The latest Cost of Living City Ranking by Mercer sees two Dutch cities - Amsterdam and The Hague - claim spots in the top 50 to be named some of the most expensive metropolises in the world.

Mercer’s Cost of Living City Ranking 2023 

With 2023 marking the 29th edition of Mercer’s Cost of Living City Ranking, researchers at the American consulting firm assessed prices in 227 cities across five continents. This year’s ranking measured the comparative costs of over 200 items and services in each location across 10 categories: 

• Housing
• Transportation
• Utilities
• Food
• Domestic Supplies
• Home Services
• Personal Care
• Clothing and Footwear
• Recreation and Entertainment
• Alcohol and Tobacco

Once again, New York City was used as a baseline for all price comparisons, with currencies around the world measured against the US dollar. The prices used in the study were collected during a survey conducted in March 2023.

Hong Kong once again claims the highest spot in Mercer’s ranking, with this year’s top 10 dominated by Swiss cities: four of the 10 most expensive cities in the world can be found in Switzerland. Meanwhile, down at the other end of the spectrum is Pakistan’s Islamabad, which claimed 227th place in the ranking.

Cost of living remains high in Dutch cities

While 2021 saw Amsterdam rise to once again be named one of the 50 most expensive cities in the world, last year brought even worse news for the Dutch capital, as the city claimed 25th place overall. The results of this year’s research are therefore slightly more positive, with the city falling three places to be ranked the 28th most expensive city in the world - and the eighth most expensive European city.

The Hague, meanwhile, sees its position rise slightly compared to last year, with the Dutch administrative capital claiming 46th place in the latest Cost of Living City Ranking. On a continental scale, The Hague ranked 15th in Europe. 

Top 10 most expensive cities in the world

According to the Cost of Living City Ranking 2023, the top 10 most expensive cities in the world are:

1. Hong Kong
2. Singapore
3. Zurich
4. Geneva
5. Basel
6. New York City
7. Bern
8. Tel Aviv 
9. Copenhagen
10. Nassau

For more information about the ranking, visit Mercer's website.

Thumb: Mistervlad via Shutterstock.com.