Switzerland is officially the most expensive nation on earth to live in, according to a report from the CEOWORLD magazine. European countries were prominent on the most expensive list, of the top-twenty nations, nine were in Europe, five in Asia, one in North America, one in Africa, two in the Caribbean, and two in Oceania.

Norway ranks second in the list of the world’s most expensive countries to live, followed by Iceland, Japan, Denmark, Bahamas, Luxembourg, Israel, Singapore, and South Korea.

Should none of those appeals, a little further down the list you’ll find the United States (20th), the United Kingdom (27th), Saudi Arabia (57th), and Russia (82nd).

To identify the world’s most and least expensive countries to live in, CEOWORLD magazine collected and reviewed data from dozens of studies; consumer price index; Numbeo Cost of Living Index; numerous national; and international media reports. CEOWORLD magazine based its assessment on a range of living costs, such as accommodation, clothing, taxi fares, utility, internet, the price of groceries, transport, and eating out. The rankings are based on five major metrics: cost of living, rent, groceries, eating out and purchasing power.

These data are then compiled into an index, using the notoriously expensive city of New York City (NYC) as a benchmark. New York was given an index score of 100.

So a country with a score higher than 100 is more expensive than New York, while below signals that it is cheaper. As a reference point, the average score for Germany was 65.26, making it the 29th most expensive country in which to live.

On the other side of the spectrum, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is the world’s most affordable country to live in, followed by Afghanistan, India, Syria, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tunisia.

