Looking back at my career, the most important decision I've made so far –– the one that would set me up for practically every job I've held over the last five years –– was to turn down a job offer after college. 

We were just beginning to feel the heat of the Great Recession, and journalism jobs were few and far between. The flagship paper in my home state just laid off half its staff, and the entire business looked like one big dead-end.

Somehow, I wound up with an offer from a local newspaper anyway. It was a good one, too, one that would surely keep me fed and with a roof over my head while I launched my career. 

But I was antsy. I wasn't ready to throw myself behind a cubicle and commit myself to the 9 to 5 grind just yet. 

It was with careful consideration and great regret, I wrote in an email to the editor, that I would be turning down the job offer. 

Then I booked a flight to Chile and never looked back. 

I had two months to save for the trip and about $1,000 to my name.

I worked my way through college and almost always paid my rent with a cold sweat running down my back and a massive sigh of relief.

With some meager savings and checks cashed from graduation gifts, I had about $1,000 to work with. After spending $400 on a one-way flight, I had $600 left.

For five months in Chile, I estimated I could scrape by with about $420/month (way, way too low, in retrospect) for a total of $2,100.

I took a summer job at a local library that paid $8/hour, freelanced for a local newspaper and spent my weekends pet- and babysitting for whatever I could get (about $100 if I was lucky). At the time, I was still paying $400 in rent and about $100 on car insurance.

By August, I had successfully added another $1,500 to my bank account.

It was go time.

I did have an internship lined up in Santiago –– but it was unpaid and offered no perks.

When I told my 16-year-old brother all I had waiting for me in Santiago was an unpaid internship at an obscure website, he told me the truth: "You're out of your mind."

Maybe he had a point, but there were two things I that knew for (almost) certain:

1) Reporting from a foreign country would give me the kind of experience a hiring manager would appreciate in a budding journalist.

2) And that grassroots publications are far more likely to give writers freedom to cover what interests them –– something I'd have trouble finding as a beat reporter.

Santiago was far more expensive than I'd expected, but I managed to find a room for $180/month.

Anyone who's traveled through South America will tell you it has one huge advantage over Europe –– the lower cost of living. Unfortunately, Santiago is one of the more expensive cities on the continent, and if I wanted to live in a safe neighborhood, my dollars weren't going to stretch as far as I'd hoped. 

I stayed with a friend-of-a-friend-of-a-college-professor for my first two weeks, but after that I set out to find something more permanent. I managed to find a decent apartment for $180/month –– less than half what I would have spent back home. For that, I got a room in a three-bedroom doorman building and a roommate who let me come and go as I pleased.

If you're ever looking for digs in Chile, here's the site I used: http://www.compartodepto.cl/

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Two new hotels are slated to open this spring in Union Square, though they come as delayed debuts in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Crain’s reported.

One of them is the 113-room, 18-story Jade Hotel, which was preparing for its peak-season opening when Sandy made landfall; the other is the 178-room, 11-story Hyatt Union Square. They will open in March and April, respectively.

With the addition of nearly 300 hotel rooms to Union Square — once called a small dead zone for hotels — the neighborhood now will have almost double the supply. And competition is now evident, as the W New York-Union Square undergoes its first gut renovation in 12 years, set to cost $15 million.

“The universities are excited about hotel capacity increasing,” Jennifer Falk, the executive director of the Union Square Partnership, a business improvement district, told Crain’s. “Large institutions like Beth Israel are excited about the increase in hotel space. The different price points that will be available make Union Square a competitive place to stay.”

Rates at the Jane span from $269 nightly in the off-season and will rise to a $599 high at peak season. Hyatt rates in the off-season start at $315 per night. [Crain's]

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When it comes to luxury spending at London’s Heathrow Airport, Chinese tourists are clearly punching above their weight.

As they have at other major airports around the globe, Chinese tourists and business travelers have become a regular sight at Heathrow luxury duty-free shops, stocking up on items that — in mainland China — regularly include a more than 40 percent markup.

