I just reviewed the ranking of the most expensive cities to live in 2026, and the truth is that Switzerland continues to dominate completely. Zurich, Geneva, and Basel occupy the top spots with indices of 112.5, 111.4, and 110.7 respectively, meaning living there is between 10% and 12% more expensive than in New York. It's impressive how a single country controls the top six positions.

The interesting part is understanding which is the most expensive city in the world and why. The index is calculated by comparing prices of housing, food, transportation, and services against New York as a reference point with 100 points. Zurich leads because it combines very high salaries (7,000 to 9,000 CHF monthly) with astronomical living costs. It’s a global financial hub, so everything is inflated.

In the United States, New York sets the standard with 100 points, but we also have Honolulu (94.4), San Francisco (90.7), and Seattle (86) quite high. Salaries in tech compensate a bit, but the real estate market is out of control. Then there’s Singapore in Asia with 85.3, which is interesting because it shows how global financial centers maintain similar costs.

Norway also appears several times in the top 25 with Oslo, Trondheim, and Bergen, so Europe clearly dominates the ranking of the most expensive cities. If you’re looking for where it’s most expensive to live in the world, basically it’s Switzerland, and if you want the most expensive specifically, it’s Zurich. The contrast is brutal: while Zurich is at 112.5, cities like Amsterdam are at 75.9 and many others much lower. Clearly, the cost of living varies greatly depending on the region.