Top 10 Most Expensive Cities In The World
93Introduction
Ever wondered what are the most expensive places in the world to live? Everyone knows that it costs more to live in some places than others, but just what is the most expensive city in the world to live in. This is a list of the 10 cities in the world where it is most expensive to live in early 2009 as defined by the Economist, although this will most likely change in line with regional economic changes and currency fluctuations.
10. Singapore
Singapore is both a city and country located in south east Asia. The city of just under 5 million people takes up the majority of the country of 710km2, leading to an extremely high population density of almost 7000 people per km2. It is located on a small island, which lies in one of the busiest waterways in the world which connects east Asia with south Asia, Africa and Europe. The city first started to grow to prominence under European rule because of it's high strategic importance and the city has continued to grow in stature since independence. The city has an extremely strong economy based it's business friendly policies leading to many international corporations having a base here. There is also a thriving high-tech manufacturing part to the economy, and the Port of Singapore is one of the world's busiest ports, particularly in the transhipment of goods. This thriving economy combined with lack of space for expansion leads to Singapore being the tenth most expensive city in the world to live.
9. Geneva
Geneva is a city nestled between Lake Geneva and The Alps in Switzerland. Although most of the city is in Switzerland, due to the high cost of living in the city proper many people commute in from nearby France. Geneva is famous for being the location where the Geneva Conventions were signed, which govern the handling of prisoners of war. Geneva is also home to the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and many United Nations departments are also based here. In addition to being a major city in humanitarian terms, Geneva is also the 6th most important financial centre in the world. All of these factors, along with the fantastic location alongside Lake Geneva and a policy to preserve the city, leads to it having the ninth highest cost of living worldwide.
7. Frankfurt
Frankfurt is joint seventh most expensive city to live in along with Helsinki. Frankfurt is a city in Germany, and is located on the Main River, which leads to it's full name Frankfurt am Main. When Germany was divided, it was located in west Germany, and so with berlin isolated became the economic powerhouse of west Germany, and upon re-unification it retained this position. It is the largest financial centre of mainland Europe, and both the European and German central banks are located here, as well as the Frankfurt stock exchange which is one of the biggest in the world. All of this wealth leads to Frankfurt being the joint seventh most expensive city in the world to live in.
7. Helsinki
In terms of the cost of living, Helsinki is joint seventh most expensive along with Frankfurt. Helsinki is the capital city of Finland, and is located in the far south of the country next to the Gulf of Finland. Despite being at the south of Finland, it is still a very northerly city and so can get very cold in the winter. Helsinki is the economic centre of the Finnish economy, and this partly explains the high cost of living. Helsinki has traditionally had a large shipbuilding industry and this continues to this day, although there are now also more hi-tech industries such as Nokia which is located just outside the city. Along with other Scandinavian countries, Finland has a relatively high tax rate, and this combined with the large amount of wealth generated is probably what results in Helsinki having the joint seventh highest cost of living in the world.
6. Zurich
Located in Switzerland, Zurich comes sixth on the list of most expensive cities in the world by living costs. Zurich is to Switzerland like New York is to the USA, it is the commercial capital of the country but not the political one. Zurich is home to many top educational institutions, and this helps ensure that the top minds in Switzerland and further afield come to live in Zurich, and it is likely that many of these will spend at least some of their working lives here. A large proportion of the Swiss economy is based on financial services, and many multinational companies such as UBS, Zurich Financial Services and Credit Suisse are based here. In addition, the population of Zurich is very diverse, and this potentially explains why many international companies, such as IBM, Google and Microsoft have facilities here. All of these factors mean that Zurich has a very strong economy, and this results in the 6th highest cost of living worldwide.
5. Oslo
The city in the world with the fifth highest cost of living is the Norwegian capital city of Oslo. Oslo is Norway's biggest city, both economically and by population. Norway is one of the most developed countries in the world, with a large income from a variety of sources. These include the large offshore oil and gas reserves, maritime engineering and insurance and tourism. Norway has one of the highest average wages for a country in the world, and Oslo has an average even higher than this national average. Due to the high average wage, linked to the fact that many basic commodities such as many foodstuffs are imported, leads to an extremely high cost of living. This is further exaggerated by the very high Norwegian tax rate. Finally there is large public opposition to both the development of the city itself with high-rise buildings and the surrounding areas, resulting in space becoming at a premium. All of these factors combine to make Oslo the fifth most expensive city in the world in which to live.
4. Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the fourth most expensive city in the world in which to live. Like Helsinki and Oslo which also appear in the top 10 most expensive cities in terms of cost of living, it too is the capital city of a Scandinavian country. In Copenhagen's case the country is Denmark, and like both Oslo and Helsinki, it is not only the political capital city but the dominant city in the country economically and culturally as well. Copenhagen is the location for many international head and regional offices, such as Maersk which has head offices in Copenhagen and Microsoft, for which Copenhagen provides the regional headquarters. Recently Copenhagen, and Denmark as a whole has seen massive growth, both domestically and internationally. For example, the largest wind turbine manufacturer, Vestas, is a Danish company. All of these factors combined lead to Copenhagen having an extremely strong economy, with the corresponding high wages, which results in it being in fourth position on the list of most expensive cities in terms of cost of living.
3. Paris
Paris is the capital city of France, and comes in third on the list of most expensive cities in the world. The city of Paris is a rather compact area, although the metropolitan area is much larger and includes many satellite towns. The central area of Paris, and the area with which this cost of living list deals with, refers solely to the city of Paris. Paris is famous for tourism, and whilst this generates a large amount of money for the local economy, it does lead to demands for less development of the older parts of the city. As such this leads to less modern space for both commerce and residences than many other cities, and this pushes up the cost of living. Another factor in the high cost of living is the strong economy of the Paris region, and therefore high average wage. Major industries in Paris include the previously mentioned tourism, as well as finance and high-tech manufacturing. All of these factors combine to give the city of Paris the third highest cost of living worldwide.
