NEW YORK — If you are looking to save money on your monthly hair maintenance, steer clear of Switzerland. In a report last year, investment bank UBS reported that, on average, Geneva and Zurich were the most expensive places in the world to have your hair cut.

And, as may be expected, it generally costs more to get your hair cut if you are a woman, no matter where in the world you live. Globally, the report’s authors said, women pay about 40 per cent more than men.

“In Jakarta and Hong Kong, women pay on average almost the same as men, whereas in Dublin and Cairo, the price for women is almost three times higher than for men,” wrote Andreas Hoefert, the former UBS chief economist, who died shortly after the report came out. “For the price of one women’s haircut in Oslo, men could afford to get their hair cut 18 times in Nairobi.”

The fashion capital of Paris was, somewhat surprisingly, only the world’s 19th most expensive city for a man to get a cut, suggesting that there may be some reasonably priced local options for President Franois Hollande, who may be looking for ways to cut his monthly bill of more than US$10,000 (S$13,600).

For those willing to pay the price of a small car for hair maintenance, however, here is what high-end stylists charge in some of the world’s biggest cities.

LONDON

Stuart Phillips

This hairdresser made his name attending to British reality-television stars and the wives of Russian oligarchs. The Diamond VIP package offered by his salon costs almost US$26,000 and includes limo service, live music, products and a scalp massage by Phillips before he cuts your hair.

25 Monmouth St, Covent Garden; stuartphillips.co.uk.

Richard Ward

This salon first found fame as the go-to blow-dry spot of choice for the Duchess of Cambridge (as well as her sister, Pippa, and mother, Carole Middleton), and Ward tended to the hair of the future queen on her wedding day in 2011. A wash, cut and finish with the man himself will set you back about US$420 if you are a woman, and a more reasonable US$140, if you are a man.

82 Duke of York Square, Sloane Square; richardward.com.

George Northwood

The shaggy cool Britannia bob of Alexa Chung and the shaggy mop of actor Nicholas Hoult are the responsibility of Northwood, known as the “hair magician” and possessed of a three-month waiting list. A cut by him starts at US$390.

24 Wells St.; georgenorthwood.com.

PARIS

David Mallet

This affable Australian is on the speed dial of every major designer, model and actress in Paris, as well as the French Vogue editor, Emmanuelle Alt. He charges women about US$270 for a cut and finish, and men about US$163. Meaning Hollande could visit the salon in the Second Arrondissement every day for a month and still save himself more than $5,000 for other grooming pursuits.

14, rue Notre Dame des Victoires; david-mallett.com.

David Lucas

On the third floor of a Haussmann-style building on the Rue Danielle Casanova, close to l’Opra, one can find the hairstyling apartment of David Lucas. Prices are calculated via hair length rather than sex, so a Brazilian straightening treatment begins at US$290, while a scattering of balayage highlights starts at US$390.

20, rue Danielle Casanova; davidlucas.fr.

Christophe Robin

Formerly housed within the wedding-cake grandeur of Hotel Le Meurice, Robin has forged a reputation as the colourist of choice for designers John Galliano and Alber Elbaz, actress Tilda Swinton and model Natalia Vodianova. But understated elegance comes at immense cost: As much as US$920 for a colour and consultation appointment.

16, rue Bachaumont; christophe-robin.com.

MUMBAI, INDIA

Hakim’s Aalim

Trendy Mumbai suburbs like Bandra, beloved by the Bollywood set, are teeming with affordable hair salons where a top-quality blow-dry can cost just US$4 because of India’s lower wages and levels of discretionary income. But if you are one of India’s biggest male movie stars, like Ranbir Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan or Saif Ali Khan, and you choose to visit Hakim’s Aalim, a hair-and-tattoo lounge founded by Aalim Hakim Kairanvi, the son of India’s first celebrity hairdresser, Halim Kairanvi, you can expect Western-style prices (and a live DJ). A cut with the creative director for men is about US$260, while for women it’s US$290 (with the blow-dry done by an assistant).

27 GF, Krishna House, Union Park (Golf Link Road, off Carter Road, Bandra West); hakimsaalim.com.

MOSCOW

Dolores

Most of Moscow’s super rich fly in their own hairdressers or have them on standby, la Hollande. But the grande dame of Russia salons is Dolores, founded by Dolores Kondrashova, the president of the Russian Hairdressing Union, in 1991. It is everything you would expect of a Muscovite hair haven: Mirrored walls, gold chandeliers and a white grand piano in the corner. And then there are the wash and blow-dry prices, lower than in previous years thanks to the devaluation of the ruble: A snip at US$300.

c2, Bolshoy Afanasyevskiy per., 12c1; dolores-centr.ru.

BEIJING

Tony Studio

Last October, a salon called Rope in Changsha, China, charged US$6,120 for a 15-minute haircut, causing a national outcry after the stylists told the client in question that that type of price was completely normal in Beijing. The average cost of a haircut for men is US$5.24, and for women US$9.27, according to UBS, so the claim was a bit far from the mark. Still, for A-list service, head to one of 12 Tony Studios in the city. The owner, Tony Li, favoured by celebrities and fashion folk, is fast becoming a household name. Lowlights for long hair start at US$115, while a blow-dry is just US$15.

tonystudio.com.cn.