I noticed that 2025 has brought interesting changes to the ranking of the most expensive city in the world. Switzerland continues to dominate completely, with Zurich ranking first with an index of 112.5, followed by Geneva and Basel. Basically, the top six positions are all occupied by Swiss cities.

What struck me is how New York serves as a reference point with 100 points. If a city has 112, it means living there costs 12% more than in New York. Thinking about it, it's quite crazy to consider that Zurich is still more expensive than the Big Apple.

America still has several cities in the top 25, especially on the coast: San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, and Los Angeles all appear on the list. Honolulu is interesting because it reaches 94.4 points despite being an island. In Europe, Norway competes well with cities like Oslo and Bergen, while Singapore represents Asia with 85.3 points.

But here’s the most relevant data: six of the top six most expensive cities in the world are located in Switzerland. Switzerland is simply in a category of its own when it comes to urban living costs. Housing, food, transportation, everything is significantly above the global average. In Zurich, monthly salaries range from 7,000 to 9,000 Swiss francs to compensate for this, but it remains a challenge for many.

What stands out when observing this data is the concentration of wealth. The most expensive cities in the world tend to be financial hubs or technological centers: Zurich for finance, San Francisco for technology, Geneva for international organizations. It’s interesting to note how this reflects where global capital is truly concentrated.