Sin index reveals Auckland third most expensive city in world for drinking and smoking

NZ Herald

23 May, 2016 09:10 PM3 mins to read

Smoking and drinking will take a toll on your health - and also your wallet if you live in Auckland. Photo / iStock

Where are the world's most expensive cities to drink and smoke? If you thought Auckland was among them, you'd be right.

Five beers and a packet of cigarettes will set you back $93.85, according to Deutsche Bank's annual "Sin Index" data.

Auckland is the third most expensive city in the world to smoke and drink, sitting behind Singapore and Melbourne, which topped the list.

Overall, Swiss and Nordic/Scandinavian cities are generally the most expensive, it found.

"Sydney and London also require a bulging wallet," the authors write.

For beer and cigarettes, Australia's hipster capital beat out the likes of Singapore (US$64), New York (US$63) and London (US$62.20).

If you wanted a cheap drinking holiday, head to Mexico City, Bangalore or Cape Town, who came out as the top three cheapest cities.

Sydney, meanwhile, ranks second only to Swiss city Zurich in the 'Weekend Getaway Index', which reflects the general cost of living around the world.

"Zurich leads the way, followed by Sydney, London, Milan, Stockholm, Copenhagen, NYC, San Francisco, Amsterdam and Madrid," they write.

"Tokyo is among the most expensive cities on most measures but surprisingly cheap hotel rooms (more akin to [emerging market] prices) help push it below many others."

A night out in Auckland can be a very expensive affair.

For two nights at a five-star hotel room, two pub meals for two, two restaurant dinners for two, car rentals for two days, two pints of beer, four litres of soft drinks or water, and a bit of shopping (a pair of jeans and a pair of sports shoes), Sydney will set you back US$2320 ($3206.83), compared with US$2475 ($3421.08) in Zurich.

Australian cities rank in the top 20 according to the 'Cheap Date Index' - defined as taxi rides, dinner or lunch for two at a pub or diner, soft drinks, two movie tickets and a couple of beers.

In Melbourne, all of the above will cost you US$112 ($154.81), making it the 18th most expensive city for romance. Sydney came in just behind at US$111.30 ($153.85).

"At the other end of the scale, cities in Malaysia, India and South Africa are the cheapest for a weekend away and around a third of the cost of the most expensive places," the report says.

"For those wanting a real cheap 'cheap date', India, Indonesia, the Philippines and South Africa are the places to go. Indeed in all of these places you can have at least four dates for the price of one in Zurich, but please don't tell the other three people!"

If you're heading to Rio for the Olympics, don't drop your iPhone. Brazil is the most expensive place in the world to buy an iPhone 6 at US$931. That's 156 per cent more expensive than the US.

Australia ranks 13th in the iPhone rankings, with an iPhone 6 costing US$707 ($977.25), or 118 per cent more expensive than the US.

Other measures in which Australia ranks among the most expensive in the world include five-star hotel rooms, movie tickets, two litres of Coca-Cola, and public transport and taxi costs.

"Interestingly there are signs that perhaps Uber is making its mark on the world as taxi prices in many places are falling sharply," the report says.

In San Francisco, where Silicon Valley resides, taxi prices have fallen by 30 per cent over the past 12 months, more than anywhere in the world.