This comparison highlights how affordability and everyday quality of life overlap across major cities. It shows where expenses are manageable, where purchasing power is stronger, and where lifestyle factors such as safety, health care, and commute time may offset higher costs.
| Rank |
City |
Cost of Living Index |
Rent Index |
Cost of Living Plus Rent Index |
Groceries Index |
Restaurant Price Index |
Local Purchasing Power Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zurich, Switzerland | 123.1 | 74.5 | 100.9 | 125.0 | 121.7 | 152.0 |
| 2 | George Town, Cayman Islands | 116.5 | 77.1 | 98.5 | 129.8 | 100.7 | 144.8 |
| 3 | Lucerne, Switzerland | 112.7 | 48.6 | 83.4 | 106.5 | 123.0 | 152.1 |
| 4 | Basel, Switzerland | 111.9 | 48.0 | 82.7 | 108.5 | 110.6 | 161.3 |
| 5 | Geneva, Switzerland | 111.3 | 64.3 | 89.8 | 107.3 | 114.5 | 151.2 |
| 6 | Lugano, Switzerland | 110.4 | 43.4 | 79.8 | 107.3 | 130.7 | 160.3 |
| 7 | St. Gallen, Switzerland | 108.7 | 41.1 | 77.8 | 104.2 | 113.5 | 164.7 |
| 8 | Lausanne, Switzerland | 108.7 | 53.2 | 83.3 | 107.5 | 109.2 | 145.0 |
| 9 | Bern, Switzerland | 108.7 | 44.5 | 79.4 | 105.7 | 108.3 | 168.4 |
| 10 | Honolulu, HI, United States | 105.4 | 63.9 | 86.4 | 128.3 | 107.8 | 87.4 |
| 11 | Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel | 103.9 | 49.4 | 79.0 | 95.0 | 107.3 | 100.8 |
| 12 | New York, NY, United States | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| 13 | Reykjavik, Iceland | 98.3 | 48.7 | 75.6 | 107.6 | 104.1 | 109.3 |
| 14 | San Francisco, CA, United States | 94.9 | 81.4 | 88.7 | 102.7 | 94.3 | 156.9 |
| 15 | Washington, DC, United States | 92.1 | 68.2 | 81.2 | 95.6 | 93.3 | 156.4 |
| 16 | Oslo, Norway | 92.1 | 39.1 | 67.9 | 93.1 | 96.6 | 112.1 |
| 17 | Jerusalem, Israel | 91.7 | 42.2 | 69.1 | 91.2 | 88.9 | 107.8 |
| 18 | Seattle, WA, United States | 91.4 | 59.8 | 76.9 | 100.9 | 89.3 | 156.2 |
| 19 | Singapore, Singapore | 90.8 | 68.3 | 80.5 | 84.9 | 54.4 | 91.3 |
| 20 | Saint Helier, Jersey | 89.8 | 45.4 | 69.5 | 82.0 | 102.9 | 125.2 |
| 21 | Bergen, Norway | 89.6 | 28.2 | 61.5 | 91.7 | 99.7 | 129.4 |
| 22 | Haifa, Israel | 89.1 | 23.1 | 58.9 | 82.8 | 106.5 | 140.1 |
| 23 | Boston, MA, United States | 89.0 | 77.0 | 83.5 | 93.8 | 92.2 | 134.7 |
| 24 | London, United Kingdom | 88.0 | 66.9 | 78.3 | 72.4 | 87.0 | 98.3 |
| 25 | San Jose, CA, United States | 87.7 | 69.8 | 79.5 | 91.1 | 85.7 | 139.8 |
| 26 | Stavanger, Norway | 87.5 | 35.2 | 63.6 | 92.7 | 90.8 | 142.1 |
