Why are These the Most EXTREME CITIES in the World?

As of 2008, for the first time in human history about as many people live in urban areas as suburban or rural ones. That means there are a lot of people who think that they deal with greater levels of traffic, more crime, more overcrowding, and higher costs of living than residents of places they consider barely populated backwaters.
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Coming up:
10. Largest Population
9. Largest Land Area
8. Most Densely Populated City
7. Most Expensive City
6. Healthiest City
5. City with Worst Traffic
4. Most Impoverished City in the World
3. Happiest City
2. The Most Homicidal City
1. Oldest City in the World
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[@aaronaasbury5959]

There are alot of Top 5, Top 10 and so on videos on KZbin. Your channel is hands down by far the best. In fact you are one of my favorite overall channels.

[@hazmania]

All Simons channels are my favourites, (too many to count) and he’s KZbin’s favourite big brain...Allegedly!

[@FireFlight13]

I live in Singapore, and must point out that most reports that place us at the top of the list of most expensive cities in the world do so from the perspective of an expat. This takes into consideration housing, which admittedly is expensive, and assumes that car ownership is a necessity (which isn't the case). From a local or tourist perspective, it's not as pricey as the reports make it sound. Also, it's not true that our other transportation methods are 3x the price of those in NYC. Public transport here on trains and buses costs roughly S$1.20-1.80 per trip (depending on distance, up to $2 in most cases), and is very accessible to most places. Most Singaporeans don't own a car because the cost of car ownership here is extremely high (about $90-100k for an entry level Toyota because of the various taxes), but that's how the government keeps the number of vehicles on the road in check. But with the accessibility of public transport, you really don't need a car unless you have familial needs to take care of (e.g. elderly parents, young kids, etc). Our taxi fares are a little cheaper as well, compared to most cities (average ride is about $10+, though you'll pay tolls if you're going into the city on weekdays and Saturdays). But when you factor in the exchange rate (USD$1 = SGD$1.36 as of now), the absolute value that you spend is even less. For any tourists out there considering coming here, the hotels are on the pricier side and there aren't many airbnb options available (mainly because most of us live in public housing, which isn't legal to rent out on such short terms), and shopping isn't worth that much doing here (our neighbours, Malaysia and Indonesia, are better for that). But otherwise, transport and food are cheap (have some meals at the hawker centres instead of pubs and restaurants for a cheap and good taste of the local palate. You'll be spoilt for options), and the attractions are generally around the same price as most cities. Hope that helps! :)

[@ethanteo3748]

Singaporean here too! I think tourist come here because our city area is pretty nice, also because we are/ are one of the safest places in the world. Malaysia and Indonesia might be a bit more dangerous but I'm not sure by how much. It is harder to find branded items in M'sia and Indonesia and we have like 10 billion Louis Vuittons on Orchard Road. Arguably if you can find them overseas it might be quite a bit cheaper, but it does have its advantages and disadvantages

[@GoodBoy-wr5mo]

Snorlax dont go to jakarta u just waste ur time in here jakarta is the most traffic city in the world i tired live in this city i just want to another city like surabaya or bandung

[@RendererEP]

how the hell is seoul the happiest city one of my friends went there and all everyone cared about was work and education he said that it didnt seem that peple had any free time i would say the happiest city is san jose costa rica or copenhagen denmark

[@annaelrick7930]

I thought a city in Sweden would have been one of the happiest

[@Niko_Trades_And_Lounge]

Lol I see what you did there

[@megha1938]

One of the oldest cities is Varanasi. Also called Benares, or Kashi. It is believed to be over 7500 yeats old.

[@yasminedabash4022]

I hate to say this as I'm sure most South Koreans are not prejudiced but there is a culture of racism in South Korea. Tan to deep dark skin tones are considered very ugly in the culture and whenever I asked why it was just "their culture" and "their perspective of beauty". It was sad actually.

[@hockeyking30]

HAPPIEST CITY IS CLEARLY PYONGYANG

[@RendererEP]

PC PRINCIPAL well actually they probably are happy as they are treated well by the government because the elite live there and the stress of south korea within students is not present within pyongyang because all they learn is math science and juche

[@thesamuraihobbit]

You better watch your microaggressions, bro!

[@mariakelly5]

Absolutely! Everybody knows that. Would the Dear Leader lie?

[@DannyHeywood]

''If you are not happy, you and your family will be sent to the Death Camps...Did I say Death Camps?... I meant Happy Camps!''

[@madhurimabose2514]

XD

[@skizzytheerealest]

:40 the way he said "bro" just made me crack up idk y lol.

