I noticed something interesting while looking at global living cost data. The most expensive cities in the world in 2025 are practically all in Switzerland, isn't that crazy? Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Lausanne, Lugano, and Bern occupy the top six spots. Zurich is in first place with 112.5 points, which means living there costs about 12.5% more than in New York.

Anyway, New York remains the benchmark with 100 points, and from there downward, things change drastically. In the United States, besides New York, Honolulu, San Francisco, and Seattle are among the most expensive. In Asia, Singapore, Tel Aviv, and Hong Kong stand out with fairly high indices, but still lower than Swiss cities.

What strikes me is how Switzerland completely dominates this ranking. It’s not just a matter of high housing prices, but everything contributes: food, transportation, entertainment. In Zurich, monthly salaries range from 7,000 to 9,000 Swiss francs, so at least purchasing power compensates a bit. But it still remains surreal to see how the most expensive cities in the world are concentrated in a single country. Europe in general is expensive, but Switzerland is in a league of its own.