Here are the world’s most expensive cities

Mar 20, 2019

By Herb Scribner

Paris is now one of the most expensive cities in the world, according to a new survey.

BBC News reported that Paris topped the rankings for the world’s most expensive city. Hong Kong and Singapore joined the top of the list as well. All three cities tied for first.

Paris previously ranked as the second-most expensive city last year in the annual Economist Intelligence Unit survey.

The full list:

1. Singapore (Singapore)
1. Paris (France)
1. Hong Kong (China)
4. Zurich (Switzerland)
5. Geneva (Switzerland)
5. Osaka (Japan)
7. Seoul (South Korea)
7. Copenhagen (Denmark)
7. New York (U.S.)
10. Tel Aviv (Israel)
10. Los Angeles (U.S.)

Method: The survey determined the cost of living for 133 cities across the world. It reviewed prices for items like bread and commonly bought products, and identified how much each city’s cost of living dropped or rose compared against New York City, which is the benchmark for the survey.

By the numbers: The survey points to one example to show how expensive Paris has become. The average price for a woman’s haircut is roughly $119.04, compared to $73.97 in Zurich and $53.46 in Osaka, Japan.

“European cities tend to have the highest costs in the household, personal care, recreation and entertainment categories — with Paris being a good representative in these categories — perhaps reflecting a greater premium on discretionary spending,” said the report’s author, Roxana Slavcheva, according to BBC News.