No matter how you stretch your travel budget, some destination are just unavoidably expensive. As inflation soars across the world, things aren’t getting any more affordable in the world’s most expensive cities. From the glittering skyscrapers of Manhattan to Singapore’s futuristic skyline, you’ll need to break out your credit card to visit these expensive cities.
London, England
Visitors flock to London in droves to see Buckingham Palace, attend high tea, catch a glimpse of royalty, and experience British culture at its very best. But it doesn’t come without paying a pretty penny. Transportation is costly with a single, one-way ticket on the Tube at a whopping £6.30 (almost $9) and a taxi ride to the airport typically costing upwards of £56 from Central London. You won’t get away with anything less than $130 a night for a decent hotel room and a good meal will set you back at least £14 a person at a minimum. London’s already inflated price tags are even more of a sticker shock after the price conversion. One bright side for visitors are London’s plentiful free museums and tourist sites like Hyde Park.
Reykjavik, Iceland
It’s no secret that Iceland is an expensive destination and the capital city of Reykjavik is no exception. You can chalk high prices up largely to the fact that it’s a remote, island country and everything, from a beer to a bunch of bananas, comes at a premium. Resources for tourists, like accommodation and rental cars, are limited which creates competition and further drives up prices. Hotels and other accommodation across the country are typically very nice, food (and alcohol) is often imported due to Iceland’s short growing season, and while most of the natural sights are free to see, renting a car can come with an exorbitant price tag, especially when you include the cost of gas. If the Land of Fire and Ice is on your bucket list but your budget isn’t big, try visiting in the off season when prices plummet due to the frigid weather.
New York, New York
As the most costly city in the already pricey United States, New York is the largest metropolis in America – with the prices to match. Like many of the other cities on this list, the Big Apple’s popularity and high demand is the reason behind soaring costs. Pair this with New York's year-round desirability, plus recent inflation, and you can see why a vacation here might set you back a bit. Recent laws against short-term rentals have further driven up hotel costs and while cheap eats like $1 slices of pizza and a streetside hot dog can still be found, restaurant prices are often extremely high. Single attractions like a visit to the Statue of Liberty typically cost around $25 while making your way to the top of the Empire State Building will come in at a whopping $79. Inexpensive attractions like a simple stroll through Central Park or a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, and combined tickets like City Pass, can help bring down costs.
Zurich, Switzerland
Zurich frequently tops the EIU’s 2023 list as the most expensive city in the world to live in – and it doesn’t get any cheaper for visitors. For starters, Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries in the world and costs are high across the board from onward travel to food. Expect to pay a minimum of $150 a night for hotels near the city center while even moderately priced accommodation will cost well over $200 a night. Meals at restaurants are where most travelers budgets are really going to feel the heat. Even inexpensive options like pizza will ring in at around $20 a meal per person.
Paris, France
One of the most expensive elements of a trip to Paris is accommodation cost, which can be well over a thousand dollars a night for a luxury experience in the height of summer. While it is possible to find budget options, especially on the outskirts of the city or in the off-season, you can still expect to spend a minimum of $160 a night for a hotel near the center of town and up to double that in summer. There’s also a high tourist tax applied to the nightly rate. Attractions themselves are pricey with a trip to the Louvre costing €22 and a ticket to the very top of the Eiffel tower coming in at €29.40. For those that have always dreamt of seeing the City of Light, don’t fret. There are plenty of ways to offset costs and a simple stroll around town is often enough to evoke those feelings of magic.
Singapore
If you’ve seen Singapore's glamorous parties through the lens of Crazy Rich Asians, it’s probably no surprise to see the Lion City on this list. Singapore shares the No. 1 spot with Zurich for the most expensive city to live in the world. The biggest budget pain point for visitors is accommodation and cost of attractions. A night at the most popular hotel in town, the Marina Bay Sands, will set you back an easy $450 minimum per night while more affordable options are still well into the hundreds per night. Luckily, transportation (aside from taxis) is relatively inexpensive across the city. Cheap meals, with specialties like char kway teow and satay, are easy to track down while other delicacies like Singaporean chilli crab can easily soar to over $100. Popular experiences like the S.E.A. Aquarium cost $35 and up.