2. Osaka-Kobe
The second highest cost of living is for two linked cities in Japan - Osaka and Kobe. As with many Japanese cities, both of these have an extremely high population density, which leads to expensive housing and other costs. Both cities are very large with populations in excess of 1 million. In each city there are a number of different industries, with many large multinational companies having their headquarters in the respective cities. Examples of these include Mitsubishi, Mizuno, Panasonic, Sanyo and Sharp. There is also a relatively large financial industry in both cities, leading to high wages. The high cost of land, as well as high wages, combine to make the Osaka-Kobe region the second most expensive region in the world in which to live.
1. Tokyo
The Japanese capital city of Tokyo comes first on the list of most expensive cities to live in. In addition to being the top of the list of cities with the highest living costs, it is also the centre of the world's largest metropolitan area by both population and economy. This is probably what makes it the most expensive city in the world in which to live. The Tokyo stock exchange is one of the world's largest, and is the largest one in Japan. Many international companies are based in Tokyo, and yet more have regional offices in the city which leads to a lot of highly paid jobs. In addition, the large size of the population leads to massive demand for space, and this is further exacerbated by the fact that Tokyo is surrounded by the Bay of Tokyo and a lot of steep hills and mountains. All of these factors combine to make Tokyo the most expensive city in the world in which to live.
Further reading
- Top 10 Cheapest Cities In The World
Ever wondered where would be a cheap place to live? Wonder no more as this page lists the cheapest major cities in the world in which to live as of February 2009. - The Economist
The original source for information for this page. - Obesity epidemic : the ten countries with the fattest people
A list of the countries with the highest rates of obesity.
If money was no object, which city would you most like to live in?
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Very informative. Great hub. Well written. I think I would live in Copenhagen.
I would have guessed Zurich and obviously got it wrong. Great hub though and I voted for Zurich to live in.
it's changed a bit over the last few years, hasn't it? Moscow, Paris and London are not as expensive as they used to be, clearly!
I expected some different cities ot be on there as well and traditionally they would be. However, the economies of many countries have had problems and this has had an effect on the exchange rate which is why London, New York etc have fallen so far down. Also in my reserahc for years many commodity based cities eg those in the Middle East, Russia, Brazil etc were becoming much more expensive to live in. However, the credit crunch has dimished the demand for their products, and this has directly resulted in reduced money available in the economy and therefore the cost of living has come down.
I have been to Oslo, Helsinki, Switzeraland, Coppenhagen and Paris. Trust me the air you breathe in these places to costs money. Everything from food, to travel to visiting the spots is expensive. I know after visitng these places we had shifted few of our trips for a later time.
London should have been included to, this city too has expensive travel and cost of living. Londongirl when you are staying in a place things are viewed from a different perspective. When we had planned to visit for a holiday damn it is costly.
Well as I said before this is data based on the current cost of living, and due to curency fluctuations London, New York etcn are no longer on the list, which if anything just goes to show how expensive the other cities are.
Wow, not one U.S. city on the list. I guess it isn't as bad as I thought to live here. Interesting stuff! How about the world's 10 most inexpensive cities? I'd love to read that, too!
Hi Bristol Boy, I would want to visit all of these places someday esp. Tokyo, Japan. The only place I have ever visited included in this list is Singapore. :-) WHew but it's that expensive huh? Hmmm...
Anyhow, you must heard already..this hub is a hubnugget nominee! And so I just wanted to drop by and extend my congratulations for a hub well done. Click this link to vote: http://hubpages.com/hub/Hubber-Poll-March19-2009-B
Have a fun filled spring hubnugget voting week once again! :-)
Good list. I was rather surprised that London wasn't on there - I had always heard London was up there. Also looks like a partial list of places I'm planning to travel, lol. Good stuff.
Thanks for the kind compliments everyone. I agree that it is interesting that London and US cities aren't on the list. They would have been a year or two ago, but I guess due to the credit crunch etc they are no longer the economic powerhouses they once were.
cool hub...nicely packed with information.
I stayed in Singapore and just found out we are the 10th most expensive city to live in. Do hope we get out of the list though.
All beautiful cities! Figures the one my kids bug me most to move to is the most expensive! :O
It is always the way! Still, whilst it may be the most expensive this is somewhat made up for with higher wages.
I could always use a higher wage :)
I think that would be a thought shared by virtually everyone who reads this page!
LOL, so true, so true!
world's most expensive........
I earn PKR 2500 every month. And it costs me PKR216 to eat three times a day in a common dhaba (roadside hotel). I spend PKR30 everyday for transport......I like in Karachi, Pakistan & Islamabad is the most expensive city in Pakistan........Thank God I don't buy food myself otherwise i m bankrupt
Numan Nazir, I am currently in the process of creating a hub of the world's cheapest cities in which to live, and Karachi appears someplace on this list. You will have to see for yourself to find out where it is.
The pound dropping off a cliff has something to do with London's absence (-:
I live in New York City, and visiting Geneva was actually physically painful. A regular coffee was actually around 10 USD when I was there last summer.
Of the cities available to vote for, Geneva was my vote.
But London (though not on the list) calls to me.
This hub has been nominated as this week's HubNugget. For a review of all the nominees, check this out and vote!!
I reviewed all the HubNugget nominees this week. Wondering how you did? Check it:
Of the cities available to vote for, Geneva was my vote
I appreciated this Hub. I voted for Oslo - mostly because of the beautiful photograph, but for other reasons as well. :) (but I do love that photograph)
oh really interesting hub! The photos are absolutely lovely! keep it up :)
Great Hub, very informative! I would most like to live in Zurich as Switzerland has 2 of the best cities to live on the planet (as per Guiness Book of World Records) and any city there would surely be a great place to live if money were no object. I would love to see a blog on the best inexpensive places to live in the world. I can guarantee that where I live now would certainly be way towards the top (Baguio City, Philippines) where my measly $350 disability pension allows me to live quite comfortably in a very clean and picturesque mountain province city. Anyway, I will be checking out more of your hubs as I really enjoyed this one, thanks :)
They do look expensive! But to dream is free so thank you for sharing. Hey, why not do a list of the best most inexpensive cities? That should be more within my grasp! LOL great hub! and good luck on the HubNugget thingy :D
Hey. Thanks for all the kind responses everyone. For your information I am currently in the process of creating a list of the 10 cheapest places in the world in which to live so be prepared for that!
