Europe · Minsk
Cost of living in Belarus
Belarus is 74% cheaper than the US, ranking #187 of 203 countries we cover for cost of living.
World Bank data through 2024 · last reviewed 2026-06.
What drives the cost here
Price levels by category, where the world average = 100. Above 100 is pricier than the global norm; below it is cheaper.
In Belarus, food & groceries is the priciest category relative to the world (60), while health is the most affordable (25).
Category price levels: World Bank ICP 2021 (world average = 100) · source
What your money is worth here
A $100,000 US lifestyle would cost roughly $25,500 in Belarus.
Quality of life
90/100 · #56 of 198Beyond cost — health, safety, and connectivity. The score is a transparent, equal-weight composite of the verified metrics below (see methodology).
About Belarus
After seven decades as a constituent republic of the USSR, Belarus attained its independence in 1991. It has retained closer political and economic ties to Russia than any of the other former Soviet republics. In 1999, Belarus and Russia signed a treaty on a two-state union, envisioning greater political and economic integration. Although Belarus agreed to a framework to carry out the accord, serious implementation has yet to take place and negotiations on further integration have been contentious.
Read the full background
Since taking office in 1994 as the country's first and only directly elected president, Alyaksandr LUKASHENKA has steadily consolidated his power through authoritarian means and a centralized economic system. Government restrictions on political and civil freedoms, freedom of speech and the press, peaceful assembly, and religion have remained in place. Restrictions on political freedoms have tightened in the wake of the disputed presidential election in 2020. The election results sparked large-scale protests as members of the opposition and civil society criticized the election’s validity. LUKASHENKA has remained in power as the disputed winner of the presidential election after quelling protests in 2020. Since 2022, Belarus has facilitated Russia's war in Ukraine, which was launched in part from Belarusian territory.
Background from the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived 2026-06-03.
Frequently asked
Is Belarus expensive to live in?
Belarus is 74% cheaper than the US, ranking #187 of the 203 countries we track. Its most expensive category relative to the world is food & groceries; health costs the least.
How much money do you need to live in Belarus?
A lifestyle that costs $100,000 in the United States would cost roughly $25,500 in Belarus, going by overall price levels. The salary translator turns your own figure into a local equivalent.
Is Belarus cheaper than the United States?
Yes. Its overall price level is 25.6, against 100 for the United States.
What is the quality of life in Belarus?
Belarus scores 90 out of 100 on our quality-of-life index (#56 of 198), a composite of life expectancy, safety, health, and connectivity, with life expectancy around 74 years.
Every number, sourced.
We cite the exact source and year for each figure. Derived values are computed at build time, never hand-entered.
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