Just looked at the latest Cost of Living Index data for 2025, and it's pretty wild how concentrated wealth really is. Switzerland absolutely dominates—six of the top expensive cities in the world are all Swiss. Zurich leads at 112.5, meaning it's about 12.5% pricier than New York, with Geneva and Basel right behind it. The salaries there (CHF 7,000-9,000 monthly) help offset costs, but still.

What caught my eye is how the US cities cluster around the same tier. New York anchors the index at 100 as the baseline, but Honolulu, San Francisco, Seattle, and Boston all rank surprisingly high. California really dominates with multiple entries—seems like tech industry demand keeps pushing housing costs up there. Even LA and San Diego made the top 25.

Norway's another interesting pattern—Oslo, Trondheim, Bergen, and Stavanger all show up. Meanwhile, Asia's representation is thinner than I expected. Singapore and Hong Kong rank lower than most people think, and Tel Aviv is the only Middle Eastern city in the top 25. Makes you wonder if purchasing power calculations matter more than raw prices.

Basically, if you're looking at the world's most expensive cities to live in, you're looking at Switzerland first, then scattered US tech hubs and Nordic countries. Europe really does dominate this list.