Great hub. Very interesting. I was born in Frankfurt, so I would probably want to live there, but I would miss the ocean. I'm surprised, with all the lavish wealth in the United States, there wasn't one US location on the list.
Great job!
waaaah... true singapore is 1 of the most expensive place to live, can't save enough money for savings
interesting to know what are the most expensive cities to live in. though i had several in mind that is not in your list. and I'm looking forward to your next hub, the cheapeast city.
Singapore is defiantely high, but it's where a lot things are happening, economic-wise, so it might be worth it.
Thanks for the interestsing comparisons and descriptions here. Well done!
Very interesting. My favourite place is Paris, I would move to the centre of Paris anyday :) and I would like to see Osaka and experience living there but only for a short period of time.
Also Dubai !!!
Once again thanks for the comments. Writer83, Dubai may seem to be expensive, but there are very high wages in many cases, and I believe there is no tax (or very little at least) meaning that the total cost of living in the city is relatively low.
i think this your list is not upto the standard as i have checked in the google,yahoo and msn...they are showing some different..so please have a look...thanx Augustus McMillan has explained it as well... they are saying london is the most expensive...well your list doesnt have it at all...please clarify on which basis these cities are on the top???
Augustus that is true, it all depends on which factors are looked at and when they are. For example some studies include housing costs, others don't. There are also many more subtle differences. For example some studies look at the price of renting, whereas others look at the cost of buying a property. Finally some (like this study used above) take into account currency fluctuations and obviously exchange rates can change quite rapidly over quite a short time.
Britney, this list is based on research carried out by the Economist (a well respected economic and busniess publication) in February 2009, and this is stated in both the introduction and further reading part of the article. I am not sure which other articles in particular you have read, but many that have London top were written before the current financial crisis (which explains why London, New York etc aren't on the list). In addition, different studies count different factors in different ways leading to differences in teh final list, as I responded to the comment by Augustus.
I would not have said Paris was that expensive if you staay out of the touristy areas!
This is an interesting hub. My city is Melbourne Australia. It is a very big city by any standards (3.74 Million in 2007) and would make it on some list for being bloody expensive to live as well.
Surprised there's no British cities listed, or just Britain as a whole. We always seem to be robbed of cash left, right and centre!
I learned a lot from this hub, thanks for posting it. Please visit my hub too, I am new here.
BristolBoy, interesting information. I wonder which of these cities is best to live in if you are poor.
i said i would live in PARIS because it is beautiful and i luv the SHOPPING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow, none of them are in the US.
I have to say this is a really well made hub!
Nathan
I travelled to Tokyo and it wasn't that bad since I was staying at a hostel.. but to buy property, yeah I think you're right.
Those cities are dream for to visit. But cause it high cost to live, so it just dream.
Nice read, good info. Since California is on its way to being the most expensive state in the U.S. to live in I expect we can see one of its cities on this list in the future.
great hub! I wish I could visit all these cities!! and photos are great!! I'm impressed!
BristolBoy You have written a well thought out and objective look at these ten cities. Thank you for your fine efforts.
If you have any tips for me it would be greatly appreciiated.
Once again thanks for all the compliments. I must admit I have only ever been to the three Scandinavian cities, however I would like to visit some of the others sometime.
Greenback Guru - is there anything in particular you need help with?
Interesting NYC is not in the top 10 and more suprising is Singapore. I knew a couple who moved from Singapore to NYC and they were concerned about the cost of living. Go figure
Wow! This article makes me feel like traveling! I spend most of my time in Asia, but now I'm thinking of Europe....hmmmm
Great article!
Well, gotta say I'm surprised there were no US cities in that list, NYC especially. Nice hub.
Hi BristolBoy, thanks for sharing this great hub. It is very informative. Great pics. I would agree that it makes me feel like traveling. I would also agree with those who commented on adding NYC and Dubai. I enjoyed reading this. Thanks again.-Journey*
Great hub by the way, Dont forget travelling and actually living somewhere are different matters all together if you are living in and earning that countries respective currency and spending that money it is 'generally' no more expensive than where you live. When you travel even though you have exchanged your currency for wherever you are traveling to you are still spending you native currency.
Of course there are alot of other factors that could come into it but basically it is relative to what you are doing travelling or living.
My friends been to Singapore before. I didn't know that it was one of the most expensive places in the world?! I know that Tokyo was expensive but being the most expensive place of them all!? Thanks for sharing this hub!
WOW!! Thumbs up for a nice informative hub. Btw I chose Singapore since I have been there for a short time and was impressed by it. I thought even London/New York would be in the top 10 expensive cities but I was pleasantly surprised to see the list (except for Tokyo/Paris). :-)
wow will colect money now!!!
That's a brilliant hub. How did you know that? Those ten cities are expensive beyond my expectation.
Wow, nice hub. I was surprised to not see New York City, London, or a city in Dubai on the list.
Congratulations on a very well written Hub! I really enjoyed reading, the pictures, and the presentation. Good job!
thanx bristolboy for your response....ok now i got the idea...you are right on your way....keep it up....
Hi, You have given great knowledge about great expansive city, I like that , but also do write about great city which are economic, and natural.
thank you.
your fan YASH
great hub those are some awesome citities! Please visit my latest hub: http://hubpages.com/hub/Free-Wordpress-eBay-Plugin
Nice reminder for me to think outside the USA
Wow, this hub is really an eye opener! great hub!
Compared to the rest of the developed world, Singapore's a cheap place to live in. Living in the U.S. and Australia on local wages drained my bank account more than living in Singapore ever did.
Wow!! not the cities that I expected!! good job
Great hub! How I wish I could visit them all someday! That is, if I'll be that rich to afford taking a vacation into these expensive cities.