[@deathbycognitivedissonance5036]

Breezy Yessssss!😂

[@mbear1639]

You guys do SUCH a nice job. Really interesting content!! I look forward to you reaching your much-deserved Million Subscriber milestone.

[@texastmblwd69]

I live in Seoul. It's okay. I mean, it's true that there's effectively no petty crime. Most crime that you hear about is in government and in large companies, but it's rare enough that it DEFINITELY gets media coverage. In America, where I'm from, most crime doesn't even make the back page of newspapers because it's so common. Seoul is mostly wealthy and healthy and North Korea (just over the horizon - literally) is almost universally ignored. These things are all true. The reason I was surprised that Seoul was named the happiest city is that it also has one of the highest suicide rates in the world and South Koreans are widely known to have some of the longest working hours in the world. I could write a novel on why both of those two things exist so I won't even attempt to here. It's just....happiest? Really? I would think Toronto or Copenhagen or Oslo.

[@gentleken7864]

I don't get this either. I live and have lived an hour and a half south of Seoul for the last 14 years and have been there a lot, but there is nothing there or from my knowledge of Korean society, that would mean it's the 'happiest' in the world. It has great infrastructure, with a great underground system, but you can sit in traffic for hours if you have a car. To live somewhere decent will cost a small fortune now. Then, you have the 'keeping up with the Kims' that is much worse in Seoul than anywhere else. There are still long hours of studying for elementary up to high school students, and parents who regularly come home at 10 pm every day cramming in some 'quality time' with their kids that late at night. You mentioned the low petty crime, which is ace all around the country, mostly I suppose because of the complete lack of a drug/gun problem here. And the high suicide rate. To me happiness is about setting achievable life aims, but Koreans are always buying the newest things and always aspiring to be at the top meaning they have a lot of debt. I still love living here, but of all the places I've lived and travelled too, it's not the 'happiest' by any reasonable terms.

[@rogerdotlee]

Wow. You know your city sucks when it beats out San Pedro Sula in Honduras.

[@cjhification]

Everyone I asked has heard of Monico, seems strange you think people haven't heard of it.

[@alexysq2660]

"...MonAco" ({; > ...!

[@sarahquill7423]

He tends to pander to geographically illiterate USAnuses a lot

[@ArghyadeepPal]

The happiest city would be Thimpu. Infact Bhutan is the happiest country I think...

[@hirdy161]

Syria has such magnificent history, it's a crime against the whole world that it's all being ruined by what's going on.

[@dominicguye8058]

Agreed. It has contributed so much to civilization and culture.

[@dystrophic]

How is Seoul the happiest city, if its suicide rate is so damn high?!

[@alexysq2660]

Uhhhh...only the "happy" ones are *left* ({: \ ...?!?

[@matthewgibbons7454]

Sydney Australia land area over 12000 square kilometres

[@neilwilliams929]

Like your work simon👍

[@dolevlitvin8904]

Great videos! Keep at it (-:

[@slippy1809]

Vancouver B.C. Canada is undoubtedly one of the best cities in the world. Just saying!

[@samuellawrencesbookclub8250]

I'm guessing you live there

[@CB-db1qx]

Andy Skied Except house prices are too high thanks to people buying investment properties, and the fact that its getting too crowded.

[@TheCriminalViolin]

Portland, Oregon, and well, most of the west coast's biggest cities are in the top 20 most expensive cities in the world in terms of housing & COL. Vancouver is being subtly crept up on by LA, Seattle, Portland, San Jose & San Diego.

[@johnwang9914]

Where a demolished home costs four million dollars...

[@mothra__13]

*most expensive

[@MrFallenangel2012]

I'm still grabbing my snowboard and mountain dew bro!

[@PastTime777]

NY is dropping as people flee high taxes, and high living costs.

[@johnathin0061892]

True of NY as a state in general. People live here only if they have to.

[@thefifthhour45]

Aren't suburbanites part of an urban area? In Australia we use different terminologies.

[@paulsimmons5726]

Simon, I'll avoid 9 of these but still want to go to Monaco. Come to think of it, I've never left anything in any of these cities that I need to go back for. However, Monaco looks like a great place to be if you hit the lottery!

[@onlineuser1990]

Live in NY

[@deathbycognitivedissonance5036]

enderstar 0507 IT'S SATURDAY morning!...

[@issac9930]

enderstar 0507 I love the USA

[@SEB1991SEB]

The video started buffering for me at 5:17 and I thought it was an intentional joke

[@BenColeman]

Isn't London still the most expensive city to live in?

[@Christinebanks11]

Ben Coleman not with all the migrants !

