The list of cities with the highest living costs worldwide has been released. The UK magazine Time Out surveyed over 18,000 residents in more than 100 cities globally, focusing on the cost of “going out” rather than basic living expenses like rent or daily miscellaneous costs. The champion is Seoul, the capital of South Korea in Asia.
Southeast Asian cities such as Chiang Mai, Thailand, and Jakarta, Indonesia, are among the 15 cities with the lowest costs.
According to a report from the UK’s Daily Mail on the 18th, respondents were asked to assess the affordability of various activities in their city, including dining out, bars, nightlife, and entertainment. Based on survey results, Seoul was rated by locals as the world’s most expensive city in terms of cost of living, with only a minority of residents believing that local social activities are still affordable.
It was reported that in Seoul, only 30% of respondents thought dining at a restaurant was not expensive; 21% felt nightlife prices were reasonable; and just 27% of locals said that after having a drink, their wallets didn’t feel much lighter. In Northern Europe, Oslo in Norway and Stockholm in Sweden also continue to challenge residents’ spending power due to high food and entertainment prices.
Of all the cities surveyed, Oslo scored the lowest in “affordability of dining out,” with less than a quarter (24%) of residents finding the prices reasonable. Sydney, Australia, was rated as one of the world’s cities with the highest daily social living costs; Los Angeles also ranked high due to expensive dining and nightlife. Singapore came in 12th, and London, UK, ranked 13th, both classified as relatively high-spending cities.
In contrast, many South American cities are among the world’s most affordable places to live. Medellín and Bogotá in Colombia ranked 1st and 2nd, respectively, with as many as 94% of respondents saying coffee there was very cheap. Third place went to Beijing, China; fourth is New Orleans, USA; and fifth was taken by Naples, Italy.
According to this survey, the world’s 15 most expensive cities for cost of living are: Seoul (South Korea), Istanbul (Turkey), Oslo (Norway), Stockholm (Sweden), Kyoto (Japan), Athens (Greece), Sydney (Australia), Auckland (New Zealand), Munich (Germany), Brisbane (Australia), Los Angeles (USA), Singapore, London (UK), Vancouver (Canada), and Miami (USA).
Meanwhile, the world’s 15 cities with the lowest cost of living are: Medellín (Colombia), Bogotá (Colombia), Beijing (China), New Orleans (USA), Naples (Italy), Hanoi (Vietnam), Chiang Mai (Thailand), Shanghai (China), Lima (Peru), Jakarta (Indonesia), Johannesburg (South Africa), Bangkok (Thailand), Abu Dhabi (UAE), Santiago (Chile), and Cape Town (South Africa). (News Source: Liberty Times)