If you live in Geneva, taking your date out for a romantic evening could cost you five times more than it would if you were living in Delhi, the capital of India. These are some facts that Deutsche Bank released in its ‘Mapping the World’s Prices 2026’ report, which compares cities on parameters such as prices, salaries, quality of life, and more.
In the 2026 edition, Deutsche Bank looked at year-on-year changes, comparing 2026 prices with 2016 levels, 2019 (a pre-COVID baseline), and 2012, as it was a pivotal year that marked a peak in the Yen and a historically cheap USD. Here are some key observations that the reports narrate:
The most expensive cities
According to the report, Geneva and Zurich remain the most expensive cities in the world, followed by Tel Aviv (Israel), and New York and San Francisco (US). Meanwhile, out of the largest developed market cities, Tokyo is ‘very cheap.’
Quality of life
The report also ranks Luxembourg number one in quality of life for a second year. Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Vienna, and Munich are among the top 5, with Frankfurt in sixth place. Meanwhile, global financial hubs like Paris (43rd), New York (46th), London (47th), and Hong Kong (55th) scored lower on liveability due to high housing costs, long commutes, and high pollution levels.
Meanwhile, Delhi did not feature among the top 50 cities in the report’s quality-of-life rankings, which consider purchasing power, safety, healthcare, cost of living, housing affordability, commute times, pollution and climate.
The cheapest city!
Delhi is the world’s cheapest major city for a romantic date and relatively cheaper to buy property, but its people’s salaries are also among the lowest. Additionally, according to the report’s ‘Cheap Date Index’, Geneva, Zurich, Tel Aviv, Oslo, and Copenhagen are the top 5 most expensive cities for a romantic date.
In fact, a date in Geneva could cost you nearly five times as much as in Delhi, the world’s least expensive major city. In Delhi, it would cost $103 (around ₹9,920), compared with $475 (around ₹45,750) in Geneva.
Housing costs
Hong Kong is the most expensive property market globally, though prices have dropped 10% from pre-COVID levels. Athens recorded the fastest rent growth worldwide, surging 144% over the past decade.
Meanwhile, renting a 3-bed apartment in Tokyo costs only about a quarter of what it does in New York. A meal for two in Tokyo now costs less than in Warsaw or Prague, and is a third as much as in Zurich or New York. A McDonald’s costs a quarter of that in Tel Aviv, and Japan is the cheapest place in the world to buy an iPhone.
