The Burrow
Aug 18, 2025
We all want to make sure our finances are in good health, but with so many factors to consider, the knock-on effects can sometimes take their toll on our stress levels. Financial stress is one of the most common worries we face in our daily lives, as we look to balance expenses like rent, food, savings, and more. When working with a limited salary, or faced with unexpected situations, it can sometimes feel like it’s too much to bear.
To look at what causes financial stress, the home loan experts at Compare the Market Australia ranked countries around the world based on factors such as average house price, monthly cost of living, unemployment rate, and more. By combining these into a score out of 100, we can determine the financial health of countries and see where people are most likely to feel stressed about their money in 2025. In addition, feel free to visit our 2021 and 2023 versions of this report.
Read on to see which countries suffer from the most (and least) financial stress:
From the housing market to the cost of living, these are the countries around the world where making ends meet can be the most stressful:
With a total score of 41.05, Greece is the country on our list that’s most heavily impacted by financial stress. The average salary is EU€26,307 (AU$46,566), making it one of the hardest areas in Europe to earn a living wage. Add to that a monthly rent of EU€995 (AU$1,762), plus monthly expenses totalling around EU€2,743 (AU$4,856), and it starts to become clear why so many people in Greece are cautious about their finances.
The average worker in Colombia earns US$28,265 (AU$43,528) annually, which is a fraction of the typical salary in the highest-earning countries on our list. With a 10.2% unemployment rate, finding work in Colombia can be difficult, and a typical pay check does little to help cover the US$1,826 (AU$2,811) average cost of monthly living. Its overall score of 44.13 on our financial stress index puts it at #2 on our list.
Mexico has the lowest average salary of any country in our data, with a typical job earning just US$20,474 (AU$31,530) each year. Although the country’s rent and expenses are relatively low compared to other areas, with rent costing an average of US$1,470 (AU$2,264) compared to a typical monthly spend of US$2,427 (AU$3,737), its salaries are rarely enough to cover the price paid. Luckily, it has the lowest unemployment rate on our list (2.7%), bringing its score up to 45.06.
The unemployment rate of Costa Rica sits at 7.5%, but even those who are in work earn an average of just US$36,481 (AU$56,181) each year. Its monthly cost of living averages US$3,313 (AU$5,102), making it a struggle to afford necessities between payments. With housing prices of US$2,494 (AU$3,481) per square metre too, making long-term savings can be equally hard. Costa Rica scores a total of 48.76 on our financial stress index, earning it a fourth-place finish.
Rounding out the top 5 most financially stressed countries on our list is Slovakia, which has the third lowest average salary of any European country on our rankings. With a typical year’s pay sitting at EU€27,608 ($48,868 AUD) compared to monthly living costs of EU€2,531 (AU$4,481), finding the money to set aside for savings is tough – especially when houses cost EU€3,488 (AU$6,174) per square metre. These all contribute to Slovakia’s total score of 49.05.
Sticking with European countries, and Estonia’s average salary of EU€32,541 (AU$57,602) has also caused its fair share of financial worries. Although renting in Estonia is cheap, with a monthly cost of just EU€760 (AU$1,344), buying a house is much more expensive, with a square metre of property costing roughly EU€3,002 (AU$5,313). This puts Estonia’s rating in our financial stress index at a total score of 49.54, making it the sixth most stressed country in our data.
While other countries in western Europe like France and the UK experience some of the lowest levels of financial stress, Portugal appears on the opposite end of our list with a score of 50.65. Its average annual salary of EU€32,625 (AU$57,749) is the 10th lowest in our rankings, but its average monthly expenses of EU€2,407 (AU$4,261) and an unemployment rate of 6.5% that contribute to its low placement.
Compared to the other countries in our top 10, South Korea has the highest average salary of US$49,062 (AU$75,556), so why is it such a financial stress hotspot? It’s likely to do with housing, as South Korea also has the second-highest property rates of any country in our rankings. A square metre of housing in the country costs US$12,828 (AU$19,755), while the average rent costs of US$3,780 (AU$5,821) per month aren’t much better. These give it a score of 51.11 overall.
Heading back to the Baltics for our #9 spot, and Latvia also proves to be an area with plenty of financial stress. Latvia’s 6.9% unemployment rate is an area of concern, but with average salaries of EU€33,704 (AU$59,660) compared to a monthly spend of EU€2,716 (AU$4,807), it can be hard to make ends meet even with a full-time job. This gives Latvia a total score of 51.71 on our financial stress index.
Rounding out our top 10, Hungary’s financial stress levels are the lowest of any country we’ve listed, but its average salary of EU€27,587 (AU$48,832) is still far from enough to comfortably cover the costs of daily life. Hungary’s average rent of EU€894 (AU$1,583) per month is relatively cheap, but the average monthly cost of living spikes to EU€2,251 (AU$3,984), making other expenses much less affordable. With a score of 52.03 in total, it concludes our list with a slightly higher financial stress level than Spain (52.21) and Chile (52.71).
The country with the least financial stress is Belgium, with strong average salaries on offer, as well as reasonable rent prices. The average Belgian jobs pay EU€63,689 (AU$112,737) per year, making it the second-best country in Europe for salaries behind Switzerland.
With houses costing EU€3,524 (AU$8,396) per square metre, and monthly living costs of roughly EU€3,353 (AU$5,935), prices are still relatively high in Belgium. However, the high average salary offsets this to create a mostly stable financial environment. Its unemployment rate of 5.7% is also relatively low compared other European countries, such as Spain which as a rate of 11.4%.
Other countries with low rates of financial stress include the USA (76.84), Austria (72.52), and Australia (72.44).
Australia has the eighth-highest average salary on our list, so its financial stress is relatively low. In fact, with an indexed score of 72.44, it’s the fourth least-stressed country on our list.
However, the country’s rent prices are the seventh highest of any on our data, and with a square metre of housing costing AU$8,518 on average, paying for larger investments is still an issue for many young people.
Compare The Market Australia’s General Manager of Money, Stephen Zeller, notes the impact cost-of-living has on long term savings goals.
“In today’s economy, it’s harder than ever to save for essentials like a home and a car,” Mr Zeller says.
“If you’re in the market for a home, it’s important to compare your options.
“You can find lending options that work for your goals and budget, potentially taking some of the hassle out of saving for a house.“
This dataset ranks 35 OECD countries, based on how financially stressed they are. To do this, 5 different factors were used. Once the data for the factors was collected, the factors were then normalised, to provide each factor with a score between 0 and 1. If data was not available, a score of 0 was given. The normalised values were then summed & multiplied, to give each country a total score out of 100. The countries were then ranked from highest to lowest, based on their total scores.
The factors used are as follows:
The factors were indexed as follows:
All data & exchange rates are correct as of 20/06/25. The ranking data shown is a compilation of multiple data sources and may not be representative of real life. All data is accurate with regards to the sources provided.
Exchange rates found via Google Currencies. Exchange rates used:
All index scores are based on US$ data.