Asia Pacific Expat Cost of Living Comparison

Asia Pacific Expat Cost of Living Comparison

The cost of living for expats is particularly high in densely populated, popular wealthy locations where the demand for limited space, goods and services (housing, transport, education etc) exceeds supply.

Which city is the most expensive in Asia Pacific in 2023?

Hong Kong is the most expensive city in Asia Pacific for Expats with an overall Cost of Living Index (COLI), for all 13 basket groups, of 116 (New York =100), mainly due to high housing costs (which counts for around 30% of the overall cost of living for most Expats), with limited space available making rentals high.

Second Most Expensive City in Asia Pacific

Singapore is the second most expensive city in Asia Pacific for Expatriate’s to live, with an overall cost of living index of 112. Singapore's education system, which is widely regarded as the best in the world, is also the most expensive for expatriates when priced in US Dollars, the cost of housing is also extremely high due to the limited space and premium on high quality expatriate accommodation, while the complex Certificate of Entitlement system makes car prices excessive, resulting in Singapore’s transport costs being amongst the highest in the world.

Shanghai Third Most Expensive City in Asia Pacific

Ashgabat is the third most expensive city in Asia Pacific for Expatriate's to live with an overall Cost of Living Index (COLI), for all 13 basket groups, of 101 (New York =100).

Where does this expat cost of living information for Asia Pacific come from?

Xpatulator.com has been created to calculate expatriate pay using online calculators and an extensive database of cost of living and hardship indexes, for 780 international locations. The database is updated quarterly. Subscribers use this information to ensure expatriate salary spending power is maintained when on an international assignment. Salary spending power is affected by cost of living, hardship and exchange rate differences between the home and host location.

What is the cost of living comparison for Asia Pacific?

A cost of living comparison involves using a Cost of Living Index (COLI) as a numerical way of comparing cost of living, either over time, or by comparing the cost of living in different geographical locations. When comparing the cost of living between different locations the difference in the cost of living is expressed as an index by dividing the cost of living in Location A by the cost of living in Location B. The cost of living index indicates the difference in the cost of living between the two locations. The COLI for the most expensive cities in Asia Pacific is the result of dividing each locations cost of living by the cost of living in New York NY (USA) using all 13 basket groups. New York therefore has a COLI of 100 for global comparison purposes.

What are the top 10 most expensive cities to live in Asia Pacific?

The top 10 most expensive cities in Asia Pacific for an Expat as at October 2023 are as follows:

Cost of Living Review for Asia Pacific

For more, read a free cost of living review for the following locations in Asia Pacific as at October 2023:

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