Hybrid work is top of the agenda right now, but all this flexibility has us wondering, which cities are most affordable to work in around the globe?
To find out, we calculated the average cost of working from home vs the office in 55 cities, using metrics like commuting and coworking space costs, broadband, energy bills, daily meals, coffee and more. See which places top the list below.
WFH Cities Ranked
We estimated the daily and monthly cost of working from home based on average broadband costs, household energy prices and weekly food shopping.
With some of the best average rates across the board, especially on broadband and household energy, New Delhi and Mumbai rank as the top two most affordable cities to WFH.
Homeworkers spend around £2 a day, with overall monthly costs at £56 and £58, respectively. Both cities also boast famously heavy traffic congestion, which people can avoid by working from home, though a wide selection of flexible office space across the country means there’s plenty of options for shorter commutes if an office day is on the cards.
On the opposite end of the scale, San Francisco is the most expensive city globally for working from home. Homeworkers can expect to fork out £8 a day or £239 a month in the City by the Bay. Taking energy costs, broadband and more into account, the WHF premium is a staggering four times higher than in New Delhi.
Most affordable cities
| Rank | City | Broadband Cost (monthly) | Household Energy Prices (per kilowatt for 8 hours) | Weekly Cost of Groceries | Lunch from home | Daily Estimated Cost of WFH | Monthly Estimated Cost of WFH |
| 1 | New Delhi | £7 | £0.45 | £18 | £0.86 | £2 | £56 |
| 2 | Mumbai | £7 | £0.45 | £20 | £0.95 | £2 | £58 |
| 3 | Buenos Aires | £17 | £0.24 | £23 | £1 | £3 | £86 |
| 4 | Kuala Lumpur | £22 | £0.32 | £34 | £2 | £3 | £100 |
| 5 | Nairobi | £33 | £1 | £26 | £1 | £3 | £103 |
| 6 | Budapest | £11 | £0.73 | £42 | £2 | £3 | £104 |
| 7 | Lagos | £39 | £0.32 | £33 | £2 | £4 | £109 |
| 8 | Cape Town | £38 | £0.96 | £25 | £1 | £4 | £116 |
| 9 | Johannesburg | £38 | £0.96 | £26 | £1 | £4 | £118 |
| 10 | Mexico City | £23 | £0.64 | £36 | £2 | £4 | £118 |
Least affordable cities
| Rank | City | Broadband Cost (monthly) | Household Energy Prices (per kilowatt for 8 hours) | Weekly Cost of Groceries | Lunch from home | Daily Estimated Cost of WFH | Monthly Estimated Cost of WFH |
| 1 | San Francisco | £56 | £32 | £78 | £4 | £8 | £239 |
| 2 | Zürich | £47 | £1 | £124 | £6 | £8 | £238 |
| 3 | Boston | £50 | £2 | £72 | £3 | £8 | £234 |
| 4 | Munich | £31 | £3 | £61 | £3 | £8 | £229 |
| 5 | Los Angeles | £57 | £2 | £67 | £3 | £7 | £224 |
| 6 | Berlin | £31 | £3 | £53 | £3 | £7 | £217 |
| 7 | Milan | £25 | £3 | £61 | £3 | £7 | £212 |
| 8 | Brooklyn | £62 | £2 | £59 | £3 | £7 | £211 |
| 9 | Charlotte | £61 | £0.81 | £67 | £3 | £7 | £201 |
| 10 | Las Vegas | £68 | £1 | £56 | £3 | £7 | £200 |
Office Cities Ranked
We estimated the daily and monthly cost of working from an office based on average coworking space costs, commuting prices, and food/coffee on the go.
Travel costs are of the most common reasons cited by employees not wanting to travel to the office, but in places like Bangkok, Mumbai, Buenos Aires and Kuala Lumpur, commuting is much more affordable, making them some of the best cities for office-based or hybrid work.
At just £18 a day or £527 a month, Bangkok is the city to be in if you’re office based. Commuting costs here are 13 times less expensive than in London (the most expensive city on our list). With plenty of affordable coworking space and better prices on travel, fuel and food on the go, the cosmopolitan business hub deserves first place.
In London, an estimated cost of £68 per day or £2,049 a month makes it the most expensive place in the world to be office based, followed by Zurich and Brooklyn.
Interestingly, five of the 10 most expensive cities are in the US and not Europe.
