Geographies in Depth

These are the most expensive cities to live in Europe

A rootop view of Amsterdam from SkyLounge on the 11th floor of the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Amsterdam April 2, 2013. The Royal celebrations in the Netherlands this week put the country and the capital Amsterdam on front pages and television screens around the world with an orange splash. There's plenty to see and do in 48 hours in this compact city, where the world-famous Rijksmuseum only recently reopened after an extensive renovation. Picture taken April 2, 2013.

Glassdoor research outlines the European cities with the highest cost of living. Image: REUTERS/Michael Kooren

Lianna Brinded
Markets Editor, Business Insider

Europe may boast of a number of countries having some of the highest incomes and standards of living in the world but it also proves the most costly.

 The 11 most expensive cities in Europe
Image: World Economic Forum

According to Glassdoor's report entitled "Which Countries in Europe Offer The Best Standard of Living?,” Britain's capital London has the highest rent in the whole of Europe, meaning that people spend a bulk of their wages on just finding somewhere to live.

Glassdoor's cost of living index takes into account is income versus "how much money is needed to buy a standard basket of goods and services in different countries, including groceries, restaurants, transportation, utilities, and rent."

Of course, London trails near the top but there are other cities that rank higher.

Business Insider took a look at the 11 most expensive cities to live in Europe:

11. Amsterdam — The capital of the Netherlands is one of the most sought after places in Holland to live, thanks to being a cultural, financial and educational hub for the country. However, popularity is pushing local costs higher and therefore making it more expensive to live in.

10. Helsinki — The Finnish city makes the list because despite the whole country on average having pretty high wages, Helsinki has one of the highest costs for living across all categories.

9. Stockholm — Sweden ranks as having one of the highest standards of living in Europe, thanks to the cost of local goods and services (including food, transportation, and rent) being relatively modest when you compare it to take home pay.

8. Dublin — The capital of the Republic of Ireland has some of the highest average wages in Europe. However rising costs for housing, transportation and groceries is making it more expensive to live in this year.

7. Paris — Annual wages are relatively modest and are ranked 6th from the bottom of the average nominal annual wages index provided by Glassdoor when looking at France overall. However, property costs are exceptionally high in the capital, causing Paris to be one of the most expensive places to live in Europe.

6. Copenhagen — Being the cultural, economic and governmental centre of Denmark, the city has some of the highest costs for living in the country.

5. Bergen — The Norwegian coastal city is surrounded by mountains and fjords but the high cost of living is higher than people living in Los Angeles in the US.

4. Oslo — The Norwegian capital has some of the highest wages in the whole of Europe but everything from groceries to utility bills is costly and even transportation will take a wedge of monthly salaries.

3. London — Britain's capital has the highest rents in Europe and considering income is lacklustre, it costs Londoners a huge proportion of their wages each month.

2. Zurich — The city is one of Switzerland's financial hubs but it also boasts one of the highest costs for transportation, accommodation, and utilities.

1. Geneva — The Swiss city is 3% more expensive to live in than New York City even though income is some of the highest in the whole of Europe.

More from Business Insider:

Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

Sign up for free

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Stay up to date:

Cities and Urbanization

Related topics:
Geographies in DepthUrban Transformation
Share:
The Big Picture
Explore and monitor how European Union is affecting economies, industries and global issues
World Economic Forum logo

Forum Stories newsletter

Bringing you weekly curated insights and analysis on the global issues that matter.

Subscribe today

What's 'bi-globalization' and could this be the near future for geo-economics and global trade?

Braz Baracuhy

December 19, 2024

5 reasons small businesses and startups are thriving in the Gulf

About us

Engage with us

  • Sign in
  • Partner with us
  • Become a member
  • Sign up for our press releases
  • Subscribe to our newsletters
  • Contact us

Quick links

Language editions

Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

Sitemap

© 2024 World Economic Forum