• World
  • cities

These Are the World’s Most Expensive Cities

1 minute read
Updated: | Originally published: ;

A biannual list of the world’s most expensive cities found little change to the top five, with Singapore retaining the top spot once again.

But among the top ten there was a bit of a shift. Ten years ago, Seoul was barely rounding out the top 50; now, the city is ranked alongside Hong Kong, which was once the third most expensive city. Though the majority of cities at the higher end of the study are in Asia, Western Europe and Australia, New York City rose from 26th to 22nd.

In Singapore, the study found, a loaf of bread, a bottle of wine, and a pack of cigarettes will together cost the equivalent of $39.11.

The Economist Intelligence Unit surveys the cost of living across the world every two years, comparing prices across about 160 product and service categories including food, rent, and recreational costs. About 50,000 prices were surveyed in 2014.

[Economist]

Read next: These Photographs Show What Life Is Like on $1 a Day

Listen to the most important stories of the day.

Singapore, Singapore
1. Singapore, SingaporeGetty Images
Paris, France
2. Paris, FranceGetty Images
Oslo, Norway
3. Oslo, NorwayGetty Images
Zurich, Switzerland
4. Zurich, SwitzerlandGetty Images
Sydney, Australia
5. Sydney, AustraliaGetty Images
Melbourne, Australia
6. Melbourne, AustraliaGetty Images
Geneva, Switzerland
7. Geneva, SwitzerlandGetty Images
Copenhagen, Denmark
8. Copenhagen, DenmarkGetty Images
Hong Kong, China
9. Hong Kong, ChinaGetty Images
Seoul, South Korea
10. Seoul, South KoreaGetty Images

More Must-Reads from TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com