Myanmar, Yangon

Country Full Name: Union of Myanmar.

Location: Myanmar (Burma) is in South Eastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand.

Country Climate: Tropical monsoon; cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers (southwest monsoon, June to September); less cloudy, scant rainfall, mild temperatures, lower humidity during winter (northeast monsoon, December to April).

Country Terrain: Central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands.

Major Languages: Burmese, indigenous ethnic languages.

Major Religions: Buddhism, Christianity, Islam.

Population: 4.3 Mil (2012 est.).

Country Economy: Burma is one of the poorest nations in the world, suffering from decades of stagnation, mismanagement, and isolation.

Currency: Myanmar Kyat (MMK).

Inflation: 7.7% (2011 est.).

Yangon is also known as Rangoon and is a former capital of Burma and the capital of Yangon Division.

Yangon is the country's main centre for trade, industry, real estate, media, entertainment and tourism. The city is Lower Myanmar?s main trading hub for all kinds of merchandise ? from basic food stuffs to used cars although commerce continues to be hampered by the city's severely underdeveloped banking industry and communication infrastructure.

The cost of living in Yangon in Myanmar is in the middle compared to other places. The overall cost of living is determined using the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across 13 Basket Groups. Yangon in Myanmar is currently ranked 424 overall out of 780 places (rank 1 is most expensive: rank 780 is least expensive). The cost of living rank for each of the 13 Basket Groups is as follows:

Alcohol & Tobacco costs are low compared to other places for items such as alcohol at a bar, beer, locally produced spirit, whiskey, wine (where alcohol is legally sold) and tobacco related products. There are 561 places that are more expensive, and 218 places that are less expensive for alcohol and or tobacco.

Clothing costs are low compared to other places for items such as business suits, casual clothing, children's clothing, coats, evening wear, footwear, hats, shoe repairs and underwear. There are 532 places that are more expensive, and 247 places that are less expensive for clothing.

Communication costs are very low compared to other places for various communication costs such as call charges, home telephone rental, internet connection, mobile data costs, mobile phone contract and service provider fees. There are 671 places that are more expensive, and 108 places that are less expensive for communication.

Education costs are very low compared to other places for items such as creche / pre-school fees, primary school fees, high school fees and tertiary study fees. There are 711 places that are more expensive, and 68 places that are less expensive for education.

Furniture & Appliance costs are average compared to other places for items such as DVD player, fridge freezer, furniture, household equipment, iron, kettle, light bulbs, microwave, television, toaster, vacuum cleaner and washing machine. There are 416 places that are more expensive, and 363 places that are less expensive for furniture and appliances.

Grocery costs are very high compared to other places for items such as baby consumables, baked goods, baking, canned foods, cheese, cleaning materials, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, fruit juices, meat, oil & vinegars, pet food, pre-prepared meals, sauces, seafood, snacks, soft drinks, spices & herbs. There are 107 places that are more expensive, and 672 places that are less expensive for groceries.

Healthcare costs are low compared to other places for general healthcare, general practitioner consultation rates, healthcare/medical insurance, hospital private ward daily rate and non-prescription medicine. There are 578 places that are more expensive, and 201 places that are less expensive for healthcare.

Household Accommodation costs are average compared to other places for items such as accommodation, apartment, flat, house, villa, rent, electricity, household fuels, household gas, water, and local property rates / residential taxes / levies. There are 451 places that are more expensive, and 328 places that are less expensive for household accommodation.

Miscellaneous costs are very low compared to other places for items such as dry cleaning, general goods, general services, linen, magazines, maid, newspapers, office supplies, postage stamps and stationery. There are 771 places that are more expensive, and 8 places that are less expensive for miscellaneous items.

Personal Care costs are very low compared to other places for items such as cosmetics, hair care, moisturizer, nappies, pain relief tablets, shampoo, soap, sun block, toilet paper and toothpaste. There are 749 places that are more expensive, and 30 places that are less expensive for personal care.

Recreation and Culture costs are high compared to other places for items such as books, camera, cinema tickets, fitness/health club membership, sports goods and theatre tickets. There are 269 places that are more expensive, and 510 places that are less expensive for recreation and culture.

Restaurants, Meals Out and Hotel costs are very low compared to other places for items such as a business dinner, dinner at a family restaurant (non fast food), 4 star and 5 star hotel rates and take away meal (fast food). There are 728 places that are more expensive, and 51 places that are less expensive for restaurants, meals out and hotels.

Transport costs are high compared to other places for items such as car hire purchase, car insurance, car lease, car maintenance, car rental, car service, diesel, petrol, tyres and public transport. There are 194 places that are more expensive, and 585 places that are less expensive for transport.

Personalized cost of living indexes for Yangon in Myanmar are based on the basket groups and comparison location(s) selected in the Calculators.

In terms of the hardship people are likely to experience, assessed in global terms, Yangon in Myanmar is ranked as extreme hardship with a hardship index of 40%.

Personalized hardship index premiums for Yangon in Myanmar are based on the comparison location(s) selected in the Calculators.

Note: Xpatulator.com data is updated quarterly. The latest update is as at 1 April 2012. Create a personalized cost of living comparison report using the calculators:
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