According to the Hurun Report, Chinese travelers became the world’s biggest duty-free shoppers back in 2011, with Global Blue noting that the Chinese spent more than twice as much as Russians, US and Japanese tax-free shoppers in 2010.

Despite making up less than one percent of the total travelers who pass through Heathrow, mainland Chinese currently account for around 25 percent of overall luxury spending at the airport, a statistic that has given retailers there even greater impetus to target this big-spending demographic in the run-up to Chinese New Year. In addition to printing Chinese-language maps of the airport’s retailers, Heathrow is also following the lead of Dubai duty-free retailersin beefing up its Mandarin-speaking service staff.

Additionally, with Chinese New Year just around the corner, this week Heathrow is hosting a number of activities aimed at Chinese tourists, among them traditional Chinese music performances, dragon dancing, food samplings, and paper-cutting classes. As Heathrow retail director Muriel Zingraff put it, “We are passionate about creating memorable experiences and celebrating worldwide events that are important to our passengers. While Chinese passengers represent a relatively small proportion of our total passenger volume, these customers are extremely important to us and have very definite ideas about their luxury brand experience which we are delighted to provide at Heathrow.”

With many mainland Chinese duty-free shoppers at Heathrow passing in transit, rather than spending time in London (owing, often, to visa difficulties), British heritage brands like Burberry and Mulberry are among the most popular purchases at the airport, along with luxury watches, and multi-brand retailers prominently display the fact that they accept UnionPay.

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When you’re looking for an apartment for the first time, it can be overwhelming.The best way not to panic is to break the process down into 10 sequential steps. The timeline will mostly depend on how long it will take you to save the upfront cash you’ll need, but after the money is in the bank, you should be in your own place in no time.

Determine your price range

There are two common ways to do this: You can divide your monthly take-home income by three. (For example, if you take home $1,800 a month after taxes, you could afford a place that costs up to $600 per month.) Or divide your annual gross income (before taxes and other deductions) by 40. (For example, if you made $40,000 a year, you could afford a place that cost up to $1,000 per month.) Either way gives you a rough idea of your maximum budget.

Start saving

Before long, you’ll need to put down a security deposit (usually equal to one month’s rent), plus the first month’s rent. And that doesn’t even include application fees and credit-check fees you may be charged. So start saving now, particularly because moving itself can cost anywhere from $200-$2,000, depending on the distance of the move and how much you do yourself.

Check your credit

Management companies will be checking your credit once you start applying. You don’t want to be caught flat-footed, so check if there are any blemishes on your report at the free Annual Credit Report website, which is sponsored by the federal government. If you have great credit, you have nothing to worry about. If your credit has blemishes, you may need to ask a friend, parent or relative if they would be willing to serve as your co-signer on a lease. In any case, be ready to explain your low score to potential landlords and what you are doing to fix it.

Settle on a neighborhood

Whether you’re moving crosstown or across the country, the best way to decide on a neighborhood is to visit. Also, ask friends who already live in the neighborhood what they think. Another thing to consider is affordability — we’d all love to live in SoHo, but most of us can’t afford it. In other words, be realistic. To determine the cost of a neighborhood, go online to see what an average 1- or 2-bedroom runs. A good rule of thumb is that at least a third of the listings in your neighborhood of choice should be within your budget. If it’s any fewer than that, you’re going to have limited options.

Start looking

Find listings online, but also remember to network among friends and colleagues, respond to “For Rent” signs you see in-person and cold-call management companies that have appealing buildings. If the rental market in your chosen city is really tight, you may need to use a broker. That will typically cost one month’s rent, so to move in you’ll need to have three months of rent in cash. Ouch! Also, be wary of red flags. If you know a particular landlord or management company is involved in poor practices, don’t even bother looking at their places.

Another word of advice: If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. When dealing with a potential landlord, the conversation should be respectful and straightforward. And remember to always google the address of the building as a final precaution.

Put in an application

Once you find a great place, don’t get cold feet. If it’s within your budget, in a neighborhood you love and with a solid management company, then apply. If your credit score is good — or you have a co-signer lined up — you’re likely to get it!

