The 20 Most Expensive Cities in the World

Seeing what you can get in one city versus another is often all it takes to cause homeowners and families to feel as if it’s time to move. A 4,000 square foot home in some areas of Florida might go for around $200,000 whereas it would be well into the millions in a city such as Manhattan. The cost of living across the world is just so different that no one can really predict what will happen in the real estate market. But that doesn’t stop people from wondering which cities across the world are the most expensive – if only so that you can cross them off your list of potential relocations.

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Washington D.C.

When it comes to choosing some of the most expensive cities in the world, the nation’s capital makes the list. Not only is the cost of living here quite high in comparison to other cities around the world, the price of homeownership is also quite high. The average purchase price for a home here is approximately $460,000, which is well above the national average and really, really high in comparison to other cities across the country.

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Tokyo

The good news for those that live in Tokyo, the cost of living as far as buying a house has decreased just a bit over the past few years. However, the price of just about everything else is much higher than it is in the rest of the world. This very high-tech city is not inexpensive, and it’s one that is going to break the bank for many. Those who do work and live here are paid well, but it depends on which industry you’re in and where you live whether or not the expense of the city will get to you.

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Amsterdam

Amsterdam is a city in which many people love to visit and live. It’s lively and vibrant, and quite expensive. The city offers a hefty increase in prices here than other areas in the same vicinity and across the world. The city’s housing market is very lively, but the median cost of a house here is significantly higher than it is in other areas of the world. That’s why so many of the people who love this city love it from afar. It’s just too expensive.

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Honolulu, Hawaii

Living in one of the most beautiful cities in the world does not come cheap. In fact, it comes at a very hefty price. It all depends on where you live on the island, but even if you choose a home farther inland, you’re still paying a big price. The average price of a home in Honolulu is $685,000, which is even higher than it is in the nation’s capital. The good news is that other aspects of living here are a little more affordable, but they are still higher here than other places across the world.

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Stockholm

It was reported this month that the average price of a home in Stockholm fell around 5%, but that still does not make the cost of living here any more affordable. It’s a very expensive city, though it is a lovely city. With so much to offer in terms of work and other important life-related activities, it’s a very popular area. Those who visit find it very easy to fall in love with the city, assuming that the cost of living must be quite affordable. It’s not, however, and that’s why so many people around here have to spend so much just to get by.

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The Hauge, Netherlands

The name in and of itself is interesting. The Hauge; not just Hauge. That makes this city in the Netherlands all the more mysterious and interesting. Some people find it so impressive that a city they might never have heard of in the past has made it onto the list of the most expensive cities in the world, but that’s often how it happens. The cost of living here is quite high, and that includes everything from the price of a home to the price of groceries and even gas.

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Brisbane

Australia is a lovely country, but it’s not really a well-kept secret that the cost of living here is substantial. The average price of a home in Brisbane is more than half a million dollars, which is just insane. Some might not think so around here, but that’s average. That’s not the price of a home in a nice neighborhood. That’s the price of a starter home for a small family. Additionally, the cost of other living expenses are quite high, making this one of the most expensive cities in the world.

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San Francisco

If you want to live somewhere in which the cost of living is exorbitant, then San Francisco is your dream location. If you can afford it, you can buy a home here. The average price in the area is $1.18 million. This is higher than just about everywhere else in the country. The houses are expensive, but the good news is that the paychecks for professionals here are much larger than they are in some places. This means that you actually have a good chance of actually affording things here.

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New York City

The only place we can think of in the country that has a higher median home price than San Francisco – at least on this list of expensive cities – is the Big Apple. The average cost of a home here is just over $1.25 million, which is significant. Of course, it all depends on where you make the choice to live in the city, but it does seem that you can live anywhere around here and still pay more than most people pay to live anywhere else in the country. Additionally, the cost of living here in other aspects is also quite high.

