1. Countries
Source : numbeo.com
a) The 15 most expensive countries in the world
If we select countries with a population greater than 1 million inhabitants, the most expensive country in the world is Switzerland, followed by Norway and Denmark.
Comparison with other rankings :
- Top 15 most expensive countries in the world according to Movehub
Source : movehub.com – 2015
In this ranking, the country with the highest cost of living is Switzerland, followed by Norway and Denmark, similar to the ranking of Numbeo. We don’t take in account Venezuela (the official rate used by the government doesn’t reflect the real prices) and Iceland (its population is lower than 1 million inhabitants).
b) The 15 cheapest countries in the world
According to numbeo, the cheapest country in the world is India, followed by Moldova and Pakistan.
Comparison with other rankings :
- Top 15 cheapest countries in the world according to Movehub
Source : movehub.com
In this ranking, the country with the lowest cost of living is India, followed by Nepal and Pakistan. Unlike the previous ranking (numbeo), where Moldova was ranked as the second cheapest country in the world, Movehub puts it on the 6th cheapest place in the world. Pakistan takes a similar place, as the third cheapest country in the world.
2. Cities
a) The 15 most expensive cities in the world
Source : expatistan.com
And the data fits with what we saw previously, the biggest city of Switzerland is also the most expensive in the world. Geneva and London come close, followed by San Francisco and New York City.
Comparison with other rankings :
- Top 10 most expensive cities in the world according to Mercier
Source : Mercier.com – 2015
The largest city of Angola (2.8 million inhabitants), Luanda, is the most expensive city in the world. Zurich comes close on the third place of the ranking.
2. Top 10 most expensive cities in the world according to The Economist
Source : The Economist – Worldwide Cost of Living 2016
In this ranking, Singapore is the most expensive city in the world, followed closely by Zurich, equally expensive as Hong Kong. Geneva and Paris take the 4th and 5th place.
3. Top 10 most expensive cities in the world according to UBS
Source : UBS – Prices and Earnings 2015
According to UBS, the most expensive city in the world is Zurich (if excluding rent) or New York (if including rent).
b) The 15 cheapest cities in the world
Source : numbeo.com
According to numbeo, the cheapest city in the world is Chișinău, the capital of Moldova.
Comparison with other rankings :
- Top 10 cheapest cities in the world according to Mercier
Source : Mercier.com – 2015
According to Mercier, the cheapest city in the world is Bishkek, the Capital of Kyrgyzstan. The second cheapest city is Windhoek, the Capital of Namibia. Chișinău doesn’t appear on this ranking, but Minsk takes the 4th place, after Cap Town (South Africa).
2. Top 10 most expensive cities in the world according to The Economist
Source : The Economist – Worldwide Cost of Living 2016
2. Top 15 cheapest cities in the world according to UBS
Source : UBS – Prices and Earnings 2015
According to UBS, the cheapest city in the world is Kiev (Ukraine), followed by Sofia (Bulgaria) and Bucharest (Romania).
Vokupi 
Interesting to know. I had expected the Netherlands to be higher up (more expensive) for some reason.
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Me too ! I remember that I paid 8.50 euros for a Coca-Cola in a restaurant in Amsterdam…but that was probably a tourist trap 🙂
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Oh my god that was definitely a tourist trap! Around €2.50-3 would be average for Amsterdam. Stupid restaurant, hahah.
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