World’s Most Expensive Cities in 2026

According to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2026 Worldwide Cost of Living Index, Swiss cities dominate the list of the world’s most expensive places, while New York and Reykjavik also rank high.

January 2, 2026, 7:37 PM

The Economist Intelligence Unit has released its 2026 Worldwide Cost of Living Index, revealing the world’s most expensive cities. The report shows that Switzerland continues to dominate the rankings, with six of its cities occupying the top positions.

2026 Global Ranking

Zurich, Switzerland – 118.5
Geneva, Switzerland – 116.5
Basel, Switzerland – 112.4
Lausanne, Switzerland – 111.5
Lugano, Switzerland – 110.1
Bern, Switzerland – 110.0
New York, NY, United States – 100.0
Reykjavik, Iceland – 98.9
Honolulu, HI, United States – 98.2
San Francisco, CA, United States – 97.6

The report highlights that Swiss cities dominate the top of the list, reflecting the country’s strong currency and high living standards. New York remains the most expensive city in the United States, while Reykjavik continues to climb in the rankings due to rising costs in Northern Europe. Paris did not make the top 10 this year, and only one Asian city, Singapore, appears in the list.

Economic Drivers

The index, covering 549 cities worldwide, shows that global price increases in 2026 were driven by currency fluctuations, supply chain disruptions, energy costs, and geopolitical tensions. The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and raw material shortages have significantly impacted consumer prices.

High-demand products such as computers and electronics saw sharp price increases in several cities, while basic goods were affected differently depending on local economic conditions. In countries with weaker currencies, prices remained relatively lower, but poverty levels rose, highlighting the uneven impact of global inflation.

