I just reviewed the ranking of the most expensive cities in the world for 2025 and things are pretty crazy. It turns out Switzerland almost monopolizes everything: Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Lausanne, Lugano, and Bern occupy the top six spots. It’s no coincidence, honestly.

What’s interesting is how the index works. They take New York as the baseline with 100 points. Zurich is at 112.5, which means living there is about 12.5% more expensive than Manhattan. Geneva follows very closely with 111.4, and Basel with 110.7. When you see the numbers, you understand why so many people talk about how expensive it is to live in those Swiss cities.

What’s surprising is that New York barely appears in seventh place with exactly 100. Honolulu is at 94.4, San Francisco at 90.7. In the United States, there are several cities in the top 25, but nothing compared to what’s happening in Switzerland. In Asia, Singapore, Tel Aviv, and Hong Kong are the closest, but they’re still quite low on the list.

The calculation is pretty simple in theory: they compare prices of housing, food, transportation, services, entertainment. All that adds up to a final number. If a city has 60, it means it’s 40% cheaper than New York. That straightforward.

But here’s the interesting part: although Zurich is the most expensive city in the world, salaries there are also huge. Between 7,000 and 9,000 Swiss francs per month, which is about $7,900 to $10,170. So even though everything is more expensive, the people living there also earn a lot more. It’s like a strange balance.

Norway also has a strong presence with Oslo, Trondheim, Bergen, and Stavanger on the ranking. Europe literally dominates when it comes to expensive cities. The conclusion is obvious: if you want to live in the most expensive city in the world, Switzerland is practically guaranteed to be your destination.