You've probably never heard of this number one: The ten most expensive cities in the world

A half liter of local beer costs around 10 euros in a restaurant here, while an imported 0.33 liter bottle costs just under 8 euros. You're unlikely to find bargains in the most expensive city in the world, just as you can't find them in the other nine cities in our ranking. We provide themten most expensive cities in the worldbefore. Spoiler: Half (!) of the places in our top 10 are in the same country.

Whether London, Paris or Copenhagen, Singapore, Dubai or New York, life in international metropolises is expensive.Cost of living, rent and restaurant prices– There are various factors that play a role in determining the most expensive cities in the world. We chose this ranking onCost-of-Living-Index von Numbeo, i.e. the cost of living. Amazing: The top 10 are separatedCities in just three countriestogether. And another spoiler: Munich is not even in the top 100.

San Joseranks tenth in our ranking of the most expensive cities in the world. Especially thoseCost of livingincluding food, transport and healthcare are comparatively high here. Why is that? The Californian city with a million inhabitants is located in the catchment area of ​​San Franciscoin the heart of Silicon Valley, one of the most technologically advanced andwealthiest regions in the world. Due to the high density of IT and start-up companiesDemand for housinghigh. Many well-paid professionals have moved to San Jose in recent years, driving up rental prices.

Honolulu, dieCapital of the US state of Hawaiiand ninth place in the Numbeo evaluation, is not only one of the most expensive cities in the USA, but, depending on the ranking, one of the most expensive in the entire world. They are here tooCost of livingvery high compared to many other cities in the USA and worldwide. One of the reasons is certainly the location: Honolulu is located on the south coast of the island of O'ahu in the middle of the Pacificgeographically isolated. Many goods have to be imported, which significantly increases the cost of food in supermarkets and restaurants. There's a costa quick six euros. The prices are high, but anyone who has ever been to the coast of Hawaii on onestand, know what it's worth!

Eighth place in our ranking also goes to a US city in California:San FranciscoLike its neighbor San Jose, it is also one of the most expensive cities in the world. Here too he hasTechnology treeled to an influx of well-paid professionals willing to pay high prices to live in the city. While hippies used to create a casual, relaxed atmosphere, today it's IT nerdsand laptops that shape the cityscape. But depending on the district, appearances can be deceiving: downtown San Francisco is struggling with vacant commercial space and many homeless people.

AlsoNew York City– one of the– is one of the world’s most expensive metropolises. The, which attracts people from all over the world, has become increasingly spruced up over the past few decades. By the 1990s at the latest, New York wasincreasingly safer and more attractive – and therefore more expensive. Not even 9/11 could slow down this development. Today New York City is aglobal financial, media and economic center– absurdly high cost of living and real estate prices included.

Switzerland is generally known for its high cost of living; Food, dining and services are higher than in many other European cities.Geneva, cultural and economic center of French-speaking Switzerland, is one of theTop 5 most expensive Swiss citiesand ranks sixth among the most expensive cities in the world. The prices in the French-speaking Swiss city are strongly influenced by theirRole as an international financial hub. Geneva is, along with the New York UN headquarters, the second headquarters of the United Nations and also houses the World Health Organization. The offices, just like the banks and financial service providers present in the city, attract well-educated peopleTop earners from all over the worldan.

Bern, dieCapital of Switzerland, is also an expensive place. The tranquil city generally offers onehigh quality of life and stable political situation, which is reflected in the costs of housing, food and services. ThePrices for food and restaurant visitsare high. Would you like an example? A normal dinner in a restaurant, veal ragout with Bernese Rösti, for example, can easily cost 25 to 40 Swiss francs (the equivalent of 27 to 43 euros).

Similar to what Bern hasLausannehas recently caught up in terms of cost of living and ranks fourth among the most expensive cities in the world in our ranking. Just like Geneva, the city in western Switzerland offers onevery high quality of life with a beautiful location on Lake Genevaand well-developed infrastructure. Lausanne is known for itsrenowned educational institutions, such as the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and the University of Lausanne. These institutions attract many international students and professionals, which also includes theDemand for housingand the costs for this increase.