Sign the lease

Your lease is a contract, so make sure you understand it. Often, if you have issues with certain points on the lease, you can alter or discuss them with the management company before signing. So read the lease carefully. A few things to look out for: the penalty for breaking the lease early, the policy for fixing issues with the apartment, how much notice you must give if you want to renew and the rules for getting your security deposit back.

Transfer/set up your utilities

Call the utility companies at least a week in advance, so you have a buffer in case you need to schedule an appointment. Other things to think about: You should get renter’s insurance before you move in, and you should also change your address with the USPS. Depending on where you’re moving, you may also need to register for parking stickers, change your driver’s license (if you’re changing states) and get a local library card.

Conduct a walk-through

During the walk-through, you need to document any pre-existing problems you find with the apartment, so that you’re not held liable. This means testing everything from the burners on the stove to the quality of the carpet to the functioning of the refrigerator. If anything’s off, document it. If the landlord needs to fix something, get it in writing. This is the best way to protect yourself, your future home and your security deposit.

Make the move

If you’re moving long distance, schedule movers several weeks in advance (prime dates book up quickly). If you’re finally moving out from your parent’s basement, they’ll probably help you pack up the station wagon and drive you! In any case, start packing early: It takes longer than you think, and if you’re not totally packed when the movers arrive, you’re courting disaster. Also, label your boxes and make sure you have staples such as toilet paper, light bulbs and cleaning supplies at the ready. You’ll need them right away when you move in.

This may all seem like a lot, but if you break it down step by step, finding and moving to a new apartment becomes very manageable. And nothing beats that great feeling you’ll have when you first walk into own apartment.

Find Rentals on Zillow

Related:

• Tips for Long-Distance Apartment Searches
• 6 Ways to Make Your Apartment More Secure
• 6 Ways to Make the Landlord Pick You

MyFirstApartment.com helps novice renters successfully navigate the first year of living on their own. The blog shares proven tips and tricks for everything from finding the perfect rental or roommate, to furnishing on a small budget or no budget, to dealing with landlords or roommate’s girlfriends.

Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of Zillow.

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I recently moved into a new place in Harlem, and I'm finally settled in. But the new year came, and I was living with my same old furniture.

As a writer, I spend the most time at my desk, and the desk I had — an Ikea unit in black-brown — wasn't working. It was drab, scuffed up, and tired-looking. I was ready to give it an upbeat new look that would energize me when I sat down to write.

I'd read other DIY guides on how to make over furniture, which including completely sanding down, priming, etc., the piece you want to redo, but living in a small New York apartment doesn't cater well to that kind of long, arduous process. So I took matters into my own hands, and came up with an easy way to give life back to your beloved furniture for less than $40.

Here's my faithful old desk. I bought it about two years ago and it's still in great shape, just plain, boring, and not a fun place to work.

I started prepping for the project by taking everything off the surface of my desk, dusting it off, and emptying the drawers.

I removed the hardware. In this case, it was only the plain little knobs to the drawers.

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Residents of Knoxville, Tenn. can give themselves a pat on the back — Amazon has named it the most romantic city in America.

The e-tailer ranked 20 cities for romance based on sales data for romance novels, relationship books, romantic comedy movies, romantic music, and sexual wellness products during the past year.

The least romantic city, according to Amazon? That title goes to Boise, Idaho.

Miami took the honor of "sexiest," with the most sales in the sexual wellness category.

The full list, from Amazon:

SEE ALSO: The Most Romantic Restaurants In Major Cities Around The Country

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Ray Allen left the Boston Celtics to play for the Miami Heat this season and he sold his home in Boston for $4.6 million.

The house is 11,093 square feet and has a 12-person media room.

Allen bought the house in 2007 and put it on the market in the fall of 2012 for $5.2 million.

NOTE: this post has been corrected, an earlier version had the photo of the wrong home.

The custom workmanship inside the house is beautiful

So are the brick walls

Here's the kitchen

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In early January, Avis Budget acquired the car-sharing service Zipcar for $500 million, although Zipcar had made just $4.7 million in profits in the past year.

That may prove to be a smart move for Avis, but after testing out a new kind of car share, we're not sure.

