Cities differ not only in their architectural appearance, infrastructure, layout and size, but also in the price they have to pay for the opportunity to live here, and not anywhere else.
Today we bring to your attention the ten most expensive cities of 2012.
When compiling the rating, the experts took into account the cost of more than 160 products and services, such as clothing, food, transportation, rent and tuition fees in private schools.
10. Frankfurt Germany. The fifth largest city in Germany is an important financial and transport center of the Eurozone. The number of residents, taking into account the suburbs, is about 2 million people.
9. Singapore (Republic of Singapore). The famous city-state in Southeast Asia, despite the shortage of space, has an attractive investment climate and provides a high standard of living for the population of about 5 million people.
8. Melbourne Australia. The state capital of Victoria and Australia's second largest city are inhabited by 4 million people. The metropolis is considered the industrial, financial and commercial center of the continent.
7. Sydney Australia. The largest city is also the most expensive to live on the continent. Despite the high cost of the consumer basket, thousands of emigrants from all over the world come to Sydney to settle in Australia. Today the population of the city is about 4.5 million people.
6. Paris France. This European capital is not only the most important economic and cultural center of the state, but also has international significance, hosting the headquarters of organizations such as UNESCO, OECD and the International Chamber of Commerce. The number of inhabitants of this expensive but attractive city today is 10.5 million people.
5. Oslo Norway. The number of inhabitants of the capital of Norway is only approaching the millionth mark. The political and economic center of the country attracts mainly Norwegians of working age (70% of the population), who are able to provide themselves with a decent standard of living, regardless of high prices.
4. Osaka Japan. Japan's third largest city is traditionally considered the trading and industrial capital of this island nation. Today, the population of Osaka includes more than 2.6 million people. Not every Japanese can afford to permanently reside in this expensive metropolis, so many, while working in Osaka, live in the suburbs. During working hours, the number of people in the city increases by 40 percent.
3. Geneva (Gen? Ve), Switzerland. The smallest of the cities included in our rating has a population of only 515 thousand people. Geneva today is a recognized world diplomatic and financial center. It has branches and headquarters organizations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, the UN, WHO and many others.
2. Tokyo Japan. The largest of our ten cities with a population of 34 million people, taking into account the suburbs. Officially, Tokyo is not a city, but a prefecture consisting of 62 cities, towns and rural communities. When talking about the city of Tokyo, it most often means the administrative borders that existed before 1943. Within these borders of Tokyo live 13 million Japanese. The capital of the country of the rising sun is a recognized global financial, industrial and cultural center.
1. Zurich (Z? Rich), Switzerland. In the most expensive city in the world today, just over a million people live, taking into account the suburbs. In addition to the first place in our ranking, Zurich in 2011 took second place in the ranking of the 25 best cities in the world, published in Monocle magazine, as well as silver in the list of the safest cities in the world. Zurich is one of the most important global financial centers in which many banks and insurance companies have placed their headquarters.