[@angelvenegas483]

No it’s Paris

[@Mathis-zd2mc]

It's actually Paris, not London, New York or Singapore

[@matthewb7577]

The Guardian is a broadsheet not a magazine

[@zupermaus9276]

The NYC metro land area is a catchment based on commuting levels between counties (and as low as 10%), it's not an urban count and definitely not contiguous, the majority made up of large open land and farmland.

[@deathbycognitivedissonance5036]

Simon is such a great host.

[@jaywilliams9294]

Rome first city to reach 1 million people

[@skizzytheerealest]

jay williams comment bad grammar

[@jaywilliams9294]

Breezy British education for you

[@chichiboypumpi1]

Where would you rather walk in or stay, Tokyo or new delhi?

[@bizarreworld2510]

Ra TA I would choose Tokyo

[@paraclonebasedtrooper8225]

Ra TA stay in tokyo

[@mordant221]

Ra TA Tokyo. It's peaceful, clean, and the food is delicious

[@kbskbreezy]

tokyo those asian girls do anything you want wink wink

[@issac9930]

Ra TA I'd choose Tokyo, because it's developed, great culture, food, etc. New Delhi is..... overwhelmingly poor, old, and nasty. Only a few (like barely any) nice wealthy areas.

[@stevoplex]

Sheboygan, Wisconsin (USA)

[@jakeg3126]

I don’t remember the most dense city was on most dense one.. and I thought you had another one as worst traffic in that one

[@raymondmartin1738]

And you forgot Washington State state and Las Vegas they are very congested

[@naserehsaan8517]

If overcrowded is a word it's made for The city of Dhaka. And I am from there. It's like suffocating over there.

[@brokenbridge6316]

If anyone is planning on visiting any of the cities on this list, keep in mind what was said in this video. It might be of some help.

[@souljahtite17]

:54 is Liberty City Miami

[@varlik88]

the square miles to square kilometers conversion is wrong, you have to square the miles to kilometers conversion factor :)

[@Candisa]

varlik99 I am disappointed about how far I had to scroll for this comment and had the questionable honour of liking it first.

[@ajamoore6540]

My city is a big city but a small big city and I like that. I live in Philadelphia and we have about 1.5 Million people. I visit NY quite frequently since it's only 2 hours away and I find it insufferable. It's so congested and terrible in Manhattan. I can only imagine living in Tokyo or something god forbid I would go batshit crazy.

[@Sabundy]

I totally agree with others. Seoul is the happiest city?.... Complete and utter nonsense. One of the highest suicide rates in the world, and its focused almost entirely on work and non stop education. I lived there for a year and I woukd never describe the people as either happy nor the happiest. Aside from the suicide its fairly common for people to get hospitalised for too much stress. Nor is it uncommon for most women to get plastic surgery just to get a job as its so highly competitive that candidates are hired based on their looks rather than their qualifications.

[@victorlee9672]

Early bird usually eats the worm

[@warhawkjah]

But the early worm gets eaten by the bird.

[@victorlee9672]

Good point, tips to worms don't set alarm clocks so early

[@acrefray]

"The early bird eats the worm" but it's the second mouse that gets the cheese

[@ravenlockwood3416]

acrefray i actually really like this saying thanks... the second mouse gets the cheese

[@Mattteus]

but we're humans, why would we want to eat worms?

[@johnlabus7359]

Right off the bat, that first traffic image is Miami.

[@bxbank]

Alleppo? Not Beruit?

[@ecdudis9557]

Simon you said in your vid of top 10 cheapest countries that Singapore was 1

[@LordDice1]

don't flush after using the atm😅

[@stuff2z]

The way he said Dhaka made me cringe beyond levels I thought were possible

[@radicaledwards3449]

6000 years, that was ancient to Julius Caesar

[@muhammadarifprasetyawan5232]

Happiest city are clearly Damascus!

[@annettefournier9655]

Nope, I need green earth and blue skies, trees, running water and elbow room. And an imposing dog to keep the crazies away. One with a deep low growl and excellent discernment. Got one!

[@issac9930]

annette fournier Los Angeles, Dallas, or Houston would be the large city for you! They're open, spread out, and LA has almost always blue open skies and great weather.

[@issac9930]

And they all have plenty of trees and parks and SPACE.

[@CalmKitten184]

How expensive would it be to visit Singapore? I'm asking bc I would like to do so some day. How expensive is shopping there, the restaurants, the hotels, etc? the

[@kh5517]

The cost of the MBS Hotel would be around $415+ for a single night. Restaurants here charge a 7% GST, On top of that, there will be another Service charge of 10% which means you do not need to tip the employee's. An example of shopping prices An IPhone 7 Plus with 128GB would cost around $1418SGD. The cheapest Apple Watch would cost around $400SGD.

