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Top 10 Most Expensive Cities In The World

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By BristolBoy

Introduction

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.

Singapore Central Business District. Produced by Someformofhuman and published under GNU Free Documentation Licence.

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.

Photo originally from www.ork.ch and licenced under Creative Commons "Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 France".
Photo originally from www.ork.ch and licenced under Creative Commons "Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 France".

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.

Frankfurt skyline at night.  Author Nicolas 17 and published under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 licence.
Frankfurt skyline at night. Author Nicolas 17 and published under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 licence.

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.

Helsinki Cathedral and the wider area.  Photgraph by Mikko Paananen and modified by Majestic and Ilmari Karonen.  Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5, Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 and Attribution ShareAlike 1.0.
Helsinki Cathedral and the wider area. Photgraph by Mikko Paananen and modified by Majestic and Ilmari Karonen. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5, Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 and Attribution ShareAlike 1.0.

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.

The central part of Zurich along with the four main churches.  Photo by Ikiwaner distributed under a GNU Free Documentation Licence.
The central part of Zurich along with the four main churches. Photo by Ikiwaner distributed under a GNU Free Documentation Licence.

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.

This street is the Karl Johan gate with the Royal Palace in the distance.  Photo by Mahlum and distributed under GNU Free Documentation License Version 1.2.
This street is the Karl Johan gate with the Royal Palace in the distance. Photo by Mahlum and distributed under GNU Free Documentation License Version 1.2.

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.

The former stock exchange building on an island in Copenhagen.  Now a major tourist attraction.
The former stock exchange building on an island in Copenhagen. Now a major tourist attraction.

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.

Paris at dusk.  The Eiffel Tower can be seen near the centre of the screen.  Note the reality low-rise nature of the buildings.  Photo by Benh LIEU SONG and distributed under GNU Free Documentation License Version 1.2.
Paris at dusk. The Eiffel Tower can be seen near the centre of the screen. Note the reality low-rise nature of the buildings. Photo by Benh LIEU SONG and distributed under GNU Free Documentation License Version 1.2.

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.

View of Osaka taken from the Umeda sky building to the north.  Photo taken by Flying Toaster and licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license.
View of Osaka taken from the Umeda sky building to the north. Photo taken by Flying Toaster and licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license.

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.

Some of the skyscrapers of Tokyo with Japan's tallest mountain, Mount Fuji in the background.  This photo was taken by Morio and permission granted under GNU Free Documentation License Version 1.2.
Some of the skyscrapers of Tokyo with Japan's tallest mountain, Mount Fuji in the background. This photo was taken by Morio and permission granted under GNU Free Documentation License Version 1.2.

If money was no object, which city would you most like to live in?

  • Singapore
  • Geneva
  • Frankfurt
  • Helsinki
  • Zurich
  • Oslo
  • Copenhagen
  • Paris
  • Osaka-Kobe
  • Tokyo
See results without voting

Comments

RSS for comments on this Hub

Hawkesdream profile image

Hawkesdream  says:
8 months ago

How do you keep coming up with them, must get lessons-brilliant hub

christine almaraz profile image

christine almaraz  says:
8 months ago

Very informative. Great hub. Well written. I think I would live in Copenhagen.

BrianS profile image

BrianS  says:
8 months ago

I would have guessed Zurich and obviously got it wrong. Great hub though and I voted for Zurich to live in.

LondonGirl profile image

LondonGirl  says:
8 months ago

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!

BristolBoy profile image

BristolBoy  says:
8 months ago

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.

charanjeet kaur profile image

charanjeet kaur  says:
8 months ago

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.

BristolBoy profile image

BristolBoy  says:
8 months ago

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.

kiwi91 profile image

kiwi91  says:
8 months ago

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!

ripplemaker profile image

ripplemaker  says:
8 months ago

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! :-)

Jerry G2 profile image

Jerry G2  says:
8 months ago

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.

