Golden State dreams don’t come cheap! California cities have made a strong showing on the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) annual ranking of the world’s most expensive cities to live in.
While both Singapore and New York City knocked last year’s leader, Tel Aviv, down to third place, Los Angeles has surged, leaping from ninth place in 2021 to fourth place this year. L.A. is tied with Hong Kong this year.
Global prices have risen by more than 8 percent on average in 2022, sparked by the war in Ukraine and “zero-covid” restrictions in China—which means already expensive cities became all the more costly this year.
San Francisco, which did not even make the top 10 last year, is now the eighth most expensive city to live in. The EIU found that six of the 10 cities that made the biggest jumps were also in the United States. They include Atlanta, San Diego and Boston.
Here are the world’s most expensive cities to live in, according to the EIU’s 2022 Worldwide Cost of Living survey.
1. TIE — Singapore
1. TIE — New York
3. Tel Aviv
4. TIE — Hong Kong
4. TIE — Los Angeles
6. Zurich
7. Geneva
8. San Francisco
9. Paris
10. TIE — Copenhagen
10. TIE — Sydney