September 2026 • By Info Boxx Research • 3 min read
Centre 1-beds from $284/mo. Ten tracked cities sit under $407.
Suburb figures swing with definitions — what counts as suburb differs by city. The 1-bed city-centre median is the one comparable number across all 106 markets we track, so every ranking on this wire starts there.
The bottom of the table is dominated by South and Southeast Asian markets plus select African cities: deep local rental stock, low tourist pressure on long lets, and neighbourhoods where a few hundred dollars still rents a real one-bedroom. The trade is familiar — lower rents pair with lower nominal salaries, which matters less if you earn remotely.
Treat it as a shortlist, not a verdict. Confirm three live listings before deciding — medians hide 30% street-level variance — then weigh visas, internet reliability and time zones. Every city below links to its full rent box with salary calculator.
| City | Centre 1-bed |
| Surabaya, Indonesia | $284 |
| Jakarta, Indonesia | $368 |
| Kuching, Malaysia | $368 |
| Balikpapan, Indonesia | $383 |
| Cairo, Egypt | $386 |
| Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | $389 |
| Sofia, Bulgaria | $390 |
| Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia | $395 |
| San Jose, Costa Rica | $400 |
| Perth, Australia | $407 |
Sources: Info Boxx 106-city rent dataset, Sep 2026. Figures move — verify before deciding.