(FORTUNE Magazine) – What's the most expensive city in the world? Probably Tokyo, where the monthly rent for a medium-priced unfurnished three-room apartment is greater than the annual pay for a bus driver in Sao Paulo. Even so, it will cost more to get your hair done in New York and to ride a taxi in London. In general, Asians work longer hours than Europeans or Americans do for no relative increase in pay. The prices in this comparison were based on exchange rates on March 23, 1989.

CHART: NOT AVAILABLE CREDIT: SOURCE: UNION BANK OF SWITZERLAND CAPTION: COSTS EARNINGS