I just reviewed a ranking of where it is most expensive to live currently, and the truth is that the numbers are quite revealing. Switzerland completely dominates the list: Zurich, Geneva, and Basel occupy the top spots as the most expensive cities in the world. Zurich leads with an index of 112.5 compared to New York (which is the benchmark at 100), meaning living there costs approximately 12.5% more than in the American city.

What’s interesting is that Switzerland virtually monopolizes the top 6. Lausanne, Lugano, and Bern are also there, confirming that it is definitely the most expensive country to live in. But it’s not just Europe: New York remains brutally expensive (index 100), followed by American cities like Honolulu, San Francisco, and Seattle with high indices. Singapore, Tel Aviv, and Hong Kong also appear in the top positions in Asia.

To understand better, the index compares prices of housing, food, transportation, services, and entertainment. If the most expensive city in the world has a score of 112, living there is 12% more costly than in New York. If it drops to 60, it’s 40% cheaper. For example, salaries in Zurich range between 7,000 and 9,000 Swiss francs per month, which explains why people can afford to live in the most expensive city in the world.

Europe clearly leads the ranking of expensive cities, with Norway also highly represented (Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger). Interestingly, although Switzerland has six cities in the top 6, the United States makes up for it with multiple entries throughout the ranking: New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, Los Angeles, and San Diego are all in the top 25. So if you’re looking for where it’s most expensive to live globally, you should definitely target Switzerland or the major U.S. metropolises.