台灣是全世界生活最便利的國家,或是,應該身在福中要知福?
The World's Most Expensive Cities 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
For Americans overseas, exchange rates and cost-of-living adjustments can make living overseas more expensive than back home.
New York ranks only No. 29
If you think $43 is too much to pay for lunch, you shouldn't live in Oslo. According to "ECA International", a global human resources company, that's how much an average lunch costs in Norway's capital. But Oslo is only the second-most expensive city on ECA's ranking of 399 global locations. And while the price of an average lunch in Tokyo is a comparatively modest $17.86, other costs, such as a $22 movie ticket and an $8.47 kilo of rice, earn it the dubious honor as the world's most expensive city.
ECA's ranking is based on a basket of 128 goods that includes food, daily goods, clothing, electronics, and entertainment, but not rent, utilities, and school fees, which are not typically included in a cost-of-living adjustment. ECA researchers and local partners gathered prices in September 2009 and March 2010 for domestic and imported brands that are internationally recognized—such as Kellogg's cereal or Sapporo beer. While lower-priced goods and services are available in these markets, the study estimated the cost of supporting the standard of living expected by expatriate employees, says Lee Quane, ECA's regional director for Asia. Some of the cities, such as Seoul and Stockholm, jumped up in the ranking as the local currency strengthened against the U.S. dollar. Quane says that while a slowdown in business may tempt employers to scale back compensation, "recessions only last so long" and retaining top talent in these places is critical to companies' success when the global economy recovers.
1. Tokyo, Japan
|
Rank
in 2009: 2
Food: Lunch at a restaurant: $18
Can
of beer from grocer: $3.37
One kg of rice: $8.47
One
dozen eggs: $3.78
Entertainment: Movie ticket: $22
Appliances: Washing machine:
$879
The strength of
the yen has brought Tokyo back to the No. 1 spot on ECA International's
ranking for the first time since 2005. In addition to the costs above,
rent for a two-bedroom apartment for expats is typically more than
$5,000 per month in Tokyo, according to data from EuroCost
International. While visitors need more pocket money here than in any
other city, the monthly consumer price index in Tokyo's wards has
actually dropped year-on-year for 14 straight months as of May 2010,
based on figures from Japan's statistics bureau.
2. Oslo, Norway
|
Rank
in 2009: 8
Food: Lunch at a restaurant: $43
Can
of beer from grocer: $4.71
One kg of rice: $5.66
One
dozen eggs: $6.72
Entertainment: Movie ticket: $16
Appliances: Washing machine:
$880
Oslo rose above
Copenhagen as the most expensive city in Europe when the kroner
strengthened against other currencies. ECA International says an upward
trend in oil prices, a short recession, and Norway's reputation as a
safe haven for investors contributed to the kroner's rise.
3. Luanda, Angola
Rank
in 2009: 1
Food: Lunch at a restaurant: $47
Can
of beer from grocer: $1.62
One kg of rice: $4.73
One
dozen eggs: $4.75
Entertainment: Movie ticket: $13
Appliances: Washing machine:
$912
Angola's capital
slipped to third place this year as the kwanza depreciated. Prices in
Luanda have actually increased in the past year, but currency changes
offset any inflation, according to ECA International. In addition to
everyday goods, EuroCost International estimates that the average expat
pays more than $3,500 per month for a two-bedroom flat in Luanda.
4. Nagoya, Japan
Rank
in 2009: 3
Food: Lunch at a restaurant: $19
Can
of beer from grocer: $3.08
One kg of rice: $9.14
One
dozen eggs: $3.33
Entertainment: Movie ticket: $20
Appliances: Washing machine:
$621
Japan's fourth
most populous city, Nagoya is also among the country's most expensive.
