

Rank	Country	Local Purchasing Power Index (2026)
142	Cuba	2.4
141	Syria	6.4
140	Nigeria	8.8
139	Cameroon	10.8
138	Côte d’Ivoire	11.7
137	Ethiopia	12.5
136	Solomon Islands	13.2
135	Madagascar	14.9
134	Yemen	16.6
133	Venezuela	16.7
132	Ghana	18.1
131	Suriname	18.4
130	Turkmenistan	18.5
129	Uganda	18.6
128	Myanmar	19.5
127	Sri Lanka	19.7
126	Papua New Guinea	20.2
124	Senegal	22.3
124	Cape Verde	22.3
123	Cambodia	22.6
122	Zambia	23.5
121	Egypt	23.9
120	Mozambique	24.3
119	Nicaragua	24.6
118	Rwanda	24.8

Nigeria illustrates the pressure facing households near the bottom of the ranking. Between 2019 and 2024, the cost of a basic food basket increased fivefold as the currency weakened and agricultural disruptions constrained supply. Food accounts for 56% of household income, one of the highest shares globally, leaving less than half for other expenses.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

For another look at global affordability, check out this graphic comparing where eating out costs the most and least worldwide.

• Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-countries-with-highest-purchasing-power/