I just checked where the most expensive cities in the world are in 2025, and honestly, it's mind-blowing. Switzerland practically monopolizes everything: Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Lausanne, Lugano, and Bern occupy the top 6 spots. Zurich leads with 112.5 points (12.5% more expensive than New York), followed by Geneva at 111.4. The thing is, these places also have very high salaries, so for those living there, it’s more balanced.

What’s interesting is how this is measured. They use New York as the baseline reference with 100 points. If a city scores 112, it’s 12% more expensive; if it scores 60, it’s 40% cheaper. They compare housing, food, transportation, services, entertainment, and local purchasing power. With this methodology, the most expensive cities in the world are clearly concentrated in Europe.

In the United States, New York is the most expensive city in the country (100 points, seventh globally), followed by Honolulu (94.4), San Francisco (90.7), and Seattle (86). Los Angeles and San Diego also make the top 25 with 76.3 points each. The California real estate market definitely has a big influence.

Outside of Switzerland and the U.S., Norway has several expensive cities on the list: Oslo (84.3), Trondheim (83), Bergen (81.4), and Stavanger (79). In Asia, Singapore is the most expensive on the continent with 85.3, followed by Tel Aviv (81.2), and Hong Kong further down. Denmark and the Netherlands also appear with Copenhagen (81.3) and Amsterdam (75.9).

The conclusion is clear: if you’re looking for where the most expensive cities in the world are, Europe completely dominates. Switzerland is the most expensive country overall, but there are costly cities scattered in Norway, Denmark, and the UK. In America, the cost of living is concentrated on the east and west coasts of the U.S., especially where there’s demand for tech. It’s interesting to see these differences from year to year.