16 Countries with the Highest Cost of Living in the World in 2017

If you are curious about the international cost of living, then check out our list of countries with the highest cost of living in the world in 2017.

It is no secret that the cost of living is super high everywhere, and considering the unemployment rate which keeps growing, it’s hard to be optimistic about the future. It gets more difficult, and each year we need more and more money for the basic things. Of course, there will always be huge differences between the cost of living in developed and developing countries, but the common thing for all those countries is that people, in general, consider living to be extremely expensive.

The international cost of the living index provides insight into the current situation in the world, so we can compare the cost of living in various countries. Egypt and India seem to be the cheapest countries in the world to live, and compared to Switzerland, Iceland or Norway, the difference is vast. We wrote about the most expensive and the cheapest countries in the world earlier so if you want to learn more, check out the list of countries with the highest cost of living in the world and the list of countries with the lowest cost of living in the world.

Speaking of places where few of us could afford to live, Hong Kong, Zurich, and Tokyo are considered to be very expensive cities, but the city-state in Asia, Singapore, is on top of the list and it is the most expensive city in the world to live in.

Are you planning a vacation soon? If you were thinking of visiting some places like Hong Kong or Iceland, then you may want to reconsider your decision or at least make sure that you have enough money because these places are very expensive. In case you want to know what is the most expensive country in the world to visit, head on over to our article, we wrote a while ago.

We set out to determine what are the most expensive countries to live in, this year, so we compared data from various websites like Expatistan and Numbeo. Numbeo’s ranking of countries is made relative to the cost of living in the NYC and Expatistan’s central reference was the Czech Republic. After overlapping their lists, we got our genuine list of 16 countries with the highest cost of living in the world in 2017.

16. Sweden

Sweden is a Nordic country located in Scandinavia, and it is well-known for its high living standard. Frozen wastelands and cozy cottages are typical for this country. If you are planning to live in this beautiful country, you may want to prepare for the high costs and freezing winters.

15. Luxembourg

Luxembourg is a fascinating small country located in Europe, and it is surrounded by Belgium, Germany, and France. Rich with nature parks, Luxembourg is not very cheap to live in either.

14. New Zealand

New Zealand is a place famous for its beautiful nature. This island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean can also be very pricey, which is why it ranked 14th on our list.

 13. Israel

Israel is not a very cheap country to live in which you will be able to see for yourself should you decide to relocate to this country. Ranked 13th on our list, Israel is among the top countries known for a high cost of living in 2017.

12. France

France is a delightful country with rich history, but not a very cheap one. Rent and utilities are considered to be very pricey in France, and so this country managed to get on our list of countries with the highest cost of living in the world in 2017. Living in Paris is definitely much more expensive than living in the Provance.

11. Singapore

Singapore is the city-state, and it is known to be one of the most expensive ones. If you’re planning on visiting Singapore, you better bring a lot of cash.

10. Japan

Japan is also one of the countries with the highest cost of living in the world in 2017. The vibrant and exciting Tokyo is also one of the most expensive cities in the world. This fascinating Asian country ranked 10th on our list.

9. Ireland

Ireland is known for its stunning nature and awe-inspiring views. It definitely offers a lot to see and attract many tourists, despite being somewhat expensive to live in.

8. Denmark

Another Scandinavian country that made it to our list is Denmark. This country borders with Sweden, Norway, and Germany, and it is known to be a little pricey to live in.

7. Hong Kong

The busy and developed Hong Kong, an autonomous territory in China, is one of the most expensive places to live, so make sure you bring a lot of cash if you are going to visit this vibrant place.

6. United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is definitely a place to visit with lots of historically and culturally relevant things to see. However, UK ranked 6th on our list of countries with the highest cost of living in the world in 2017, so it is also a costly place.

5. Australia

Officially the Commonwealth of Australia, the country that is, in fact, a smallest continent in the world. If you are planning on traveling to Australia, you better prepare a nice amount of money as it is rather expensive. Sydney is the most expensive city in Australia.

4. United States

The United States, especially the metropolitan cities such as New York, are very expensive to live in. With its cost of living, the U.S. ranked 4th on our list of countries with the highest cost of living in the world in 2017.

3. Norway

Norway is located in Scandinavia, Northern Europe. It’s well-known for its coastal fjords and glaciers. But it is also famous for its high standards of living as Norway is not quite cheap to live in. Therefore the country ranked third on our list.

2. Iceland

Iceland is a Nordic island country, and it is known for its interesting landscape and geysers. But this island country is also known to be one of the most expensive countries to live in, with high cost or rents and consumer products.

1. Switzerland

Besides being the first among the most expensive countries in the world in 2017, the mountainous Switzerland is well-known for its ski resorts as the country is located in the Alps. Furthermore, Zurich is one of the most expensive cities in the world.  

This wraps it up for our list of 16 countries with the highest cost of living in the world in 2017.