International Cost of Living July 2013

Zurich in Switzerland is ranked as the overall most expensive city to live in, world-wide, according to Xpatulator.com's July 2013 international cost of living rankings. Thimphu in Bhutan, is ranked the cheapest. Tokyo dropped 2 places in April, and another 3 places in July to become the sixth most expensive place to live, while Geneva moves down slightly to become the fourth most expensive location in the world.

The cost of living rankings, released every quarter, measure the comparative cost of living for expatriates in 780 locations, covering every country worldwide. The cost of living comparison uses local prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services, converted to a single currency. Sources include local service providers in each location, international service providers, official governmental statistics and global agency data. The data is quality assured and manually checked by Xpatulator Analysts. The prices of similar related items have been grouped together into 13 basket groups and the cost of living index calculated for each basket in each location. The 13 basket groups are the result of extensive research of actual spending habits ensuring the cost of living indexes reflect a reality-based international expenditure pattern.

While Zurich is ranked the most expensive using all 13 basket groups, Luanda is the most expensive place to live excluding the housing, education, medical and transport basket groups.

Key Highlights:

Africa:
The most expensive countries in Africa are: Angola; Nigeria; Mozambique; Democratic Republic of Congo; and Ghana. The most expensive cities to live in are: Luanda (Second most expensive in the world); Abuja; Lagos; Kano; and Ibadan. The cheapest city for expatriates to live in is Tunis in Tunisia (15th cheapest in the world).
The biggest mover down the rankings is Gaborone in Botswana, which has dropped from 543th in April to become the 667th most expensive location in the world. The biggest mover up the rankings is Monrovia in Liberia. Monrovia has risen from 245th in April to become the 126th most expensive location in the world.

America:
The most expensive countries in America for expatriates to live in are: Bermuda; Cayman Islands; Montserrat; Venezuela; and Aruba. The most expensive cities for expatriates to live in are: New York (Manhattan) (11th most expensive in the world); Hamilton (Bermuda); Caracas; Sao Paulo; and Rio de Janeiro. The cheapest city for expatriates to live in is: Managua in Nicaragua (16th cheapest in the world). The biggest mover down the rankings is Stanley in the Falkland Islands which has dropped from 75th in April to become the 111th most expensive location in the world. The biggest mover up the rankings is Toluca in Mexico, which has risen from 240th in April to become the 162nd most expensive location in the world.

Asia-Pacific:
The most expensive countries in Asia Pacific for expatriates to live in are: Australia; Japan; Micronesia; New Caledonia; and New Zealand. The most expensive cities for expatriates to live in are: Hong Kong (the third most expensive in the world); Tokyo; Sydney; Singapore and Yokohama. The cheapest city for expatriates to live in is Medan in Indonesia (27th cheapest in the world). The biggest mover down the rankings is South Tarawa in Kiribati, which has dropped from 148th in April to become the 314th most expensive location in the world. The biggest mover up the rankings is Tashkent in Uzbekistan, which has risen from 500th in April to become the 370th most expensive location in the world.

Europe:
The most expensive countries in Europe for expatriates to live in are: Switzerland; Norway; Liechtenstein; Denmark; and Jersey. The most expensive cities in Europe for expatriates to live in: Zurich (most expensive in the world); Geneva; Monaco; Oslo; and Moscow. The cheapest city in Europe for expatriates to live in is Sofia in Bulgaria (12th cheapest in the world). The biggest mover down the rankings is Budapest in Hungary, which has dropped from 507th in April to become the 642nd most expensive location in the world. The biggest mover up the rankings is Minsk in Belarus, which has risen from 222nd in April to become the 191st most expensive location in the world.

Middle East:
The most expensive countries in the Middle East for expatriates to live in are: Qatar; United Arab Emirates; Israel; Lebanon and Bahrain. The most expensive cities in the Middle East for expatriates to live in: Doha (118th most expensive in the world); Abu Dhabi; Dubai; Jerusalem; and Beirut. The cheapest country and city in the Middle East for expatriates to live in is Sanaa in Yemen (110th cheapest in the world). The biggest mover down the rankings is Beirut in Lebanon, which has dropped from 278th in April to become the 292nd most expensive location in the world. The biggest mover up the rankings is Tehran in Iran, which has risen from 546th in April to become the 395th most expensive location in the world.

South Asia:
The most expensive countries in South Asia are: Maldives; Sri Lanka; and India. The most expensive cities in South Asia in are: Male in the Maldives (353rd most expensive in the world); Colombo; and Mumbai. The cheapest city in South Asia is Thimphu in Bhutan (the cheapest city in the world). The biggest mover down the rankings is Male, which has dropped 15 places since April to become the 353rd most expensive location in the world. The biggest mover up the rankings is Kathmandu in Nepal, which has risen from 752nd in April to become the 685th most expensive (and therefor 95th cheapest) location in the world.

The Top 100 Global Overall Rankings (Combined All Areas and City Rank) - Overall Cost Of Living - All Baskets:

The Top 100 Global Country (All Areas) Rankings - Overall Cost Of Living - All Baskets:

The Top 100 Global City Location Rankings - Overall Cost Of Living - All Baskets:

Reference
The cost of living ranking information contained in this article is updated quarterly using data collected by Xpatulator.com over the past 12 months. The international cost of living indexes, on which the rankings are based, is only available using Xpatulator.com's online expatriate calculators that enable users to create personalized cost of living comparison reports which include:

Salary Purchasing Power Parity Calculator
Cost of Living Allowance Calculator
Cost of Living Index Calculator

Published by Xpatulator.com on 1 July 2013.

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