The 11 Most Expensive Cities In America (PHOTOS)

The cost of living in America's most expensive metro areas may be hard for many to bear, but things could actually be much worse.

World-class commercial hubs are sprinkled across the United States, but not one U.S. city even cracked the top 25 most expensive metro areas in the world, according to the latest global survey by HR pros at Mercer.

Only five U.S. cities -- including Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City -- ranked in Mercer's 100 most expensive international cities.

For the budget-conscious among us, the least expensive U.S. city in Mercer's rankings is Winston-Salem, North Carolina where an average movie ticket costs $8.50, and rent for a 2-bedroom apartment is $450. That's a far cry from the costs associated with notoriously expensive cities like New York.

Which cities ranked among the most expensive cities in America? Check out the list below:

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11. Dallas Texas

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In Dallas, the monthly cost of utilities is the fourth highest among major American cities. Dallas World Rank: 134 2009 World Rank: N/A

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In Dallas, the monthly cost of utilities is the fourth highest among major American cities.

Dallas World Rank: 134
2009 World Rank: N/A

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Comments

[Kathy Winkler]

04:13 PM on 07/27/2010

Not sure where the info for a Houston 2 bedroom apartment cost came from, but you are way off. Maybe if you rent a brand new loft in the middle of downtown. I can say I have always paid less than half that price. Houston is actually a quite cheap place to live compared to other major cities in the US and Europe.

[Rita Foster]

04:07 PM on 07/22/2010

what kind of jobs must you have to rent a 2 bedroom for $2500. a month...what do normal people do in these cities..sleep on the street! a roommate would do me no good in these cities...why I love the deep deep south!

[jasev01]

01:26 PM on 07/15/2010

wow white plains is doing it like that

[pbfishtaco]

10:49 AM on 07/15/2010

San Diego. As expensive as L.A., but with the "San Diego Discount" in wages.

[TheJibreelaMonsters]

12:15 PM on 07/14/2010

Boston should be #1, I love the place but its not cheap and its also not a 24 hour city

[jasev01]

01:26 PM on 07/15/2010

you obviously have never been to NYC

[bynddrvn5]

09:12 AM on 07/14/2010

Sorry, you lost me at Dallas, Texas. If people want to see how long it can take for home/condo prices to rebound you need to look no further than Dallas. House prices fell like a rock back in the 80s and have been extremely slow to recover.

[gretchenart]

03:09 PM on 07/17/2010

Depends on the criteria for "expensive"--relative to wages + cost of living, etc. I find that energy for the home--gas and electricity are more expensive in general for me in Texas than California, there are higher property taxes, wages are lower, services are taxed and many times more costly, etc.

[Passerineblue]

09:42 AM on 08/01/2010

Another factor. Insurance. I lived in Dallas for 10 years and when I moved to VA, both my home insurance and my car insurance were cut in half. Of course, there's no income tax in TX.

[Rafael Souza]

09:07 AM on 07/14/2010

Miami is getting cheaper by the day. I bought my 3k sqf house in a gated community in 2004 for 410k now is valued at no more than 230k. It's expensive if you rent in Miami Beach but even there you can find good deals like condos for 250k that was listed for 600K couple of years ago. What kills you here is the commuting in case you don't live in downtown or close to work, you can expect to spend at least 30 to 40min to drive 20 miles

[jasev01]

01:27 PM on 07/15/2010

if I could drive 20 miles in 30-40 miles in NYC I would do a jig

[1logicalthinker]

02:59 PM on 07/15/2010

I think you should take a second look for your minutes :)

[CarolinaYankee]

08:56 AM on 07/14/2010

I guess it all depends on whether you can find employment too. Any place is expensive if there are not jobs. Taxes are the big plus in New York I was paying $8,000. here in S.C. much bigger house on 2 1/2 acres of land taxes only $800.00. It sure helps not to be taxed out of your home.

[Passerineblue]

09:44 AM on 08/01/2010

I live in Loudoun County VA which has the highest RE taxes in the country. I paid $6K this year on a house valued at $450K.

[Mr G]

08:33 AM on 07/14/2010

Dallas??? Are you serious? You can buy homes in Dallas for $400K that in San Francisco would
cost $2-$3 million. Dallas has no state tax. Retail and food prices are about 8% cheaper.
Gasoline is literally 75 cents cheaper per gallon. License fees, permit costs, are half what they are in SF. I live and have homes in both cities. These guys are nuts. Power is expensive, but only by about 5%. Don't forget, Dallas gets super hot in summer and very cold in winter. SF fluctuates little over the entire year in comparison.

[dansiro]

01:09 PM on 07/14/2010

two things to be said for Dallas: housing is relatively inexpensive, and it has more charm then Amarillo, which has all the charm of living inside a giant cardboard box that has been rained on and then dried out.