[@markekar6021]

i wasin mexico city, traffic was a joke. i was driving someone only about a 15minute drive,took like an hour and hafl. they got out of the car and walked faster to the destination than me in the car

[@ethanteo3748]

I can say that Singapore is super expensive to live in. Thankfully our government subsidises everything from health to school so that isn't too bad, but everything here is unbelievably expensive compared to for example, the US

[@tauceti8060]

Snorlax isn't signapore a country?

[@katashworth41]

Tau ceti it’s a city state

[@mariakelly5]

NOW do you understand why most Venezuelans are leaving their country?

[@mordant221]

Thin line between heaven and hell.

[@neomcghee]

Who would have thought that rich people live longer?

[@zachariahkane6833]

110 thousand people per square mile! How the feck does that work?

[@CoderatheGreat]

And people say LA has the worst traffic ever.

[@july9566]

Mexico city is way worse

[@raymondmartin1738]

Well bro I you forgot Las Vegas and you forgot why

[@mrtoxic5004]

when i first saw this dude i thought he was the guy off the gadget show >_>

[@major600]

According to one survey, the five happiest cities in America are ALL in Louisiana!

[@PatRiot-]

People being able to afford more expensive medical care doesn't necessarily translate to environmental factors causing longer life...

[@williebond995]

Cap switch behavioral secure pizza collection eight ridiculous.

[@Chrisb8s]

Monaco is a country. On your list it was compared to Japan.

[@LarryPhischman]

So Aleppo had already been a city for 2000 years when the Earth was created. Wow!

[@wolfbanefury]

Dude, idk where you get your facts from, i own 2 apartments and i am from a middle-class family, oh and yes i am from Dhaka, Bangladesh and all of us actually kind of dont live in slums :|

[@alexysq2660]

*Asif Imtiaz* ~Oohhh, YEAH: the *'Life-Luxe',* to be had in F-a-a-a-abulous *Dhaka, BD;* uhhhh...o-k-a-a-a-ay ({: \

[@greengalaxy8873]

@@alexysq2660, No life is not great. But other than traffic jam there is not much downside due to density. As a developing nation economic opportunities are still there. I have lived 22 years in Toronto, Canada, and then moved to Dhaka and have been living here for last nine years. I save more money after taxes here. Own two apartments, rented out one, and own a hospitality business. Of course you got to know how to avoid certain pitfalls in this city since some indicators (e.g. traffic accident rate) are poor. But again this video is judging cities by a SINGLE parameter which it considers extreme. Weatherwise Dhaka is one of the least extreme cities in the world. As for someone who has not seen both sides of the coin should not comment. Only exposes their ignorance.

[@Wysiwyg43]

Hmm. The thumbs up is at 666. I ain't superstitious or anything but I'm gonna ruin it because I liked the video. #667 Woot!

[@jamespettigrew7026]

He got NYC wrong about being the largest in area. He said it is the same size as Connecticut. WRONG. He is including all of the city's suburbs, taking in more than half of Long Island, and far North into New York state to maybe Yonkers, plus all of the waterways that run around and through the city. Even with all of this included, NYC would only be half the size of Connecticut.

[@alexysq2660]

**James Pettigrew* ~I'm pretty sure he'd said: "...the NY *Metropolitan Area...",* actually; not, only, the City.

[@wschnabel1987]

I am glad I live in a small farming town, I would have gone insane in those places, due to the fact I dislike people.

[@Petra44YT]

What are you talking about? There are still people living in Jericho!

[@Colony08]

I've always wanted to visit Tokyo and Thailand, but I want to live in Tokyo.

[@johnvonshepard9373]

First... Time watching this video.

[@jaredquinney204]

Cool

[@surfinn2223]

Who is thumbs Downing this top 10 list?!...well, probably people in Venezuela, huh...

[@truemoyyed2093]

#ThanksSimon

[@simplesimonsaid87]

ur welcome

[@andysnape]

What evidence says that Jericho was the first city?

[@samuelbellini2910]

another map without new zealand

[@legendaryoutcast4440]

Was that a harold and kumar referrence? Bro? Lol

[@imkirbo3094]

Who hasn't heard of Dakar or Monaco?

[@samuelshao2688]

matt normal people who don't study geography and demographics

[@makouras]

It's actually Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, not Dakar, the capital of Senegal. Although the way he said it could get anyone confused.

