Most Expensive Cities by Cost of Living Index 2026

Source: Wikipedia

Most Expensive Cities by Cost of Living Index 2026

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Key Findings

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Hong Kong leads in Cost of Living Index (NYC = 100) with 127 in 2026.

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Average Cost of Living Index (NYC = 100) in 2026: 102 · median: 98.50.

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Gap in 2026: Hong Kong is 1.6× larger than Tokyo (Japan).

About This Dataset

Most Expensive Cities by Cost of Living Index 2026

Cities ranked by overall cost of living index in 2026 according to Mercer Cost of Living Survey and ECA International data, benchmarked against New York City as the reference city. Hong Kong and Zurich compete at the top of global cost of living rankings — with expatriate accommodation, international schooling, and consumer goods commanding prices that make them among the most expensive places on Earth for internationally mobile workers, even before the extraordinary property prices that characterise both cities.

Analysis

Hong Kong (127), Zurich (Switzerland) (124) and Geneva (Switzerland) (121) take the top three in Cost of Living Index (NYC = 100) in 2026. Values run from 127 at the top to 78 at the bottom, a spread of 49. First and second are separated by 3, so the leader sits inside the field rather than apart from it. Below the top two the field is tightly packed: the remaining 6 run from 121 down to 78.

Data Insights Below

Data Insights

Numbers, trends & sources behind this chart

Admin

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Data Points

8 categories · 1 year

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Top Value

127

Hong Kong

Cost of Living Index (NYC = 100) · 2026

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Metrics

Cost of Living Index (NYC = 100)

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Period

2026

Single year snapshot

Methodology & source

Data source: Wikipedia
Coverage: 8 entities · 2026 · 8 observations
Measure: Cost of Living Index (NYC = 100)
Last updated: 6 September 2026
Compiled by: The ANYSTAT team, from the source above

How the figures are calculated

Values use the measure and unit named on this page. Consult the dataset description and cited source for coverage, definitions and any unit conversions. Displayed values may be rounded for readability.
Entities are ranked highest-first on their value in 2026.

Rankings & Full Data

8 records · Cost of Living Index (NYC = 100) · ranked by 2026

✓ 8 sourced

#	Category	2026
🥇	Hong Kong	127
🥈	Zurich (Switzerland)	124
🥉	Geneva (Switzerland)	121
4	New York (USA)	100
5	Singapore	97
6	London (UK)	89
7	Sydney (Australia)	82
8	Tokyo (Japan)	78

Data Sources & References

All external sources cited in this dataset

1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cost_of_living Visit ↗

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APA

ANYSTAT. (2026). Most Expensive Cities by Cost of Living Index 2026 [Data set]. Data: Wikipedia. https://anystat.ai/stats/506/most-expensive-cities-cost-of-living-2026

MLA

"Most Expensive Cities by Cost of Living Index 2026." ANYSTAT, 6 Sep. 2026, https://anystat.ai/stats/506/most-expensive-cities-cost-of-living-2026.

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Most Expensive Cities by Cost of Living Index 2026