International Cost of Living Index Rank 2010

The January 2010 International Cost of Living Ranking9) Gabon, Libreville
covers 276 global locations across the world.10) Bahamas, Nassau
We have reported the 10 most expensive countries toFurniture & Appliances Top 10:
live in, the 10 fastest movers up and down in ranking1) Mali, Bamako
and the 10 most expensive locations per basket item.2) Cameroon, Douala
Tokyo is still the most expensive place for an3) Brazil, Brasilia
expatriate to live with the highest overall cost of living4) New Caledonia, Noumea
index while Tianjin in China takes over from Zimbabwe5) Central African Republic, Bangui
with the lowest cost of living index.6) Chad, N'Djamena
The 10 most expensive ranked international cost of7) Cameroon, Yaounde
living locations as at January 2010, together with the8) Togo, Lome
previous Quarter's rank as at October 2009, is as9) Russia, Moscow
follows:10) Vanuatu, Port Vila
January 2010 Rank Country, City (October 2009Groceries Top 10:
Rank)[Change in Rank]1) Solomon Islands, Honiara
1) Japan, Tokyo (1) [0]2) Japan, Tokyo
2) Switzerland, Geneva (3) [-1]3) Kiribati, South Tarawa
3) Brazil, Brasilia (12) [-9]4) Central African Republic, Bangui
4) Switzerland, Zurich (5) [-1]5) Denmark, Copenhagen
5) China, Hong Kong (2) [3]6) Congo, Brazzaville
6) Norway, Oslo (10) [-4]7) Gabon, Libreville
7) Denmark, Copenhagen (6) [1]8) Korea Republic of, Seoul
8) Venezuela, Caracas (7) [1]9) Norway, Oslo
9) Central African Republic, Bangui (4) [5]10) Bahrain, Manama
10) Chad, N'Djamena (9) [1]Healthcare Top 10:
10 Fastest Movers Up1) Japan, Tokyo
The fastest movers up in the rankings as a result of2) Kiribati, South Tarawa
an increase in relative cost of living are:3) China, Hong Kong
1) 107 Guinea, Conakry (184) [-77]4) Brazil, Brasilia
2) 185 Fiji, Suva (247) [-62]5) Angola, Luanda
3) 84 Seychelles, Victoria (145) [-61]6) Venezuela, Caracas
4) 137 Australia, Adelaide (196) [-59]7) Australia, Sydney
5) 176 Macedonia, Skopje (235) [-59]8) Comores, Moroni
6) 128 Poland, Warsaw (183) [-55]9) Chad, N'Djamena
7) 151 Malawi, Lilongwe (206) [-55]10) Bermuda, Hamilton
8) 169 Uruguay, Montevideo (216) [-47]Household Top 10:
9) 214 Lesotho, Maseru (256) [-42]1) Japan, Tokyo
10) 69 Colombia, Bogota (111) [-42]2) China, Hong Kong
10 Fastest Movers Down3) Venezuela, Caracas
The fastest movers down in the rankings as a result4) Taiwan, Taipei
of a decrease in relative cost of living are:5) Korea Republic of, Seoul
1) 171 Timor-Leste, Dili (79) [92]6) United Arab Emirates, Dubai
2) 179 Ghana, Accra (117) [62]7) Angola, Luanda
3) 153 Ukraine, Kiev (106) [47]8) Qatar, Doha
4) 139 Georgia Republic of, Tbilisi (101) [38]9) United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi
5) 225 Ethiopia, Addis Ababa (191) [34]10) Croatia, Zagreb
6) 208 Congo Democratic Rep, Kinshasa (176) [32]Miscellaneous Top 10 (costs related to general goods
7) 133 Sierra Leone, Freetown (102) [31]and services such as domestic help, dry cleaning, linen,
8) 205 Bulgaria, Sofia (174) [31]and office supplies):
9) 147 Liberia, Monrovia (119) [28]1) Central African Republic, Bangui
10) 219 Armenia, Yerevan (193) [26]2) Norway, Oslo
The Top 10 most expensive international locations for3) Guinea-Bissau, Bissau
each basket group4) Guinea, Conakry
We make use of 13 basket groups which are the5) Finland, Helsinki
result of extensive research of actual spending habits.6) New Caledonia, Noumea
The cost of living indices reflect a reality-based7) Qatar, Doha
international expenditure pattern. To compare the cost8) Denmark, Copenhagen
of living between 2 locations, the difference in the9) United Kingdom, London
aggregate cost of all the items in each of the 1310) Greenland, Nuuk
baskets were compared in each location using thePersonal Care Top 10:
average price in each location for the same quantity1) Kiribati, South Tarawa
of each item. Cost of living is the difference in the local2) Gambia, Banjul
cost of the basket in the same currency. The baskets3) Comores, Moroni
are weighted according to expat spending norms.4) Algeria, Algiers
Alcohol & Tobacco Top 10:5) Slovakia, Bratislava
1) Kiribati, South Tarawa6) Brazil, Brasilia
2) Comores, Moroni7) Chad, N'Djamena
3) Korea Republic of, Seoul8) Samoa, Apia
4) Norway, Oslo9) Australia, Sydney
5) Thailand, Bangkok10) Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou
6) Qatar, DohaRecreation and Culture Top 10:
7) Colombia, Bogota1) Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby
8) Brazil, Brasilia2) Vanuatu, Port Vila
9) Djibouti, Djibouti3) Central African Republic, Bangui
10) Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby4) Mozambique, Maputo
Clothing Top 10:5) Chad, N'Djamena
1) Bahrain, Manama6) Benin, Cotonou
2) Russia, Moscow7) Switzerland, Geneva
3) Croatia, Zagreb8) Niger, Niamey
4) Lebanon, Beirut9) Gabon, Libreville
5) Brazil, Brasilia10) Switzerland, Zurich
6) Angola, LuandaRestaurants, Meals Out and Hotels Top 10:
7) China, Beijing1) United Arab Emirates, Dubai
8) Slovakia, Bratislava2) Greece, Athens
9) United Arab Emirates, Dubai3) Belgium, Brussels
10) New Caledonia, Noumea4) Qatar, Doha
Communication Top 10:5) Slovenia, Ljubljana
1) New Caledonia, Noumea6) Russia, Moscow
2) Kiribati, South Tarawa7) Korea Republic of, Seoul
3) Cameroon, Douala8) Norway, Oslo
4) Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou9) United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi
5) Latvia, Riga10) France, Paris
6) Cape Verde, PraiaTransport Top 10:
7) Germany, Berlin1) Norway, Oslo
8) Gabon, Libreville2) Cameroon, Douala
9) Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby3) Switzerland, Geneva
10) Colombia, Bogota4) Switzerland, Zurich
Education Top 10:5) Liechtenstein, Vaduz
1) Venezuela, Caracas6) Denmark, Copenhagen
2) Brazil, Brasilia7) Netherlands, Amsterdam
3) Angola, Luanda8) Germany, Berlin
4) Bermuda, Hamilton9) Comores, Moroni
5) Solomon Islands, Honiara10) Solomon Islands, Honiara
6) New Caledonia, NoumeaThe definitions of each basket and the full cost of living
7) Central African Republic, Banguirankings for all 276 locations are available on the
8) Australia, SydneyXpatulator Website.