Twelve cities. Twelve reality checks.
Twelve cities people talk about, with the two numbers that make the discussion concrete: men per 100 women at ages 20–39 and monthly cost.
Green is below 100 men per 100 women; red is above. Cost is a single person including rent.
What the chart says
- Popular cities do not share a single profile. City-level ratios and costs vary enough that country-level advice cannot answer a city-level question.
- Two numbers do not decide a move. They are the opening filter; safety, visa access, language and neighbourhood fit still matter.
All 12
The twelve city cards in the image, with the full values behind each one.
| # | City | Market | Men per 100 women, 20–39 | Cost / mo | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phuket | Thailand | 84.4 | $856 | 416,000 |
| 2 | Pattaya | Thailand | 88.0 | $694 | 120,000 |
| 3 | Angeles City | Philippines | 97.4 | $578 | 462,928 |
| 4 | Fukuoka | Japan | 75.2 | $883 | 187,576 |
| 5 | Cali | Colombia | 87.3 | $708 | 2,228,000 |
| 6 | Salvador | Brazil | 86.0 | $708 | 2,417,678 |
| 7 | Hanoi | Vietnam | 94.3 | $528 | 8,435,700 |
| 8 | Seoul | South Korea | 93.9 | $1,215 | 9,289,813 |
| 9 | Merida | Mexico | 98.6 | $1,450 | 1,020,794 |
| 10 | Kisumu | Kenya | 89.2 | $455 | 397,957 |
| 11 | New Orleans | United States of America | 85.7 | $2,455 | 362,701 |
| 12 | Mexico City | Mexico | 104.5 | $2,100 | 9,020,812 |
Ratio is men per 100 women aged 20–39 from each city’s own census age-by-sex arrays. Cost is a single person including rent, from Numbeo.
Where this is wrong
- This is a curated social-content set, not a ranking of the best cities.
- A city-wide sex ratio and crowd-sourced cost do not describe any individual, neighbourhood or relationship outcome.
Sources
Age by sex: national statistics offices per market — methodology. Cost: Numbeo, July 2026.
Use the research desk to compare a larger shortlist on your own criteria.
More charts
Change the cities and variables rather than treating a social graphic as a final recommendation.
The per-market deep-dives — 13 tabs of cost, visa, tax, safety and sub-national ratio for one country — are behind the Pro gate. Everything on this page is not.