The biggest problem for Zipcar, Neal Gorenflo, the co-founder of Shareable Magazine, argued on TriplePundit, is the high cost of maintaining a national fleet of cars, including paying for parking and insurance.

RelayRides, a startup that went live in June 2010, sidesteps that problem.

Rather than provide cars themselves, the startup connects car owners and potential renters, and sets ground rules. Unlike Zipcar, it does not have to buy cars people may not want, and owners themselves set their rates, based on what they think their car is worth.

The marketing pitch is simple: Owners can make money off their cars, and city dwellers who need four wheels from time to time can find them easily and securely.

It facilitates short term rentals, provides insurance, and makes its money off a sizeable commission.

Trying It Out

Monday night, I needed a car to get from Manhattan to the suburbs. A few days in advance, I looked for available cars near the Business Insider office, and found a 2012 Fiat 500 Sport.

Conway Liao, a user experience designer, offers his Fiat for $9.75/hour, $69/day, and $1,200/month. When he first moved to New York from California a few years ago, he signed up for Zipcar, which he used for weekend trips.

But he was unhappy with the cost of the service, he told Business Insider. In September, he bought the Fiat and discovered RelayRides. He was cautious at first about lending out the car, and started with a low price point.

But Liao describes his experiences with handing his keys over to strangers as positive. He met the founder of travel sales website JetSetter. The one time he found marijuana in the Fiat, he was more amused than troubled.

More importantly, the money he makes from RelayRides covers the cost of his car payments. Coupled with a good deal at a parking garage in Chinatown, his car costs him significantly less than it would without RelayRides.

My experience as a renter was similarly positive: Conway told his garage I would be picking up the car. When I got in, I checked for damage and took a photo of the odometer, which I sent to him. Then I drove out of the city.

This morning, I got back in and drove back to the garage, stopping on the way to replace the gas I had used. I took a photo of the odometer for my own records, texted Conway to tell him the car was back, and headed to the office.

Will It Work?

The idea, founder Shelby Clark says, is "inherently viral," because it makes sense. It is easy to use, saves some people money, and makes money for others.

With the insurance question answered, and public ratings of potential renters, car owners should not have to worry too much.

Rather, they can focus on getting the $250/month that founder Shelby Clark says is about average (after paying RelayRides' commission).

Clark adds that one owner of a BMW 6 Series clears about $1,400 a month, and another user makes $1,200 a month renting out his car in Chicago.

An extra bonus is a partnership with General Motors allowing users renting cars equipped with OnStar to access the vehicle by sending a text message, without getting the keys from the owner.

But even if the system of car owners rating renters, and vice versa, assuages concerns about who is driving whose car, legal and liability issues remain.

RelayRides operates nationally, and only a few states have laws that address personal vehicle sharing, according to the New York Times.

The biggest downside to renting out a car through RelayRides is the 40 percent commission the company takes on every transaction.

Most of that goes to paying for insurance, which is especially costly because RelayRides is covering drivers with a wide variety of experience and driving histories (all are screened, and those with major violations in the prior two years are not approved).

For car owners, the lost 40 percent represents a lot of money, but RelayRides can make the argument that without the insurance, renting out cars would be impossible, and the 60 percent the owner does get would not be possible.

The good news for RelayRides is that the sharing economy is booming. Airbnb, the online marketplace for spare rooms, could soon make $1 billion a year in revenues.

With the costs of insurance, RelayRides may never be so flush. But there's no reason it cannot succeed, if drivers want it to.

Full Disclosure: RelayRides gave us a $100 driving credit to test out their service.

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Actor Jason Bateman and his wife, Amanda Anka, have paid $3 million for the former estate of the late actor Ernest Borgnine, according to Trulia.

The five-bedroom home is on a secluded cul-de-sac above Beverly Hills' Mulholland Drive. It belonged to Borgnine for 60 years, and — from a look at the listing photos — is in desperate need of an upgrade.

But the 6,100-square-foot home has potential, with a sweeping grand staircase, large master suite, and awesome views.

The home is located on a secluded cul-de-sac in Beverly Hills.

