Hong Kong, And Singapore Most Expensive Cities To Live In The World

Hong Kong, Singapore and Zurich are currently the costliest cities for international workers in 2024, according to Mercer’s cost-of-living data report. These three cities have maintained their positions in Mercer’s rankings from the previous year. On the other hand, the cities with the lowest living costs are Islamabad, Lagos, and Abuja.

Most expensive cities in Asia

In addition to Hong Kong and Singapore, the other most expensive cities in Asia include Shanghai (23), Beijing (25) and Seoul (32), as per the report. Some of the least expensive cities in the region are Karachi (222), Bishkek (223) and Islamabad (224). The report analyzed 226 cities, comparing the cost of over 200 items in each location, such as transportation, food, clothing, household goods, and entertainment.

Highest Indian city

Meanwhile, Mumbai is the highest Indian city taking 136th place, while the national capital, Delhi moved up 4 spots to 165th place. Other Indian cities that feature on the list include Chennai (189), Bengaluru (195), Hyderabad (202), Pune (205) and Kolkata (207). Expensive housing markets and increased costs for transportation, goods and services are among the reasons why the cost of living in the top ranking cities is particularly high, as per the report.

Most expensive city in the Middle East

Dubai has risen in the rankings to become the most expensive city in the Middle East for international employees, now placed 15th globally, up three spots from 2023. The second most costly city in the region is Tel Aviv, which has fallen eight places to 16th. Following Tel Aviv are Abu Dhabi at 43rd, Riyadh at 90th, and Jeddah at 97th.

Other expensive cities

European cities feature heavily in the top 10 most expensive places to live. In addition to the four Swiss cities, London has joined the top 10 ranking in 8th place. Other expensive cities in the region include Copenhagen (11), Vienna (24), Paris (29) and Amsterdam (30). The two most affordable cities are Lagos (225) and Abuja (226), both located in Nigeria (on the African continent).