This infographic of the world's priciest places will make you feel better about your rent cost
The next time you grit your teeth and open your credit card bill, just think about how much more painful it would be to open that monthly statement in Switzerland. According to a new infographic prepared by Movehub, the world's banking capital also has the highest cost of living of any country in the world.
This eye-opening info was compiled using the Consumer Price Index, which is "a relative index of a country's living costs compared to New York." By that definition, living in Switzerland is over 26 percent more expensive than living in Manhattan, which is pretty shocking to anyone paying $1,500 a month for a shoebox in New York. Norway and Venezuela (what?) make up the rest of the top three, while on the opposite side of the spectrum, the countries with the lowest CPI are India, Nepal and Pakistan. A whopping ten of the top fifteen countries with the highest cost of living are in Europe, while seven of those with the lowest CPI are scattered throughout Asia.
This CPI-based chart takes into account the prices of groceries, transportation, restaurants and utilities, using user-submitted data from Numbeo.
You can see the full infographic below. The United States was not listed as one of the 15 countries with the highest cost of living; we're actually 24th, sandwiched between Austria and Germany. If you don't live in New York City, feel free to point out that the country's average CPI is 25% less than those five boroughs. But if you do live there, it's OK if you cry a little every time you buy groceries.