The entrance, with a spiral staircase, is grand.

There are several impressive public rooms in the home.

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In 2012, 14 major American airlines instituted 52 fee changes, nearly all of them designed to take more money out of travelers' pockets.

A study by TravelNerd, a traveler resource site, tracked changes in airline fees in 2012 and 2013. It found that of the 52 changes, 36 changes were direct fee increases.

The remaining changes are mostly designed to generate extra revenue as well: Some fees have been bundled or unbundled, others increase fee price ranges (Spirit's premium seat fee range went from $25-$75 to $12-$199).

Some airlines updated fee policies. For example, low-cost Allegiant still charges $50 for an overweight bag, but lowered the weight limit from 51 lbs to 41 lbs.

While TravelNerd notes that most of the changes will cost travelers only $5-$10, the charges add up: Americans spent more than $6 billion on airline fees in 2012, Derek Thompson at the Atlantic reported.

The steady rise in fees in recent years begs the question, when will travelers abandon low-cost airlines for those that charge more for tickets, but do not rely on fees for income.

A January study by Deloitte found Americans prefer value to luxury when it comes to flying; 49 percent of respondents ranked "value for money" as "very important."

But there must be a tipping point where the growing list of fees outweigh the savings of the cheaper ticket.

"The 'low-cost' sales pitch is already nullified by the extra costs travelers must pay," Alicia Jao, the VP of Travel Media at NerdWallet, which owns TravelNerd, told Business Insider in an e-mail.

Comparing average domestic airfare in 2007 and 2012, she noted, "travelers are paying the same for airfare today without all the extra services that once came with the ticket price."

Craig LaRosa, a principal at innovation and design consultancy Continuum, argues that tipping point has not been reached just yet. When it is, he says, it will either be because airlines reach a point where low ticket prices with high fees are no longer sustainable, or because "customers just finally give up."

But, he points out, many people need to travel by air. Flying may cost more than it did a decade ago, but it is still a necessity.

And for struggling airlines, fees are a major source of revenue, even as they destroy customer loyalty and make air travel a regrettable chore for the large majority of travelers.

Here's What Air Travel Should Look Like: We Flew Over The Gorgeous Arizona Desert In a Private Plane

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Vail and Aspen may have the cachet that comes with being a glamorous high-end ski resort, but they also have crowds and incredibly expensive hotels, restaurants, and lift tickets that can cost upwards of $800 per day.

But not all ski resorts are that expensive — or that pretentious.

We found the 10 most underrated ski resorts in the U.S. These mountains are (relatively) cheap, crowd-free, and get tons of powder. They also have cool towns that will keep you entertained when you're not on the slopes.

Bridger Bowl, Bozeman, Montana

Daily lift ticket:$49

Mountain stats: Bridger Bowl has about 2,000 acres of skiable terrain and an average snowfall of about 350 inches. The peak summit elevation is about 8,700 feet and there's a vertical drop of about 2,600 feet. But best of all: the mountain is rarely crowded.

Vibe: Bridger Bowl is located just 20 minutes from the town of Bozeman, which is home to Montana State University. It's a cute college town with several bookstores, record shops, art galleries, coffee shops, and vegetarian cafes — things you wouldn't find in most other Montana towns. Head to Montana Ale Works for an Apres-ski beer.

There's a thriving arts scene here too, which culminates at the Emerson, a former school that's been converted into a cultural space where artists and designers can showcase and sell their works.

Red Lodge Mountain, Red Lodge, Montana

Daily lift ticket:$50

Mountain stats: With over 1,600 acres of skiable terrain and an annual average snowfall of 240 inches, Red Lodge Mountain offers some stellar skiing. The peak summit elevation is over 9,400 feet and the mountain has a vertical drop of about 2,400 feet.

Vibe: The town of Red Lodge is one of the coolest ski towns in America— but most people haven't even heard of it. It's a unique mix of old West and sophisticated modern, where cowboys, skiers, ranchers, and more meet and mingle. There are great restaurants, shops, art galleries, and even a well-respected microbrewery (Red Lodge Ales) to keep you fed and entertained.

