I just reviewed a ranking of what is the most expensive city in the world to live in 2025, and honestly, the numbers are impressive. Zurich tops the list with 112.5 points, nearly 12.5% more expensive than New York, which is the reference point in this index. The crazy part is that the top six most expensive cities are all Swiss: Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Lausanne, Lugano, and Bern. It seems Switzerland simply dominates when it comes to high living costs.

I was surprised that New York is in seventh place with 100 points. That means many U.S. cities like San Francisco, Seattle, and Boston are below NYC in terms of cost of living, though they are still very expensive. Honolulu in Hawaii ranks ninth with 94.4 points, probably due to high housing prices on an island. In Asia, Singapore, Tel Aviv, and Hong Kong have the highest cost of living index according to the data.

What’s interesting is that the index is calculated considering housing, food, transportation, services, and entertainment. If a city has 112 points, it means living there is roughly 12% more expensive than New York. In Zurich, average monthly salaries range between 7,000 and 9,000 Swiss francs, which helps people afford these extreme prices. Geneva, home to the UN and WHO, is also brutally expensive with 111.4 points. Basel, known for its pharmaceutical industries, rounds out the podium with 110.7 points.

Europe clearly leads when it comes to the most expensive city in the world. Norway also appears several times in the top 25 with cities like Oslo, Bergen, and Stavanger. The United States has a strong presence with New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego on the list. What surprises me is how drastically the cost of living varies from one city to another, even within the same country. It seems that location and local industry are key factors in determining these prices.