Tokyo has knocked Moscow off the top spot as the world’s most expensive city for expatriates, according to the latest Cost of Living Survey by human resource consulting firm Mercer. The later topped the list for the previous three editions.
Currency fluctuation is the major factor for the ups and downs – London, Seoul, and Sydney etc. are dropped significantly because of weakened currency.
10 most expensive cities in 2009 – 2008 ranking in brackets
1. Tokyo, Japan (2) – 2. Osaka, Japan (11) – 3. Moscow, Russia (1) 4. Geneva, Switzerland (8) – 5. Hong Kong, China (6) – 6. Zürich, Switzerland (9) – 7. Copenhagen, Denmark (7) – 8. New York City, USA (22) – 9. Beijing, China (20) – 10. Singapore (13)