Out of 73 major cities worldwide, Tokyo has the most expensive clothing prices, with Manila and Kuala Lumpur the cheapest places to get dressed, according to the “2009 Prices and Earnings” report published by banking giant UBS on August 19.
New York City was used as the standardized mean in the survey, with each city indexed against the “Big Apple” for comparison.
Clothes in Tokyo were a whopping 35 percent more costly than even the next expensive city, Vienna. In Tokyo the price of a women’s outfit, consisting of a two-piece suit, jacket, skirt, pantyhose and pair of fashionable shoes, cost $1,310, with a complete men’s outfit, comprising a suit, blazer/jacket, shirt, jeans, socks and a pair of shoes, running $1,440.
The average worldwide cost of the standardized outfits was $500 for women and $680 for men, while the same list of items cost $760 and $1,010, respectively in New York City.
Even though Tokyo is close geographically to Kuala Lumpur and Manila, the two are worlds apart when it comes to clothing costs, as a women’s ensemble costs a mere $120 in both the latter cities.
USB is a Swiss-based banking firm that releases its “Prices and Earnings” report every three years.
Most Expensive Rank | City | Women’s Clothes ($) | Men’s Clothes ($) | Index: NYC=100 |
1 | Tokyo | 1,310 | 1,440 | 155.6 |
2 | Vienna | 930 | 1,110 | 115.6 |
3 | Zurich | 980 | 1,020 | 113.3 |
4 – tie | Athens | 860 | 1,110 | 111.9 |
4 – tie |
Geneva |
930 | 1,050 | 111.9 |
6 | Paris | 780 | 1,070 | 105.2 |
7 | Copenhagen | 890 | 950 |
104.4 |
8 | Helsinki | 890 | 940 | 103.7 |
9 | Oslo | 670 | 1,140 | 102.2 |
10 – tie | Amsterdam | 780 | 980 | 100.0 |
10 – tie | New York City | 760 | 1,010 | 100.0 |
Notable Cities | ||||
Beijing | 650 | 1,090 | 98.5 | |
Chicago | 670 | 950 | 91.9 | |
Dubai | 510 | 720 | 69.6 | |
Sydney | 500 | 640 | 64.4 | |
Berlin | 470 | 640 | 63.0 | |
Montreal | 440 | 630 | 60.7 | |
Taipei | 460 | 560 | 57.8 | |
London | 420 | 580 | 56.3 | |
Ljubljana | 370 | 590 | 54.1 | |
Santiago | 300 | 440 | 42.2 | |
Cheapest Cities | ||||
69 | Nairobi | 210 | 300 | 28.9 |
70 | Mumbai | 170 | 260 | 24.4 |
71 | Johannesburg | 160 | 260 | 23.7 |
72 | Kuala Lumpur | 120 | 210 | 18.5 |
73 | Manila | 120 | 200 | 17.8 |