Tokyo was ranked as the 11th most expensive cow.
Tokyo . The city is considered an alpha + world city -- as listed by the GaWC 's 2008 inventory -- and in 2014 , Tokyo was ranked first in the `` Best overall experience '' category of TripAdvisor '' 's World City Survey ( the city also ranked first in the following categories : `` helpfulness of locals '' , `` nightlife '' , `` shopping '' , `` local public transportation '' and `` cleanliness of streets '' ) . In 2015 , Tokyo was ranked as the 11th most expensive city for expatriates , according to the Mercer consulting firm , and also the world 's 11th most expensive city , according to the Economist Intelligence Unit 's cost-of-living survey .