A frontrunner has been declared for the world's most expensive city

Overall rating (out of 100): 93.7
Stability: 100.0
Healthcare: 100.0
Culture and environment: 84.0
Education: 91.7
Infrastructure: 92.9

Japan took early steps to prevent the mass spread of coronavirus, implementing stay-at-home orders and border closures much earlier than most other countries. That, paired with an excellent healthcare system, explains why the country has two highly-ranked cities in this year's list. Tokyo took a cultural hit in 2020 (the postponed Summer Olympics being the most obvious example), but the city still managed to rise three spots from last year. Tokyo continues to lead by example when it comes to infrastructure, and experts predict the city will get even more incredible in the second half of 2021 and beyond. Infrastructure aside, we'd be happy to live in Tokyo for the dining alone: The Japanese capital has more Michelin stars than any other place on earth, and is—no surprise—one of the world’s best food destinations.

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  4. Wellington, New Zealand (tie)
  
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