Rank	City	Cost of Living Index
1	Zurich, Switzerland	118.5
2	Geneva, Switzerland	116.5
3	Basel, Switzerland	112.4
4	Lausanne, Switzerland	111.5
5	Lugano, Switzerland	110.1
6	Bern, Switzerland	110.0
7	New York, NY, United States	100.0
8	Reykjavik, Iceland	98.9
9	Honolulu, HI, United States	98.2
10	San Francisco, CA, United States	97.6
11	Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel	91.4
12	Seattle, WA, United States	90.3
13	Oslo, Norway	90.2
14	Singapore, Singapore	87.7
15	London, United Kingdom	87.5
16	Washington, DC, United States	87.3
17	San Jose, CA, United States	86.4
18	Boston, MA, United States	86.2
19	Charleston, SC, United States	86.0
20	Copenhagen, Denmark	85.7
21	Bergen, Norway	85.6
22	Oakland, CA, United States	85.2
23	Trondheim, Norway	84.9
24	Ramat Gan, Israel	83.7
25	Berkeley, CA, United States	83.5
26	Jerusalem, Israel	83.0
27	Stavanger, Norway	82.7
28	Amsterdam, Netherlands	82.6
29	San Diego, CA, United States	82.0
30	Anchorage, AK, United States	81.5
31	Los Angeles, CA, United States	81.5
32	Aalborg, Denmark	80.9
33	Luxembourg, Luxembourg	80.6
34	Haifa, Israel	80.0
35	Irvine, CA, United States	79.6
36	Miami, FL, United States	79.5
37	Haarlem, Netherlands	79.5
38	Sacramento, CA, United States	79.2
39	Aarhus, Denmark	78.9
40	Philadelphia, PA, United States	78.8
41	Stockholm, Sweden	78.6
42	Paris, France	78.6
43	Arlington, VA, United States	77.5
44	Odense, Denmark	77.3
45	Utrecht, Netherlands	77.3
46	New Orleans, LA, United States	77.1
47	Dublin, Ireland	76.7
48	Espoo, Finland	76.4
49	Petah Tikva, Israel	76.3
50	Oxford, United Kingdom	76.2
51	Jersey City, NJ, United States	76.2
52	Munich, Germany	76.1
53	Chicago, IL, United States	76.0
54	Beersheba, Israel	75.9
55	Fort Lauderdale, FL, United States	75.5
56	Guildford, United Kingdom	75.4
57	Atlanta, GA, United States	75.3
58	Portland, OR, United States	75.2
59	Hong Kong, Hong Kong (China)	75.2
60	Sydney, Australia	75.1
61	Denver, CO, United States	75.1
62	Strasbourg, France	74.7
63	Rotterdam, Netherlands	74.6
64	Brighton, United Kingdom	74.5
65	Helsinki, Finland	74.3
66	Delft, Netherlands	74.2
67	Frankfurt, Germany	74.0
68	Cambridge, United Kingdom	73.9
69	Vienna, Austria	73.9
70	Marseille, France	73.9
71	Dusseldorf, Germany	73.9
72	Brussels, Belgium	73.5
73	Nice, France	73.4
74	Heidelberg, Germany	73.4
75	Gent, Belgium	73.2
76	Milan, Italy	73.1
77	Edinburgh, United Kingdom	73.0
78	Colorado Springs, CO, United States	73.0
79	Dallas, TX, United States	72.9
80	The Hague (Den Haag), Netherlands	72.3
81	Lyon, France	72.2
82	Cork, Ireland	72.2
83	Galway, Ireland	71.9
84	Hamburg, Germany	71.9
85	Baltimore, MD, United States	71.8
86	Wiesbaden, Germany	71.7
87	Eindhoven, Netherlands	71.7
88	Antwerp, Belgium	71.6
89	Darmstadt, Germany	71.6
90	Phoenix, AZ, United States	71.6
91	Minneapolis, MN, United States	71.5
92	Buffalo, NY, United States	71.5
93	Stuttgart, Germany	71.5
94	Cologne, Germany	71.4
95	Reading, United Kingdom	71.3
96	Graz, Austria	71.3
97	Spokane, WA, United States	71.2
98	Canberra, Australia	71.2
99	Leiden, Netherlands	71.2
100	Bristol, United Kingdom	71.1
101	Augsburg, Germany	70.9
102	Essen, Germany	70.8
103	Melbourne, Australia	70.8
104	Saint Louis, MO, United States	70.7
105	Southampton, United Kingdom	70.4
106	Gold Coast, Australia	70.4
107	Nashville, TN, United States	70.3
108	Pittsburgh, PA, United States	70.2
109	Bordeaux, France	70.1
110	Dortmund, Germany	70.0
111	Tampa, FL, United States	70.0
112	Manchester, United Kingdom	70.0
113	Berlin, Germany	70.0
114	Malmo, Sweden	69.8
115	Charlotte, NC, United States	69.8
116	Kiel, Germany	69.7
117	Florence, Italy	69.5
