
Revealed: Asia's most expensive cities to 'live well' in 2025
The Julius Baer Lifestyle Index tracks the cost of living a high-net-worth lifestyle in 25 cities around the world. Some things it takes into consideration: residential property prices, private healthcare costs, business class flights, luxury goods, and even the cost of an MBA. This year, a survey of high-net-worth individuals adds insight into their habits and perspectives.
So, the most expensive cities in Asia for high-fliers? Singapore, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. Singapore gets the (dubious) honour of being No. 1 on the list, and for the third year running too. It ranks first globally for the cost of cars (no thanks to the Certificate of Entitlement that must be purchased to own a car in Singapore) and women's handbags. So maybe get your Louis Vuitton goods somewhere else. Treadmills, on the other hand, are the most affordable index item to get in the country – all the better to work off those degustation dinners.
Hong Kong is the third-most expensive city in the world for living well. It slipped one place compared to its ranking last year, losing its second-place spot to London. This is not a place where you want to get in trouble – lawyers are the city's costliest index item. But we guess you can drink your sorrows with endless bottles of champagne, its cheapest index item. Nevertheless, Hong Kong remains attractive to the wealthy thanks to its welcoming tax and investment environment, as well as its proximity to China.
Finally, Shanghai, which slipped from No. 4 to No. 6 this year. According to the report, Shanghai's fall in the ranking could be due to cultural reasons – displays of wealth are increasingly frowned upon in China. Perhaps it's a good idea to keep it modest after all: individuals can expect to pay a hefty sum for fine dining meals, the priciest globally, and watches, which have seen a more than 11% increase in price over the last year.
These are the top 10 most expensive cities for living well:
Singapore
London
Hong Kong
Monaco
Zurich
Shanghai
Dubai
New York
Paris
Milan
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Sun
18 hours ago
- The Sun
Inside ‘Bill Gates' $645million ‘first of its kind' eco superyacht with cinema, basketball court and even a hospital
THE 390ft superyacht rumoured to be owned by billionaire Bill Gates is about to face its world debut as it goes up for sale. Best known as "the Bill Gates yacht", the ultra-luxury vessel is expected to find its new owner at the Monaco Yacht Show in September. 8 8 8 8 The elusive ship, named Breakthrough, will be the largest yacht attending the annual show. Once only known as Project 821, from Dutch-shipyard Feadship, Breakthrough will finally surface in Port Hercule, Monaco. Breakthrough has been hailed as the world's first hydrogen-powered superyacht - and comes with a staggering $645million (£476million) price tag. With a basketball court, a hospital, multiple libraries, two offices and a cinema, the superyacht reportedly boasts a jaw-dropping level of amenities. The superyacht can host up to 44 crew members at any given time, across 12 guest staterooms, two staff cabins, and 14 balconies. Though the owner accommodation extends beyond a single deck. The owner - be that Gates or another highly wealthy individual - would occupy the "completely private" four-story townhouse tucked away inside the yacht. 8 "This includes both a spacious staircase lined with bookshelves and display nooks and an owner's elevator," according to Edmiston, which appears to be brokering the sale of the yacht. Edmiston detailed in its listing: "At each deck level, there are inviting private lifestyle destinations to savour such as a coffee corner and games niche on the bridge deck, a library on the main deck, and a private dining room with a sea terrace and adjacent en suite stateroom on the lower deck. "It creates, in essence, a secluded four-level townhouse-by-the sea within the much larger yacht." Inside the invite-only superyacht 'sea hotel' with four-story penthouse - & another $450m 'twin' ship is on the way Elsewhere in the yacht is a pool with a moveable glass bottom that allows the deck to be transformed into a dining space, multiple hot tubs, steam room and a gym. 8 Chief executive Jamie Edmiston, whose father founded the yacht brokerage in 2001, said Breakthrough was "the most extraordinary yacht ever built". He added that it will be "the one that will change it all" due to it being powered solely by liquid hydrogen and a next-gen fuel cell system. Hydrogen fuel cells have been used to power both cars and rockets - but nothing has existed in the maritime sector. There weren't even any regulations for hydrogen storage and fuel-cell systems to go by, according to Feadship. As the first superyacht to run on hydrogen alone, Breakthrough stores compressed liquid hydrogen below deck at a whopping -253°C. The heat that is emitted when processing the hydrogen is then used in everything from the pool and steam room to the towel bars and flooring in the guest bathrooms. 8 Edmiston, who worked closely on Project 821, said: "The brief was to build the greenest and most environmentally advanced yacht ever built, without compromise. "It was a huge challenge, but one that the team has embraced and delivered on. "The yacht we see today, designed by RWD and built by Feadship is without doubt the best yacht ever built." Jan-Bart Verkuyl, director of Feadship, added that the aim was always "to develop a new, clean technology not just for this project, but for the world". 8


Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
Belgian GP star who raced against Michael Schumacher quit F1 to become aircraft dealer
Thierry Boutsen competed in Formula One for a decade, racing against some of the greatest ever drivers in the sport, but has since made a fortune away from the track Thierry Boutsen once raced alongside Formula One icons, but he is now a multimillionaire aircraft seller. The Belgian competed in F1 between 1983 and 1993, sharing the track in his final years with the likes of Michael Schumacher, Mika Hakkinen, Ayrton Senna and Martin Brundle. He raced for teams such as Arrows, Benetton, Williams, Ligier and Jordan across 164 Grands Prix. Boutsen claimed 15 podium finishes and even beat the legendary Senna on his way to achieving three race wins. Now, aged 68, Boutsen's post-racing career as a businessman in the aviation industry has proven even more successful. Over the past 25 years, the Monaco-based former racer has amassed a fortune selling business jets. In a 2020 interview with Monaco Life, Boutsen explained how his passion for aviation began: 'I honestly had no idea that private jets existed until I was 18-years-old. 'A family friend was CEO at Abelag (a private jet operator) in Brussels and he invited me to work there as a mechanic in the aircraft maintenance department. I enjoyed every minute of it – discovering these extraordinary flying machines. 'I was even invited on board to do a post maintenance test flight. That is when I promised myself, should I one day have earned enough money, I would buy and fly my own plane. I had to wait 12 years for that. Since then, flying has been a passion, like driving race cars.' He went on to say: 'I had no intention of starting a company in the beginning. I was always flying my own plane from racing event to racing event, or marketing event to marketing event, for private or business purposes. 'Then I had a request in 1997 from a colleague of mine, former F1 driver Heinz Harald Frentzen, who wanted to buy the same plane I was using at the time but he didn't know how to get it or how to complete the paper work etc. So, I said I would do it for him, and he ended up being my first customer. 'Immediately afterwards, I had a request from Keke Rosberg to buy a similar airplane for him; then I had to buy one for Mika Hakkinen, and then Michael Schumacher came to me and said he wanted to sell his Challenger. I did about 10 transactions, just in the racing world. I was doing the job as if it was for me – with a lot of passion, dedication and attention to detail. People loved it. 'So, we decided to go further and explore Europe. My wife Daniela and I started Boutsen Aviation: she was in charge of the marketing and presentation and I was in charge of the commercial side. 'At the end of 2000 we had our first employee, Dominique Trinquet – who is still with us today and is now president of the company. We have nine people working with us here in Monaco, and we have representatives in India, Russia, northern Europe, eastern Europe and Switzerland.' Reflecting on his business achievements, he added: "We have sold 385 planes to date, and every time we make a sale, we celebrate it as a success for the whole team. Our team in aviation is like a racing team – everyone is working together to get the job done and using their capabilities to 100 per cent, or sometimes even more. It will be a very important milestone when we get to 400, but it is due to the hard work of everybody of the company." 'We have 16 planes for sale on an exclusive basis. We sell all types of business jets, but 70 to 80 per cent of our planes are transatlantic, like Challengers, Gulfstreams, Falcons… big planes that can travel from Nice to Los Angeles, for instance. We also sell biz-liners like the Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) and Airbus Corporate Jet (ACJ). 'These planes used to sell for between 20 and 35 million. Today, it's between 15 and 25 million for exactly the same airplane. This is because the inventory has increased. 'During lockdown, some people wanted to get rid of their planes because they had no need for them. A plane is expensive to buy and maintain, so if you have one that just sits in a hangar for six months, it's not worth it.' He also runs three other businesses: Boutsen Design, providing decoration services for business jets, superyachts and residences; Boutsen Classic Cars, which sources and sells premium classic road and race cars; and Boutsen Racing Team, which competes all over the world.


Economist
a day ago
- Economist
Can Bernard Arnault steer LVMH out of crisis?
Louis Vuitton's new 17,000-square-foot development in Shanghai is, quite literally, the luxury brand's Chinese flagship. The structure, which serves as a store, restaurant, museum and billboard, is shaped like a giant boat, its hull emblazoned with Louis Vuitton's unmistakable monogram print. To some, it is also a metaphor for Louis Vuitton's parent company, LVMH, which is floundering in China and beyond. Is it a superyacht headed for promising new waters, asks Flavio Cereda-Parin of GAM, an asset manager, or 'Titanic 2.0'?