2010′s Top Ten in the World
This year, the most expensive cities were in Asia, Europe and South America.
So, starting from the
most expensive, here are the Top Ten in the world:
- Tokyo, Japan
- Caracas, Venezuela
- Hong Kong, China
- Geneva, Switzerland
- Osaka, Japan
- Zurich, Switzerland
- Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Oslo, Norway
- Nagoya, Japan
- Moscow, Russia
You can see the complete list of 300 cities
here.
Tokyo earned top honors for its costs for housing, healthcare and groceries. Its cost of living index is a whopping 158.4.
Caracas is the most expensive city for furniture and appliances, alcohol and tobacco, recreation and culture, and restaurants and hotels. It’s also the second-most expensive for healthcare and housing.
Hong Kong wins third place because of expensive housing and healthcare.
How They Rank
Xpatulator ranks the cost of living based on prices for the same goods and services in each city. They use New York City as their baseline, with a cost of living rank of 100. They choose their 13 basket groups of goods and services based on what’s representative of an expat lifestyle. The 13 basket groups are weighted and include:
- Alcohol & Tobacco
- Clothing
- Communication
- Education
- Furniture & Appliances
- Groceries
- Healthcare
- Household (rental, utilities, taxes)
- Miscellaneous
- Personal care
- Recreation & culture
- Restaurants & Hotels
- Transportation
HKA pays no:
- Housing
- Schooling
- Decent medical/healthcare
- Tickets to Home country
HKA pays:
- Only 28 days annual leave
- Below average salary
- Below average overnight allowances
- No extra for work a day off or a public holiday
- Public holidays worked are not given as extra time off later
- No (ZERO) Provident fund for 12 months or more, then 1500 a month only ($193) (retire by 95?)
any questions?