Cost of Life Index for Expats, February 2013: Tokyo Costs Plummet, China Roars Ahead

Prague, Czech Republic (PRWEB) February 07, 2013

The current, February 2013, Expatistan ranking of the cost of living in 112 cities shows some startling findings. Tokyo which has long held the title as the most expensive city in the world has shown a dramatic decrease in the cost of living as compared to other cities. At the same time, Chinese cities have shown a steady, strong rise in the cost of living over the past 18 months. The trend in Latin America is mixed, with some specific cities increasing in the rankings.

Using Prague as a benchmark, Expatistan assigns a point value of 100 for that city for comparison against all other cities. Against that benchmark, the February 2013 rankings show that Tokyo fell from 291 points (2.91 times more expensive than Prague) in July 2012 to just 212 points. Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong (increasingly integrated with China, politically and economically) have all shown double-digit ranking increases. Hong Kong reached the top 10 most expensive cities for the first time since Expatistan began gathering its data in January 2010, with a score of 213 points, up 40 over the past 12 months.

Other than the rise of Hong Kong into their ranks, the top 12 most expensive cities in the world, scoring 200 points or more, have remained constant, with just minor adjustments in their order. The new leader, Oslo, scoring 266, has long been in the top tier, as have been Geneva, Zurich, London, Sydney, Singapore and New York City. Just one step down and not that far are such cities as Paris, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. The top 20 most expensive cities as calculated by Expatistan.com are:

1. Oslo (Norway)



2. Geneva (Switzerland)



3. Zurich (Switzerland)



4. London (United Kingdom)



5. Sydney (Australia)



6. Singapore (Singapore)



7. Melbourne (Australia)



8. Hong Kong (Hong Kong)



9. Tokyo (Japan)



10. Perth (Australia).



11. New York City (United States)



12. Brisbane (Australia)



13. Paris (France)



14. Stockholm (Sweden)



15. Amsterdam (Netherlands)



16. Copenhagen (Denmark)



17. San Francisco (United States)



18. Washington D.C. (United States)



19. Dublin (Ireland)



20. Adelaide (Australia)

A complete ranking of all 112 cities ranked by Expatistan.com is available online on Expatistan’s website (http://www.expatistan.com/blog/68-Cost-of-life-index-for-…).

Remaining constant with previous years, the least expensive cities in the world are in South Asia, including Hyderabad, Kolka, Pune, Bangalore and Delhi, all in India, plus Karachi, Pakistan. Eastern European cities, particularly in Poland, Romania and Ukraine, also score well below 100, as do several cities in Argentina. Surprisingly, Bogot

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