Deutsche Bank releases its annual cost-of-living indexes covering 69 cities worldwide. According to the latest analysis, Sydney and Melbourne rank as the most expensive cities for buying beer and cigarettes. The findings are based on comparative pricing data used in the index to measure relative costs for specific consumer items across cities.
The reporting also indicates that other major cities in Australia and around the world are close behind in overall expense levels for those items, suggesting the beer-and-cigarettes cost burden is elevated in several locations rather than limited to a single city. The index is presented as a broad measure of living costs that is used to compare affordability across global urban areas.
Both outlets highlight that the same Deutsche Bank dataset underpins the conclusion that Sydney and Melbourne are at the top for beer and cigarettes among the 69 cities assessed, while follow-on rankings show additional cities with similarly high costs.
