Berlin has joined five other German cities in the annual Worldwide Cost of Living survey, published by Economist Intelligence. The German capital ranked 50th place in this year’s survey, making it the cheapest German city included in the study.

Worldwide Cost of Living Index 2021

Every year, the research and analysis department of the Economist Group, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), explores the cost of living in cities all over the world. The EIU compiles the index, which is benchmarked against New York prices, by comparing the cost of over 200 goods and services in 10 different categories, which include everything from public transport to energy prices.

The report found that the price for goods and services included in the report has risen globally, with the inflation rate rising by 3.5 percent in 2021. This is the fastest rate of inflation recorded over the past five years, even surpassing the pre-pandemic rate. The report largely blamed problems that have arisen from the coronavirus pandemic, such as supply-chain issues and changing consumer demand, for the rising costs of goods and services.

This year, for the first time ever, Tel Aviv was crowned the most expensive city out of the 173 features, knocking Paris from the top spot. The Swiss cities of Zurich and Geneva also made it into the top ten.

Frankfurt: Germany’s most expensive city

Six German cities were included in this year’s report. Frankfurt was deemed Germany’s most expensive city, coming in at 19th place in the ranking. Both Düsseldorf and Berlin experienced significant drops in the ranking, dropping eight places each. Düsseldorf dropped down to 40th place this year, whilst Berlin fell to 50th place - making it the cheapest German city. Stuttgart made its first appearance in the ranking this year.

Drivers in Hamburg will no doubt be feeling the pinch this year, since the Hanseatic city made it into the top ten most expensive cities for petrol, with prices reaching an average of 1,99 US dollars per litre. The Dutch capital of Amsterdam also featured in the ranking, and was even ranked as the second most expensive city in the world for petrol.

The world’s most expensive cities

The 10 most expensive cities in the world, according to the Worldwide Cost of Living 2021 survey, are:

1. Tel Aviv, Israel
2. Paris, France
3. Singapore, Singapore
4. Zurich, Switzerland
5. Hong Kong, China
6. New York, US
7. Geneva, Switzerland
8. Copenhagen, Denmark
9. Los Angeles, US
10. Osaka, Japan

The 10 cheapest cities across the globe

The cheapest cities in the world are:

1. Damascus, Syria
2. Tripoli, Libya
3. Tashkent, Uzbekistan
4. Tunis, Tunisia
5. Almaty, Kazakhstan
6. Karachi, Pakistan
7. Ahmedabad, India
8. Algiers, Algeria
9. Buenos Aires, Argentina
10. Lusaka, Zambia

For more information, you can visit the EIU website.