The most expensive city in the world is located next to the second largest freshwater lake in Central Europe.
Numbeo publishes the world's most expensive full-service hotels in its database, which is updated every six months. To calculate the index, which examines the cost of living in cities around the world, factors such as food prices, restaurant meal costs and local purchasing power are examined, and the data is then aggregated to arrive at an “overall cost of living” score.
Geneva tops the rankings in 2024: the Swiss city has a total cost of living of 101.7, making it the most expensive city in the world at the moment.
The Swiss city is a true gem, so it’s no wonder prices are sky-high. The city is located next to Lake Geneva, the second largest freshwater lake in Central Europe after Lake Balaton.
Geneva is followed closely by Zurich, followed by New York in third place, San Francisco in fourth place, and Boston in fifth place. Thus, US cities dominate the list, but it is worth noting that the index does not take into account housing rents. Taking these factors into account, the US’s dominance would be even stronger.
Here are the 10 most expensive cities in the world in 2024:
- Geneva
- Zurich
- New York
- San Francisco
- Boston
- Reykjavik
- Washington DC
- Seattle
- Los Angeles
- Chicago
Our post about the list from two years ago can be found here.
(Roadster)
(Cover image: View of St. Pierre Cathedral from Lake Geneva. Photo: Harold Cunningham/Getty)