We all know that cities like NYC, Boston and San Francisco are expensive, but it turns out those cities—and four others in the U.S.—rank among the most expensive places to live in the entire world. Data company Numbeo released its mid-year 2024 Cost of Living Index by City, and seven U.S. cities made the top 10.
To compile the Index, Numbeo looks at a variety of factors and scores cities based on cost of living, rent, cost of living plus rent, groceries, restaurant prices and local purchasing power. The index is updated twice a year as these costs fluctuate.
Two cities in Switzerland top the list of the most expensive cities in the world: Geneva at number one and Zurich at number two. At number three is New York City, with the highest cost of living of all U.S. cities. The Index uses NYC as a baseline, giving the city a score of 100, then ranks other cities based on whether they are more expensive or less expensive. Zurich and Geneva are just .4 percent and 1.7 percent more expensive than NYC, respectively.
Following NYC on the list are San Francisco, Boston, Reykjavik (the only other top 10 most expensive cities not in the U.S.), Washington, D.C., Seattle, Los Angeles, and Chicago. San Diego, Portland (Oregon) and Tampa complete the list of the most expensive cities to live in the U.S.
Find the full report on the Numbeo website.
The 10 most expensive cities in the world
- Geneva, Switzerland
- Zurich, Switzerland
- New York, NY, United States
- San Francisco, CA, United States
- Boston, MA, United States
- Reykjavik, Iceland
- Washington, DC, United States
- Seattle, WA, United States
- Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Chicago, IL, United States