[Gena Kyllo]

12:32 AM on 07/25/2010

Aw, now ... are you sure you're not talking about Lubbock??

[ONEKOOLARMYMOM]

01:54 PM on 07/25/2010

I agree with the fact that living in San Francisco is alot more expensive than living in Dallas or anywhere in the S.F.Bay Area. I am from Texas and have alot of family throughout the state and I have been living in the bay area for along time now and I can tell you it is pretty expensive for everything plus in Calif. it seems like we are being taxed more for everything and I mean the dumbest of things it is getting too crazy here so if you think it costs too much where you live come here and then let us know what you think.

[Mavericks]

11:48 PM on 07/27/2010

Yeah, $5 now to cross a bridge in the SF bay area. I remember not long ago when it was only $1. At least in Portland, where I now live, bridges are free (of course, we only have to cross rivers).

[Oxerjump]

07:59 AM on 07/14/2010

New York the healthiest city? I think not. The wealthiest individuals in the world live in NY and can afford the planet's most expensive physicians, who are also in NY for the most part. If one can afford to live in an expensive high-rise above the pollution, grime and filth of the city with none of the anxiety that comes from making ends meet, of course they will be healthier. As a resident of "The Village" in the 1970's, I could never hope to afford to live there again; those days are long gone. Anyway, the fact that Charlottesville, Va didn't make the cut is all well and good for us "horse hags" who adore living in Virginia!

[SpoooonBK]

11:37 AM on 07/14/2010

New Yorkers are definitely more healthy than the average American. We walk a whole lot more. We have healthier food choices than most areas. We are just plain awesome.

Go NYC. Too bad you couldn't make it there.

[judiNJ]

11:58 AM on 07/14/2010

Amen! I love NY!

[janet1003mn]

04:46 PM on 07/14/2010

Got my NY fix recently. LOVE not needing a car -- everything's accessible by foot, bike, public transportation, or, in the case of a sudden downpour, a late night or bulky packages, taxi. I walked everywhere, ate delicious and healthy food the entire time and felt "homesick" when I was leaving. I'd live there in a heartbeat and need no convincing that I'd be healthier and live longer if I did.

[kaspian808]

06:24 AM on 07/14/2010

Honolulu easily outpaces all the cities on this list. R u serious? Try and live here and then compare costs with NYC or L.A. Not even close...at all.

[Dnietz]

03:23 AM on 07/14/2010

Speaking as a Houstonian, clearly they are referring to only an inner circle of the city.

Not that many people live there amongst the sky risers and expensive bars. A few high income yuppies and 2 older neighborhoods of very old very expensive houses.

So that means they are not counting the entire area when calculating the average. They are not using the whole city limits. They are just using the expensive inner city.

[lunarsnare]

04:25 AM on 07/14/2010

I am pretty sure they are referring to the inner cities of most of these cities here.

[AngusC]

03:11 AM on 07/14/2010

Move to Michigan, you can live like a king here.
4,500 sq ft home with another 2,500 sq ft in the finished walk out basement on 1 acre with woods just sold for $450,000 and I have seen even better deals.
Of course it is still Michigan.....

[1differentdrummer]

06:44 AM on 07/14/2010

I've got to say that housing there has been a good deal over the years. Employment and schools are rough, though.

[SF TKF]

11:19 AM on 07/14/2010

Yeah, but you're in Michigan . . .

[phuqabolic]

02:43 AM on 07/14/2010

two bedroom is Sn Franfreakshow is 2900, then you pay 400 for garage, then taxes are 10% ...then everytime you drive out of the city you 6 dollars toll, a glass of beer is 6 dollars...in my opinion SF is the most expensive city in the country...a 3 bedroom house with one car garage in the surburbs north of SF in marin are going for 1.5 million...bay area is hella expensive

[Mars777]

03:03 AM on 07/14/2010

Oh but I left my heart in San Francisco and nowhere else.

[Dnietz]

03:27 AM on 07/14/2010

How is the comparative costs in Mountain View? Just higher/lower/same?

[Heidi Currie]

01:34 AM on 07/14/2010

How about Vancouver Canada? Average rent for a 2 bdrm condo in Vancouver is at least $2,500 plus (excluding the drug slum of the downtown eastside of course, but there are no 2 bdrm condos there anyway) Add the income tax, property tax, and the never ending rain and idiotic-frightening neo con feds, and you really have something to complain about!

[prophile]

02:23 AM on 07/14/2010

While Vancouver would certainly make the list, this is only a list of American cities. Montreal and Toronto are also pretty expensive, as is Calgary (overpriced, in my opinion, for its small size, also when compared to Denver, which is larger).

[GirlyGirl420]

03:44 AM on 07/14/2010

Canadia isn't a US state?

[GirlyGirl420]

03:56 AM on 07/14/2010

Canadia...
The 51st state