From all around the globe
Toyko, meaning "Eastern capital," became the capital oj Japan in 1868. Prior to that, it was a small fishing village called Edo.
Singapore is one of only three surviving city-states in the world, the other two being Vatican City and Monaco.
Hong Kong was founded in 1997 and is home to about 7.5 million people.
Zurich is only home to about half a million people, but its status as global banking and finance center has made it incredibly expensive.
Beirut is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.
Geneva is surrounded by the Alps and Jura mountains and is also another hub for global banking and diplomacy.
Bern counts on the presence of parliament, government, and foreign embassies.
Being the largest city and capital of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat is home to around 5.5 million people.
The Chinese ancient capital sprawls 16,411 km² and has a population of around 21 million.
Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, London Bridge, and a plethora of historic sites are just some of the factors making London such a sought-after place to live, which drives prices up.
Founded in April 1909, the beach city is widely considered the first modern Hebrew city.
The capital city of Denmark boasts an incredibly large amount of Michelin-starred restaurants for such a relatively small city.
The Big Apple has had the status of making or breaking a person since its beginnings because it's incredibly competitive and expensive to survive there.
Internet costs per month (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) would cost US$400 on average a month.
The average monthly net salary (after tax) is US$7,435.66. The average salary is a good indicator of costs for everyone.
To send a child to preschool in Tokyo will cost around US$250 a week on average.
A small one-bedroom apartment in the city center won’t cost anything less than around US$2,000 a month.
The average cost of sending one child to primary school per year there is US$18,000.
The average cost per meal (three courses) for two people there is US$166.
You can expect to pay around US$7 for a gallon of milk from a supermarket.
Sending one child to an international primary school for a year will cost around US$25,000.
The cost of basic utilities for a 915 sq ft apartment is US$256.31.
The cost of sending a child to primary school for a year there is US$37,000.
A one-bedroom apartment in the city center will cost around US$2,500.
A gallon of milk there costs around US$6.
The cost of a small one-bedroom apartment to rent is nothing less than US$1,200 in the city center.
The Mercer Cost of Living Survey looks at cities around the world every year and ranks them based on factors like the cost of housing, food, transport, and much more expenses that are synonymous with city living. The cities that make these kinds of lists are often somewhat predictable, but this year there have been some unexpected changes, with American cities like New York trailing further behind.
To discover the most expensive cities in the world to live in (in no particular order) and how much living actually costs, click through this gallery.
The cost of living in cities fluctuates for many reasons. Childcare, utilities, taxes, healthcare, and rent are huge factors. These are all in turn affected by the economy as a whole (employment, infrastructure, policies, recessions, etc.).
Sources: (Mercer) (Thrillist) (Numbeo)
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2021's most expensive cities to live in
Some of these may surprise you
LIFESTYLE City life
The Mercer Cost of Living Survey looks at cities around the world every year and ranks them based on factors like the cost of housing, food, transport, and much more expenses that are synonymous with city living. The cities that make these kinds of lists are often somewhat predictable, but this year there have been some unexpected changes, with American cities like New York trailing further behind.
To discover the most expensive cities in the world to live in (in no particular order) and how much living actually costs, click through this gallery.