Schweitzer Mountain Resort, Sandpoint, Idaho

Daily lift ticket:$68

Mountain stats: Schweitzer has 2,900 skiable acres and 92 trails, plus open bowl skiing. It gets about 300 inches of snow each year, and the longest continuous trail is about 2 miles long. Besides downhill skiing, visitors can go cat skiing, snowmobiling, Nordic skiing or snowshoeing.

Vibe: Located in Sandpoint, in northern Idaho, Schweitzer offers a wide range of trails for all skill levels. Visitors can stay in Schweitzer's rustic, European-style village or in nearby Sandpoint, which has a very family-friendly small-town feel.

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Everyone wants to try great local dives when they're traveling, but they're hard to come by.

Foursquare crunched 3 billion check-ins across the nation and more than 10 million tips its 30 million users have left to find them for you.

It released guides in 30 major US cities based on where people actually go.

Here are the most popular recommendations for bars, restaurants, speakeasies and outings across the United States.

If you're headed to Atlanta...

Best American Restaurant:Top Flr

Best Pizza: Jack's Pizza & Wings

Best Bar: Cypress Street Pint & Plate

Best place to grab a beer: SweetWater Brewing Company

Best thing to do: Piedmont Park

Best Southern Food: Empire State South

Here's the complete Atlanta guide.

If you're headed to Austin...

Best Mexican Restaurant: Chuy's

Best BBQ Joint: Stub's Bar-B-Q

Best Coffee Shop: Jo's Coffee

Best Bar: Lustre Pearl Bar

Best place to grab a beer: The Ginger Man or Jackalope if you want a dive

Best thing to do: Lady Bird Lake Trail (hiking)

Best Rock Club: The Mohawk

Here's the complete Austin guide.

If you're headed to Baltimore...

Best American Restaurant:Alexander's Tavern

Best Pizza: Joe Squared Pizza & Bar

Best Bar: Max's Taphouse

Best place to grab a beer: Alewife

Best thing to do: Patterson Park and the National Acquarium is also popular

Best Seafood: Mama's on the Half Shell

Here's the complete Baltimore guide.

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When planning a move to a new city, it's important to ask yourself a number of questions: What are apartment rentals going for? How good is the public transit system? What's the crime rate?

But just as importantly, how much does it cost to buy beer? If the corner store is shilling six-packs for more than $10, is relocating to this place really worth it?

Folks who use cheap beer as a measure of a city's ultimate livability will get a kick out of this new cost-of-living calculator from Nerd Wallet, a company geared toward helping people make better financial decisions. The calculator lets you compare prices of popular groceries in different cities, so if you're torn between moving to Minneapolis or Memphis, you can see how much of a dent on your wallet each option forebodes. The products range from bread to milk to a 12-inch Pizza Hut pie, but seeing as none of these staples approach the importance of beer to life happiness, let's just get down to the countrywide ranking of suds-friendly cities.

Here is Nerd Wallet's estimation of the best places in America to score a sixer of Heineken (these averages are based on data from the ACCRA Cost of Living Index):

Conversely, here are the worst places:

The list has a few surprises. What the heck is driving up the price of Heineken in Richmond, Indiana, a community of 37,000 people who earn a median household income of $30,000? And why isn't Brooklyn represented on the most-expensive list – are corner-store prices really that much higher in Queens?

There are many other bones you could pick with these rankings. If you're making a killing in New York, do you really care about the cost of beer? You probably just drink gin with artisanal bitters, anyway. And why is Heineken used as a benchmark? A lot of folks who only care about cost would just go with Old Milwaukee or Miller Light. Or if they do consider quality when choosing beer, there are plenty of much tastier brews than Heineken that would sell for about the same amount.

Still, it's fun to play around with this calculator, which if you're not a beer fan offers a caffeinated alternative in the form of Starbucks lattes. There's also a comparison of cities by bar density, helpful for people who prefer social drinking over, you know, demolishing a six-pack at home. By Nerd Wallet's calculations, Los Angeles falls near the bottom, probably because of its sprawl (this graph is based on data from the Yellow Pages):

This post originally appeared at The Atlantic Cities.

