In India, we always grumble about the rising prices of fuel, but we never thank the stars for the low-cost or sometimes totally free, parking options. However, a few countries charge heavily for car parking.
In these cities, the huge number of cars and the lack of parking space make the perfect conditions for parking operators to loot the car owners. Here, we will take you across the continents to list the top 10 most expensive destinations where car parking attracts the highest charges.
London is famous for many things...the Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey and so on. Another thing that London is famous, or rather infamous, for is the fact that it is the most expensive place to park your cars. At £578.87 per month, it is necessary that you have a stockbroker's salary to be able to park in the city.Hong Kong is short on space but full of people with fat wads of money, much like the other destinations mentioned on this list. Hong Kong charges about £461.65 for a month for parking.
Almost more than 13 million people are packed in to the city's centre with a total of 39 million living in a greater metropolitan area that's the largest in the world. Parking in Tokyo costs an average of £405 for a month with the average daily rate at £54.50.
Driving may cause you a lot of stress when you are in Rome, and more so when it comes to parking your car. Most of the residents of Rome appear to be on two wheelers. You constantly have to keep one eye on these motorists and the other on the magnificent landmarks of the city. But when it comes to parking your car, your eyes would be rolling in your head with anger. Parking a car is as expensive as £380 for a month in central Rome.
Sympathising with the Swiss is easier. The country is full of jagged peaks, which is not exactly the most popular parking terrain around. A secure space to park your car in the global financial centre of Zurich is very expensive at £374.66 per month.
Australia makes second appearance on our list. We have had Perth at number seven and now we have Sydney, sitting proud as the sixth most expensive parking location across the globe. Parking a car in Sydney can cost as much as £366 a month.
It seems rather contradictory that Australia, despite having enough parking spaces, charges huge money for parking. If you want to leave your car somewhere that is not at least 3,000 miles from civilisation, it will cost you big money. For example, Perth is the seventh most expensive place to park in this world. Despite having a population as low as two million, parking for a month averages out at just under £349.
Brussels is very popular with the vegetarians, probably because it shares its name with the popular sprout. The country is also home to the European Union. Nevertheless, vegetarianism and European Union aside, the city is not very popular among the vehicle owners. Brussels charges close to £340.75 on average for a month's worth of parking in the centre of town.
New York does not shy away from its rampant capitalism culture and makes the most of every little square inch of space. A parking space amongst the towering skyscrapers of downtown or midtown will cost you up to £25 for a day, while a month's worth of secure parking is £333.42. It is no wonder why the taxis are so popular in New York.
When you arrive at Copenhagen by the sea route, the crystal clear waters would tell you why it is considered to be one of the world's most environmentally friendly cities. More than 36% of the Copenhagen residents commute to work by bicycle, but who can blame them for doing so. Parking a car in the city centres of Copenhagen costs an average of £348.40 for a month or around £26 per day. Convert the Pounds in Rupees and we would already appreciate living in India.