Entrepreneurs are dreamers and explorers, constantly looking for new opportunities. If you are in the business of creating, it is only natural for you to look outside of your comfort zone and wonder if moving to a new city will give you opportunities that you can’t have at home. After all, smart people huddle together, investors position themselves in “brain

hubs”, and everyone wants to ride the next

Silicon Valley wave.

The Startup Compass put together a comprehensive, data-driven report,ranking the world’s top startup ecosystems. In the first version they released the top 20 startup cities and in the second version they added 5 more cities to the list and removed Waterloo (Canada) from the top 25 list.

Moving to a different city, just because it is a better startup hub, isn’t always realistic. But in any case, spending a week or a month making connections and pitching your startup like crazy to potential investors

is a good idea.

Cost of living in each city for one month

How much will it cost for you to live in each

startup city for one month?

San Francisco (not surprisingly) is the most expensive to live in for one month and Bangalore

is the cheapest.

To get the total monthly living cost for each city we:

Averaged the first 72 postings on AirBnB to find the monthly rental price

Assumed you will be eating 3 cheap restaurant meals a day

Added the average monthly cost of a desk at a co-working space

Added the price of a monthly metro pass

Included the price of an orange and a piece of bread you might want to snack on during the day

Cost to visit each city for one week

How much would visiting each start-up city for one week cost you?

To visit for one week, New York is the most expensive, and

Bangalore again is the cheapest.

To get the cost of a one week trip we:

Assumed you will be eating 3 cheap restaurant meals a day

Took the average price of one night in a hostel

Added a daily snack budget that includes oranges and bread

Included the price of two metro tickets a day

Added the price of a cappuccino you will have to buy at Starbucks to use Wi-Fi.

How long before you run out of cash?

Let’s say you took the risk. You and your co-founder saved $50k together

and decided to move. What is your runway?

You can live in Bangalore for around 3 years, and in San Francisco for only 7 months on $50k.

Have a look at each one of the 26 start-up cities, listed from the most expensive to the most affordable. Keep reading to find out some interesting facts about each city.

1. San Francisco & Bay Area, USA

Image by [Alain Picard]

Population: 7 million

7 million Start-ups on AngelList: 18,649

18,649 Investors on AngelList: 28,358

28,358 San Francisco has the most start-ups and investors registered

on AngelList

on AngelList San Francisco has the most expensive bottled water, sold for $2.01

on average

2. New York, USA

Population: 8.406 million (2013)

8.406 million (2013) Start-ups on AngelList: 11,173

11,173 Investors on AngelList: 12,430

12,430 The only city on the list with a 1 to 1 ratio of investors to startups

registered on Angel List.

registered on Angel List. If you love your cappuccinos, New York will be the most expensive place for you

indulge your craving.

indulge your craving. One night in a hostel is the most expensive, in New York.

You will pay the most for a desk in a co-working space for one month in New York.

3. Washington D.C., USA

Image by [Nicolas Raymond]

Population: 7.062 million (2014)

7.062 million (2014) Start-ups on AngelList: 1,992

1,992 Investors on AngelList: 9,225

4. London, United Kingdom

Image by [Tony Smith]

Population: 8.539 million (2014)

8.539 million (2014) Start-ups on AngelList: 5,514

5,514 Investors on AngelList: 8,402

8,402 The most expensive restaurant meal is in London ($18 per meal)

London, also has the most expensive one-way metro ride

5. Chicago, USA

Image by [Giuseppe Milo]

Population: 2.719 million (2013)

2.719 million (2013) Start-ups on AngelList: 2,214

2,214 Investors on AngelList: 10,477

6. Seattle, USA

Image by [dannymac15_1999]

Population: 652,405 (2013)

652,405 (2013) Start-ups on AngelList: 1,407

1,407 Investors on AngelList: 10,479

7. Los Angeles, USA

Image by [Neil Kremer]

Population: 3.884 million (2013)

3.884 million (2013) Start-ups on AngelList: 6,106

6,106 Investors on AngelList: 14,825

14,825 Los Angeles has the second most investors registered on AngelList, with a

2 to 1 ratio of investors per startup

8. Singapore, Singapore

Image by [Khairul Nizam]

Population: 5.399 million (2013)

5.399 million (2013) Start-ups on AngelList: 1,104

1,104 Investors on AngelList: 11,206

11,206 The ratio of investors to startups is 10 to 1

Singapore has the most expensive bottle of beer at $4.00

9. Austin, USA

Image by [Earl McGehee]

Population: 885,400 (2013)

885,400 (2013) Start-ups on AngelList: 1,742

1,742 Investors on AngelList: 10,579

10. Sydney, Australia

Image by [Mertie .]