DON'T MISS: An Australian Beer Company Is Turning This Deserted Island Into A Paradise For Dudes

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It seems like every year architects and engineers push boundaries and shatter records to erect the new tallest building.

The Burj Khalifa was named the tallest building in the world in 2010 at 2,717 feet, and the London Shard's observation tower opened on the tower's 72nd floor this week.

But what do the views look like from the tops of these buildings?

From the Burj to the Tokyo Sky Tree, we found photos taken from the tops of several of the tallest skyscrapers in the world. Be warned: this is not for those with a fear of heights.

The Burj Khalifa in Dubai rises 2,722 feet above the city.

The Tokyo Sky Tree in Tokyo, Japan, tops out at 2,080 feet.

Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan, rises 1,671 feet above the city.

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Tokyo is back on top as the most expensive city in the world, according to new data from the Economist Intelligence Unit.

In the company's new worldwide cost of living survey, the Japanese city has outpaced last year's winner Zurich for the undesirable ranking as the world's priciest city. This is nothing new for Tokyo, which has only dropped below the number one spot a handful of times in the last 20 years.

Zurich sank from number one to number seven on the list, declining a whopping 39 percentage points from last year due to a weakening Swiss Franc. Geneva also didn't fare well, seeing a steep decline from a number three ranking in 2012 to barely making the list at number 10 this year.

The survey calculates cost of living based on prices for products and services, including food, clothing, rent, and transportation. Each cost of living index is set in relation to New York's, which is fixed at a base of 100.

For comparison's sake, New York City was #27 on the list

Last year, New York City ranked #47. The current cost of living index is 100.

Loaf of white bread:

• Today: $7.41
• 5 years ago: $6.60

Bottle of table wine:

• Today: $11.10
• 5 years ago: $10.02

1 liter unleaded petrol:

• Today: $1.16
• 5 years ago: $0.79

Source: Economist Intelligence Unit

#10 Geneva

Last year, Geneva ranked #3. The current cost of living index is 124.

Loaf of white bread:

• Today: $5.63
• 5 years ago: $4.87
  

Bottle of table wine:

• Today: $8.19
• 5 years ago: $7.62

1 liter unleaded petrol:

• Today: $2.04
• 5 years ago: $1.47

Source: Economist Intelligence Unit

#9 Caracas

Caracas ranked #34 last year. The current cost of living index is 126.

Loaf of white bread:

• Today: $9.40
• 5 years ago: $2.25
  

Bottle of table wine:

• Today: $18.14
• 5 years ago: $4.32

1 liter unleaded petrol:

• Today: $0.02
• 5 years ago: $0.02

Source: Economist Intelligence Unit

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Last month, we spent a few days driving the Platinum version of the 2013 Escalade, the fully outfitted luxury SUV that starts at $83,540.

It's a luxurious boat of a car, and was significantly more comfortable for our trip from New York to Washington, D.C. and back, than a crowded bus.

This is the third generation since the SUV was introduced in 1999, and we liked a lot about it. But when compared to the latest models of competing luxury SUVs, it loses out.

That's because Cadillac is getting ready to release the next generation Escalade, and the car we drove is rather old hat.

Nonetheless, sales of the SUV have remained steady, according to Todd Brown, who leads Escalade marketing, a good sign for a car near the end of its run.

But to compete with the new offerings in a competitive market, including the excellent brand new Range Rover and fully redesigned Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, the Escalade needs a few big updates.

Rather than a full breakdown of what we thought of this Escalade, here is what we hope to see in the next generation.

Based on spy photos of the next Escalade obtained by Car And Driver, the basic shape of the SUV won't change much.

[Source: Car And Driver]

That's a good thing: It's a classic, recognizable look.

While the interior of the 2013 model is nice, it could use some updates.

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Ferrari is approaching the official reveal of the successor to its famed Enzo, and the upcoming car looks like it will live up to that legacy.

Going by the names F150 and F70, the new supercar will be a hybrid, with a kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) adding 150 horsepower to the 800 produced by the V12 engine, according to Jalopnik.

