Geographies in Depth

The 9 cheapest cities to live in Europe

The Sagrada Familia temple is surrounded by construction cranes in Barcelona November 4, 2010. Pope Benedict XVI will arrive in Spain on November 6 and consecrate the Sagrada Familia, the famous unfinished work of Catalan architect Antonio Gaudi, as a basilica on Sunday.

Salaries differ across Europe but a higher pay packet doesn't always come with a better standard of living. Image: REUTERS/Gustau Nacarino

Lianna Brinded
Markets Editor, Business Insider

Salaries differ across Europe but a higher pay packet doesn't always come with a better standard of living.

According to Glassdoor's report titled "Which Countries in Europe Offer The Best Standard of Living?,” some cities with wages on the lower end of the scale make up for it with low prices.

Glassdoor's cost of living index takes into account is income versus "how much money is needed to buy a standard basket of goods and services in different countries, including groceries, restaurants, transportation, utilities, and rent."

Business Insider took a look at the 9 cheapest cities to live in Europe:

9. Marseille —The coastal city is the cheapest city to live in France but the country overall ranks pretty low in Glassdoor's separate standard of living index due to the average high cost in living, mainly through housing and rent.

8. Graz — The second-largest city in Austria is known as a university town and rent, food, and utility costs are some of the lowest in the country.

7. Barcelona —The seventh-most populous urban area in the European Union. It attracts professionals and tourists from across the world but living costs are still low compared to wages.

6. Lisbon — Glassdoor says that the average nominal wage in Portugal is only around €15,500 (£12,210, $17,641) but low local living costs mean the average city dweller will not be massively out of pocket.

5. Athens —The city may be rocked by mass unemployment and a refugee crisis but if you have a job, Athens is pretty cheap to live in.

4. Tallinn — Living costs in the city are incredibly cheap and considering it is the political and financial capital of Estonia, wages are on the rise.

3. Thessaloniki —The second largest city in Greece is by the sea and a major transportation hub for the country, providing lots of jobs. It also is a tourist hotspot — thanks to its museums and historical monuments.

2. Porto —Glassdoor says that the second largest city in Portugal is around 70% cheaper to live in than New York City.

1. Tartu — The beautiful city is the second largest in Estonia and is regarded by the country as its "intellectual capital" due to it being home to the nation's oldest and most renowned university, the University of Tartu.

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