The 10 Most Expensive Cities In The World, Ranked
Published 08/31/2026
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Article Highlights
1
Explore a cost-of-living ranking designed to compare expenses for international employees.
2
The article profiles cities in that ranking while showing that a resident or employee budget is different from a visitor's travel budget.
Article Sections
1Los Angeles, United States
2Nassau, Bahamas
3London, United Kingdom
4New York City, United States
5Bern, Switzerland
AuthorVoyajeBoard Editors
Published08/31/2026
Read4 min
#trip-planning
Mercer’s 2024 Cost of Living City Ranking compares expenses for international employees, helping employers plan compensation for assignments abroad. It ranked 226 cities using a basket of more than 200 items, with prices and exchange rates from March 2024. It is not a ranking of the cost of a short vacation.
The profiles below count back from tenth place to first in that historical ranking, not a new 2025 or 2026 league table. The two US profiles also include separately dated census measures; the other profiles do not substitute national income or unverified housing figures for city-level data. For your own trip, compare accommodation, transport, meals, and activities for the same dates and currency.
The following ten entries reflect the Mercer ranking cited in this article; compare its date and methodology before using it to estimate your own travel budget.
Los Angeles, United States
Population (2020 Census) - 3,898,747
Median Household Income (2020 to 2024, in 2024 USD) - $81,939
Median Monthly Gross Rent (2020 to 2024, USD) - $1,933
Median Value of Owner-Occupied Homes (2020 to 2024, USD) - $921,200
For Los Angeles, the census measures describe resident households and occupied housing over a stated period. They are not new-lease asking rents, current home-sale prices, or hotel quotes. Choose the part of the city that fits your itinerary, then compare the accommodation and transport costs together.
Nassau, Bahamas
Mercer International Employee Cost Rank, 2024 - 9
Nassau’s position describes the survey’s international-employee costs, not the price every visitor will pay. A room quote, a longer rental, and a property purchase answer different questions. Compare the length of stay, included charges, and cancellation terms before using one as a guide to another.
London, United Kingdom
Mercer International Employee Cost Rank, 2024 - 8
For a London visit, compare the full accommodation price for your dates with the journeys your itinerary requires. A resident’s monthly rent cannot simply be divided into a hotel-night budget. Check the actual room, location, and transport costs rather than assuming the city’s survey position settles the choice.
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New York City, United States
Population (2020 Census) - 8,804,190
Median Household Income (2020 to 2024, in 2024 USD) - $80,483
Median Monthly Gross Rent (2020 to 2024, USD) - $1,821
Median Value of Owner-Occupied Homes (2020 to 2024, USD) - $777,600
The New York City census figures cover the whole city, not Manhattan alone, and the housing measures cover 2020 to 2024. They provide resident context rather than a forecast of future prices. For a stay, compare specific accommodation quotes and the routes to the places you plan to visit.
Bern, Switzerland
Mercer International Employee Cost Rank, 2024 - 6
Bern’s placement does not tell you the median income of its households or what your own stay will cost. Keep city and national figures separate, and do not assume a Swiss national average applies equally to Bern, Basel, Geneva, and Zurich.
Basel, Switzerland
Mercer International Employee Cost Rank, 2024 - 5
Basel’s rank is a cost comparison, not a verdict on quality of life. For a short visit, price the room and activities you want rather than treating a higher cost as evidence of a better experience. Keep the quoted currency and any conversion date visible.
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Geneva, Switzerland
Mercer International Employee Cost Rank, 2024 - 4
Geneva was fourth in Mercer’s published 2024 table, not third. That historical position concerns an international assignment budget. It cannot establish that the city’s appearance or reputation caused the price of an individual booking.
Zurich, Switzerland
Mercer International Employee Cost Rank, 2024 - 3
Zurich is the highest-placed Swiss city in this 2024 list. Compare an actual stay there on its own terms: the room, travel dates, included meals, and local journeys. A shared country does not make the four Swiss profiles interchangeable budgets.
Singapore
Mercer International Employee Cost Rank, 2024 - 2
Singapore’s second-place position concerns international employees’ living costs. It does not show how many residents struggle to save or establish why a particular household does so. For a trip, use the accommodation, dining, and transport choices you actually intend to buy rather than a generalized account of residents’ finances.
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Hong Kong
Mercer International Employee Cost Rank, 2024 - 1
Hong Kong leads the 2024 employee-cost ranking discussed here. That is a dated survey result, not a prediction that every type of stay will cost more than in every other city. Property-purchase prices and population density do not determine a visitor’s room quote; compare the actual accommodation, fees, dates, and currency.
Sources
Places Mentioned In This Article
Takeaways
1.
Read the ranking in the context of its survey year and intended audience.
2.
Build your own trip estimate from accommodation, transport, meals, and activities rather than using a city's rank as a price quote.
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