Where a UN Salary Goes Furthest

Every UN duty station ranked by purchasing power — how far net pay stretches against local prices, with New York = 100.

Key finding
A UN salary stretches furthest in Nigeria (index 156) — about 56% further than in New York. Often the hardest postings, not the easiest, top the list.

Conventional wisdom says a hardship posting costs you. The data often says the opposite. Post adjustment keeps an international staff member's buying power steady across duty stations — so where local prices are far lower, that same net pay stretches further, not less. This index makes it visible: 178 duty stations, ranked by real purchasing power (data as of July 2026).

Purchasing power is grade-independent — the ranking is the same whether you're a P-2 or a D-1. For your own grade's take-home, use the take-home calculator.

# Duty station Purchasing powerNew York = 100 Post
adjustment		 Cost of livingUS = 100
1 Nigeria 156 +56% further 54% 13
2 Turkmenistan 154 +54% further 74% 29
3 Ivory Coast 137 +37% further 65% 37
4 Burundi 136 +36% further 42% 19
5 Sierra Leone 136 +36% further 47% 23
6 Angola 136 +36% further 55% 31
7 Afghanistan 132 +32% further 37% 19
8 Malaysia 132 +32% further 53% 32
9 Ethiopia 130 +30% further 44% 26
10 Hong Kong 130 +30% further 95% 71
11 Belarus 129 +29% further 47% 30
12 Bangladesh 128 +28% further 42% 26
13 Guyana 128 +28% further 49% 33
14 Guinea-Bissau 127 +27% further 49% 34
15 Lebanon 126 +26% further 52% 38
16 Bhutan 126 +26% further 36% 23
17 Laos 126 +26% further 35% 22
18 Gambia 125 +25% further 37% 25
19 Egypt 124 +24% further 25% 15
20 East Timor 124 +24% further 39% 28
21 Niger 124 +24% further 47% 36
22 Mali 124 +24% further 47% 34
23 Algeria 124 +24% further 45% 33
24 Pakistan 123 +23% further 35% 24
25 Senegal 123 +23% further 46% 36
26 Iran 122 +22% further 28% 20
27 Syria 122 +22% further 30% 22
28 Democratic Republic of the Congo 122 +22% further 52% 42
29 Eritrea 122 +22% further 42% 33
30 Myanmar 122 +22% further 34% 25
31 Togo 122 +22% further 44% 34
32 Zambia 121 +21% further 39% 30
33 India 121 +21% further 31% 23
34 Gabon 121 +21% further 45% 37
35 Colombia 121 +21% further 47% 38
36 Hungary 120 +20% further 61% 52
37 Uzbekistan 120 +20% further 36% 29
38 Chad 120 +20% further 43% 35
39 Rwanda 119 +19% further 32% 27
40 Kenya 119 +19% further 40% 34
41 Singapore 119 +19% further 68% 61
42 Cameroon 119 +19% further 40% 34
43 Guinea 119 +19% further 44% 38
44 Azerbaijan 118 +18% further 33% 28
45 Malawi 118 +18% further 40% 35
46 Tajikistan 118 +18% further 33% 28
47 Tanzania 117 +17% further 33% 30
48 Central African Republic 117 +17% further 46% 42
49 Thailand 117 +17% further 35% 31
50 Philippines 117 +17% further 37% 33
51 Liberia 116 +16% further 48% 46
52 Ghana 116 +16% further 40% 38
53 Mauritania 116 +16% further 31% 29
54 Somalia 115 +15% further 42% 40
55 Saudi Arabia 115 +15% further 48% 47
56 Sri Lanka 115 +15% further 31% 29
57 Suriname 115 +15% further 32% 31
58 Indonesia 114 +14% further 29% 29
59 Mongolia 114 +14% further 35% 34
60 Uganda 113 +13% further 34% 35
61 Benin 113 +13% further 34% 34
62 Dominica 113 +13% further 48% 48
63 Mexico 113 +13% further 53% 54
64 Lesotho 111 +11% further 31% 34
65 Madagascar 111 +11% further 27% 31
66 Nepal 111 +11% further 21% 25
67 Vietnam 111 +11% further 24% 28
68 Equatorial Guinea 111 +11% further 37% 41
69 Nicaragua 111 +11% further 30% 34
70 Armenia 110 +10% further 33% 38
71 Kuwait 110 +10% further 52% 57
72 Ukraine 110 +10% further 26% 31
73 Fiji 110 +10% further 36% 41
74 Djibouti 109 +9% further 40% 46
75 United Arab Emirates 109 +9% further 56% 63
76 Kazakhstan 109 +9% further 27% 33
77 Kyrgyzstan 109 +9% further 28% 33
78 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 109 +9% further 48% 55
79 Belize 109 +9% further 46% 53
80 Iraq 108 +8% further 30% 38
81 Jordan 108 +8% further 35% 42
82 Georgia 108 +8% further 26% 33
83 Macedonia 108 +8% further 30% 37
84 Zimbabwe 108 +8% further 39% 47
85 Mozambique 108 +8% further 30% 37
86 Cambodia 108 +8% further 26% 34
87 Tunisia 108 +8% further 24% 31
88 Montenegro 108 +8% further 35% 42
89 Bosnia and Herzegovina 108 +8% further 33% 40
90 Namibia 108 +8% further 34% 41
