There always is one very big problem with those rankings: They just compare one typ of consumer. Very often, Moscow was at the very top of the list. Yes, indeed, if you want to live the same life as in Italy, it will be expensive. But the majority is living there on a very tight budget and it works. Same as the middle east, you can eat in a restaurant with service for very affordable prizes there (while at the same time, you can spend thousands at a high class one). Have you been in Switzerland? You will soon notice that this simply isn't possible. Likewise, you can buy meat for less than the price of rotten bread in Germany and China (the quality still costs a lot), while in Japan they simply don't sell the trash.
It would hence be really good to see some sort of list where you can see the band of living costs rather than having just one for comparison, which by definition won't correspond to your own profile.