The world's most expensive city is

Diesal

Diesal

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When one thinks of the world's most expensive cities, images of New York and London probably pop to mind. But those two do not even make the list of the top 10 most expensive cities in which to live. Instead, it's dominated by Asian and African cities, as well as two Swiss ones- Zurich and Geneva- according to Mercer's annual '2016 Cost of Living Rankings.'

Published on Wednesday, the guide surveys 209 countries where employees are most likely to send their expatriates to live and work. Hong Kong remains the world's most expensive city, where the average monthly rent of a unfurnished two-bedroom apartment of "international standards in an appropriate neighborhood" costs $6,809.47. Second place may surprise you – rent in Luanda, Angola, will cost you $6,700 a month.

According to the World Economic Forum, "Luanda may not be the most expensive city in the world for the local population, but thanks to a booming oil economy, a limited supply of luxurious housing, and a high demand for it among expats…The cost of an apartment in Luanda for an Angolan household may well be just $200 a month. But that cost is discarded when looking at the cost for expats... expat cost of living varies wildly from those of locals for two fundamental reasons: supply and demand."

Compare that to Sydney for example, where a similar apartment would cost $2,636.39, or Vancouver, where monthly rent for a two-bedroom is approximately $1,737.80. Move to London or New York, and you'll see average two-bedroom rents of $4,583.25 and $5,1000, respectively.

Should you decide to go see a movie in any of these cities, and London is by far the most expensive – a ticket will set you back $17.91. Go to the movies in Johannesburg, and you'll only have to fork out a little over $4.

Fancy sitting down for a cup of coffee? You'll pay almost $8 in Hong Kong but only $2.28 in New York. And if you're driving to get that cup of coffee, one liter of unleaded gasoline will cost you around the $1 range in most cities – although you'll pay $1.79 in Hong Kong versus $0.48 in Moscow.



Top 10 most expensive cities to live in:

1. Hong Kong

2. Luanda

3. Zurich

4. Singapore

5. Tokyo

6. Kinshasa

7. Shanghai

8.Geneva

9. N'Djamena

10. Beijing


Bottom 10 least expensive cities to live in:

1. Lusaka

2. Garborone

3. Karachi

4. Tunis

5. Minsk

6. Johannesburg

7. Blantyre

8. Bishkek

9. Cape Town

10. Windhoek
Click to expand...

Source: http://www.cnbc.com/2016/06/22/the-worlds-most-expensive-city-is.html

Who would've guessed SA's top 2 would be the least expensive, especially considering property prices here in CPT.
 
Here I was thinking London when I clicked the thread.

Hong Kong huh?
 
Bangkok is quite expensive .... what with the nightlife and booze and .....

Texas is So Cowboy and Bangkok is Soi Cowboy .... subtle difference but huge in terms of cash spend, and I was the only difference.
 
I moved to the Netherlands a while back, coming back to SA I find Cape Town extremely expensive.......prices are either comparable or higher in Cape Town than where I live............certain things like movies and parking are much cheaper in SA but I find food, tech products, living costs, healthcare, supplements and so on very expensive in Cape Town (and SA in general) compared to the Netherlands (at R17 to €1).

The problem with these reports is that they compare what the average person spends in these places but they don't account for the class of people or the quality of life.
 
Vaughan said:
I moved to the Netherlands a while back, coming back to SA I find Cape Town extremely expensive.......prices are either comparable or higher in Cape Town than where I live............certain things like movies and parking are much cheaper in SA but I find food, tech products, living costs, healthcare, supplements and so on very expensive in Cape Town (and SA in general) compared to the Netherlands (at R17 to €1).

The problem with these reports is that they compare what the average person spends in these places but they don't account for the class of people or the quality of life.
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I mostly agree with you except ... you clearly are not a red meat eater, EU prices make your eyes water and your sphincter pain, despite our price hikes that is still insanely cheap compared to the EU in general and Netherlands in particular.
 
NarrowBandFtw said:
I mostly agree with you except ... you clearly are not a red meat eater, EU prices make your eyes water and your sphincter pain, despite our price hikes that is still insanely cheap compared to the EU in general and Netherlands in particular.
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Oh quite the contrary, I eat lots of red meat (nice rump steaks). There Europe is quite a bit more expensive (Although I just buy it straight from the local farms which gives you SA quality at a fairly higher price). But other foods and side dishes make up quite a lot of the ground by being so much cheaper. Magnum ice creams for example can be bought for €2.24 for 4 full size ice creams......and beer here is just ludicrously cheap compared to SA. (€0.39 for 500 ml).
 
Cape Town is dirt cheap, as long as you earn anything but rands.

I have friends that have told me Tokyo is cheaper to live in than Shanghai now, and I believe them.
I live in Shanghai most of the year. Its expensive in comparison to Cape Town (I wince every time I come back from Cape Town and spend money), but once you're earning here it feels ok.
 
Vaughan said:
beer here is just ludicrously cheap compared to SA. (€0.39 for 500 ml).
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That's mostly the lagers, we're very beer-snobby these days in Cape Town, you need to give use the craft beer prices of the Dutch so we can compare e.g. Brouwerij Maximus ;)
 
So was this list made using Dollars only, because then yes i can understand why our 2 largest cities are so dirt cheap to live in, seeing as our banana currency is worth nothing. Must be damn lovely if you earn anything other than Rands to buy crap here.
 
Sandton City. That has to rate quite high up there surely.
 
Manila is also really cheap. For USD1000 one can rent a fully furnished 1 bedroom apartment in one of the best high-rises in the most upmarket area.
 
My rent in Oxford for a 1 bedroom bachelor pad was £900
 
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