| 27 | Anchorage, AK, United States | 87.4 | 37.5 | 64.6 | 91.8 | 84.0 | 134.6 |
| 28 | Trondheim, Norway | 87.0 | 29.1 | 60.5 | 91.6 | 91.4 | 126.1 |
| 29 | Copenhagen, Denmark | 86.8 | 44.6 | 67.5 | 82.0 | 95.4 | 127.7 |
| 30 | Oakland, CA, United States | 85.2 | 58.2 | 72.9 | 97.7 | 90.0 | 131.9 |
| 31 | Miami, FL, United States | 85.1 | 67.5 | 77.1 | 89.2 | 99.2 | 100.3 |
| 32 | Los Angeles, CA, United States | 84.5 | 65.7 | 75.9 | 86.8 | 91.0 | 107.4 |
| 33 | San Diego, CA, United States | 83.7 | 73.8 | 79.2 | 85.8 | 89.0 | 119.4 |
| 34 | Portland, OR, United States | 83.6 | 46.6 | 66.7 | 97.0 | 80.8 | 139.3 |
| 35 | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 81.4 | 54.5 | 69.1 | 74.2 | 85.8 | 119.9 |
| 36 | Philadelphia, PA, United States | 81.3 | 44.8 | 64.6 | 88.6 | 74.8 | 125.8 |
| 37 | Arlington, VA, United States | 80.8 | 61.3 | 71.9 | 92.1 | 84.2 | 168.0 |
| 38 | Jersey City, NJ, United States | 80.7 | 68.9 | 75.3 | 83.7 | 82.8 | 151.3 |
| 39 | Luxembourg, Luxembourg | 80.6 | 52.1 | 67.6 | 76.9 | 90.4 | 136.9 |
| 40 | Irvine, CA, United States | 80.5 | 67.7 | 74.7 | 86.5 | 84.7 | 158.5 |
| 41 | Aarhus, Denmark | 80.5 | 30.1 | 57.5 | 74.5 | 94.5 | 142.4 |
| 42 | Winston-Salem, NC, United States | 80.3 | 33.0 | 58.7 | 106.3 | 75.2 | 112.4 |
| 43 | Fort Lauderdale, FL, United States | 79.8 | 60.4 | 70.9 | 87.9 | 87.5 | 117.4 |
| 44 | Aalborg, Denmark | 79.7 | 21.3 | 53.0 | 78.3 | 88.5 | 154.7 |
| 45 | Sydney, Australia | 79.2 | 56.0 | 68.6 | 87.6 | 68.6 | 105.9 |
| 46 | Stockholm, Sweden | 79.1 | 37.0 | 59.8 | 76.4 | 78.6 | 111.4 |
| 47 | Sacramento, CA, United States | 79.0 | 44.8 | 63.4 | 87.6 | 74.3 | 132.7 |
| 48 | Denver, CO, United States | 78.5 | 45.3 | 63.3 | 89.0 | 76.9 | 129.9 |
| 49 | Paris, France | 78.4 | 40.4 | 61.0 | 79.2 | 72.5 | 109.8 |
| Rank |
City |
Quality of Life Index |
Purchasing Power Index |
Safety Index |
Health Care Index |
Cost of Living Index |
Property Price to Income Ratio |
Traffic Commute Time Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Hague (Den Haag), Netherlands | 221.5 | 137.0 | 78.9 | 82.7 | 74.9 | 6.5 | 20.2 |
| 2 | Eindhoven, Netherlands | 210.7 | 131.9 | 77.8 | 76.5 | 71.1 | 7.3 | 23.5 |
| 3 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | 205.5 | 124.6 | 70.0 | 79.2 | 77.2 | 6.1 | 21.3 |
| 4 | Utrecht, Netherlands | 204.9 | 134.4 | 73.5 | 78.6 | 76.3 | 7.5 | 23.7 |
| 5 | Gent, Belgium | 203.7 | 135.3 | 75.2 | 80.2 | 71.7 | 6.1 | 25.2 |
| 6 | Stuttgart, Germany | 203.5 | 156.1 | 66.0 | 77.1 | 70.3 | 7.0 | 25.0 |
