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From rising train fares to extortionate monthly rent, eye-watering house prices and pints now costing as much as £8, we all know London is an expensive place to be (sorry to remind you). In a recent Time Out survey only 16 percent of Londoners said that a night out here is affordable and just 35 percent agreed that restaurant prices are reasonable.
Every year, wealth migration firm Henley & Partners reveals its ranking of the 50 most expensive cities in the world. And it’ll come as no surprise that London is up at the top of the list.
The Big Smoke was named the fourth most expensive city in the world for 2025, beneath Monaco, New York and Hong Kong.
Each city was ranked according to the average square metre price of a ‘prime’ 100- to 200-square-metre apartment. Here in London, luxury flats that size go for an average of $24,000 (just over £18,000) per square metre. You can see the full top ten here.
Of course, for a city’s real estate to be so damn spenny, there’s got to be a lot of rich people around buy it up. And with 215,700 millionaires and 33 billionaires, Henley & Partners placed London sixth in its roundup of the wealthiest cities on the planet.
It’s not all so bad. There are plenty of ways that you can make the most of London on a budget. Just take a look at our guides to having an (almost) free night out in the city, the best cheap eats and the greatest free things to do.
The most expensive street in London has been revealed for 2025.
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