Cities in Switzerland, China and a number of African countries are the most expensive cities for expats, according to the annual Cost of Living survey conducted by global consulting firm ECA International.
High-quality goods scarce
The capital of the newly formed country of South Sudan, Juba, tops the list of most expensive cities for expats, after finishing ninth last year. Reasons for this are that in a country with poor infrastructure and a civil war raging, high-quality goods are scarce, and very few of the goods expats need are produced in the country. The unfavourable exchange rate of the South Sudanese pound is another reason.
Chinese cities more expensive
The exchange rate of the national currency is also the main reason Swiss cities are high on the list of expensive expat locations. Compared to last year, Chinese cities became a lot more expensive. Shanghai is now in eighth place (last year 18th), and Beijing in ninth place (last year 20th). The same goes for Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which rose to seventh place from 19th. Luanda in Angola has been very expensive for expats for many years and now occupies second place.
Prices of items and services
ECA’s ranking is calculated by looking at the prices of a number of items and services generally needed by expats and by factoring in exchange rates and inflation.
Top-ten most expensive cities for expats:
- Juba (South Sudan)
- Luanda (Angola)
- Zurich (Switzerland)
- Geneva (Switzerland)
- Bern (Switzerland)
- Basel (Switzerland)
- Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo)
- Shanghai (China)
- Beijing (China)
- Seoul (South Korea)
Photo: aerial shot of Juba
Source: ECA International