BristolBoy profile image

BristolBoy  says:
8 months ago

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.

getanswers  says:
8 months ago

cool hub...nicely packed with information.

edwinseow profile image

edwinseow  says:
8 months ago

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.

k@ri profile image

k@ri  says:
8 months ago

All beautiful cities! Figures the one my kids bug me most to move to is the most expensive! :O

BristolBoy profile image

BristolBoy  says:
8 months ago

It is always the way! Still, whilst it may be the most expensive this is somewhat made up for with higher wages.

k@ri profile image

k@ri  says:
8 months ago

I could always use a higher wage :)

BristolBoy profile image

BristolBoy  says:
8 months ago

I think that would be a thought shared by virtually everyone who reads this page!

k@ri profile image

k@ri  says:
8 months ago

LOL, so true, so true!

Numan Nazir  says:
8 months ago

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

BristolBoy profile image

BristolBoy  says:
8 months ago

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.

LondonGirl profile image

LondonGirl  says:
8 months ago

The pound dropping off a cliff has something to do with London's absence (-:

helenathegreat profile image

helenathegreat  says:
8 months ago

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.

BardScribe profile image

BardScribe  says:
8 months ago

Of the cities available to vote for, Geneva was my vote.

But London (though not on the list) calls to me.

Schwag profile image

Schwag  says:
8 months ago

This hub has been nominated as this week's HubNugget. For a review of all the nominees, check this out and vote!!

http://hubpages.com/hub/Spring-HubNugget-Review

Schwag profile image

Schwag  says:
8 months ago

I reviewed all the HubNugget nominees this week. Wondering how you did? Check it:

http://hubpages.com/hub/Spring-HubNugget-Review

saravanan  says:
8 months ago

Of the cities available to vote for, Geneva was my vote

Lisa HW profile image

Lisa HW  says:
8 months ago

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)

gr8archer45 profile image

gr8archer45  says:
8 months ago

oh really interesting hub! The photos are absolutely lovely! keep it up :)

NocturNalis78 profile image

NocturNalis78  says:
8 months ago

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 :)

Cris A profile image

Cris A  says:
8 months ago

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

BristolBoy profile image

BristolBoy  says:
8 months ago

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!

VivaLaPatch profile image

VivaLaPatch  says:
8 months ago

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!

shannel  says:
8 months ago

waaaah... true singapore is 1 of the most expensive place to live, can't save enough money for savings

midnightbliss profile image

midnightbliss  says:
8 months ago

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.

jazzdrive3  says:
8 months ago

Singapore is defiantely high, but it's where a lot things are happening, economic-wise, so it might be worth it.

esocial profile image

esocial  says:
8 months ago

Thanks for the interestsing comparisons and descriptions here. Well done!

Princessa profile image

Princessa  says:
8 months ago

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.

writer83  says:
8 months ago

Also Dubai !!!

BristolBoy profile image

BristolBoy  says:
8 months ago

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.

britneydavidson profile image

britneydavidson  says:
8 months ago

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???

BristolBoy profile image

BristolBoy  says:
8 months ago

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.

thisisoli profile image

thisisoli  says:
8 months ago

I would not have said Paris was that expensive if you staay out of the touristy areas!

earnestshub profile image

earnestshub  says:
8 months ago

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.

Wadey101m profile image

Wadey101m  says:
8 months ago

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!

Melody Lagrimas profile image

Melody Lagrimas  says:
8 months ago

I learned a lot from this hub, thanks for posting it. Please visit my hub too, I am new here.

Aya Katz profile image

Aya Katz  says:
8 months ago

BristolBoy, interesting information. I wonder which of these cities is best to live in if you are poor.

monkey  says:
8 months ago

i said i would live in PARIS because it is beautiful and i luv the SHOPPING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sally Dillon profile image

Sally Dillon  says:
8 months ago

Wow, none of them are in the US.

nathanreed  says:
8 months ago

I have to say this is a really well made hub!

Nathan

mattressguru profile image

mattressguru  says:
8 months ago

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.

kiddee  says:
8 months ago

Those cities are dream for to visit. But cause it high cost to live, so it just dream.

gfang profile image

gfang  says:
8 months ago

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.