I DID NOT VISIT ANY OF THESE COUNTRY BUT HEARD FROM MANY PEOPLES THAT LONDON IS VERY EXPENSIVE CITY BUT I AM SURPRISED THAT THERE IS NO NAME OF LONDON.
I REALY THANK FULL TO WHOM WHO PROVIDE ME THIS IMFORMATION.
BYE BYE
TAKE CARE
What about Como, Italy. It used to be in the top 5, and has just got more and more expensive. I shop in Switzerland as it is SO much cheaper.
Thanks for a good article. The Economist studies are well-published here in Helsinki, where I live. I've visited all the listed cities many times and I have to say, I enjoy all of them. There was an earlier comment from someone, who had visited my home town and thought that even the air is for a price. I think that hits quite near home, since the clean, crisp, unpolluted air is one of the single biggest benefits in all the Scandinavian capitals. I think one needs to factor that in along with the safe food ingredients as a big plus. Actually, Finland is not, strictly speaking, a Scandinavian country, but I don't mind the comparison at all. All of the Scandinavian countries plus Finland are Nordic countries, in any case.A question: does the cost-of-living index account for the tips, one has to pay in the US? What about the sales tax? In the EU, a consumer, fortunately, is required only to pay, what's written on the price tag. I.e., all's included, even the wages of the sales person;^)P.S. Voted for Singapore mesself. Had a big internal battle between that and the Japanese cities, which I also like, both culturally and ambience-wise.
Why isn't London in there? Having been to both London, Frankfurt and Zurich, I'm having a hard time believing that these two are supposed to be more expensive than London...
@ Jilou. This is based on the data given by the economist, and this only covers major cities, and so maybe it was the case that Como was considered to be too small.
@ Covert Hypnosis 1. As has been said before this is on the latest cost of living survey, and so takes into account the local wages, unesmployment etc. It also depends on exchange rates, and so part of the reason for no UK or US cities on the list is due to recent weakening of the dollar and pound.
Hi BristolBoy,
This is a great idea for a hub! It's no surprise to see London absent, as we're looking rather devalued generally these days! I'm off to Paris in a few weeks time with my daughter. I'm hoping the Euro will have moved in my favour by then, but I'm not holding my breath!
I live in an expensive City - Victoria, BC! Whew! Glad to see other people live in more expensive places than me.
Hey i think there are many other places.. like London, Newyork,Mumbai etc which are missing in your list. Mumbai is more expensive than Singapore if i am not wrong.
Cool Information ! keep it up boy !
Khush
@Amanda Severn - I know what you mean as I'm off to Greece soon.
@Portronics - Well according to this data provided by one of the most respected economic news sources places like taht aren't on the list, and as I have said before this may be due to local exchange rate changes.
@Everyone else - Thanks for the compliments.
I missed Ahmedabad in the questionnaire at the end of your hub. It is located in the western parts of India. It is a commercial city of about 60 million people founded in the 14th century by Ahmed Shah.
It is a nice livable city with all the modern amenities plus a traditional Indian milieu. I have been here for the last 20 years or so, and wouldn't want to live anywhere else in the world now.
awright - where's Yazoo City?
@Julaha. I don't think I have ever heard of this city of Ahmedabad that you mention. However, my research shows it as having a population considerably less than 60 million (if it's the one in Gujurat). However, it is in India, which is a relatively unexpensive country by world standards and in fact several of the world's cheapest cities are in India (as my upcoming hub will show). Also I only rely on the data compiled by teh Economist!
@Pacwriter. To be honest other than recalling the name Yazoo City I have no idea what it is like/the cost of living here is! However, I suspect that it is a relatively minor city (I mean this in the nicest possible way and don't mean to be offensive), and as such is not included in the Economist data which was used to compile the list.
I would love to visit singapore and Dubai
Great Hub! I liked the info and the beautiful pics! I would love to go to Paris!
i want that i visit all countries but i like frankfurt it very much.
I expected some cities in the United States to be included. Now I know which of these are really expensive to live by.
Many people seem to have expected that the US cities would be on the list. Previously they were, but the effect of the credit crunch and recession have knocked both them and London off the list. Thanks for the comments though.
Nice one!
I went to Paris over Easter and I had the shock of my life.. it is the most expensive city I have experienced.
4 Euros for a tea.. and that's a cup of water with a teabag!!
However, it's a beautiful city
I'm pleasantly surprised by some of the cities on the list. I've been to Zurich and hope to return one day.
Thanks for all the comments! I am glad you all enjoyed the hub!
Well if we see the most expensive is that city that should afford it to live there. by ur money. like tokyo paris as it is mentioned.
But for my part Quetta(pakistan) is the most expensive city in whole over the world bkz a millioniare cant live there easily ok u all
I'ved lived and Paris, I don't find Paris to be too expensive because there are other ways one can get by. Always avoid touristic areas. Live like the locals. checked out the street markets, fresh vegetables fruits, bagettes and cheese are pretty cheap. There are tons of free or cheap places one can visit, check out the local activity brochures.
Thanks for the comment Rachelle. I am sure your observations will be very useful for anyone who is looking to visit Paris in the near future.
Very good observations.
hi man............
its a great hub and informative as well ...if zurich was not there in this list i would be happy to live there as it is in swizerland .and every one knows that swizerland is "heaven on earth".
Thanks once again for the comments. I agree Zurich and Switzerland generally do seem like very nice places to live.
Surely Dubai and London must make the list.
Thanks for the comment Carmen. The fact of the matter is though that London and Dubai relatively speaking aren't that expensive.
I think its Sydny of Australiya..I have writen on Singapore n planning to write on sydny...
nice pics...
I have been to a few of these places: Paris, Tokyo, and Geneva. They are all beautiful and really expensive. If you plan on visiting these cities, you better plan on taking your checkbook and credit cards with you. I don't think that I would want to live in any of these cities even if I had all the money in the world. I like it in the United States and would want to stay here.