No matter how you spin it,Zürichappears in various rankings of both the world's most expensive, but also themost livable citiesalways in the top places. The city, idyllically located on Lake Zurich with a view of the Swiss Alps, is considered one of themost important financial centers in the world; Some IT companies have also settled here. Thishigh concentration of wealthas well as theexceptionally high quality of lifewith an excellent infrastructure and a wide range of cultural offerings contribute to the high cost of living in Zurich. When visiting a restaurant you sometimes have to go deepgrab.

Baselis an important oneCenter for the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, well-known companies have their headquarters in the city on the Rhine and attract many skilled workers, which also increases both the cost of living and the demand for living space. TheLocation in the border triangleon the border with Germany and France also makes Basel an important trade and transport hub, which is what theCity economically attractive, but it also makes it expensive. And so Basel takes second place in our ranking of the world's most expensive cities. But there is a city outside of Switzerland and the heart of Europe that is even more expensive according to the Numbeo index.

Even number one in our ranking is not a metropolis of millions, but one of the smallest capitals in the world:Hamilton, dieCapital of Bermuda, is by far the most expensive city in the world. As a group of islands in the Atlantic, the Bermudas - similar to Hawaii -heavily dependent on imports, almost all consumer goods have to be imported. The costs for goods and services are correspondingly high. Simple products like, bread and fruit are significantly more expensive than in many other countries. At the same time, Hamilton offers onehigh quality of lifewith a pleasant climate, beautiful beaches and a stable political situation.

The factors that contribute to the high prices in many cities are varied and closely related. If you don't look at the cost of living in the Numbeo index as above, but ratherbased on rental prices, our ranking looks a little different. Because in many of the world's most expensive citiesDemand for living space high, while the offer is due to thelimited land or building areais - which leads to a shortage of housing andRents and property prices rise sharplylets. For many, the extremely high rental and property purchase prices are unaffordable. In particular, the prices for apartments in sought-after locations, for example around New York's Central Park in Manhattan, are unaffordable for most people. What's particularly striking is that when it comes to rents, only two Swiss cities are in the top 20. Here is our ranking of the most expensive cities, if you only consider thoseRental prices taken into account.

Diemost expensive cities in the world vary depending on the sourceand the numbers and criteria used; also areRankings are subject to annual fluctuations, depending on economic developments, exchange rates and other factors. Based on evaluations and lists from previous years, this often also includesAsian metropolisessuch as Tokyo, Singapore and Hong Kong as wellEuropean capitalslike Paris, London and Copenhagen are among the most expensive cities in the world. These metropolises are not in our top 10; instead, Swiss cities take five out of ten places.

Zurich and Geneva appear again and again in evaluations of the world's most expensive cities. In fact, the cost of living in Switzerland is among the highest in the world. “Zurich, Basel and Geneva don’t give each other much,” saysProf. Dr. Peter Moser, Professor of Economicsat the Center for Economic Policy Research (ZWF) at the Graubünden University of Applied Sciences in (the not so expensive Swiss city) Chur. The decisive factor in such rankings is always thatExchange rate, said the economist. "The Swiss franc has been brutally strong recently, which is why many Swiss cities are at the top of the rankings of the most expensive cities in the world."

Why is the country in the middle of Europe, also known in technical jargon as a “high-price island,” so expensive? Switzerland has a strong and stable economy. That is certainly a factorhigh productivityof the country, says Prof. Dr. Peter Moser. "Switzerland has a high economic output, and wages are correspondingly high." Specifically: education and healthcare are among the most expensive in the world, but...Employees are also well paid. Nursing and teaching staff earn significantly more in Switzerland compared to other countries. “Even in the low-wage segment, for example in the catering industry, wages are comparatively high,” explains the economic expert. "So people earn well in nominal terms, but they also have to pay a lot for their living."

They are particularly high in SwitzerlandRents and property prices, especially in cities. Nevertheless, rent prices in Basel are no higher than in New York City. “In general, Switzerland is expensive, and rents in cities are correspondingly high,” confirms Prof. Dr. Moser. For many people it is not easy to find affordable housing. Despite the high costs in many places, Switzerland offers onehigh quality of life. And so Swiss cities are not only among the most expensive cities in the world, but also in rankings relating to quality of life. However, one looks in vain for them among the.

Our ranking is based on thatCost of Living Index by City 2024by Numbeo. Various data are analyzed and compared with the prices of the global metropolis New York City, for example living costs such as restaurant visits, groceries and public transport, but also average salaries.