Numbeo.com's cost of living survey for 2012 was conducted by more than 23,000 contributors who entered more than 241,000 prices. The most expensive cities (excluding rent) are Trondheim and Stavanger in Norway, followed by Zurich in Switzerland.

Based on 45 goods and services, Numbeo.com's cost of living survey for the beginning of 2012 was conducted by more than 23000 independent contributors who entered more than 241,000 prices. The most expensive cities (excluding rent) are Trondheim and Stavanger in Norway, followed by Zurich in Switzerland.

In Numbeo's survey, New York is used as the base city for the index and scores 100 points, all cities are compared against New York and currency movements are measured against US Dollar and Euro. Tokyo (Japan) scores 135.23 points and is nearly three times as costly as Manila (Philippines) with 47.34 points.

In the 2012, the most expensive cities (excluding rent) are:

1. Trondheim, Norway (188.91)
2. Stavanger, Norway (171.32)
3. Zurich, Switzerland (152.84)
4. Oslo, Norway (152.03)
5. Geneva, Switzerland (146.24)
6. Bern, Switzerland (142.44)
7. Lucerne, Switzerland (139.94)
8. Perth, Australia (139.63)
9. Bergen, Norway (138.79)
10. Tokyo, Japan (135.23)
11. Sydney, Australia (132.39)
12. Adelaide, Australia (129.60)
13. Monaco, Monaco (128.15)
14. Copenhagen, Denmark (123.82)
15. Edinburgh, United Kingdom (122.52)
16. Melbourne, Australia (121.53)
17. Dublin, Ireland (119.56)
18. London, United Kingdom (118.52)
19. Arhus, Denmark (115.96)
20. Canberra, Australia (115.89).