Most Expensive Countries In The World To Live In, 2020

Rank Country Cost of Living Index Rent Index Cost of Living Plus Rent Index Groceries Index Restaurant Price Index Local Purchasing Power Index 1 Switzerland 122.4 50.25 87.89 120.27 123.01 119.53 2 Norway 101.43 36.15 70.21 91.14 109.28 88.38 3 Iceland 100.48 46.95 74.88 86.89 113.74 79.44 4 Japan 83.35 25.97 55.9 81.82 48.95 87.28 5 Denmark 83 31.92 58.57 61.74 100.75 100.88 6 Bahamas 82.51 36.36 60.43 62.65 83.66 54.18 7 Luxembourg 81.89 54.92 68.99 69.1 89.85 103.92 8 Israel 81.15 31.33 57.32 66.31 88.65 78.09 9 Singapore 81.1 63.27 72.58 66.75 58.99 88.96 10 South Korea 78.18 22.86 51.72 91.31 44.87 85.21 11 Hong Kong 77.22 79.57 78.35 75.94 54.36 65.32 12 Barbados 76.02 19.7 49.08 65.2 68.14 51.1 13 Ireland 75.91 43.88 60.59 58.35 81.24 80.88 14 France 74.14 25.39 50.82 67.9 72.54 80.36 15 Netherlands 73.75 35.18 55.3 55.87 80.48 90.73 16 Australia 73.54 34.86 55.04 67.23 70.32 107.31 17 New Zealand 72.53 32.09 53.19 64.69 68.8 92.66 18 Belgium 71.78 25.43 49.61 58.66 80.14 86.28 19 Seychelles 71.59 32.34 52.81 64.61 84.86 21.67 20 United States 71.05 40.32 56.36 66.61 70.74 109.52 21 Austria 70.38 26.81 49.54 61.73 68.09 82.38 22 Finland 70.29 26.16 49.18 56.52 76.81 99.93 23 Sweden 69.85 25.9 48.83 60.47 72.35 101.73 24 Canada 67.62 30.73 49.98 63.68 63.53 95.09 25 Puerto Rico 67.54 19.29 44.46 65.76 58.68 79.38 26 Malta 67.46 31.04 50.04 54.9 75.94 46.32 27 United Kingdom 67.28 29.85 49.38 51.27 74.13 91.73 28 Italy 67.26 21.22 45.24 55.44 72.32 65.59 29 Germany 65.26 27.06 46.99 49.23 61.58 102.36 30 Macao 64.84 43.98 54.87 62 43.37 80.9 31 Qatar 64.04 47.44 56.1 53.61 66.83 111.69 32 United Arab Emirates 61.98 41.07 51.98 47.63 61.32 91.58 33 Taiwan 61.37 16.42 39.87 71.51 28.49 65.67 34 Lebanon 60.5 24.54 43.3 43.92 58.16 44.47 35 Bahrain 58.94 30.95 45.55 48.11 54.55 57.88 36 Cyprus 57.93 20.54 40.05 44.21 63.11 57.41 37 Jamaica 57.82 15.25 37.46 58.96 38.12 32.37 38 Greece 55.67 11.68 34.62 41.63 53.74 43.68 39 Zimbabwe 55.3 11.02 34.12 50.8 40.79 26.03 40 Palestinian Territory 54.54 8.83 32.68 46.67 38.93 46.91 41 Ethiopia 54.39 20.9 38.37 36.3 19.37 8.34 42 Panama 54.16 24.76 40.09 53.03 47.27 34.23 43 Costa Rica 53.98 15.55 35.6 49.6 43.51 42.61 44 Spain 53.77 21.77 38.46 42.38 52.07 72.03 45 Trinidad And Tobago 53.7 17.26 36.27 49.43 49.83 45.7 46 Jordan 53.67 11.54 33.52 43.32 47.12 34.88 47 Slovenia 53.43 17.09 36.05 43.76 45.43 66.31 48 Mauritius 53.04 11.99 33.41 48.94 43.96 30.88 49 Uruguay 51.04 14.43 33.53 40.12 47.41 37.46 50 Estonia 50.93 15.41 33.94 36.57 52.94 71.3 51 Kuwait 50.37 31.21 41.21 34.68 47.08 85.59 52 Thailand 49.77 17.1 34.14 49.2 24.9 35.45 53 Croatia 49.7 13.5 32.38 39.9 42.44 50.42 54 Portugal 49.52 21.81 36.27 38.14 42.48 49.43 55 Oman 49.28 17.98 34.31 43.5 44.26 80.97 56 Belize 49.23 9.74 30.34 41.89 37.05 57.53 57 Saudi Arabia 48.34 11.39 30.67 37.89 33.51 100 58 Latvia 47.94 12.34 30.91 34.85 42.88 52.48 59 Cambodia 47.49 14.9 31.9 44.56 25.19 11.29 60 Fiji 47.48 18.55 33.64 52.67 35.87 33.17 61 Czech Republic 46.15 19.56 33.43 38.13 34.1 62.82 62 El Salvador 45.57 13.48 30.22 43.67 34.8 24.71 63 Brunei 44.71 23.08 34.36 37.11 38.06 86.95 64 Nicaragua 44.56 7.61 26.88 41.71 31.41 23.92 65 