| 7 | Groningen, Netherlands | 203.1 | 113.2 | 76.1 | 72.9 | 71.3 | 7.6 | 19.2 |
| 8 | Luxembourg, Luxembourg | 201.6 | 140.8 | 71.5 | 72.4 | 80.8 | 10.6 | 27.8 |
| 9 | Nuremberg, Germany | 201.0 | 149.8 | 66.6 | 67.1 | 67.8 | 7.3 | 25.3 |
| 10 | Gothenburg, Sweden | 199.5 | 147.7 | 54.2 | 69.4 | 64.6 | 6.8 | 24.3 |
| 11 | Stavanger, Norway | 198.0 | 144.4 | 71.5 | 70.2 | 87.6 | 5.6 | 39.1 |
| 12 | Copenhagen, Denmark | 197.2 | 130.6 | 73.7 | 75.2 | 87.1 | 10.7 | 27.5 |
| 13 | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 196.4 | 123.5 | 70.0 | 75.4 | 81.6 | 9.9 | 22.8 |
| 14 | Dusseldorf, Germany | 196.2 | 136.5 | 65.9 | 73.4 | 71.9 | 9.7 | 26.9 |
| 15 | Bergen, Norway | 195.9 | 130.9 | 74.9 | 72.7 | 89.6 | 7.0 | 32.0 |
| 16 | Vienna, Austria | 195.7 | 116.1 | 70.6 | 79.9 | 74.7 | 15.8 | 22.9 |
| 17 | Munich, Germany | 195.7 | 129.7 | 78.3 | 77.0 | 77.6 | 13.1 | 28.2 |
| 18 | Frankfurt, Germany | 195.4 | 142.3 | 54.5 | 76.4 | 71.7 | 7.7 | 22.8 |
| 19 | Helsinki, Finland | 195.1 | 109.8 | 74.9 | 80.1 | 74.1 | 11.4 | 24.1 |
| 20 | Reykjavik, Iceland | 194.8 | 111.7 | 75.4 | 69.6 | 98.6 | 7.8 | 20.5 |
| 21 | Trondheim, Norway | 194.7 | 127.8 | 78.1 | 75.8 | 87.1 | 6.6 | 32.6 |
| 22 | Geneva, Switzerland | 194.3 | 155.1 | 70.5 | 69.3 | 111.5 | 13.1 | 32.6 |
| 23 | Liverpool, United Kingdom | 193.8 | 128.1 | 52.7 | 79.1 | 67.4 | 4.9 | 27.8 |
| 24 | Zurich, Switzerland | 193.7 | 156.1 | 75.9 | 68.8 | 123.4 | 12.8 | 37.0 |
| 25 | Bern, Switzerland | 193.4 | 170.2 | 72.6 | 66.9 | 109.9 | 11.4 | 38.8 |
| 26 | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | 192.0 | 115.2 | 69.7 | 75.9 | 73.6 | 8.1 | 26.2 |
| 27 | Christchurch, New Zealand | 191.7 | 118.2 | 55.3 | 71.2 | 58.3 | 6.7 | 23.4 |
| 28 | Villach, Austria | 191.3 | 116.8 | 71.4 | 70.0 | 65.3 | 7.2 | 16.0 |
| 29 | Hobart, Australia | 191.2 | 140.1 | 65.9 | 64.2 | 73.8 | 8.7 | 37.1 |
| 30 | Adelaide, Australia | 191.1 | 125.7 | 66.9 | 72.4 | 74.4 | 10.1 | 38.2 |
| 31 | Gold Coast, Australia | 190.9 | 127.8 | 52.6 | 75.2 | 75.9 | 9.5 | 30.1 |
| 32 | Perth, Australia | 190.5 | 140.2 | 57.8 | 71.7 | 73.9 | 6.6 | 42.9 |
| 33 | Canberra, Australia | 190.0 | 137.2 | 71.5 | 69.0 | 77.7 | 9.9 | 39.3 |
| 34 | Cork, Ireland | 189.8 | 130.9 | 62.9 | 55.9 | 72.4 | 4.8 | 34.1 |
| 35 | Brisbane, Australia | 189.8 | 139.6 | 61.8 | 71.2 | 68.5 | 8.0 | 42.7 |
| 36 | Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom | 189.5 | 139.1 | 60.7 | 77.2 | 67.6 | 8.1 | 33.1 |
| 37 | Graz, Austria | 189.3 | 127.8 | 72.5 | 77.1 | 70.5 | 7.2 | 28.6 |
