San Francisco and Houston high climbers among world’s most expensive cities

Singapore, followed by Hong Kong and Paris, is the world’s most expensive city, according to the Worldwide Cost of Living Survey from The Economist Intelligence Unit. This marks Singapore’s sixth consecutive year at the top of the rankings.

The Economist Intelligence Unit survey, which compares prices across 160 products and services, finds living costs in Singapore, Hong Kong and Paris are 7 percent higher than in New York City, the benchmark city. Two Swiss cities, Zurich and Geneva, and Osaka, Japan, also have higher prices than New York City; Copenhagen and Seoul cost the same as the Big Apple.

The highest climbers were San Francisco (up 12 places to 25th) and Houston (up to 30th from 41st); New York City moved up six spots to seventh, and Los Angeles rose by four places to 10th.