The huge 950 figures makes it more powerful — by 220 horsepower — than the F12berlinetta, the fastest Ferrari ever built.

The F70 should be revealed in full at the Geneva Motor Show in early March. Until then, here's a video of it in testing on the track, courtesy of YouTube user Marchettino:

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This is the Misfit Shine Fitness Tracker from Misfit Wearables.

Why We Love It: A lot of fitness gadgets that track your progress are bulky and only come in certain wristband styles. Misfit Shine is the size of a quarter, and can be worn anywhere. The design is diamond-cut from a  block of aircraft-grade aluminum, is the size of a quarter, and runs on a replaceable battery that lasts up to six months.

The Shine syncs easily with its app by placing the metal dot on your phone screen to download data in seconds. It tracks walking, jogging, running, cycling, and swimming (the Shine is waterproof), and weighs less than 10 grams.

Shine took second place in the Consumer Electronics Show's Last Gadget Standing competition, and is shaping up to be one of the biggest new fitness devices of 2013. It can be clipped onto clothing with a clasp, on a necklace, or worn like a watch.

Where To Buy: Available on the Misfit Wearables website for shipping in spring 2013.

Cost: $99.

Want to nominate a cool product for Stuff We Love? Send an email to Megan Willett at mwillett@businessinsider.com with "Stuff We Love" in the subject line.

DON'T MISS: Control Your Entire Home With The Belkin WeMo Switch

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In the last few years, the phenomena of China's "leftover women"— that is, women over the age of 28 who are unmarried — has become a hot topic amongst China and China-watchers.

But the fact is these so-called "leftover women" are probably an overhyped concern, perhaps driven by government worries about a more likely problem — leftover men, aka "bare branches".

Yes, given a combination of China's one child policy and a traditional preference for sons, China may be looking at 12 to 15 percent of its male population being unable to find a wife. As Jessica Levine writes at Tea Leaf Nation, that's pretty much the population of Texas.

That many lonely, angry men are not good for anyone. Levine points to an academic article released last year by Quanbao Jiang& Jesús J. Sánchez-Barricarte, these bare branches aren't just sad — they represent a danger to society.

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Real estate is a tough business. It requires you to be completely client-focused, to think on your feet, and to maintain a large portfolio of properties you may need to show at a moment's notice. It also requires persistence, business-savvy, and lots of, well, chutzpah.

These 21 young real estate agents are the newest hotshots in real estate.

They're selling multi-million dollar homes, giving back to their communities, and reshaping the nature of the business with their innovative approaches to social media and technology. From Miami to New York to Los Angeles to Houston, these agents have the housing market covered.

Oren Alexander

Age: 25

Agency: Prudential Douglas Elliman

Location: Miami, Fla.

Oren Alexander broke records last October when he sold a $47 million estate in Indian Creek— the most expensive sale in Miami at the time.

Originally from Miami Beach, Alexander focuses on the luxury market and has listings in both New York and Miami. He lives in New York City now, but he and his partner (and brother) manage their shared listings in Miami.

He says working off commission fuels him, and that the high-risk, high-reward aspect of the job is thrilling. He's often on the road, jet-setting from New York to Miami to Argentina.

Austin Allison

Age: 27

Agency: dotloop

Location: Cincinnati, Ohio

Allison studied real estate development, and then corporate law, at the University of Cincinnati.

He co-founded dotloop in 2009 with the goal of making the home sales process electronic across the U.S. He describes what he does as “surrounding the company with great people and keeping us aligned around our vision and goals.” The 27-year-old President and CEO of dotloop was named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 in Real Estate at the end of 2011.

Josh Altman

Age: 33

Agency: Hilton & Ryland Real Estate

Location: Beverly Hills, Calif.

Josh Altman deals with high-end properties and a celebrity clientele (Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton were clients of his).

He sold an astounding $200 million in 2012 alone and oversaw some record sales, including the most expensive 1-bedroom house ever sold in California for $20 million and the most expensive condo ever sold in Santa Monica for $10.5 million.

He's also a reality TV star on Bravo's TV show "Million Dollar Listing."

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