118	Columbus, OH, United States	69.4
119	Bonn, Germany	69.4
120	Brescia, Italy	69.3
121	Toulouse, France	69.1
122	Richmond, VA, United States	69.0
123	Orlando, FL, United States	69.0
124	Indianapolis, IN, United States	69.0
125	Madison, WI, United States	69.0
126	Nuremberg, Germany	69.0
127	Dresden, Germany	68.8
128	Karlsruhe, Germany	68.7
129	Gothenburg, Sweden	68.7
130	Victoria, Canada	68.7
131	Groningen, Netherlands	68.7
132	Birmingham, United Kingdom	68.6
133	Turku, Finland	68.6
134	Uppsala, Sweden	68.5
135	San Juan, Puerto Rico	68.4
136	Leeds, United Kingdom	68.4
137	Bologna, Italy	68.3
138	Mannheim, Germany	68.3
139	Bremen, Germany	68.2
140	Seoul, South Korea	68.2
141	Adelaide, Australia	68.2
142	Perth, Australia	68.0
143	Hanover, Germany	67.9
144	Glasgow, United Kingdom	67.8
145	Raleigh, NC, United States	67.8
146	Las Vegas, NV, United States	67.7
147	Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom	67.7
148	Oklahoma City, OK, United States	67.5
149	Vancouver, Canada	67.5
150	Toronto, Canada	67.5
151	Limerick, Ireland	67.4
152	Milton Keynes, United Kingdom	67.3
153	Vancouver, WA, United States	67.3
154	Leipzig, Germany	67.3
155	York, United Kingdom	67.2
156	Cardiff, United Kingdom	67.0
157	Bournemouth, United Kingdom	67.0
158	Fort Worth, TX, United States	66.9
159	Erlangen, Germany	66.8
160	Aachen, Germany	66.8
161	Salt Lake City, UT, United States	66.7
162	Boise, ID, United States	66.7
163	Treviso, Italy	66.6
164	Kansas City, MO, United States	66.6
165	Lille, France	66.5
166	Austin, TX, United States	66.4
167	Bolzano-Bozen, Italy	66.2
168	Lethbridge, AB, Canada	66.1
169	Liverpool, United Kingdom	66.1
170	Belfast, United Kingdom	65.9
171	Villach, Austria	65.9
172	Grenoble, France	65.9
173	Milwaukee, WI, United States	65.7
174	Montpellier, France	65.6
175	Lund, Sweden	65.5
176	Nottingham, United Kingdom	65.4
177	Cleveland, OH, United States	65.2
178	Tulsa, OK, United States	65.0
179	Knoxville, TN, United States	64.9
180	Brisbane, Australia	64.8
181	Coventry, United Kingdom	64.8
182	Tallinn, Estonia	64.8
183	Saskatoon, Canada	64.6
184	Jacksonville, FL, United States	64.5
185	Rochester, NY, United States	64.5
186	Calgary, Canada	64.5
187	Kitchener, Canada	64.3
188	Padova, Italy	64.3
189	Tucson, AZ, United States	64.0
190	Trento, Italy	64.0
191	Limassol, Cyprus	63.9
192	Houston, TX, United States	63.9
193	Guelph, Canada	63.8
194	St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada	63.8
195	Rome, Italy	63.4
196	Sliema, Malta	63.3
197	Halifax, Canada	63.3
198	Albuquerque, NM, United States	63.2
199	Kelowna, Canada	63.1
200	Sheffield, United Kingdom	63.1
201	San Antonio, TX, United States	63.1
202	Wellington, New Zealand	63.0
203	Regina, Canada	63.0
204	Cagliari, Italy	62.9
205	Ann Arbor, MI, United States	62.6
206	Auckland, New Zealand	62.5
207	Cincinnati, OH, United States	62.5
208	Leuven, Belgium	62.5
209	Mississauga, Canada	62.4
210	Genoa, Italy	62.3
211	Columbia, SC, United States	62.2
212	Edmonton, Canada	62.1
213	Dubai, United Arab Emirates	61.8
214	Trieste, Italy	61.8
215	Ottawa, Canada	61.7
216	Bergamo, Italy	61.2
217	Quebec City, Canada	60.6
218	Turin, Italy	60.1
219	Madrid, Spain	60.0
220	Valletta, Malta	60.0
221	Montreal, Canada	59.9
222	Winnipeg, Canada	59.8
223	London, Canada	59.8
224	Reggio Nell’emilia, Italy	59.8
225	Prague, Czech Republic	59.6
226	Christchurch, New Zealand	59.4
227	Remagen, Germany	59.3
228	Barcelona, Spain	59.2
229	Naples, Italy	59.0
230	Palma de Mallorca, Spain	59.0
231	Hamilton, Canada	58.9
232	Split, Croatia	58.6
233	Huntsville, AL, United States	58.5
234	Pisa, Italy	58.2
235	Nicosia, Cyprus	58.0
236	Athens, Greece	57.9
