The World's Costliest Cities.

[BlacKnox]

Tokyo tops list of world's costliest cities

from http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapc....ap/index.html

LONDON, England (AP) -- "Japan's Tokyo and Osaka are the world's most expensive cities with London in third place, according to a survey released Monday. New York, the most costly of American cities, placed 13th.

The annual report released in London Monday ranked cities based on the comparative cost of more than 200 items including housing, public and private transport, food, clothing and entertainment.

Researchers for Mercer Human Resource Consulting found a bus ride in London cost $3.66 compared to 51 cents in Prague, $1.83 in Dublin and $1.76 in Paris.

Surveys are conducted in 144 cities around the globe every March. All cities are compared to New York, which is automatically given a ranking of 100, Tokyo in comparison scored 135.

South America was home to the least expensive cities, with Asuncion, Paraguay the cheapest of all surveyed cities.

The Mercer group put the relative expensiveness of Tokyo at No. 1, followed by Osaka then London down to the strength of the pound and the yen against the U.S. dollar and cited the high cost of housing and transport as a major factor in London's cost of living.

"Many of the U.S. cities surveyed have fallen in the rankings due to the weakening of the dollar against the Euro, Canadian dollar and Asian Pacific currencies," Mercer research manager Marie-Laurence Sepede said.

Because China pegs its currency to the U.S. dollar its cities ratings were also affected by the dollar's depreciation and were lower in the rankings than the previous year.

The report also found the cost of living divide between the world's cheapest and most expensive cities was narrowing".

The Top 10 are:

1. Tokyo
2. Osaka
3. London
4. Moscow
5. Seoul
6. Geneva
7. Zurich
8. Copenhagen
9. Hong Kong
10. Oslo

[Lindsay Wilson]

Must make you feel good to have two of the most expensive cities in the same country as you, BlacKnox.

Have a Kirin or Asahi for me sometime...still remember the dispenser by the Shinkansen stops (every morning we'd buy our supplies)...ahh, those were the days :roll:

[BlacKnox]

Must make you feel good to have two of the most expensive cities in the same country as you, BlacKnox.

Lindsay Have to say I was surprised with Seoul at number 5 on the list. I've always considered Seoul (& Hong Kong) as reasonable cities, price wise. I guess that's the one good thing about living in an expensive country - everything everywhere else seems cheap.

Have a Kirin or Asahi for me sometime...still remember the dispenser by the Shinkansen stops (every morning we'd buy our supplies)...ahh, those were the days :roll:

I'm partial to a drop of Sapporo Classic actually (only available in Hokkaido), or Sapporo Kuro (black) export. Don't really like the Asahi "super dry" taste - reminds me too much of XXXX. And yes, I do know how to spell beer.:wink:

[CdaWorld]

I am currently in Seoul and it can vary. I think that things like housing and the imported items are very expensive but it is possible to eat cheaply and find CDs, books, DVDs and so on at prices cheaper than home.

In terms of drinking - which is always important - beer is cheap, soju (the local knock your sox off drink) is VERY cheap and VERY strong, spirits are very cheap in stores though slightly more in bars - wine however is expensive... about AU$10-14 a glass generally. And trying to find it - a decent drop that is - is also tricky!

[BlacKnox]

... but it is possible to eat cheaply and find CDs, books, DVDs and so on at prices cheaper than home.

Yeah some of the street stall food is cheap and delicious. Not sure how healthy it is though? :roll:

[CdaWorld]

... but it is possible to eat cheaply and find CDs, books, DVDs and so on at prices cheaper than home.

Yeah some of the street stall food is cheap and delicious. Not sure how healthy it is though? :roll:

Do as the locals do... that's what they say?

But I'm a bit more precious. When you get a per diem why worry what it's costing - splash out on the best of everything!

[AlwaysUpThere]

Love to know where the Australian capitals ranked.

I've just moved back from years in Hong Kong and Singapore and the prices in Sydney are astounding! Not only that, the traffic is worse here!

Unless something's done about it, Australia will have seen her best days...

:?

[dajop]

Unless something's done about it, Australia will have seen her best days...

:?

Australia or Sydney?

Much better in Melbourne (if you don't mind a cooler clime) or Brisbane. :wink:

[straitman]

Not only that, the traffic is worse here!

You're kidding aren't you

[serfty]

Love to know where the Australian capitals ranked.

I've just moved back from years in Hong Kong and Singapore and the prices in Sydney are astounding! Not only that, the traffic is worse here!

Unless something's done about it, Australia will have seen her best days...

:?

You can find more information from 2005 worldwide cost of living survey results. Follow the links to "Download top 50 rankings for cost of living". FWIW, SIN is 34th and SYD 20th.