The city ranks No. 1 for the cost of rice: $9.14 per kilogram, according
to ECA International data. As Japan's auto hub, the Nagoya area is an
important center of business: about 44 percent of automobiles produced
in Japan are made here, according to the Greater Nagoya Initiative
Center. Such companies as Toyota, Honda, Suzuki, Mitsubishi, Volkswagen,
and General Motors have headquarters, manufacturing operations, or
distribution points in the Nagoya region.
5. Yokohama, Japan
|
Rank
in 2009: 4
Food: Lunch at a restaurant: $17.39
Can
of beer from grocer: $3.26
One kg of rice: $6.54
One
dozen eggs: $3.72
Entertainment: Movie ticket:
$19.50
Appliances: Washing machine: $630
About
half an hour by commuter train from Tokyo, this port city has active
shipping, biotechnology, and semiconductor industries. Yokohama is one
of the world's most expensive cities, but companies here enjoy lower
operating costs compared with the nearby capital. Nissan opened a new
headquarters in Yokohama this year and reportedly will sell its office
in Tokyo to cut costs.
6. Stavanger, Norway
|
Rank
in 2009: 14
Food: Lunch at a restaurant: $33
Can
of beer from grocer: $4.76
One kg of rice: $5.71
One
dozen eggs: $6.34
Entertainment: Movie ticket:
$15.50
Appliances: Washing machine: $749
This
small seaside city earned its riches from oil in the North Sea and has
become known as Norway's petroleum capital. Stavangerexpats.com says
food expenses in Norway are about 50 percent higher than the EU average:
A can of soda is about $2.80, and a beer at a bar can be $12.
7. Kobe, Japan
|
Rank
in 2009: 6
Food: Lunch at a restaurant: $16
Can
of beer from grocer: $3.09
One kg of rice: $8.57
One
dozen eggs: $2.81
Entertainment: Movie ticket: $20
Appliances: Washing machine:
$470
The city has one
of Japan's largest ports and has become home to many heavy machinery,
iron and steel, and food product companies. According to the Japan
External Trade Organization, 117 foreign and foreign-affiliated
companies have offices in Kobe. As the price of Kobe beef, the style of
high-grade meat named after the city, suggests, food is costly here, as
are other living expenses.
8. Copenhagen, Denmark
|
Rank in 2009:
7
Food: Lunch at a restaurant: $36
Can of beer from grocer:
$2.10
One kg of rice: $4.85
One dozen eggs:
$6.99
Entertainment: Movie ticket:
$15
Appliances: Washing machine: $1,196
A 2009
"survey" of 73 international cities by UBS found that employees in
Copenhagen have the highest income. Places with higher salaries often
have higher prices, but residents here enjoy good living standards
overall. Some examples of the cost of living: Renting a DVD costs about
$8 per night, a pair of women's jeans is more than $150, and a one-way
ticket on public transport costs about $3.70.
9. Geneva, Switzerland
|
Rank
in 2009: 9
Food: Lunch at a restaurant: $30
Can
of beer from grocer: $2.02
One kg of rice: $3.81
One
dozen eggs: $7.64
Entertainment: Movie ticket: $16
Appliances: Washing machine:
$1,304
Geneva, home
to many companies and U.N. organizations, is one of the most expensive
cities for food and household appliances. Food prices in Switzerland are
45 percent more expensive than in the rest of Western Europe, and the
cost of electronics and appliances in Geneva is among the highest
worldwide, according to a 2009 UBS report.
10. Zurich, Switzerland
|
Rank
in 2009: 10
Food: Lunch at a restaurant: $25
Can
of beer from grocer: $2.01
One kg of rice: $3.36
One
dozen eggs: $5.81
Entertainment: Movie ticket: $16
Appliances: Washing machine:
$974
Zurich,
Switzerland's largest city, is the country's main business center and
the headquarters city for many financial companies, including UBS and
Credit Suisse. Although Zurich had the greatest number of company
bankruptcies in Switzerland last year, according to Dun &
Bradstreet, the inflation rate started to increase again this year after
falling in 2009.
留言列表