Most affordable cities
| Rank | City | Cost of coworking space (monthly) | Inexpensive lunch | Cup of coffee | After work drinks | Travel pass (monthly) | Travel pass (daily) | Fuel cost | Estimated cost per day | Estimated cost per month |
| 1 | Bangkok | £286 | £2 | £2 | £2 | £30 | £1 | £0.90 | £18 | £527 |
| 2 | Nairobi | £266 | £5 | £2 | £2 | £27 | £0.90 | £1 | £18 | £528 |
| 3 | Mumbai | £309 | £3 | £2 | £2 | £4 | £0.10 | £1 | £18 | £548 |
| 4 | Kuala Lumpur | £349 | £3 | £2 | £3 | £9 | £0.30 | £0.40 | £20 | £613 |
| 5 | Buenos Aires | £340 | £6 | £1 | £2 | £5 | £0.20 | £0.80 | £21 | £626 |
| 6 | Cape Town | £285 | £7 | £1 | £2 | £25 | £0.80 | £1 | £21 | £639 |
| 7 | Mexico City | £286 | £7 | £2 | £2 | £14 | £0.50 | £1 | £22 | £666 |
| 8 | São Paulo | £324 | £6 | £1 | £2 | £38 | £1 | £0.90 | £23 | £677 |
| 9 | Johannesburg | £277 | £8 | £2 | £2 | £59 | £2 | £1 | £23 | £688 |
| 10 | Budapest | £367 | £10 | £2 | £2 | £28 | £0.70 | £1 | £28 | £828 |
Least affordable cities
| Rank | City | Cost of coworking space (monthly) | Inexpensive lunch | Cup of coffee | After work drinks | Travel pass (monthly) | Travel pass (daily) | Fuel cost | Estimated cost per day | Estimated cost per month |
| 1 | London | £718 | £18 | £3 | £6 | £414 | £14 | £3 | £68 | £2,050 |
| 2 | Zürich | £813 | £22 | £5 | £7 | £88 | £3 | £2 | £66 | £1,977 |
| 3 | Brooklyn | £789 | £15 | £4 | £6 | £102 | £3 | £0.81 | £56 | £1,672 |
| 4 | San Francisco | £645 | £20 | £4 | £6 | £70 | £2 | £1 | £55 | £1,647 |
| 5 | Paris | £837 | £13 | £3 | £6 | £73 | £2 | £2 | £55 | £1,641 |
| 6 | Seattle | £562 | £20 | £4 | £6 | £80 | £3 | £1 | £53 | £1,576 |
| 7 | Boston | £625 | £18 | £4 | £6 | £72 | £2 | £0.80 | £52 | £1,551 |
| 8 | Los Angeles | £563 | £18 | £4 | £6 | £72 | £2 | £1 | £51 | £1,517 |
| 9 | Charlotte | £511 | £20 | £4 | £4 | £70 | £2 | £0.68 | £48 | £1,442 |
| 10 | Dublin | £504 | £18 | £3 | £5 | £105 | £3 | £2 | £48 | £1,442 |
Location flexibility benefits the global workforce
Location flexibility has become a game-changer for the hybrid workforce worldwide. In an era where traditional office settings no longer hold a monopoly on productivity, the rise of coworking spaces and flexible offices has revolutionised the way we work, wherever we are in the world.
Whether it’s reducing commute times, accessing diverse professional networks, or embracing the allure of remote work from exotic locales, the flexibility afforded by coworking spaces and flexible offices means we have more choices than ever before.
Find an affordable office near you.
Method
Data from the below sources were averaged out to estimate the daily and monthly costs of working from home.
- Broadband: https://www.cable.co.uk/broadband/pricing/worldwide-comparison/
- Energy prices: https://www.statista.com/topics/1323/energy-prices/#topicOverview
- Food: https://www.statista.com/outlook/cmo/food/convenience-food/ready-to-eat-meals/worldwide
- Coffee: https://www.nespresso.com/worldofcoffee/WCP/
Data from the sources below was averaged to estimate daily and monthly costs of working in an office.
- Coworking costs: Instant Offices
- Food, drinks and cost of travel: https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/
Please note all data is correct at the publishing date, and all numbers have been rounded up.
Looking for Office Space?
We Operate in Some of the World’s Top Cities:
London, New York, San Francisco, Paris, Singapore, Hong Kong, Search more locations