Thanks for the comment Apeksha and Steveonline. I believe they are very expensive. Guess it all depends on the opinion of the countries - I would probably rather live in the European cities than American ones!
i'm just a passer-by looking 4 a place to travel 4 work to earn more money to help my country men....wahahahaha...
nicely written article
I think your article is very informative. Thanks
Nice hub but can you list a nepal city. it will be more informative for me.
Great job, BristolBoy! Frankly, I was surprised at some of the cities that made the list (Helsinki, Copenhagen...wouldn't have guessed those). I was thinking that London or San Francisco would have been right up there.
My personal vote would go to Geneva - it looks wonderful!
Hi ppanta. No Nepalese cities were included in the list as they are not expensive enough to be in the world's top 10 most expensive cities. In fact, the Nepalese city of Kathmandu is the 5th cheapest city in the world (see my other page).
Thanks for commenting Drake's Compass. I agree that it is surprising the cities which made it onto the list and equally surprising is those cities which didn't.
hey
its to good u give the knowlege expensive cities.but i want one of the expensive city or country of the world
Hi reena Dhiman. I am not really sure what you are asking for. This is a list of the most expensive cities in the world, and so the expensive cities are any off of the list, with the most expensive being Tokyo. If you require knowledge of the most expensive countries it may be worth looking elsewhere. Hope this helps and thanks for commenting.
Thanks for this knowledgeable information...Keep it up!
And thanks for commenting BhavanaUmale! I intend to write more similar articles soon!
The same old cities top, nothing changed, what about putting Baghdad and Kabul on the list, they are not the cheapest but can be as much expensive as London or Tokyo!
Iasmina26 the same cities would be top due to them being most expensive, which is why Bghdad and Kabul aren't on the list as they are not very expensive at all in the grand scheme of things. Also if you will note London isn't even on the list!
..and you should fairly admit London IS an expensive city and I would like it here!
Well London isn't that expensive according to the research carried out by well respected academics for the Economist magazine which was the only reason it wasn't included. Maybe this is due to whilst London is very expensive it also has relatively high wages which make up for some of this expense. Thanks for commenting though!
Falmouth is in the UK, London is the capital city of the UK, I think that is the reason you did not put London on the list!
cool hub with cool pics!
i wonder why there is no dubai in this list, just kidding
thnks a bunch for info
Thanks for comment Jesus. London was not included since it was not deemed to be expensive enough to make it onto the list when the data was reviewed, in a similar way to New York not appearing on the list.
Mwaky, thanks for the compliment - I am glad you enjoyed it!
Maverick_999, it was probably considered that Dubai was not expensive enough.
Hey men .... just so wonderful hub of all time ... from where you get this awesome hubs ....
Thanks for taking the time to comment on this hub of the top 10 most expensive cities John!
Been to a few of those places but I think Geneva is next on my list.
So this hub was extremely informative. I hadn't even heard of many of the cities. Of course no North American cities make the list, lol. It's not surprise to see Tokyo at the top.
Singapore is definitely expensive.
Thanks for confirming the fact that Singapore is expensive Rudra - many people have been saying this! Also thanks for commenting sisters oregon, I hope you enjoy your visit to Geneva!
I have livedin many different cities, but I thought that Moscow, Tokyo and Oslo werethe most expensive ones
Thats useful feedback Carlo, thanks!
Oh, I love traveling - one of my favorites! Now my radar has more great spots - thanks to you! My checkbook is frowning.
great hub
Im not suprised that us is not on it
Great information. Thanks for sharing.
that's really a piece of information to us about the world but i really would like to stay in tokyo along with full of advanced technology through out the world
Wow great hub. I have noticed that 7/10 of the cities mentioned were European and the other 3/10 were Asian with one being a country(Singapore). I thought London, New York and Hong Kong would of been on this list I guess I was wrong.
I was not surprised at Tokyo being the most expensive city to live in though.
Thanks for commenting KellyEngaldo, tracy_alfred, kingkh, upal19, zeeshan ahmed and Tim. I am glad that you all found this page listing the top 10 most expensive cities in the world to be useful!
very informative , thanks
are you guys serious? you have not been to australia,,,,it is beyond doubt the most expensive place to live...look at interest rates,,dearest credit cards 21percent 2litres milk 6 dollars......
Hi Fitman - thanks for commenting. I have never been to Australia marc, but I would like to point out that this research to compile a list of the top 10 most expensive cities in the world was carried out by a team of economists - maybe the higher cost of purchasing items in Australia is offset by higher wages?
Bristol not on the list!!! The bus fares alone should place it in the top 3 LOL. A very interesting hub and well written
Thanks for commenting jayjay40. I guess the travel is expensive in Bristol, but it is probably easily outweighed by other benefits eg cheaper property, relatively high wages etc.
Great list, however I find it quite hard to believe that Helsinki is so expensive, who on earth wants to live there? No disrespect to Finnish people but...
Thanks for taking the time to comment Fresh_Flower. Helsinki is an expensive city - there must be lots of people who live there probably due to the high quality of life and maybe it is the best Finland has to offer!
First off, the descriptions are paired with fantastic photos. You have me dying to travel again, now that I've finished reading! London and Dublin are also quite expensive cities to live in...but major cities are expensive in general. I understand this is a list of the MOST expensive. Thanks for citing the Economist, a great source.
Hi askjanbrass. I am glad you found it to be a useful article!
Love this hub! Beautiful pictures, I had no idea these were the most expensive cities to live in :o When I get rich from HP Iam going to visit all these places lol! Great work Bristolboy :)
Hi sophs. I am glad you found the hub to be of interest - thanks for the compliments.
Great Information!
In my opinion,
You must also include Duabi in your list.
I have been only to Singapore, Oslo, India and Tokyo.
I am planning to Visit Dubai in the month of March with the help of http://www.southalltravel.co.uk.
And it’s my dream to see the famous Burj Dubai (The tallest building in the World).