Slovakia 44.46 16.11 30.9 37.51 33.82 56.94 66 Lithuania 44.28 13.65 29.63 33.63 42.7 57.85 67 Dominican Republic 44.06 10.62 28.06 35.93 38.27 23.95 68 Chile 43.62 13.39 29.16 36.45 41.57 42.5 69 Cuba 43.46 4.84 24.99 37.4 30.95 2.18 70 Suriname 43.14 7.79 26.23 45.78 34.98 22.39 71 Namibia 43.1 16.12 30.19 36.8 39.22 55.65 72 South Africa 42.87 16.61 30.31 33.29 40.58 73.61 73 Guatemala 42.7 15.29 29.59 37.41 33 39.83 74 Honduras 42.17 10.6 27.07 33.33 30.55 30.26 75 Myanmar 42.11 23.78 33.35 44.68 19.04 10.22 76 Ecuador 40.98 11.96 27.1 35.46 30.66 36.08 77 Hungary 40.85 13.97 27.99 30.77 34.46 47.55 78 Brazil 40.22 10.65 26.08 29.2 30.78 32.81 79 Kenya 40.21 10.73 26.11 35.35 35.06 27.32 80 China 40.04 16.38 28.72 40.37 29.16 60.88 81 Poland 40.04 15.67 28.38 30.55 33.45 59.61 82 Russia 39.21 11.36 25.89 31.08 39.61 38.94 83 Botswana 39.13 11.12 25.73 31.74 39.98 58.1 84 Malaysia 39.12 11 25.67 37.58 22.94 64.49 85 Iraq 39.04 11.28 25.76 31.85 32.72 42.43 86 Iran 39.01 14.48 27.28 35.54 25.12 22.69 87 Somalia 38.68 4.75 22.45 45.88 27.04 33.24 88 Peru 38.65 12.78 26.28 33.8 24.69 33.95 89 Vietnam 38.34 13.57 26.5 37.06 19.59 28.14 90 Montenegro 38.23 10.38 24.91 28.63 33.16 39.8 91 Ghana 37.65 19.41 28.93 37.17 26.59 14.66 92 Philippines 37.63 9 23.94 33.46 20.84 23.48 93 Indonesia 37.27 10.62 24.52 37.36 18.25 25.05 94 Bulgaria 36.7 9.64 23.75 30.09 29.14 49.37 95 Albania 36.39 8.55 23.07 28.39 26.75 29.56 96 Bosnia And Herzegovina 35.97 6.72 21.97 28.08 25.1 41.83 97 Mexico 35.72 11.46 24.11 32.39 32.12 41.81 98 Serbia 35.72 9.08 22.98 25.46 28.63 36.72 99 Romania 35.31 10.05 23.22 29.03 30.5 48.86 100 Tanzania 35.25 14.04 25.11 29.66 22.57 17.58 101 Belarus 34.7 10.5 23.13 28.06 38.94 37 102 Turkey 34.69 6.78 21.34 29.76 24.16 40.85 103 Bolivia 34.56 10.93 23.26 28.09 25.11 39.34 104 Morocco 34.32 8.94 22.18 30.11 24.5 35.25 105 Moldova 33.7 8.4 21.6 25.96 27.79 27.57 106 Rwanda 33.35 11.88 23.08 26.83 29.17 19.32 107 Ukraine 33.18 10.46 22.31 26.01 26.42 31.8 108 Argentina 32.95 8.33 21.17 25.82 30.52 47.22 109 Armenia 32.84 10.91 22.35 25.61 30.43 28 110 Bangladesh 32.25 5.01 19.22 29.72 19.21 33.21 111 Zambia 31.72 7.39 20.08 26.86 22.07 54.14 112 Sri Lanka 31.61 7.74 20.2 35.09 18.76 24.45 113 Macedonia 31.59 6.49 19.58 24.94 23.31 37.15 114 Paraguay 31.1 9.66 20.85 25.03 25.01 32.6 115 Nigeria 31 23.59 27.45 31.15 17.71 13.52 116 Colombia 30.66 9.58 20.58 25.05 22.44 31.12 117 Kazakhstan 30.64 9.78 20.66 24.31 29.87 38.36 118 Uganda 30.18 10.15 20.6 25.25 22.14 20.5 119 Algeria 30.1 5.34 18.26 30.71 15.89 28.69 120 Azerbaijan 29.92 9.48 20.15 23.74 30.36 30.2 121 Egypt 29.54 5.49 18.04 25.5 23.53 22.41 122 Nepal 29.05 4.77 17.44 24.91 20.36 21.9 123 Georgia 28.48 9.8 19.54 23.05 26.66 24.88 124 Kosovo 28.47 8.47 18.91 26.53 21.04 48.9 125 Venezuela 27.17 6.81 17.43 28.29 24.41 2.61 126 Tunisia 27.04 5.51 16.74 25.25 14.95 34.45 127 Kyrgyzstan 26.97 9.18 18.46 23.39 21.45 24.98 128 Uzbekistan 26.01 7.54 17.18 21.59 20.17 24.31 129 Syria 25.31 5.68 15.92 22.42 21.38 11.46 130 India 24.58 5.68 15.54 24.55 17.17 54.3 131 Afghanistan 24.24 4.03 14.58 17.7 17.38 28.2 132 Pakistan (Islamic Republic of) 21.98 4.59 13.66 19.08 16.78 30.57

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