A new ranking has crowned the city that promises the most luxurious lifestyle on the planet, and the winner is likely exactly who you expect. With nearly 900 top-tier restaurants and around 150 five-star hotels, Paris has taken the number one spot, cementing its reputation as the go-to destination for glamour, indulgence, and grand experiences. The results were reported by Daily Mail, which highlighted just how dominant the French capital looks when luxury is measured in sheer density.
The study behind the list set out to quantify wealth and high-end living using six indicators. It looked at the number of millionaires and billionaires relative to the overall population, then paired that with how concentrated certain luxury staples are within city limits. Fine dining, five-star hotels, luxury retail, and casinos were all tallied per square kilometre to build a final Luxury Index that rewards places where upscale options are not just available, but everywhere.
Paris surged ahead largely because of its unmatched food scene. The city reportedly offers 834 top restaurants per 100 square kilometres, more than any other destination included in the analysis. It also boasts 142 five-star hotels across the same area, plus up to 10 casinos, which adds another layer to the idea that luxury in Paris is woven into everyday city life. Whether you picture couture shopping, champagne at a rooftop bar, or a table at a celebrated restaurant, the numbers suggest Paris can deliver it at almost any turn.
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Second place went to Melbourne, home to about 94,000 millionaires and a dining scene packed with more than 100 elite restaurants. The city also stood out for its concentration of high-end accommodation, with 125 top hotels, and luxury shopping, with 143 upscale stores noted in the ranking. Zürich landed in third, driven by an extraordinary share of wealthy residents, with almost one in five people said to be worth a seven-figure sum, along with around 150 top restaurants catering to the city’s well-heeled crowd.
Miami took fourth, matching Paris closely in millionaire concentration while outpacing it in billionaires per capita, with 37 cited in the study. Milan rounded out the top five, pairing fashion credibility with serious dining power, including 193 luxury restaurants serving a community of roughly 82,000 millionaires, plus nearly 20 five-star hotels and 76 luxury stores. The rest of the top 10 was New York, Los Angeles, Singapore, Seoul, and London, with New York singled out for having the biggest total number of millionaires and billionaires overall.
Which of these cities feels like the ultimate luxury escape to you, and what would be your first splurge there? Share your pick in the comments.
