I just reviewed an analysis of the cost of living in different cities around the world and was quite surprised to see which city is the most expensive in 2025. It turns out Zurich in Switzerland takes the top spot with an index of 112.5, meaning living there is approximately 12.5% more expensive than in New York. Geneva and Basel are also in the top 3, so basically Switzerland completely dominates the ranking.

The interesting thing is that New York, which many consider the most expensive city in the United States, only reaches the baseline with 100 points. But cities like San Francisco, Seattle, and Boston are not far behind, with indices between 86 and 90. Honolulu is another curious case, probably due to housing costs on an island.

In Asia, Singapore leads with 85.3, followed by Tel Aviv and Hong Kong further down the list. What caught my attention is that the highest cost of living in the world remains concentrated in Europe, especially in Switzerland, where 6 of the top cities are Swiss. The index is calculated by comparing prices of housing, food, transportation, and services with New York as the base.

If someone asks what the most expensive city in the world to live in is, the clear answer is Zurich. Although salaries there are also quite high, ranging between 7,000 and 9,000 Swiss francs per month, which helps balance expenses. Still, it’s impressive to see how some cities can be almost twice as expensive as others in terms of daily cost of living.