Gin Delloway profile image

Gin Delloway  says:
8 months ago

great hub! I wish I could visit all these cities!! and photos are great!! I'm impressed!

GreenbacksGuru profile image

GreenbacksGuru  says:
8 months ago

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.

BristolBoy profile image

BristolBoy  says:
8 months ago

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?

SoManyPaths profile image

SoManyPaths  says:
8 months ago

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

Mapping Success profile image

Mapping Success  says:
7 months ago

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!

kappa022 profile image

kappa022  says:
7 months ago

Well, gotta say I'm surprised there were no US cities in that list, NYC especially. Nice hub.

Journey * profile image

Journey *  says:
7 months ago

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*

Xtian007 profile image

Xtian007  says:
7 months ago

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.

mayhmong profile image

mayhmong  says:
7 months ago

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!

countrywomen profile image

countrywomen  says:
7 months ago

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). :-)

phuketindex profile image

phuketindex  says:
7 months ago

wow will colect money now!!!

chillingbreeze profile image

chillingbreeze  says:
7 months ago

That's a brilliant hub. How did you know that? Those ten cities are expensive beyond my expectation.

jasonstevens profile image

jasonstevens  says:
7 months ago

Wow, nice hub. I was surprised to not see New York City, London, or a city in Dubai on the list.

okmom23 profile image

okmom23  says:
7 months ago

Congratulations on a very well written Hub! I really enjoyed reading, the pictures, and the presentation. Good job!

britneydavidson profile image

britneydavidson  says:
7 months ago

thanx bristolboy for your response....ok now i got the idea...you are right on your way....keep it up....

yash24 profile image

yash24  says:
7 months ago

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

jtpratt profile image

jtpratt  says:
7 months ago

great hub those are some awesome citities! Please visit my latest hub: http://hubpages.com/hub/Free-Wordpress-eBay-Plugin

LelahKimball profile image

LelahKimball  says:
7 months ago

Nice reminder for me to think outside the USA

Wallpaper Queen profile image

Wallpaper Queen  says:
7 months ago

Wow, this hub is really an eye opener! great hub!

d  says:
7 months ago

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.

Lela Bryan profile image

Lela Bryan  says:
7 months ago

Wow!! not the cities that I expected!! good job

 

raymondphilippe profile image

raymondphilippe  says:
7 months ago

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.

shahid227  says:
7 months ago

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

jillou profile image

jillou  says:
7 months ago

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.

Juha  says:
7 months ago

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.

Covert Hypnosis 1  says:
7 months ago

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...

BristolBoy profile image

BristolBoy  says:
7 months ago

@ 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.

Amanda Severn profile image

Amanda Severn  says:
7 months ago

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!

mcstir profile image

mcstir  says:
7 months ago

I live in an expensive City - Victoria, BC! Whew! Glad to see other people live in more expensive places than me.

portronics profile image

portronics  says:
7 months ago

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.

wordsimmaculate profile image

wordsimmaculate  says:
7 months ago

Cool Information ! keep it up boy !

Khush

BristolBoy profile image

BristolBoy  says:
7 months ago

@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.

Julaha profile image

Julaha  says:
7 months ago

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.

pacwriter profile image

pacwriter  says:
7 months ago

awright - where's Yazoo City?

BristolBoy profile image

BristolBoy  says:
7 months ago

@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.

langson profile image

langson  says:
7 months ago

I would love to visit singapore and Dubai

Flame901  says:
7 months ago

Great Hub! I liked the info and the beautiful pics! I would love to go to Paris!

rauf zadran  says:
7 months ago

i want that i visit all countries but i like frankfurt it very much.

JPSO138 profile image

JPSO138  says:
7 months ago

I expected some cities in the United States to be included. Now I know which of these are really expensive to live by.

BristolBoy profile image

BristolBoy  says:
7 months ago

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.

sarah-michl profile image

sarah-michl  says:
7 months ago

Nice one!

makemesomemoney  says:
7 months ago

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

ReallyGoodOne  says:
7 months ago

I'm pleasantly surprised by some of the cities on the list. I've been to Zurich and hope to return one day.

