Singapore tops checklist of world’s most costly cities for the wealthy

SINGAPORE – Singapore has retained its place because the world’s most costly metropolis for the prosperous for the fourth 12 months working, reflecting the premium that world traders place on stability, a powerful forex and a protected haven for capital.

As the rich assess their existence and monetary longevity, their focus has shifted from price to worth, looking for cities that provide the very best mixture of stability, high quality of life, and steadiness between revenue and bills, says the Julius Baer Global Wealth and Lifestyle Report 2026 launched on July 7. 

Yee Kim Tan, Julius Baer’s Singapore department supervisor, mentioned Singapore continues to face out as a “natural choice” as the rich contemplate what belongings to carry and the place these belongings ought to sit.

“It is valued for its stability, strong rule of law and the sense of security it offers when planning for the long term. For many families, it forms part of a broader, deliberate allocation across regions, alongside Europe and the Americas,” he mentioned.

Singapore’s rank on the high of the Swiss financial institution’s Lifestyle Index displays the excessive costs of residential property and vehicles – the 2 gadgets that carry the heaviest weightings – in addition to the energy of the Singapore greenback in opposition to the US greenback.

The Julius Baer Lifestyle Index tracks the worth of a basket of 20 luxurious items and providers – starting from non-public college charges and healthcare to residential property and vehicles – throughout 25 cities globally. The knowledge was gathered in two rounds between November 2025 and March 2026.

The Republic continues to rank as the costliest place on this planet to purchase a automobile and third for residential property.

Singapore, together with Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Bangkok, Taipei, Tokyo, Jakarta, Mumbai and Manila, took joint first place globally for the costliest area to get an MBA. The report mentioned the Asia-Pacific has change into the costliest area to get an MBA.

But whereas Singapore ranked third most costly for healthcare in 2025, it fell to twenty third in 2026. Sao Paulo, Zurich and London took the highest three spots respectively.

“Singapore’s position as the most expensive city in our index should not be interpreted simply as a cost burden,” mentioned Christian Gattiker, head of analysis at Julius Baer.

“Rather, it reflects the qualities that globally mobile wealthy individuals consistently seek: political and economic stability, strong institutions, global connectivity, and the scarcity value of key assets such as land and vehicle ownership… At the same time, the strength of the Singapore dollar reinforces the city’s attractiveness as a place to live, work, and preserve wealth.

“Put differently, high prices are often the consequence of strong demand for a limited supply of assets within a highly desirable and resilient ecosystem.”

Zurich, lengthy thought-about one of many world’s most costly cities, climbed from its fifth spot in 2025 to displace London because the world’s second-most costly metropolis.

This was propelled by the Swiss franc’s appreciation in opposition to the US greenback. The forex’s energy is pushed by Switzerland’s political and monetary stability, which sees the franc appearing as a retailer of worth in unpredictable instances, the report mentioned.

Monaco entered the highest three for the primary time, pushing Hong Kong into fourth place, primarily on account of a stronger euro elevating complete prices in US greenback phrases, but additionally on account of increased residential property costs.

Currencies weren’t the one drive driving the 2026 index, with rising uncooked materials prices – significantly gold, which has greater than doubled since 2024 – pushing up costs of luxurious items corresponding to jewelry and watches.

Despite increased costs, demand from rich shoppers stays resilient, permitting luxurious manufacturers to maintain elevating costs to keep up exclusivity and align world pricing with shifts in currencies, logistics and tariffs.

As wealth turns into extra world and sophisticated, ultra-rich households are inserting higher emphasis on how and the place their belongings and constructions are arrange, significantly for tax, succession and governance functions.

Mobility – each bodily and monetary – “is becoming a defining feature of wealth in 2026”, the report mentioned. Not solely do the rich select the place to reside and spend, however additionally they allocate their belongings throughout markets to learn from forex developments and alternatives and hedge geopolitical dangers.

The report mentioned Asia-Pacific traders have stepped up portfolio changes amid geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainty, with greater than 70 per cent growing diversification over the previous 12 months. 

Many have turned to valuable metals as a hedge, whereas additionally increasing geographic publicity. Beyond gold, platinum has gained traction in China, and silver has seen renewed demand in India, each in bodily markets and exchange-traded merchandise.

Asia-Pacific traders are additionally exhibiting increased threat tolerance and take a longer-term view than their world friends, with many growing each funding and spending.

While some are taking a extra disciplined strategy by boosting investments and reducing spending, total urge for food stays agency. Equities proceed to be the popular asset class, with money rising to second place forward of actual property.

Asia-Pacific and the Middle East noticed the very best proportion of rich respondents reporting increased luxurious spending up to now 12 months, with lodge suites, fantastic eating and enterprise class flights among the many high 5 classes of elevated spending for each areas.

Jen-Ai Chua, analysis analyst at Julius Baer’s equities analysis Asia, mentioned high-tech synthetic intelligence and semiconductor-driven progress, wealth flows and migration are fuelling recent progress in cities like Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Sydney. But in cities the place conventional legacy industries, commodities and consumption are nonetheless the mainstay of financial exercise, change has been extra gradual.

Asia as a complete stays the fastest-growing area on Julius Baer’s financial projections, with gross home product progress of 4.5 per cent in 2026 that’s effectively above the worldwide common of two.9 per cent, Chua mentioned.