[@alexysq2660]

**Gregory Everson* ~True; a manifestation, one would presume, of the 'USA-centric' attitude and mindset of so many Americans: "Uhhhh...well, there's... *America,* and then...ummm, there's...uhhhh...oh, yeah...there's, like, Canada... *right??* And, uhhhh...ummmm...right *next* to *them* is, like, *Europe, maybe??* And...ummm, *Africa??* Ummm, I think...like, *China* ...I *guess....???"* The "Rest-of-The-World" is traditionally, to them, a virtually *'imaginary* place', sadly ({: \ ...!!!

[@markseslstorytellerchannel3418]

If you ever looked at the gloomy faces of South Koreans on subways...you would never imagine calling them the happiest of anything.

[@niagaradrones]

So early.. yet nothing smart to say.

[@BernadettesP0ST]

John Roscoe 😂

[@bizarreworld2510]

Simon atleast change your expression when you say "bro",lol

[@kayo5011]

Let me think of an early joke 🤔 🤔 🤔

[@Shhehwhsi24]

.

[@chichiboypumpi1]

I KNOW RIGHT?

[@PSIponies]

What's Aleppo?

[@dystrophic]

It's in Syria. Ya know, that country famous for awful tragedies, genocide, and crimes against humanity.

[@bluebreeze4258]

It’s a place in Sukuma

[@DarthCookieKS]

Clowne, Kansas, fattest city in america

[@markleon411]

Hard to focus with such a hot host.

[@SGerardy77]

Uh......NEW ORLEANS

[@loganstill4390]

I died at :41 & :42

[@andyboerger]

Seoul as the world's happiest city has to be the dumbest #1 ever posted on this, or any other YT channel.

[@CatManCatClan]

I can't stop looking at the fur on your neck!

[@gratefuldead4605]

I think the city by the bay should have made your list. This is the only city in the world were seeing bearded men wearing a dress won't even get a second look because it is so common. Don't misunderstand me I don't care what clothing anyone chooses to wear, but if a man wants to look like a woman I don't understand why they don't at least shave off their beards.

[@alexysq2660]

**Grateful Dead* ~It's called *Gender Fluid/Non-Binary* [ etc ], darling ({; > ...!!

[@goblinsilvers3461]

how many of you like theyre own comment because no one does!😢

[@goblinsilvers3461]

👍

[@HosseinOutward]

hey. can you make a video on the 2009 election of iran and how the death of michael jackson cused the world to forget about the people there?

[@Flo-gb1fk]

Alex Non that sounds boaring

[@ravenlockwood3416]

About how the government covers up important things / tragedies with celebrity bullshit

[@dhruva_tara]

florian widerna it's boring

[@HosseinOutward]

It ain't that boring now😜

[@qekelelemike4608]

Putting your name out there against the Iran regime is not a thing to do if you are not willing to live with it the rest of your life. Trust me on that one.

[@tdb7992]

Seriously Simon you're like my dream husband. You're like a real-life human version of The Economist. If you ever turn gay, give me a call!

[@NathanCassidy721]

Kind of amusing that the most violent city in the world is not where people think it is (US). Still as sad as it is, the last fact kinda gives a bit of hope for humanity when you consider the conditions of the said city.

[@SuperNatblessed]

👍🆒

[@williebond995]

Faculty belly moon solution even growth arrest company.

[@HosseinOutward]

first here

[@hdotl6286]

NY metro population is not even close to over 16_17 million, NYC population is 9 million at highest. dead wrong about that. really wrong actually, now I question the accuracy of these videos

[@issac9930]

Hdot l You're wrong, and I understand why. The population of New York City proper (literally the city limits) is 8-9 million people. The Metro (including suburbs, basically what most people would consider the ENTIRE city area) is 20.2 million according to Wikipedia. Los Angeles will be a good example city for this. If you click on Los Angeles in Google maps, the line it draws around the city is only one section of what looks like the ENTIRE city, because much of LA is suburban. Most of the city is not in the city limits of LA itself, it's in suburbs like Anaheim, Santa Monica, Pasedena, etc. So the METRO would cover the WHOLE city.

[@obsessivelyoli]

He probably also counted the suburbs outside NYC

[@ajamoore6540]

Hdot l metropolitan area includes the surrounding suburbs

[@alexysq2660]

*Hdot I* ~There is a fairly *large* difference, you realise, between "City" and "Metro Area" population; *yes...NYC's* population *is* c 8,2 - 8,5 million [ ...> or

[@voidremoved]

simon believes life came from Africa? makes me wonder what else he is wrong about in these videos