I just reviewed a 2025 ranking of the most expensive cities in the world to live in, and honestly, Switzerland completely dominates. Zurich, Geneva, and Basel occupy the top three spots, with indices of 112.5, 111.4, and 110.7 respectively. Everything there is expensive: housing, food, transportation. But what's interesting is that wages are also much higher, ranging from 7,000 to 9,000 CHF per month.

The methodology is quite clear: they compare the cost of living in each city with New York, which serves as a reference point with 100 points. If a city scores 112, it means it is approximately 12% more expensive than New York. In the case of Zurich, living there costs 12.5% more than in New York City.

Outside of Switzerland, New York itself is the seventh most expensive city in the world with a score of 100. Then come American cities like Honolulu (94.4), San Francisco (90.7), and Seattle (86). What's surprising is that even Los Angeles and San Diego are in the top 25. In Asia, Singapore (85.3), Tel Aviv (81.2), and Hong Kong appear lower on the list.

Norway also has several expensive cities: Oslo, Trondheim, Bergen, and Stavanger are all on the ranking. Copenhagen in Denmark and Amsterdam in the Netherlands complete the European picture.

What catches my attention is how Switzerland literally monopolizes the top six spots. After Bern, which closes the Swiss list with 103.4, only then does New York appear. This really shows the cost gap that exists. The index takes into account housing, food, transportation, services, entertainment, and local purchasing power, so it’s not just a factor but the overall cost of living in these most expensive cities in the world.