Top 10 most expensive cities to live in

1. Tokyo
2. Osaka/Kobe
3. Paris
4. Copenhagen
5. Oslo
6. Zurich
7. Frankfurt
8. Helsinki
9. Geneva
10. Singapore

11. Hong Kong
12. Vienna
13. Dublin
23. New York
27. London
90. Kuala Lumpur

I couldn't believe my eyes when I read the above list in the papers. While I do realise that the cost of living is quite high in Singapore, I hadn't known that it's that HIGH! How can it possibly cost more to live in Singapore than in places like New York or London?! Food and public transport seems much more affordable in Singapore than in NYC/London. Perhaps Singapore's exorbitant property prices is what's bringing us to the top 10 position?

So I googled for the 2009 list of the world's most expensive property markets and here's what I found:

1. Monte Carlo
2. Moscow
3. London
4. Tokyo
5. Hong Kong
6. New York
7. Paris
8. Singapore
9. Rome
10. Mumbai

Well, average property prices in NYC/London are still higher than in Singapore based on the ranking.....so how on earth is Singapore a costlier place to live in if not for cost of housing, food or public transport? What am I missing here?

As a Singaporean...I'm not sure if I should feel proud that we made it to the top 10 or that I should be real worried. Perhaps it's time RG and I revisit the idea of moving to a cheaper place like Malaysia (KL is only 90th on the most expensive cities list!)!