Lower cost of living in Australian cities for global workers 7 July 2010 The cost of living in Australian cities is less for expatriates and global workers than in other major cities in the Asia Pacific region. The just-released Mercer Worldwide Cost of Living Survey 2010 ranked Tokyo as the world’s 2nd most expensive city, Osaka as the 6th most expensive, Hong Kong as the 8th, Singapore as the 11th , and Beijing as the 16th. This is in contrast to the cost of living in Australia’s major cities: Sydney was ranked as the 24th most expensive, Melbourne as the 33rd, Brisbane as the 55th, Perth as the 60th and Canberra as the 74th. Luanda in Angola rated as the most expensive city in the world for expatriates and Karachi in Pakistan as the least expensive. The Mercer Worldwide Cost of Living Survey 2010 looked at 214 cities across the globe. Costings were based on over than 200 items such as food, clothing, housing and transport. Mercer – a wholly-owned subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc., which is listed on the New York, Chicago and London stock exchanges – maintains a comprehensive data base on international assignment policies, compensation policies, hardship allowances, and the world-wide costs of living and housing. More information |