BristolBoy profile image

BristolBoy  says:
6 months ago

Thanks for all the comments! I am glad you all enjoyed the hub!

Mohd Hussain Yousafi Shaadkam  says:
6 months ago

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

Rachelle  says:
6 months ago

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.

BristolBoy profile image

BristolBoy  says:
6 months ago

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.

Rudra profile image

Rudra  says:
6 months ago

Very good observations.

Neeraj pandey.......satna  says:
6 months ago

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".

BristolBoy profile image

BristolBoy  says:
6 months ago

Thanks once again for the comments. I agree Zurich and Switzerland generally do seem like very nice places to live.

Carmen_Sandiego profile image

Carmen_Sandiego  says:
6 months ago

Surely Dubai and London must make the list.

BristolBoy profile image

BristolBoy  says:
6 months ago

Thanks for the comment Carmen. The fact of the matter is though that London and Dubai relatively speaking aren't that expensive.

apeksha profile image

apeksha  says:
6 months ago

I think its Sydny of Australiya..I have writen on Singapore n planning to write on sydny...

nice pics...

steveonline profile image

steveonline  says:
5 months ago

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.

BristolBoy profile image

BristolBoy  says:
5 months ago

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!

sk_adie.ph  says:
5 months ago

i'm just a passer-by looking 4 a place to travel 4 work to earn more money to help my country men....wahahahaha...

Hina crazy  says:
5 months ago

nicely written article

ihabocs  says:
5 months ago

I think your article is very informative. Thanks

ppanta  says:
5 months ago

Nice hub but can you list a nepal city. it will be more informative for me.

Drake's Compass profile image

Drake's Compass  says:
5 months ago

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!

BristolBoy profile image

BristolBoy  says:
5 months ago

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.

reena dhiman  says:
5 months ago

hey

its to good u give the knowlege expensive cities.but i want one of the expensive city or country of the world

BristolBoy profile image

BristolBoy  says:
5 months ago

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.

BhavanaUmale profile image

BhavanaUmale  says:
5 months ago

Thanks for this knowledgeable information...Keep it up!

BristolBoy profile image

BristolBoy  says:
5 months ago

And thanks for commenting BhavanaUmale! I intend to write more similar articles soon!

iasmina26  says:
5 months ago

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!

BristolBoy profile image

BristolBoy  says:
5 months ago

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!

iasmina26  says:
5 months ago

..and you should fairly admit London IS an expensive city and I would like it here!

BristolBoy profile image

BristolBoy  says:
5 months ago

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!

Jesus  says:
5 months ago

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!

mwaky profile image

mwaky  says:
5 months ago

cool hub with cool pics!

Maverick_999 profile image

Maverick_999  says:
4 months ago

i wonder why there is no dubai in this list, just kidding

thnks a bunch for info

BristolBoy profile image

BristolBoy  says:
4 months ago

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.

John  says:
3 months ago

Hey men .... just so wonderful hub of all time ... from where you get this awesome hubs ....

BristolBoy profile image

BristolBoy  says:
3 months ago

Thanks for taking the time to comment on this hub of the top 10 most expensive cities John!

sisters oregon  says:
5 weeks ago

Been to a few of those places but I think Geneva is next on my list.

Rudra profile image

Rudra  says:
3 weeks ago

Singapore is definitely expensive.

BristolBoy profile image

BristolBoy  says:
2 weeks ago

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!

Carlo  says:
2 weeks ago

I have livedin many different cities, but I thought that Moscow, Tokyo and Oslo werethe most expensive ones

BristolBoy profile image

BristolBoy  says:
2 weeks ago

Thats useful feedback Carlo, thanks!

KellyEngaldo profile image

KellyEngaldo  says:
5 days ago

Oh, I love traveling - one of my favorites! Now my radar has more great spots - thanks to you! My checkbook is frowning.

tracy_alfred profile image

tracy_alfred  says:
2 days ago

great hub

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Top 10 Most Expensive Cities In The World in the News

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