91 Paraguay 108 +8% further 28% 35
92 Saint Lucia 108 +8% further 43% 51
93 Argentina 108 +8% further 38% 46
94 Moldova 107 +7% further 34% 43
95 Bulgaria 107 +7% further 36% 46
96 Mauritius 107 +7% further 30% 39
97 Macao 107 +7% further 46% 55
98 Libya 107 +7% further 31% 39
99 United Kingdom 107 +7% further 78% 89
100 Cape Verde 107 +7% further 38% 48
101 Dominican Republic 107 +7% further 30% 39
102 Grenada 107 +7% further 48% 57
103 Sudan 106 +6% further 43% 53
104 Burkina Faso 106 +6% further 28% 37
105 Seychelles 105 +5% further 42% 54
106 Qatar 105 +5% further 45% 56
107 Bahrain 105 +5% further 32% 43
108 Latvia 105 +5% further 45% 57
109 Comoros 105 +5% further 37% 49
110 Papua New Guinea 105 +5% further 46% 58
111 Morocco 105 +5% further 31% 42
112 Croatia 105 +5% further 41% 53
113 El Salvador 105 +5% further 30% 41
114 Bolivia 105 +5% further 29% 40
115 Albania 104 +4% further 33% 46
116 Poland 104 +4% further 39% 52
117 Romania 104 +4% further 32% 44
118 Maldives 104 +4% further 37% 51
119 Sao Tome and Principe 104 +4% further 50% 64
120 Guatemala 104 +4% further 31% 43
121 Eswatini 103 ≈ New York 20% 33
122 South Korea 103 ≈ New York 43% 57
123 Denmark 103 ≈ New York 74% 93
124 Trinidad and Tobago 103 ≈ New York 36% 51
125 Aruba 103 ≈ New York 58% 75
126 Panama 103 ≈ New York 31% 45
127 Chile 103 ≈ New York 33% 48
128 South Africa 102 ≈ New York 27% 42
129 Honduras 102 ≈ New York 30% 46
130 Kiribati 102 ≈ New York 48% 65
131 Serbia 102 ≈ New York 30% 45
132 Estonia 101 ≈ New York 48% 66
133 Botswana 101 ≈ New York 22% 38
134 Slovenia 101 ≈ New York 45% 63
135 Brazil 101 ≈ New York 29% 46
136 Jamaica 101 ≈ New York 43% 60
137 Switzerland 100 ≈ New York 87% 112
138 Saint Kitts and Nevis 100 ≈ New York 48% 69
139 Peru 100 ≈ New York 33% 52
140 Oman 99 ≈ New York 28% 47
141 Antigua and Barbuda 99 ≈ New York 48% 69
142 Greece 98 ≈ New York 37% 60
143 Lithuania 98 ≈ New York 36% 58
144 Ecuador 98 ≈ New York 23% 43
145 Solomon Islands 97 ≈ New York 48% 75
146 Samoa 97 ≈ New York 38% 63
147 South Sudan 97 ≈ New York 43% 67
148 Uruguay 96 −4% less far 40% 66
149 Bahamas 96 −4% less far 65% 96
150 Costa Rica 96 −4% less far 34% 59
151 Austria 95 −5% less far 52% 82
152 Ireland 95 −5% less far 54% 85
153 Malta 93 −7% less far 36% 66
154 Bermuda 93 −7% less far 79% 120
155 Haiti 93 −7% less far 52% 86
156 Cyprus 92 −8% less far 33% 65
157 Israel 92 −8% less far 62% 101
158 Belgium 92 −8% less far 47% 81
159 Netherlands 91 −9% less far 47% 84
160 Norway 91 −9% less far 52% 91
161 Spain 90 −10% less far 30% 65
162 Finland 89 −11% less far 45% 85
163 Tonga 89 −11% less far 38% 76
164 Micronesia 88 −12% less far 51% 96
165 Vanuatu 88 −12% less far 45% 89
166 Luxembourg 88 −12% less far 50% 94
167 Palau 87 −13% less far 41% 85
168 Sweden 87 −13% less far 43% 87
169 Barbados 87 −13% less far 60% 110
170 Tuvalu 86 −14% less far 43% 89
171 Italy 86 −14% less far 28% 69
172 New Zealand 85 −15% less far 39% 87
173 Australia 83 −17% less far 39% 91
174 Marshall Islands 83 −17% less far 42% 95
175 Puerto Rico 83 −17% less far 30% 78
176 Cayman Islands 77 −23% less far 44% 113
177 Iceland 75 −25% less far 43% 118
178 New Caledonia 74 −26% less far 37% 110

Higher = a UN salary buys more locally than it would in New York. A UNjobnet estimate for internationally-recruited (P / D) staff — a guide, not a payslip. How this is calculated →

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How it's calculated

Purchasing power = 100 × ( (1 + PA) ÷ effective price level ) ÷ (1 + New York PA )

  • Post adjustment (PA) — the UN ICSC cost-of-living multiplier on net pay, set per duty station (New York's is 76%).
  • Effective price level — the World Bank local price level (US = 100), blended about half-and-half with internationally-priced goods, since international staff don't buy everything locally. This keeps the index realistic where local prices are very low.

A UNjobnet estimate for internationally-recruited (P / D) staff — a guide, not a payslip. Sources: UN ICSC and the World Bank International Comparison Program, data as of July 2026.

Every duty station links to its full profile — salary by grade, cost of living, safety and relocation. Start at browse countries.