Thanks for the comment Mendy even if it did become a bit of an advert! I am sure that Dubai is quite expensive, but maybe it is not expensive enough to be in the top 10 most expensive cities.
i lived in Zurich it's best city 2 live there.
i like the many peoples's nature, and his honesty.
i love zurich it's expensive but i beleive to leave there.
Thanks for commenting DG. It is good to know that Zurich is worth the money!
where is london..? lol
Thanks for taking the time to comment sam. Whilst London may be an expensive city, it didn't quite make it into the top 10 most expensive cities in the world as it wasn't quite expensive enough.
I didn't expect some cities listed were among the most expensive cities. Thanks
Hi borge_009. Thanks for commenting on this article - it is surprising which are some of the most expensive cities in the world!
Thanks for the compliment warren6buflet! Geneva seems to be quite a popular choice to live in out of the top 10 most expensive cities!
do u have any photos of Pakistan?
samr there are any photos of Pakistan involved in this article on the most expensive cities in the world because no Pakistani cities appear in the top 10 most expensive cities in the world!
not like as expected to read. Yes, i though NYC would stand as number one or London but no. So why dont you give us a figure to believe in. The figure should be included
- average wage
- CPI (like in US, 1 loaf of bread charge 1 USD, in VN 1 load of bread charge 1,000 VND, 1 USD = 19,300 VND) than it will more convinced.
- Rent, Own
- Essential cost of living...
VIETstyle thanks for commenting although I am not sure why you question the figures since they come from arguably the best economic publication in the world. In addition, all of these countries etc are much more expensive than London and New York.
Hey BristolBoy,
Which sourse?, please delight me. Thanks.
Hi VIETstyle. If you read the further reading section you will see a link to The Economist. This was the source for all the information used to compile this list of top 10 most expensive cities in the world.
tokyo superb
Thanks for commenting wandy - I am assuming you are one of the hundreds who have voted for Tokyo thus making it the second most popular place to live out of the 10 cities on this list of the most expensive cities in the world.
Finland is NOT part of Scandinavia. Scandinaiva is Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Finland is only part of the Nordic region (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland).
@ Oslo, Norge I can see your point and I suppose that technically Scandinavia only covers the three countries you mentioned but in reality it has changed somewhat. For example, a Google search for Scandinavia throws up a page which is the official site for the Scandinavian tourist boards which includes Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Finland so for many people Scandinavia and Nordic are one and the same! Similarly Lonely Planet (the travel guide company) includes Finland as being part of the Scandinavian region.
Even how expensive it is, as long as I could have the most benefits of my taxes. I think I started to like Denmark. Isn't it that they are the happiest country on earth currently?
Junie I believe Denmark is classed as the happiest country in the world - so maybe this also means that Copenhagen is one of the happiest cities in the world, as well as being one of the most expensive!
TRUST THE INDIA IS REALY A GREAT COUNTRY WITH NICE PEOPLE I AM ONE AMONG OF THEM.
THERE ARE MANY CITIES FOR ROMING BUT NEW DELHI IS GREAT WITH GREAT HISTORY,HUGE MALLS,HUGE MARKETS AND MANY MORE.
HEY BRISTOL BOY YOU SHOULD BE INCLUDE MUMBAI ALSO IN WORLD TOP EXPENCIVE CITY AS A COMMON MAN CANT TAKE 2TIMES FOOD ON TIME AGAINST OF THEM THERE ARE LOTS OF MILLONAIRE IN THE CITY.
Thanks for commenting Harry! I believe Mumbai, whilst it may seem expensive, isn't expensive enough to be classed as one of the top 10 most expensive cities in the world, as per the link to the Economist above!
Huh, I thought Tokyo had gotten a lot cheaper the past 20 years. I'm from Copenhagen and I was shocked how cheap Tokyo was -except for Hotels which are outrageous in Japan.
I think you need to look at al the countries when you do something like this, Bermuda is very expensive also to rent a 1bed apartment you are looking anywhere between $1500 and $2600 US$ a month
JC I assume that Tokyo is still quite expensive though to make it to the top of the list. As for bermuda, bermudian girl, I have heard that the average wages are quite high and to be honest those apartments aren't that expensive - very similar to London which also didn't appear on the list!
Well, I ever go to Japan ,Tokyo and Osaka Kobe, its true that things there is really expensive.. Even in mount fuji. but Japan is really a nice place.
Hi BristolBoy,
You are quite right. Copenhagen is. But I am intrigue that despite of those reasons, there are lot of tourist wanted to visit Denmark. I don't know exactly if they are just curious how expensive the country is or it's all about its culture and scenic or beauty of the place.
I Chose To Live In Paris Its A Cool Place I Never Ben There
JapanGirl thanks for commenting I am sure that Japan is a cool place, even if it is expensive! Junie, I have no idea why lots of tourists visit Denmark, maybe it is because of the friendly people that live there! On Earth thanks for providing your opinion!
I choose PARIS, the most glamourous city in the world for me, and i love the fashion people style there ^^
I live in Tokyo and have been for 3 years. Other then accomodation costs, Tokyo is much cheaper than Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Where else in he world can you get a 2% home loan and pay 12% income tax? In Australia you will pay 5-8% home loan interest + up to 48% income tax!
Food is dirt cheap however in Tokyo, however if you want a hamburger you can pay $40 if you choose to. You can buy a 600ml coke from vending machinein Tokyo for $1.20 compared to $3.50 in Australia (same with water).
There are $1 shops in local areas that provide cheap groceries for a $1 per item.
In no way do I conclude that Tokyo is the most expensive city in the world, on the flip side you want will always find something hugely expensive in Tokyo if you are willing to pay for it.
I am surprised to see no any cities of England and United States. But also greatly thanks to the information provider.
Surprised by some of these places. I thought London would be in there too. Glad to see that none of the places in Spain gets in....yet!
i think tokyo is the best city!!!!
pairs is'nt develop than tokyo
that's the true!!!
Actually, Bermuda Girl, try $3300+ (average) for a modest (1 bed) apartment in Bermuda. You slightly underestimated!
Yes, Bermuda is pricey, but the mean wage (at just about 100,000) is one of the highest in the world.