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London

According to some statistics published recently, homeowners have a choice. You can buy one house in the London area or you can buy 25 houses in just about any city in Scotland. While the cost of living and homes in Scotland is among the lowest in the world, this is a factor that can kind of blow your mind. The cost of living in London is quite high, and people here pay far more for everyday items such as milk, wine and gas than they do in other cities across the world.

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Seoul, South Korea

Many people assume that South Korea is an inexpensive place to live. Perhaps it’s the fact that so many people would not consider this a very desirable area considering what is often in the news (though much of that is North Korean and people just don’t pay attention). However, the cost of living here is quite high. It’s higher in Seoul than anywhere else in South Korea, but that doesn’t change the fact that living here is going to cost you an arm and a leg.

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Hong Kong

If you take New York City and make it a comparison to the cost of living in Hong Kong, you’re going to want to spend your time in New York City. The cost of living in Hong Kong is so expensive that it makes Manhattan look like a rural town in the south where you see more mobile homes than actual homes. That’s just an example of the fact that just about everything you’ll purchase here is more expensive than it is anywhere else in the world.

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Copenhagen, Denmark

A very famous city, this Denmark location is also among the most expensive in the world. It’s not a light consideration either when you consider just how many cities in the world would seem as if they are more expensive. Homes, cars, gas, groceries and utilities are more expensive in Copenhagen than just about anywhere in the world, but the area is so lovely that people want to live here despite the fact they are not getting much bang for their buck.

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Geneva, Switzerland

It’s the city in which some of the most high end jewelry designers and watchmakers do business, and it’s a good example of the cost of living here. It’s just an expensive city. People who come to Geneva know that they’re paying for something special, and they’re happy to do it. But that doesn’t change the fact that it’s one of the most expensive locations across the world, and people are fighting to live here in the beauty that the city has to offer.

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Melbourne, Australia

It’s a famous city, and it’s also an expensive one. Melbourne is among the most expensive cities in eh world thanks to the cost of living, the housing market and the fact that even the least expensive things in other parts of the world are so expensive. It costs more to get gas and groceries here than it does around much of the world. Australia as a whole is pretty expensive if you take into consider just how many cities from this lovely country are on this list.

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Sydney, Australia

Australia is not a new place on this list; we’ve already discussed several Australian cities as being among the most expensive in the world, and Sydney is not an exception to this rule. The cost of living here is quite high, and the price of a home here is more expensive than many other cities in the area. It’s all about location, though, because the city is one of the most impressive and the most beautiful in the world.

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Zurich, Switzerland

The Swiss are known for being a bit extravagant, and the location is known for being beautiful. The entire country is breathtaking, but that kind of beauty does come at a price. The people that reside her spend more on things that you and I wouldn’t think twice to purchase than most anyone in the world. It’s pretty, and the job market is quite impressive. However, the cost of living here is so phenomenal that you cannot get over it.

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Oslo, Norway

Norway might not seem like it would be at the top of a list of expensive places in which to reside, but it’s capital is quite expensive. People that live here spend more on housing than most other people in the world. Additionally, the people who live here also spend more on their everyday items than others across the country. Things we pick up in the US for just a few dollars are so expensive in Oslo that most Americans might not be able to afford them.

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Paris

The city of romances and love is just one of the most expensive in the world. People know and expect this and so it does not come as much of a surprise to see this city listed near the very top of the most expensive cities in the world list. It is, however, a city that has so much to offer. The job market here is impressive, the people are impressive and the homes are stately and beautiful. The trendier homes are still expensive, the smaller homes are even more expensive than they are in the US and the locations are what you pay for.

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Singapore

If you were to run to the store here to pick up a bottle of wine to enjoy with dinner, a package of cigarettes with which to blacken your lungs and a loaf of bread so that you can make morning toast, you’d spend just over $39. Now, it all depends on the bottle of wine you’re drinking, but most of the people in the US could run to the store and get a $15 bottle of wine, cigarettes and bread for around $23. It’s just not the same thing in Singapore, where the cost of living is so much more expensive.

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