ShortList is supported by you, our amazing readers. When you click through the links on our site and make a purchase we may earn a commission. Learn more

London has been named one of the top five most expensive cities in the world to live in

No one is surprised

London has been named one of the top five most expensive cities in the world to live in

There is no bigger love story than Brits and complaining - it is quite literally our love language. And sure, there are a myriad of things we love complaining about - public transport, the government, the footie results. But simply nothing compares with complaining about the cost of living. And specifically, the cost of living in London. So really, it comes as absolutely no surprise that London has made it into the top five most expensive cities in the world to live in.


A new report from wealth firm Henley & Partners released a study which looked at the cost of having a home. The researchers looked at the average price per square metre of a “prime 100-to-200-square-metre apartment”. London ranked fourth overall, which really put the price of Greggs into perspective and made us more grateful than ever for the £1.30 sausage rolls which continue to be a stalwart of British culture and our lunch breaks.


Unsurprisingly, the millionaire playground of Monaco snatched the top spot, which is not exactly a shock considering Savills reported that property prices crossed the 50,000 euros per square metre line for the first time ever back in 2021.



Although we guess it’s not all bad news as, according to the study, London actually has a declining millionaire population, dropping by 12% over the past decade. The only other city to record negative growth during this period was Moscow which fell by 25%.


New York landed in second place on the pricey livinglist, with a whopping $27,500 per square metre - thanks in part to the 384,500 millionaires who live in the city.

These are the world's 10 most expensive cities:

1. Monaco
2. New York
3. Hong Kong
4. London
5. Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
6. Paris
7. Sydney
8. Palm Beach
9. Miami Beach
10. Los Angeles

Cities that just missed out on the top ten include Singapore (11th), Switzerland (12th), Nice (13th), and Portofino (14th).


Better get saving then...


Main image credit: ColdSnowStorm via Getty

London has been named one of the top five most expensive cities to live in