I just reviewed the ranking of the most expensive cities in the world for 2025, and there are some interesting data points. It turns out that Switzerland virtually monopolizes the top of the list, with Zurich in first place with 112.5 points, followed by Geneva and Basel. If New York is the benchmark with 100 points, then living in Zurich is almost 12% more expensive. Quite crazy.

What surprised me is seeing how many U.S. cities also appear on the list of the most expensive cities. New York ranks seventh globally, but then you have San Francisco, Seattle, and Boston in the top 20. Honolulu is also quite high with 94.4 points. It seems that the California coast is particularly pricey.

In Asia, Singapore dominates with 85.3 points, although it’s much lower than the Swiss cities. Tel Aviv and Hong Kong also have high costs but not as much as I thought. Norway has several expensive cities—Oslo, Trondheim, Bergen—so Scandinavia in general is quite costly to live in.

The interesting part is that the cost of living considers housing, food, transportation, services, and local purchasing power. It’s not just about high prices, but about what it really costs to exist in that most expensive city in the world. Switzerland pays very well, which helps balance out expenses. In any case, it’s a good reminder of how much costs vary between cities.