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Desperately need a face lift? These German cities offer the best value

If, like the staff of The Local, you are constantly on the lookout for the best place to get a bit of nip and tuck, then look no further than this list.

Desperately need a face lift? These German cities offer the best value
Photo: DPA

It’s been a tough few months. First there was Brexit, then Trump. Then some more Trump. Then a constant, unending avalanche of Trump. So you could be forgiven for having a bit of sag around your eyes and jowls these days.

Well a study released by website Junomedical.com on Tuesday is here to the rescue. It has broken down the average cost of a face lift in 13 German cities after conducting research at 210 cosmetic surgeries.

The bad news for The Local team is that Berlin is the city in which it is most expensive to go under the knife – and by quite some distance.

The average face lift in the capital costs €5,944, considerably more than in second placed Cologne, where €5,506 is the price of skin-deep youth.

In Munich a face lift costs a much more reasonable €5,033. But inhabitants of the Bavarian capital might want to make a short train journey to Stuttgart – the cheapest city on the list with cosmetic surgery costs of €4,658.

“For patients who are prepared to travel, it makes sense to have a look in other cities as long as you are healthy enough to get there and back. But you should talk to your GP about this first,” Dr. Sophie Chung told Junomedical.com.

But Chung said that many patients were even travelling outside Germany to ensure they got the best deal.

“There is pressure on the costs of cosmetic surgery because so many patients are willing to travel to get it done, with more and more going abroad, where the same surgery costs a third of what it does here.”

COST OF LIVING

Norway is world’s second-most expensive country this year

Only Switzerland was ranked higher than Norway in a list of the most expensive countries in the world for living costs in 2020.

Norway is world’s second-most expensive country this year
File photo: AFP

The list, compiled by business magazine CEO World, ranks 132 countries in order of living costs based on data from a range of studies and media.

Parameters encompassed by the analysis include accommodation, clothing, taxi fares, utility, internet, the price of groceries, transport, and eating out. The data was used to compile a score for each country within five metrics: cost of living, rent, groceries, eating out and purchasing power.

The metrics were then given a value using New York City as a control: if a country has a score of over 100, it is more expensive than New York.

Three countries did in fact achieve this with their overall score: Switzerland (122.4), Norway (101.43) and Iceland (100.48).

As such, Norway is ranked by the magazine as the second-most expensive country to live in the world this year.

Nordic neighbour Denmark was not far behind in 5th place with an index of 83, with Sweden the cheapest of the three Scandinavian countries in 23rd (69.85).

Japan was the final country in the top 5, in 4th place.

The United Kingdom was placed 27th (67.28), Ireland 13th (75.91), the United States 20th (71.05), Canada 24th (67.62) and Australia 16th (73.54).

Looking at the metrics individually, Norway’s performance was variable.

The Nordic nation was the 12th-most expensive country on the cost of rent index. For groceries, it placed third just behind South Korea and with Switzerland still far ahead as the most expensive.

Norway is also the third-most expensive country to eat at a restaurant – behind Switzerland and Iceland.

For local purchasing power, Norway is lower on the list, in 17th.

READ ALSO: What are the best ways to save money in Norway?

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