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 157) — about 57% 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 September 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 157 +57% further 56% 13
2 Turkmenistan 154 +54% further 74% 29
3 Burundi 137 +37% further 43% 19
4 Ivory Coast 137 +37% further 65% 37
5 Sierra Leone 136 +36% further 46% 23
6 Angola 136 +36% further 55% 31
7 Afghanistan 132 +32% further 37% 19
8 Ethiopia 130 +30% further 43% 26
9 Malaysia 130 +30% further 50% 32
10 Hong Kong 130 +30% further 95% 71
11 Bangladesh 129 +29% further 43% 26
12 Lebanon 128 +28% further 54% 38
13 Belarus 128 +28% further 46% 30
14 Guyana 128 +28% further 49% 33
15 Colombia 128 +28% further 55% 38
16 Egypt 127 +27% further 29% 15
17 Bhutan 126 +26% further 36% 23
18 Guinea-Bissau 126 +26% further 49% 34
19 Gambia 126 +26% further 38% 25
20 Zambia 125 +25% further 43% 30
21 Laos 125 +25% further 35% 22
22 East Timor 124 +24% further 39% 28
23 Mali 124 +24% further 46% 34
24 Algeria 124 +24% further 44% 33
25 Iran 123 +23% further 29% 20
26 Eritrea 123 +23% further 43% 33
27 Pakistan 123 +23% further 35% 24
28 Niger 123 +23% further 47% 36
29 Syria 122 +22% further 31% 22
30 Democratic Republic of the Congo 122 +22% further 52% 42
31 Myanmar 122 +22% further 34% 25
32 Senegal 122 +22% further 46% 36
33 Togo 122 +22% further 44% 34
34 Rwanda 121 +21% further 35% 27
35 Malawi 121 +21% further 43% 35
36 Gabon 121 +21% further 46% 37
37 Kenya 120 +20% further 41% 34
38 Tajikistan 120 +20% further 34% 28
39 Uzbekistan 120 +20% further 36% 29
40 Chad 120 +20% further 43% 35
41 Azerbaijan 119 +19% further 34% 28
42 Hungary 119 +19% further 58% 52
43 India 119 +19% further 29% 23
44 Cameroon 119 +19% further 40% 34
45 Guinea 119 +19% further 44% 38
46 Singapore 118 +18% further 66% 61
47 Central African Republic 117 +17% further 46% 42
48 Somalia 116 +16% further 42% 40
49 Saudi Arabia 116 +16% further 50% 47
50 Tanzania 116 +16% further 32% 30
51 Thailand 116 +16% further 33% 31
52 Philippines 116 +16% further 36% 33
53 Liberia 116 +16% further 48% 46
54 Mauritania 116 +16% further 31% 29
55 Ghana 115 +15% further 39% 38
56 Burkina Faso 115 +15% further 38% 37
57 Suriname 115 +15% further 32% 31
58 Uganda 114 +14% further 35% 35
59 Mongolia 114 +14% further 35% 34
60 Mexico 114 +14% further 54% 54
61 Madagascar 113 +13% further 29% 31
62 Sri Lanka 113 +13% further 28% 29
63 Nepal 113 +13% further 24% 25
64 Indonesia 113 +13% further 28% 29
65 Benin 113 +13% further 33% 34
66 Dominica 113 +13% further 48% 48
67 Armenia 111 +11% further 35% 38
68 Kuwait 111 +11% further 53% 57
69 Ukraine 111 +11% further 28% 31
70 Vietnam 111 +11% further 25% 28
71 Nicaragua 111 +11% further 31% 34
72 Lesotho 110 +10% further 29% 34
73 Kyrgyzstan 110 +10% further 29% 33
74 Equatorial Guinea 110 +10% further 36% 41
75 Paraguay 110 +10% further 30% 35
76 Argentina 110 +10% further 40% 46
77 Djibouti 109 +9% further 40% 46
78 United Arab Emirates 109 +9% further 56% 63
79 Georgia 109 +9% further 27% 33
80 Mozambique 109 +9% further 31% 37
81 Kazakhstan 109 +9% further 27% 33
82 Fiji 109 +9% further 35% 41