237	Ljubljana, Slovenia	57.4
238	Montevideo, Uruguay	57.2
239	Tartu, Estonia	57.1
240	Kingston, Canada	56.8
241	Paphos, Cyprus	56.6
242	Bari, Italy	56.4
243	Heraklion, Greece	55.3
244	Riga, Latvia	54.9
245	Larnaca, Cyprus	54.7
246	Taipei, Taiwan	54.7
247	Bilbao, Spain	54.6
248	Bratislava, Slovakia	54.5
249	Ras al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates	54.4
250	Lisbon, Portugal	54.2
251	Tokyo, Japan	54.2
252	Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates	54.1
253	Zagreb, Croatia	53.7
254	Rijeka, Croatia	53.6
255	Oviedo, Spain	53.6
256	San Jose, Costa Rica	53.5
257	Warsaw, Poland	53.5
258	Thessaloniki, Greece	53.4
259	Brno, Czech Republic	53.2
260	Vilnius, Lithuania	53.0
261	Kaunas, Lithuania	52.7
262	Kosice, Slovakia	52.2
263	Catania, Italy	51.9
264	Malaga, Spain	51.4
265	Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain	51.3
266	New Taipei City, Taiwan	51.1
267	Budapest, Hungary	51.1
268	Alicante, Spain	50.9
269	Plzen, Czech Republic	50.8
270	Sharjah, United Arab Emirates	50.7
271	Valencia, Spain	50.6
272	Ostrava, Czech Republic	50.5
273	Seville (Sevilla), Spain	49.9
274	Gdansk, Poland	49.7
275	Doha, Qatar	49.7
276	Tirana, Albania	49.5
277	Krakow (Cracow), Poland	49.5
278	Wroclaw, Poland	49.4
279	Monterrey, Mexico	49.3
280	Porto, Portugal	49.3
281	Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain	49.3
282	Granada, Spain	48.9
283	Buenos Aires, Argentina	48.8
284	Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia	48.5
285	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	48.4
286	Pecs, Hungary	48.3
287	Beirut, Lebanon	48.0
288	Taichung, Taiwan	47.6
289	Belgrade, Serbia	47.6
290	Moscow, Russia	47.5
291	Lodz, Poland	47.3
292	Coimbra, Portugal	47.2
293	Panama City, Panama	47.0
294	Braga, Portugal	46.6
295	Poznan, Poland	46.6
296	Bucharest, Romania	46.3
297	Sofia, Bulgaria	46.2
298	Ajman, United Arab Emirates	46.1
299	Mexico City, Mexico	45.9
300	Debrecen, Hungary	45.7
301	Varna, Bulgaria	45.5
302	Manama, Bahrain	45.3
303	Abidjan, Ivory Coast	45.2
304	Novi Sad, Serbia	45.0
305	Szczecin, Poland	44.8
306	Kuwait City, Kuwait	44.7
307	Katowice, Poland	44.7
308	Queretaro (Santiago de Querétaro), Mexico	44.6
309	Cluj-Napoca, Romania	44.6
310	Muscat, Oman	44.3
311	Vladivostok, Russia	44.0
312	Jeddah (Jiddah), Saudi Arabia	43.9
313	Istanbul, Turkey	43.8
314	Phuket, Thailand	43.7
315	Brasov, Romania	43.7
316	Caracas, Venezuela	43.5
317	Cordoba, Argentina	43.5
318	Osaka, Japan	43.5
319	Constanta, Romania	43.4
320	Sarajevo, Bosnia And Herzegovina	42.8
321	Addis Ababa, Ethiopia	42.6
322	Amman, Jordan	42.5
323	Yerevan, Armenia	42.4
324	Podgorica, Montenegro	42.3
325	Merida, Mexico	42.2
326	Santiago, Chile	41.9
327	Pretoria, South Africa	41.6
328	Bangkok, Thailand	41.4
329	Ad Dammam, Saudi Arabia	41.3
330	Timisoara, Romania	41.3
331	Makati, Philippines	41.2
332	Guadalajara, Mexico	41.0
333	Yekaterinburg, Russia	40.7
334	Izmir, Turkey	40.6
335	Burgas, Bulgaria	40.6
336	Iasi, Romania	40.5
337	Johannesburg, South Africa	40.4
338	San Salvador, El Salvador	40.3
339	Saint Petersburg, Russia	40.3
340	Bursa, Turkey	40.2
341	Antalya, Turkey	40.1
342	Plovdiv, Bulgaria	40.1
343	Craiova, Romania	39.9
344	Cape Town, South Africa	39.6
345	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic	39.4
346	Tyumen, Russia	39.2
347	Ankara, Turkey	38.9
348	Shanghai, China	38.8
349	Harare, Zimbabwe	38.7
350	Sibiu, Romania	38.6
351	Oradea, Romania	38.3
352	Skopje, North Macedonia	38.1
353	Mersin, Turkey	38.0
354	Beijing, China	38.0
355	Phnom Penh, Cambodia	37.9
356	Pattaya, Thailand	37.9
357	Nis, Serbia	37.7
358	Windhoek, Namibia	37.4