Population: 4.293 million

4.293 million Start-ups on AngelList: 1,037

1,037 Investors on AngelList: 2,649

11. Tel Aviv, Israel

Image by [Robert Brands]

Population: 411,800 (2012)

411,800 (2012) Start-ups on AngelList: 197

197 Investors on AngelList: 11,260

11,260 The most expensive McDonalds meal from all of the cities is in

Tel Aviv, at $11.94

12. Paris, France

Image by [Moyan Brenn]

Population: 2.24 million (2012)

2.24 million (2012) Start-ups on AngelList: 1,503

1,503 Investors on AngelList: 5,838

5,838 A bottle of coke is the most expensive here out of all the cities at $3.78

13. Boston, USA

Image by [Trenten Kelley]

Population: 645,966 (2013)

645,966 (2013) Start-ups on AngelList: 2,933

2,933 Investors on AngelList: 11,752

14. Vancouver, Canada

Image by [JamesZ_Flickr]

Population: 603,500 (2011)

603,500 (2011) Start-ups on AngelList: 1,093

1,093 Investors on AngelList: 4,035

15. Melbourne, Australia

Image by [Steve Davidson]

Population: 4.087 million (2012)

4.087 million (2012) Start-ups on AngelList: 738

738 Investors on AngelList: 2,522

16. Toronto, Canada

Image by [Robert]

Population: 2.615 million (2011)

2.615 million (2011) Start-ups on AngelList: 2,142

2,142 Investors on AngelList: 4,178

17. Moscow, Russia

Image by [Kirill Ξ/Κ Voloshin]

Population: 11.92 million (2012)

11.92 million (2012) Start-ups on AngelList: 1,312

1,312 Investors on AngelList: 13,434

13,434 By population, Moscow is the second largest city in the list, between

Mumbai and Sao Paulo.

Mumbai and Sao Paulo. Moscow has a 10 to 1 ratio of investors to startups.

18. Montreal, Canada

Image by [Tony Brooks]

Population: 1.65 million (2011)

1.65 million (2011) Start-ups on AngelList: 868

868 Investors on AngelList: 3,822

19. Berlin, Germany

Image by [Davis Staedtler]

Population: 3.502 million (2012)

3.502 million (2012) Start-ups on AngelList: 1,094

1,094 Investors on AngelList: 6,080

6,080 Berlin is the cheapest place on the list to drink a bottle of water

20. Waterloo, Canada

Image by [Andre Recnik]

Population: 98,780 (2011)

98,780 (2011) Start-ups on AngelList: 170

170 Investors on AngelList: 3,737

21. Sao Paulo, Brazil

Image by [Diego Torres Silvestre]

Population: 11.32 million (2011)

11.32 million (2011) Start-ups on AngelList: 589

589 Investors on AngelList: 2,554

22. Madrid, Spain

Image by [imagea.org]

Population: 3.16 million (2014)

3.16 million (2014) Start-ups on AngelList: 447

447 Investors on AngelList: 5,527

5,527 The second city on the list, following Bangalore, with the

cheapest monthly AirBnB rental

23. Santiago, Chile

Image by [Gonzalo Baeza]

Population: 5.128 million (2014)

5.128 million (2014) Start-ups on AngelList: 579

579 Investors on AngelList: 2,067

2,067 You can get the cheapest co-working desk for only $54 a month

24. Warsaw, Poland

Image by [Giuseppe Milo]

Population: 1.711 million (2012)

1.711 million (2012) Start-ups on AngelList: 576

576 Investors on AngelList: 5,186

5,186 If you like your occasional beer, you can find the cheapest prices

for a bottle of beer in Warsaw

25. Mumbai, India

Image by [Arian Zwegers]

Population: 20.7 million (2011)

20.7 million (2011) Start-ups on AngelList: 1,216

1,216 Investors on AngelList: 11,729

11,729 Mumbai is the largest city on the list, and always in the

top 4 cheapest cities.

26. Bangalore, India

Image by [Masaru Kamikura]

Population: 8.42 million (2011)

8.42 million (2011) Start-ups on AngelList: 1,980

1,980 Investors on AngelList: 11,724

11,724 You can get a meal for only $1.58, making this is the cheapest

city for restaurant food on the list

Key takeaways:

San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, and London have

either a 2 to 1 or 1 to 2 ratio of investors to startups.

These cities can be the most competitive to find funding in.

either a 2 to 1 or 1 to 2 ratio of investors to startups. These cities can be the most competitive to find funding in. Moscow, Mumbai, Tel Aviv, Singapore, Madrid and Warsaw all have over a 9

to 1 ratio of investors to startups. These cities may have the most

funding opportunities available.

to 1 ratio of investors to startups. These cities may have the most funding opportunities available. A bottle of beer in Moscow, Berlin, Madrid or Warsaw is less

then $1.00. In contrast, Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne and Tel Aviv have

the most expensive alcohol.

then $1.00. In contrast, Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne and Tel Aviv have the most expensive alcohol. If you like your cappuccinos go to Bangalore, Mumbai, Sao Paulo and Madrid. Avoid buying fancy

coffee drinks in New York, Washington, Seattle and London.

Assumptions and notes: