Singapore named world’s most expensive city for luxury spending for 4th year running

Zurich’s three-place rise was propelled by the strengthening of the Swiss franc, supported by the country’s reputation for stability and the currency’s role as “store of value” in unpredictable times, the wealth manager said.

Singapore’s long-held top rank is driven by high prices of residential property and cars – the two categories with the heaviest weightings in the index – along with the strong Singapore dollar, it added. The index compares prices on a US dollar basis.

“What is clear in 2026 is that the world continues to be a complicated place, and uncertainty remains at a very high level,” Christian Gattiker, head of research at Julius Baer, said in the report. “In this environment, stable cities and countries become even more attractive.”

The bank’s Lifestyle Index ranks 25 cities by analysing the price inflation of 20 luxury items and services such as residential property, cars, business class flights, school fees and degustation dinners. The survey interviewed 360 high-net-worth individuals with bankable household assets of US$1 million or more from February to March 2026.