359	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	37.4
360	Bali, Indonesia	37.3
361	Eskisehir, Turkey	37.2
362	Shenzhen, China	37.0
363	Kazan, Russia	36.9
364	Novosibirsk, Russia	36.8
365	Sao Paulo, Brazil	36.8
366	Accra, Ghana	36.6
367	Tbilisi, Georgia	36.6
368	Suzhou, China	36.6
369	Guayaquil, Ecuador	36.6
370	Kaliningrad, Russia	36.5
371	Chisinau, Moldova	36.5
372	Ufa, Russia	36.3
373	Guangzhou, China	36.2
374	Samara, Russia	36.2
375	Krasnodar, Russia	36.1
376	Tangier, Morocco	36.1
377	Nizhny Novgorod, Russia	36.1
378	Tomsk, Russia	35.8
379	Rostov-on-Don (Rostov-na-donu), Russia	35.7
380	Chelyabinsk, Russia	35.5
381	Lima, Peru	35.5
382	Manila, Philippines	35.4
383	Durban, South Africa	35.3
384	Casablanca, Morocco	35.2
385	Colombo, Sri Lanka	35.1
386	Hangzhou, China	35.1
387	Chiang Mai, Thailand	34.8
388	Medellin, Colombia	34.4
389	Kuching, Malaysia	34.4
390	Rabat, Morocco	34.4
391	Erbil (Irbil), Iraq	34.2
392	Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia	34.1
393	Baghdad, Iraq	33.8
394	Florianopolis, Brazil	33.7
395	Stara Zagora, Bulgaria	33.6
396	Quito, Ecuador	33.6
397	Penang, Malaysia	33.5
398	Cebu, Philippines	33.5
399	Perm, Russia	33.3
400	Campinas, Brazil	33.2
401	Almaty, Kazakhstan	33.0
402	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	32.9
403	Joao Pessoa, Brazil	32.9
404	Bogota, Colombia	32.8
405	Marrakech, Morocco	32.7
406	Quezon City, Philippines	32.4
407	Baku, Azerbaijan	32.3
408	Porto Alegre, Brazil	32.2
409	Nairobi, Kenya	32.0
410	Brasilia, Brazil	32.0
411	Minsk, Belarus	32.0
412	Kiev (Kyiv), Ukraine	31.9
413	Belo Horizonte, Brazil	31.6
414	Changsha, China	31.6
415	Fortaleza, Brazil	31.5
416	Salvador, Brazil	31.1
417	Dnipro, Ukraine	31.0
418	Curitiba, Brazil	31.0
419	Cali, Colombia	30.9
420	Tunis, Tunisia	30.7
421	Nanjing, China	30.6
422	Batumi, Ajara, Georgia	30.5
423	Cuenca, Ecuador	30.5
424	Wuhan, China	30.0
425	Davao, Philippines	30.0
426	Asuncion, Paraguay	29.8
427	Jakarta, Indonesia	29.8
428	Astana (Nur-Sultan), Kazakhstan	29.7
429	Odessa (Odesa), Ukraine	29.7
430	Lviv, Ukraine	29.5
431	Tashkent, Uzbekistan	29.4
432	Algiers, Algeria	29.2
433	Recife, Brazil	29.1
434	Dar es Salaam, Tanzania	28.8
435	Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan	28.8
436	Pristina, Kosovo (Disputed Territory)	28.8
437	Dushanbe, Tajikistan	28.6
438	Hanoi, Vietnam	28.4
439	Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam	28.2
440	Chengdu, China	28.0
441	Surabaya, Indonesia	27.8
442	Kampala, Uganda	27.6
443	Chongqing, China	27.2
444	Kharkiv, Ukraine	26.9
445	Mumbai, India	26.3
446	Da Nang, Vietnam	26.3
447	Kigali, Rwanda	25.9
448	Dhaka, Bangladesh	25.3
449	Bandung, Indonesia	24.9
450	Gurgaon, India	24.7
451	Kathmandu, Nepal	23.8
452	Cairo, Egypt	23.2
453	Tehran, Iran	23.1
454	Delhi, India	23.0
455	Pune, India	22.8
456	Islamabad, Pakistan	22.8
457	Bangalore, India	21.9
458	Noida, India	21.9
459	Hyderabad, India	21.7
460	Alexandria, Egypt	21.6
461	Ahmedabad, India	21.2
462	Giza, Egypt	20.9
463	Chandigarh, India	20.9
464	Karachi, Pakistan	20.8
465	Chennai, India	20.7
466	Thane, India	20.7
467	Rawalpindi, Pakistan	20.6
468	Vadodara, India	20.6
469	Lahore, Pakistan	20.3
470	Bhubaneswar, India	19.4
471	Patna, India	19.4
472	Bhopal, India	19.2
473	Kolkata, India	19.2
474	Kochi, India	19.0
475	Jaipur, India	19.0
476	Surat, India	18.7
477	Indore, India	18.4
478	Lucknow (Lakhnau), India	17.8
479	Coimbatore, India	17.6

In conclusion, the 2026 Worldwide Cost of Living Index confirms Switzerland’s dominance in global living costs, while cities like New York, Reykjavik, and Singapore reflect broader economic trends shaping consumer prices worldwide.