...but can't decide where to go? I'd cross Luanda in Angola off my list if I were you as its just been named the city with the highest cost of living for expats.
As far as I can gather, this survey is done mostly for global companies who may be moving staff to various places around the world. Cities are ranked by the "strength or weakness of the relevant currency against the US dollar over the prior 12 months" and "price movements over the prior 12 months compared to those in New York City".
The top five most expensive cities are Luanda, Tokyo, N'Djamena (Chad), Moscow and Geneva. (I'll give out major brownie points to anyone smarter than me who can figure out why it would be so expensive to live in Angola or Chad)
If you're sure you want to end up in the UK, it will come as no surprise that a move to Scotland or Northern Ireland would be much more affordable than living in London. (duh). The UK cities on the list included London (18), Aberdeen (144), Glasgow (148) Birmingham (150) and Belfast (178).
Wondering what the least expensive place to live is? At number 214, Karachi in Pakistan is at the bottom of the list.
Then Karachi it is, right?! :) And even if they were among the cheapest places to live, don't think I am going to venture into Chad or Angola any time soon. Very interesting post!
ReplyDeleteI would venture that the vast amount of items one would need to import to maintain a comparable standard of living might be why Chad & Angola are expensive. Does Fedex even go to those countries?
ReplyDeleteI agree Kitty, and perhaps lack of suitable housing?
ReplyDeleteRight- it would be like living out in the Amazon with natives: probably cheap to live as they do, but horribly expensive to bring in aircon, plumbing, power source, internet, etc.
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