New York City declared the most expensive city in the world

As New Yorkers, we’ve always known that living in New York City was expensive compared to other cities worldwide.

Many often believed it to be the most expensive in the world. Still, it wasn’t until a report released in recent days by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) that declared New York City to, in fact, be the most expensive city on the planet.

It’s official: New York City is the most expensive city in the world.

Bumped up from number six just a year ago by the EIU, New York City ties in first place with Singapore for the not-so-pleasant recognition as such.

The methodology utilized in the report to come up with the rankings is pretty straightforward. It surveys more than 400 individual prices of over 200 essential products and services, including utility bills, food, rent, drinks, cost of commuting via public transportation, taxis, gas prices, recreational costs, and other essential expenses and compares then across 172 different cities across the globe.

Soaring inflation has increased these prices in the past year by an average of 8.1%, according to the report, which accounts for how New York City was propelled to the number one spot for the first time in the report’s 30-year history. The EIU reports that this is the fastest rate it has increased for at least 20 years and attributes the increase to the war in Ukraine and China’s continuing restrictions and lockdowns due to COVID-19.

The report also cites a strengthened US dollar this year as one of the other factors that has pushed New York City.

And in The Bronx, residents are all too familiar with these increased prices. Grocery budgets buy less than they did a year ago, let alone two.

Hundreds of Bronx residents line up in the rain at a food pantry, often standing for hours just to get a hold of basic food staples.

Nowhere else in New York City has felt inflation the way Bronxites do, given the unfortunate fact that the borough has the lowest median household income, which was $43,540 in 2019 and, according to a report by the NYU Furman Center, was 40% lower than the citywide median of $72,930 and is coupled with the highest poverty rate in the city which is 26.4% versus the citywide rate of 16%.

Local Bronx residents continue to flock to food pantry lines to supplement what they can no longer afford at the cash register.

Rents continue to rise, and according to Zumper, an online real estate listing website, rental prices in The Bronx have increased by 15% compared to last year, with the average one bedroom listing rent at $2,000 a month.

Most of the rent increase in average asking rents can be attributed to the influx of luxury apartments in the South Bronx neighborhoods of Port Morris and Mott Haven, where the average asking rent listed on StreetEasy is $2,785 for one-bedroom apartments.

The following is the full list of the top ten most expensive cities in the world:

  • New York and Singapore – Tied at 1
  • Tel Aviv – 3
  • Hong Kong and Los Angeles -Tied at 4
  • Zurich – 6
  • Geneva – 7
  • San Francisco – 8
  • Paris – 9
  • Copenhagen and Sidney -Tied at 9
Ed García Conde

Ed García Conde is a life-long Bronxite who spends his time documenting the people, places, and things that make the borough a special place in the hopes of dispelling the negative stereotypes associated with The Bronx. His writings are often cited by mainstream media and is often consulted for his expertise on the borough's rich history.