Copenhagen is not the capital of scandinavia!
I would love to stay at Oslo. Norway is a land of Midnight Sun. I just want to experience that.
I've been to singapore, its a nice place and food items are relatively cheap.
i just came back from japan...it's really awesome..people are very polite and they have very good custonmer service every i go....though it's expensive city..i still want to visit japan for their lovely sceneries...
The pictures that you have put together for these cities make each and everyone of them look AMAZING! I will definitely be saving this and going through the list to see where I want to go in the near future.
Helsink????
there is mistake in no. 7 and 8. you should have to write it properly, thanks
My dad told me it was Seoul!!!!!
But Tokyo is cool :H
We really enjoyed after seeing the ranking of different countries and it was intresting to see the place of cheapest and most poulated countries in the world and i am really thankfull to share such an intresting information.
Great hub here! If you guys consider Oslo, check my hub for tips! http://hubpages.com/hub/Going-To-Oslo-In-The-Off-S
Thanks!
why to live in that kind of cities if it is much nicer to live in smaller ones...less crowded ones...
anyway thanks for making japan number 1 and 2...
i prefer better climate areas than those areas where 1 and 2 are located...
@international guy
i don't think being on the list is a good thing. bw, i live in singapore.
i think dubai is the expensivest place to live. it may be tax free but it is very expensive.
From your list, I have been to Paris, Oslo, Zurich and Geneva. All of these cities are amazing, but if I had one to choose where I would rather live in, it would be Paris. Though it's very expensive, its beauties compensate!
WHERE IS TORONTO
(lahore) city is also expensive city lahore is very beautiful city
an (skardu) city is very beautiful city in the world it is the city of pakistan
Paris is a place i will love to live
Hi everyone who has posted replies since I have last commented. Due to the number of replies I can't hope to reply to you all individually but thanks for taking the time to comment - I am glad you found this list of the most expensive cities in the world interesting.
WhereZ Mumbai ???
I dont think this list is correct. I've live in both Singapore and Sydney Australia and I can definitely say that living in Sydney is way way more expensive than living in Singapore. For example.. a short bus ride (4 stops) in Sydney costs AUD2, in Singapore, it costs SGD0.69 (4 times cheaper). Movies in Sydney costs AUD18, in Singapore, it costs SGD10 (twice cheaper). You can easily find food to eat in Singapore for around SGD5. Here in Sydney, it costs around AUD10 per meal (costs more than twice as much). Food items in groceries and supermarket costs about double as well. Room rentals in Singapore is around SGD1000 per month in the city centre. Room rentals in Sydney costs around AUD400 per week in the city centre. Etc.
Hi Farhan, Mumbai is actually quite cheap relatively speaking! Tony, you may think Singapore is cheaper than Sydney, but this is more than made up for in wages.
Hmm... if wages are taken into consideration... then developing third world countries where majority of the population are barely earning enough wages just to get by would be on the top of the list.
Anyway, for my particular case... as an IT professional having lived and worked both in Singapore and Sydney, my take home pay is roughly the same. Taxes in Singapore is about 12%, while my taxes here in Sydney is around 32%. Rental here in Sydney is a killer and takes a substantial amount of my wage. And since Singapore is easy to find cheap food everywhere, I dont have to bring my own lunch to work compared to here in Sydney where I often have to cook my own food to save more. The only thing that is expensive in Singapore are cars which costs about 3x as much. But cars are not a neccessity in Singapore since their public transportation are relatively cheap and very efficient.
Thanks for responding and posting this list. I manage to find the list I was looking for listed by Bloomberg.
Tony thanks for following it up. I guess everyone is different, and you may have found Sydney to be more expensive. Personally I have found London to be more expensive than some of the cities included in this list (and London didn't even make the Top 10!).
You're welcome BristolBoy. Actually I am more surprised Singapore would be in this list rather than not finding Sydney in the list as I am aware there are many other cities more expensive than Sydney.
If you do have a chance to visit Singapore, you would probably be wondering the same thing. Singapore is the only first world country I've visited where you can get from airport to city via train for just under USD2.50. You could get a cup of coffee every morning for under USD1, or if you prefer a complete Singaporean breakfast with toast and eggs and coffee, you can get it for under USD3. Lunch/dinner would costs you around USD4 per meal. The list goes on. You dont need to be a local Singaporean to find these places. These affordable places are pratically everywhere. =)
As for London, I haven't had a chance to visit there yet. Do checkout the list posted by Bloomberg Business Week. This list may not be 100% accurate since it did not take into consideration apartment rentals and transporation costs... but at least it list out prices of basic commodities for comparison. Sydney rank 30. London is however, still not in the list. =)
Thanks for replying Tony. It is interesting that you have the opinion that Sydney is much more expensive than Singapore, yet Singapore appears on this list and Sydney does not!
Yeah, thats why I disagree with the list posted here since it does not even show the basis for the list rankings. I agree more with the list posted by Bloomberg Business Week where Sydney is rank 30th and Singapore is nowhere on the list. =)
Hi Tony, the information comes from the link shown to The Economist article which is one of the most well respected business magazines in the world.
Thanks for replying BristolBoy. Then I guess The Economists must be using a different ranking system which I am not aware of. I can only tell from my own personal experience based on the basic things I spend for like transporation, food, groceries, apartment rentals, cinemas, internet subscriptions, phone subscriptions, etc. and I can say with confidence that these things costs more here in Sydney rather than Singapore. Maybe it is the price of land. Land is scarce in Singapore... so in many places, you can only lease it for a maximum of 99 years rather than owning it permanently. Cars are also much more expensive in Singapore though its a luxury item rather than neccessesity. Maybe that's what The Economists is using.
