15 World’s Most Expensive Cities

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Trying to figure out where what city you want to explore to for the next chapter in your life? Or maybe you have already checked out a collection of living costs from online surveys like Expatistan but have many questions on why there are some cities that have higher living costs than others? There are cities that have certain things that other cities might have, for example, large capital cities have the capacity to employ workers with higher wages than smaller cities. The wage gaps between large cities and small cities can cause a difference in living costs for food, electricity, water, transportation, etc.

Here we will cover 15 of the most expensive cities and why they are expensive.

1. urich, Switzerland

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The average take-home pay is $5,600 per month for a normal working joe. However, Zurich is a bad place to visit (unless you have enough funds). Expect to pay around $90-115 a day for living, food, and walking instead of public transportation.

2. Geneva, Switzerland

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The price for an average house in Geneva can easily cost you over a million dollars. Even a tube of toothpaste costs around $7. Going out for a dinner, you should expect to pay at least $70 for dinner for two. However, what causes the price for everything to become expensive in this city is by the fact that everything is highly maintained and given proper care.

3. Singapore

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According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, Singapore was the most expensive city in the world in 2014. However, it is actually the most expensive city for expats, not residents. Buying your own car can cost $125,000 whereas in another country, or city, it costs $40,000. The taxes are high but are highly maintained to help expand Singapore.

4. Stockholm, Sweden

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Living costs in Stockholm can be pretty expensive for newcomers but can still be shrunken down if you are frugal. Expenses made for food are what make this city expensive.

5. Perth, Australia

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Perth is going through a mining boom, causing an extreme increase in living costs due to the extractions industry offering their workers up to $200,000 a year. A lot of these workers don’t live in the Perth permanently, so the businesses of Perth raise the costs for food and temporary housing for their high-wage working guests.

6. Hong Kong

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If you plan on living in Hong Kong as an expat or for visiting purposes, ready your wallet because this place is pretty expensive. Monthly renting costs for a small one-bedroom flat can cost around $2,000 near the slums area or $5,000 for a furnished one-bedroom flat.

7. San Francisco, California

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San Francisco is the city that is known as the home of tech giants. Many people that live in San Francisco already have high paying jobs, but if you plan to expat in this place, it would cost a fortune to settle here. Renting a small one-bedroom apartment can be expensive, as cheap as $2,000 a month, even at the minimum wage of $10.55 an hour, you would still need another full-time job to help pay off the bills.

8. The Hague, Netherlands

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As one of the two largest cities in the Netherlands, The Hague is more of a rural and homey type of city. Although it may look like your home back in your small town, renting a one-bedroom apartment can be pretty expensive at around $1,000 a month. The minimum wage in The Hague is $1,360 a month (after taxes and health insurance bills).

9. Tokyo, Japan

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Tokyo is a very expensive city just by the looks of it. There are six main points from this city that are commonly known to be more expensive than other cities or countries: restaurants serve small portions for high prices, fruits are considered luxurious, school fees, alcohol is almost twice the price of US beverages, movie tickets, and skin care products.

10. Wellington, New Zealand

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Wellington is a city in New Zealand that is full of beautiful scenery and sheep. What makes Wellington such an expensive place to live in is that every commodity is imported.

11. Oslo, Norway

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Oslo is considered to be one of the most expensive cities to live in based on their high tax rate. A Big Mac combo meal from McDonald’s can cost $16 in Oslo, even though prices in other countries can be around $3-5. However, look on the bright side, citizens that pay their taxes have access to free healthcare and university education.

12. London, England

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The rent and council taxes are quite expensive in London, enough for a person that lives all the way in Barcelona to commute to his job in London through air travel back and forth.

13. Lausanne, Switzerland

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Lausanne is a small town in the Alps full of gorgeous sceneries. It is quite a small city with a population of around 150,000 people. Since this is in Switzerland, taxes are high enough to become a huge deal whether to expat in this place or not.

14. New York City, New York

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If you think of moving to New York City, the cost to rent should be something to consider. According to studies, a person needs 3.5 full-time minimum wage jobs to handle a two-bedroom apartment in New York City.

15. Sydney, Australia

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Famous for their Sydney Opera House, there are a lot more things to do in this metropolis. However, if you plan on staying in this city, be prepared to face expensive housing prices that can cost hundreds of thousands of US dollars for a one-floor two-bedroom house.


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