| 38 | Basel, Switzerland | 188.5 | 164.3 | 66.7 | 66.9 | 112.1 | 11.7 | 38.6 |
| 39 | Glasgow, United Kingdom | 187.2 | 121.4 | 55.1 | 78.4 | 68.1 | 5.3 | 28.3 |
| 40 | Melbourne, Australia | 186.8 | 134.4 | 55.7 | 72.1 | 77.3 | 7.6 | 42.0 |
| 41 | Ottawa, Canada | 186.2 | 136.9 | 69.1 | 68.4 | 62.5 | 6.5 | 32.6 |
| 42 | Hamburg, Germany | 186.2 | 127.1 | 59.3 | 74.3 | 71.0 | 11.1 | 30.5 |
| 43 | Plzen, Czech Republic | 186.2 | 103.8 | 69.8 | 76.3 | 51.1 | 12.0 | 21.6 |
| 44 | Tallinn, Estonia | 185.9 | 91.4 | 78.3 | 73.9 | 63.7 | 10.1 | 24.4 |
| 45 | Tampa, FL, United States | 185.4 | 139.9 | 55.2 | 66.2 | 69.4 | 4.1 | 38.0 |
| 46 | Oklahoma City, OK, United States | 185.0 | 136.5 | 49.3 | 63.7 | 70.0 | 2.8 | 32.1 |
| 47 | Tucson, AZ, United States | 185.0 | 154.0 | 45.6 | 61.3 | 64.4 | 3.7 | 33.1 |
| 48 | Spokane, WA, United States | 184.8 | 143.7 | 42.9 | 66.0 | 72.6 | 3.3 | 29.0 |
| 49 | Orlando, FL, United States | 184.8 | 145.0 | 50.5 | 61.6 | 72.0 | 3.1 | 37.8 |
These comparisons highlight the trade-offs between affordability and overall quality of life, helping surface which cities offer the strongest balance across both measures.
| City | Cost of Living Table | Quality of Life Table | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living | Rent | Groceries | Restaurant Price | Local Purchasing Power | Quality of Life | Safety | Health Care | Property Price to Income Ratio | Traffic Commute Time | |
| Zurich, Switzerland | 123.1 | 74.5 | 125.0 | 121.7 | 152.0 | 193.7 | 75.9 | 68.8 | 12.8 | 37.0 |
| Basel, Switzerland | 111.9 | 48.0 | 108.5 | 110.6 | 161.3 | 188.5 | 66.7 | 66.9 | 11.7 | 38.6 |
| Geneva, Switzerland | 111.3 | 64.3 | 107.3 | 114.5 | 151.2 | 194.3 | 70.5 | 69.3 | 13.1 | 32.6 |
| Bern, Switzerland | 108.7 | 44.5 | 105.7 | 108.3 | 168.4 | 193.4 | 72.6 | 66.9 | 11.4 | 38.8 |
| Reykjavik, Iceland | 98.3 | 48.7 | 107.6 | 104.1 | 109.3 | 194.8 | 75.4 | 69.6 | 7.8 | 20.5 |
| Bergen, Norway | 89.6 | 28.2 | 91.7 | 99.7 | 129.4 | 195.9 | 74.9 | 72.7 | 7.0 | 32.0 |
| Stavanger, Norway | 87.5 | 35.2 | 92.7 | 90.8 | 142.1 | 198.0 | 71.5 | 70.2 | 5.6 | 39.1 |
| Trondheim, Norway | 87.0 | 29.1 | 91.6 | 91.4 | 126.1 | 194.7 | 78.1 | 75.8 | 6.6 | 32.6 |
| Copenhagen, Denmark | 86.8 | 44.6 | 82.0 | 95.4 | 127.7 | 197.2 | 73.7 | 75.2 | 10.7 | 27.5 |
| Amsterdam, Netherlands | 81.4 | 54.5 | 74.2 | 85.8 | 119.9 | 196.4 | 70.0 | 75.4 | 9.9 | 22.8 |
| Luxembourg, Luxembourg | 80.6 | 52.1 | 76.9 | 90.4 | 136.9 | 201.6 | 71.5 | 72.4 | 10.6 | 27.8 |