flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

These are the 10 most expensive cities in the world to build in

Industry Research

These are the 10 most expensive cities in the world to build in

Paris, Frankfurt, and Macau are all on the list, but none of them are more expensive than the city in the number one spot.


By David Malone, Associate Editor | March 7, 2017

Pixabay Public Domain

The recently released International Construction Costs report, published by Arcadis, details the relative cost of building in 44 of the world’s major cities across 13 building types.

As part of the report, the top 10 most expensive cities in the world to build in are outlined, and a U.S. city is at the top of the list. New York led the way among all cities for construction costs, according to the report.

“New York rises to the top globally once again due to a lack of real estate availability, accessibility issues, and high real estate prices,” says David Hudd, Arcadis Cost and Commercial Director, in a release. ‘To build in such a dense urban environment like New York City, you must find solutions to control costs, such as expertly handling storage, transport and staging of building materials, identifying skilled construction firms and labor far in advance, and implementing modularized construction.”

New York isn’t showing any signs of slowing down either in terms of construction costs. The city is expected to remain the most expensive to build in into 2017 and beyond as large-scale construction projects and international investors drive development. The Big Apple is almost 50% more expensive to build in than the national average and is even 20% higher than other major and expensive cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Boston.

For the U.S., San Francisco is the second most expensive city to build in because of its cramped environment, rigorous seismic requirements, and competition for contractors.

In terms of worldwide construction costs, Hong Kong is in second place, followed by Geneva, London, and Macau. The entire top 10 list is as follows:

 

  1. New York
  2. Hong Kong
  3. Geneva
  4. London
  5. Macau
  6. Copenhagen
  7. Stockholm
  8. Frankfurt
  9. Paris
  10. Vienna

 

For the full report, click here.

Related Stories

Market Data | Jun 21, 2017

Design billings maintain solid footing, strong momentum reflected in project inquiries/design contracts

Balanced growth results in billings gains in all sectors. 

Industry Research | Jun 15, 2017

Commercial Construction Index indicates high revenue and employment expectations for 2017

USG Corporation (USG) and U.S. Chamber of Commerce release survey results gauging confidence among industry leaders.

Industry Research | Jun 13, 2017

Gender, racial, and ethnic diversity increases among emerging professionals

For the first time since NCARB began collecting demographics data, gender equity improved along every career stage.

Industry Research | May 25, 2017

Project labor agreement mandates inflate cost of construction 13%

Ohio schools built under government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) cost 13.12 percent more than schools that were bid and constructed through fair and open competition.

Market Data | May 24, 2017

Design billings increasing entering height of construction season

All regions report positive business conditions.

Market Data | May 24, 2017

The top franchise companies in the construction pipeline

3 franchise companies comprise 65% of all rooms in the Total Pipeline.

Industry Research | May 24, 2017

These buildings paid the highest property taxes in 2016

Office buildings dominate the list, but a residential community climbed as high as number two on the list.

Market Data | May 16, 2017

Construction firms add 5,000 jobs in April

Unemployment down to 4.4%; Specialty trade jobs dip slightly.

Industry Research | May 4, 2017

How your AEC firm can go from the shortlist to winning new business

Here are four key lessons to help you close more business.

Engineers | May 3, 2017

At first buoyed by Trump election, U.S. engineers now less optimistic about markets, new survey shows

The first quarter 2017 (Q1/17) of ACEC’s Engineering Business Index (EBI) dipped slightly (0.5 points) to 66.0.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




Contractors

Conflict resolution is a critical skill for contractors

Contractors interact with other companies seventeen times a day on average, and nearly half of those interactions (eight) involve conflicts, according to a report by Dodge Construction Network and Dusty Robotics. The study suggests that specialty trade contractors, in particular, rarely experience good resolution from conflicts. 

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021