Category Archives: Uncategorized

Angola, Luanda – Cost of Living

Posted on October 7, 2010 by Xpatulator

The economy of Angola is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, but is still recovering from the Angolan Civil War that plagued Angola from independence in 1975 until 2002. Despite extensive oil and gas resources, diamonds, hydroelectric potential, … Continue reading →

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The Secret to Moving

Posted on October 7, 2010 by Xpatulator

The biggest secret I have found to moving is to stay calm, my stomach always used to churn every time my husband would say: “Let’s look at moving to London, Perth, Colorado….” I would have this rush in the pit … Continue reading →

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Andorra, Andorra la Vella – Cost of Living

Posted on October 7, 2010 by Xpatulator

The economy of Andorra is reliant on tourism which accounts for roughly 80% of GDP. An estimated 9 million tourists visit annually, attracted by Andorra’s duty-free status and by its summer and winter resorts. Andorra’s comparative advantage has recently eroded … Continue reading →

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Algeria, Algiers – Cost of Living

Posted on October 7, 2010 by Xpatulator

The economy of Algeria is largely reliant on significant exports of petroleum and natural gas. The reserves are mostly in the Eastern Sahara; the Algerian government curbed the exports in the 1980s to slow depletion; exports increased again somewhat in … Continue reading →

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Albania, Tirana – Cost of Living

Posted on October 7, 2010 by Xpatulator

The economy of Albania is poor-performing by Western European standards, but is making the difficult transition to a more open-market economy from its communist past. Tirana is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Albania. Tirana is Albania’s … Continue reading →

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Afghanistan, Kabul – Cost of Living

Posted on October 4, 2010 by Xpatulator

The economy of Afghanistan has improved significantly since 2002 due to the infusion of multi-billion US dollars in international assistance and investments, remittances from expats, dramatic improvements in agricultural production and the end of a four-year drought in most of … Continue reading →

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Expatriate Pay Philosophy

Posted on October 3, 2010 by Xpatulator

Organisations spend insufficient time creating a well designed expatriate remuneration strategy and policy. This is dangerous given that the highest employee turnover is at the beginning and end of international assignments, indicating a lack of integration of expatriate pay philosophy … Continue reading →

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The Positives and Negatives of Moving Internationally

Posted on October 1, 2010 by Xpatulator

This is a basic summary on the Positives and Negatives on moving from one place to another in our global world from someone who has been there and done it a couple of times.  How to make the negatives positive … Continue reading →

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Expat Kids, not just cost of living

Posted on September 27, 2010 by Xpatulator

Is being an expat all about attitude, and if so, does this have an immense influence on expat children and how they perceive their situation in this new environment? If as adults we have doubts about settling in a new … Continue reading →

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How to Calculate an International Cost of Living Allowance

Posted on September 22, 2010 by Xpatulator

A Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) is a salary supplement paid to employees to cover differences in the cost of living, particularly as a result of an international assignment. The amount of COLA should enable an expatriate to be able … Continue reading →

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