Different experts call the most expensive cities in the world in recent years the same cities. They only move in the rating table: some cities, fortunately for their residents, give way to first places, and some, on the contrary, tend to the highest rate.
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According to the Economist Intelligence Unit at the beginning of March 2014, this year Singapore led the list of the most expensive cities in the world, having displaced Tokyo from first place. In both Singapore and Tokyo, there is a tendency for a marked increase in food prices, but by the beginning of spring this year, Singapore also had higher transport prices than in all cities in the world.
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Paris is the second most expensive city. His eternal historical rival London has not even entered the top ten. But here everyone chooses for himself. If for someone it is enough to “see Paris and die”, then many choose the city of all lovers for permanent residence, despite the cost of food, transport and housing - one of the most expensive in the world.
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Following Paris, as if breathing in his back, European cities such as Oslo, Zurich, Geneva and Lausanne follow. And, if the capital of Norway, Oslo has always been included in the list of the most expensive cities according to the EIU rating, then by 2014 the jump in prices for social services brought it to third place. Well, the prices of the main components of an ordinary food basket: milk, bread and cereals in Oslo are much more expensive than in other cities of the world.
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Three cities of beautiful, peaceful Switzerland also took their rightful places in the ranking. Geneva is in 4th place, while Zurich and Lausanne are slightly lower. And this is not surprising. The Swiss are ready to pay for their high standard of living, security and peace, paying one of the highest income taxes in the world to the state treasury.
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In Sydney, the strong growth trend of the Australian dollar has led to the fact that the capital of Australia occupies one of the highest positions in the ranking of expensive cities in the world. The growth of the national currency is an indicator of the welfare of residents, which affects the level of taxes. For tourists, this is an indicator of the high cost of renting vehicles and hotel services.
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Caracas, unlike Sydney, is an expensive city for completely different reasons. The high cost of prices in this Venezuelan city is denied by its location and the fact that almost all food products are delivered to it from afar. Plus, the predatory pricing policy of the country's authorities, artificially inflating prices even for essential goods.
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But Melbourne, to the delight of its inhabitants, has noticeably fallen in price. Last year, he took the 4th place in the rating. Its presence in the top ten most expensive cities in the world is influenced by the fact that this city, like Zurich in Europe, is the headquarters for all banks in the Asia-Pacific region, which is why it has one of the highest income taxes.
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Copenhagen closes 10 expensive cities. Although a year ago he was in the second ten. Residents of this beautiful Scandinavian city have to pay high prices for comfort, convenience, perfect service and the attractiveness of their city. Yes, housing and medicine in Copenhagen are at a consistently high level.
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San Francisco and New York remain the most expensive cities in America, but they are not among the ten most expensive cities in the world. Their place is in the second ten, as is the place of Moscow. In 2014, a dozen of the most expensive cities in the world look like this: Singapore, Paris, Oslo, Zurich, Sydney, Tokyo, Caracas, Geneva, Melbourne, Copenhagen.
note
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) calculates cost of living indices for 131 cities in the world twice a year. The starting point for EIU experts is the cost of living in New York.