83 Libya 109 +9% further 33% 39
84 Tunisia 109 +9% further 25% 31
85 Bosnia and Herzegovina 109 +9% further 34% 40
86 Namibia 109 +9% further 34% 41
87 Belize 109 +9% further 46% 53
88 Iraq 108 +8% further 31% 38
89 Jordan 108 +8% further 35% 42
90 Zimbabwe 108 +8% further 39% 47
91 Cambodia 108 +8% further 26% 34
92 United Kingdom 108 +8% further 79% 89
93 Montenegro 108 +8% further 34% 42
94 Dominican Republic 108 +8% further 31% 39
95 Saint Lucia 108 +8% further 43% 51
96 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 108 +8% further 48% 55
97 Macedonia 107 +7% further 30% 37
98 Bulgaria 107 +7% further 36% 46
99 Macao 107 +7% further 46% 55
100 Grenada 107 +7% further 48% 57
101 Qatar 106 +6% further 46% 56
102 Sudan 106 +6% further 43% 53
103 Moldova 106 +6% further 34% 43
104 Mauritius 106 +6% further 29% 39
105 Cape Verde 106 +6% further 38% 48
106 Bolivia 106 +6% further 30% 40
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 Albania 104 +4% further 33% 46
115 Romania 104 +4% further 32% 44
116 Maldives 104 +4% further 38% 51
117 Sao Tome and Principe 104 +4% further 49% 64
118 Aruba 104 +4% further 60% 75
119 Guatemala 104 +4% further 31% 43
120 Poland 103 ≈ New York 38% 52
121 Eswatini 103 ≈ New York 20% 33
122 South Africa 103 ≈ New York 29% 42
123 South Korea 103 ≈ New York 43% 57
124 Denmark 103 ≈ New York 75% 93
125 Panama 103 ≈ New York 31% 45
126 Chile 103 ≈ New York 33% 48
127 Trinidad and Tobago 102 ≈ New York 36% 51
128 Kiribati 102 ≈ New York 48% 65
129 Serbia 102 ≈ New York 29% 45
130 Estonia 101 ≈ New York 47% 66
131 Botswana 101 ≈ New York 22% 38
132 Slovenia 101 ≈ New York 45% 63
133 Brazil 101 ≈ New York 30% 46
134 Jamaica 101 ≈ New York 42% 60
135 Honduras 101 ≈ New York 30% 46
136 Saint Kitts and Nevis 100 ≈ New York 48% 69
137 Peru 100 ≈ New York 33% 52
138 Seychelles 99 ≈ New York 34% 54
139 Oman 99 ≈ New York 28% 47
140 Switzerland 99 ≈ New York 84% 112
141 Antigua and Barbuda 99 ≈ New York 48% 69
142 Greece 98 ≈ New York 37% 60
143 Lithuania 98 ≈ New York 36% 58
144 Uruguay 98 ≈ New York 42% 66
145 Ecuador 98 ≈ New York 23% 43
146 South Sudan 98 ≈ New York 43% 67
147 Solomon Islands 96 −4% less far 48% 75
148 Bahamas 96 −4% less far 66% 96
149 Samoa 96 −4% less far 37% 63
150 Austria 95 −5% less far 52% 82
151 Ireland 95 −5% less far 54% 85
152 Costa Rica 95 −5% less far 33% 59
153 Haiti 94 −6% less far 54% 86
154 Malta 93 −7% less far 36% 66
155 Bermuda 93 −7% less far 79% 120
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 31% 65
162 Tonga 90 −10% less far 38% 76
163 Finland 89 −11% less far 45% 85
164 Micronesia 88 −12% less far 51% 96
165 Luxembourg 88 −12% less far 50% 94
166 Palau 87 −13% less far 41% 85
167 Vanuatu 87 −13% less far 45% 89
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 84 −16% less far 40% 91
174 Puerto Rico 84 −16% less far 31% 78
175 Marshall Islands 83 −17% less far 42% 95
176 Cayman Islands 77 −23% less far 44% 113
177 Iceland 75 −25% less far 44% 118
178 New Caledonia 74 −26% less far 36% 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 September 2026.

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