Tokyo Asia's costliest city for expats
SINGAPORE —
Tokyo has supplanted Seoul as Asia’s most expensive city for expatriates as the stronger yen pushed up living costs in the world’s second largest economy, a survey by ECA International said Thursday.
Yokohama placed second and Seoul slipped to third, the twice-yearly global survey by the human-resources firm showed.
“Tokyo is the most expensive city in Asia, overtaking Seoul due, largely, to the appreciation of the yen against the U.S. dollar over the past six months,” ECA International said.
Globally, Tokyo maintained its rank of 13th. Luanda in Angola, and Oslo in Norway were the world’s most expensive cities for expatriates, ECA said.
The firm, which provides data to international companies, compares in its survey a basket of 128 consumer items and services purchased by expatriates in more than 370 global locations.
Both inflation and exchange-rate fluctuations had a major impact on the movement of cities within the rankings since ECA’s last survey in September, it said.
Manila, Singapore and many second-tier cities in China were among those that moved up fastest in the rankings because of stronger currencies and relatively high price increases, it said.
Data showed that pork prices in China rose 19% in the seven months between surveys while the cost of egg noodles in Singapore went up by almost 15%, ECA said.
“Inflation has been seen in most locations worldwide over the past six months, with food and petrol prices, particularly, increasing quite considerably,” it said.
The survey, which includes 50 Asian locations, showed Hong Kong was the ninth costliest city in the region followed by Beijing in 10th spot and Taipei in 11th.
Several second-tier cities from Japan, South Korea and Russia filled the ranks between Seoul and Hong Kong.
Shanghai was ranked 12th, followed by Singapore in 13th place while Jakarta placed 22nd and Bangkok placed 28th, said ECA International.
Manila was 31st, ahead of Kuala Lumpur at 35th and Ho Chi Minh City in 42nd spot.
Globally, the Norwegian coastal city of Stavanger came third followed by Copenhagen, Moscow, Geneva, Gabon’s capital of Libreville, Zurich, Basel with Bern rounding up the list of the top 10 most costly cities for expatriates.
AFP
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12 Comments
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Loki520
This is news?
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some14some
Loki520: This is 'business' news :)
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Sarge
"The firm, which provides data to international companies, compares in its survey a basket of 128 consumer items and services purchased by expats"
Probably I don't purchase many of those things.
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capone
the list should include dodgy roppongi massages, fake dollars to use at One Eyed Jacks, coke, and ecstacy
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Farmboy
What they do is look at people living in a foreign way in Japan. If they lived in a Japanese style in Japan, a Singaporean style in Singapore and so on, and compared the prices, then they would have some interesting information. But if you want to live in a three bedroom, two bath home in Tokyo, and have steaks for dinner every night, yes, it will be expensive.
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Alphaape
Well, as long as the US maintains it's "global military complex" world wide, I will be able to maintain a life here with shopping at the commissary for food like steaks for dinner everyday much cheaper than if I bought them at the local Seiyu store.
I wonder what makes Luanda, Angola so high? Is it the cost of getting "luxury goods" there before they get ripped off that makes it so?
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Nessie
Actually, it's the costliest for the expats' companies.
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MichaelJP
Some of the managers where I work are here on an expat deal. They stay in fully sponsored multi-level apartments in the most expensive areas, their children have all education costs paid at the best international schools, and they get a nice supplemental allowance for the inconvenience and suffering of having to live and work in Tokyo under such terrible conditions. No wonder Tokyo comes out as expensive.
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badge123
Not this article in particular, but I remember reading some of the data factored into these "polls" are the cost of a taxi from the major international airport to the city.
Well yes a cost of taxi from Tokyo proper to Narita Airport is really expensive and is factored into these polls, but these polls don't take into the fact that MOST people don't take taxi's from Tokyo to Narita Airport.
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usaexpat
I don't understand what the differnce in cost would be between expats and locals. Tokyo globally was ranked as being less expensive than Hong Kong and I believe Singapore just a few months ago in another study posted on here.
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GW
the expats they are talking about are the ones who live in the Golden Ghetto!
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kurtp
These studies are useless, unless you insist on eating on your American or European import food. Fact is, after having lived in London, Tokyo is noticeably cheaper (think public transport)and certainly not the most expensive place. But let people believe it, so that we can get paid more for working here!
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