Anyway, the list by Bloomberg Businessweek slightly differs from your list. It uses prices of basic commodities like rice, eggs, beer, cinema, food, household appliance as basis for comparison. Unfortunately, they didn't take into consideration transportation costs and apartment rentals. For the benefit of your readers, the Bloomberg list is as follows:
1. Tokyo, Japan
2. Oslo, Norway
3. Luanda, Angola
4. Nagoya, Japan
5. Yokohama, Japan
6. Stavanger, Norway
7. Kobe, Japan
8. Copenhagen, Denmark
9. Geneva, Swtizerland
10. Zurich, Switzerland
11. Bern, Switzerland
12. Basel, Switzerland
13. Liberville, Gabon
14. Helsinki, Finland
15. Moscow, Russia
16. Paris, France
17. Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
18. Abuja, Nigeria
19. Tel Aviv, Israel
20. Seoul, South Korea
21. Stockholm, Sweden
22. Jerusalem, Israel
23. Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
24. Vienna, Austria
25. Brussels, Belgium
26. Berlin, Germany
27. Canberra, Australia
28. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
29. New York, US
30. Sydney, Australia
At least, your list and the Bloomberg list did agree on one city being the most expensive -> Tokyo. hehe...
That list makes a very good comparison. It is interesting that two well respected organisations can get things so different. I suppose it may be down to when the surveys were carried out (particularly thinking about currency swings) and then there is also the fact of what is included. At least in both cases Tokyo is the most expensive city!
lahore is the best city in the world.....................
rabia tauseef I am sure Lahore is very nice. And fortunately it isn't one of the most expensive cities in the world!
paris is the best !!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for adding your opinions cbboom.
Even if I had money I'd like to stay where I was born 'INDIA' N I'd like to stay in Mumbai city
"my birthplace"
Thanks for commenting Abhishek!
I live in Oslo. My large salary vs living costs makes me having more money at the end of the month than i had living in Sweden. So to me Sweden was a more expensive country to live in.
Ante thanks for adding that - it is interesting to know that Sweden is a more expensive country to live in.
I would love to live in Frankfurt.
Howcurecancer thanks for commenting. Any special reason for choosing Frankfurt?
Islamabad the best
Haris that is an interesting opinion - why do you think that Islamabad is the best city?
I think Sydney should be top 3 most expensive city in the world , Tokyo and Paris should behind Sydney.
Wow but number1 was supposed to be South Korea because rents and payments are unbearable though... :)
Peter so why do you think that? Thanks for commenting kuntz.
Luanda, Angola should be on top of the list (cost of living)
Jokes, Im not Barack, but wondering why Sydney isn't in the top ten?
Nice to see the hub without USA cities, Anyway wish all the best to USA citizens to recover from AA+ problem, Soon USA will be back and will rockz......
gdcats - I have heard that Luanda is very expensive, but then I guess there are many highly paid oil workers. Sydney isn't in the top 10 because it isn't expensive enough.
Speaking from experience of others, owning a house in Mumbai is as costly and difficult as it is to find a diamond among the millions in a room. I mean only owning a house in Mumbai, makes it one of the costly city in India if not in the world.
Sharad. I have had a look online and whilst it may seem that it is expensive to buy property in Mumbai, relative to other areas it is very cheap!
paris is a truly a wonderfull city of,course it`s like the
city of heaven on Earth
money have no problum then i will live in osaka japan
great list. The thing to remember with any city thought is when you live there you find ways to do things for cheaper. When I was a tourist in Tokyo it cost a fortune but when I lived their for a few months I found loads of ways to save money
I agree Paris is lovely, but then so is Osaka! johnmce thanks for stopping by to comment and that is a very good point - you quickly find the best place for good deals etc when you live in a big city!
Tokyo is a wonderful city and has skyscrapers and is the largest city in populatoin and very beautiful indeed with mount fuji
i realy like paris as a place to live in
soumit and u.k chaudary thanks for commenting - I am glad you like places on this article!
i really like paris as a place to live in
Thanks for commenting raja zaibi!
I'm actually astonished by the Japanese's willingness to spend despite the high cost of living. I recently went to Tokyo Disneyland where I felt obliged to buy something and I reaally felt the pinch while paying for a $20 hairband Yet, Japanese families in there purchase sets of Disney-themed clothing to dress up just for the day. If a single hairband costs $20, I guess an entire set of clothing would be $300. $300 for something you would wear for just a day?? And that's excluding the money spent on food and travel. Even though Singapore is ranked 10th on the list, I would say the food in Tokyo is 2-3 times more expensive than in Singapore. I really don't understand how the Japanese earn enough money not only to survive in Tokyo, but to also spend extravagantly on unnecessary stuff.
Exactly.. I have plan to visit all places..
Very informative, i want to visit paris.
Great hub. I think I would like to live in Paris.
i love japan it was the best country ever.!
i've been in japan so nice tokyo was really great place!
Singapore is no surprise. There has been a steep rise in rents, HDB prices. I bet, in a newer survey, Singapore will beat some of the countries mentioned above SG in the list.
I like all those cities but my favorate city is singapore beacuse i live in
i like tokyo-japan i't was a great place so many buildings so nice place it's really cool.
tokyo place so nice fuji mountain was so cool.
japan was really the best country!
paris is the best among the rest
i like to live in frankfurt in my future.....
was wondering is u.s.a and Australia not attractive enough?
I live in copenhagen and it's bloody rediculous here, really. Those of you who think london should be on the list, I say no way. London is cheap compared to this crappy boring little norhtern outpost...
I love an expensive 's places but who will sponsore me to go there . Pls call me on +24105187775. And if u are a girl pls i will like to marry u. Just give me a trial
i love geneva because of beaty its so beautiful
India is also underdeveloping country in the world
very intresting information thx www.todaynewz.com
i like to live Copenhagen. Its a beautyfull Denmark city full of natural landscape and fresh air...
why bangladesh and pakistan is not in the list. They should be listed as the most expensive cities in the world.
tanks Bristolboy for information given it is very interestting to see Paris as one of the 10 top most expensive cities in the World includs in your list. Ufortunately, i had never visited it; but i think it is through to mention it in your list, beauce it is the first city tourist desdination in the world.
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Hawkesdream Level 2 Commenter 2 years ago
How do you keep coming up with them, must get lessons-brilliant hub