Gabon, Libreville Cost of Living April 2010

Posted on June 8, 2010 by Xpatulator

Country Full Name: The Gabonese Republic.

Location: Gabon is in Western Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator, between Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea.

Country Climate: Tropical; always hot, humid.

Country Terrain: Narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south.

Major Languages: French, Bantu-group languages.

Major Religions: Christianity.

Country Population: 1.45 million (2008 est.) 1.47 million (2009 est.).

Country Economy: The economy of Gabon enjoys a per capita income four times that of most nations of sub-Saharan Africa. This has supported a sharp decline in extreme poverty; yet because of high income inequality a large proportion of the population remains poor.

Currency: CFA Franc (XAF).

Country Inflation: 5.3% (2008 est.) 2.6% (2009 est.).

City: Libreville is the capital and largest city of Gabon.

City Economy: The city is home to a shipbuilding industry, brewing industry and sawmills. The city exports raw materials such as wood, rubber and cocoa from the city’s main port, and the deepwater port at Owendo.

Cost of Living: Libreville has an overall cost of living index which equates it with high cost of living locations. The overall cost of living index is comprised of the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across all 13 Basket Groups. Libreville is currently ranked 29 overall, most expensive place in the world for expatriates to live, out of 282 international locations.

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France, Paris Cost of Living April 2010

Posted on June 8, 2010 by Xpatulator

Country Full Name: French Republic.

Location: France is in Western Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay and English Channel, between Belgium and Spain, southeast of the UK; bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Italy and Spain.

Country Climate: Generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as mistral.

Country Terrain: Mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west; remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east.

Major Languages: French.

Major Religions: Christianity.

Country Population: 62.3 million (2008 est.) 62.6 million (2009 est.).

Country Economy: The economy of France is a mixed economy which is the fifth largest economy in the world, by measurement of GDP (nominal), behind the United States, Japan, China and Germany. It is the second largest economy in Europe.

Currency: Euro (EUR).

Country Inflation: 3.2% (2008 est.) 0.4% (2009 est.).

City: Paris is the capital of France and the country’s most populous city.

City Economy: The diverse economy of Paris is essentially a service economy, with business and financial services generating nearly half of the Paris Region’s GDP.

Cost of Living: Paris has an overall cost of living index which equates it with high cost of living locations. The overall cost of living index is comprised of the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across all 13 Basket Groups. Paris is currently ranked 16 overall, most expensive place in the world for expatriates to live, out of 282 international locations.

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Finland, Helsinki Cost of Living April 2010

Posted on June 8, 2010 by Xpatulator

Country Full Name: Republic of Finland.

Location: Finland is in Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and Russia.

Country Climate: Cold temperate; potentially subarctic but comparatively mild because of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current, Baltic Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes.

Country Terrain: Mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes and low hills.

Major Languages: Finnish, Swedish.

Major Religions: Christianity.

Country Population: 5.3 million (2008 est.) 5.3 million (2009 est.).

Country Economy: The economy of Finland is a highly industrialized, free-market economy with a per capita output equal to that of other western economies such as France, Germany, Sweden or the United Kingdom. The largest sector of the economy is services at 65.7 percent, followed by manufacturing and refining at 31.4 percent.

Currency: Euro (EUR).

Country Inflation: 3.9% (2008 est.) 1.0% (2009 est.).

City: Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland.

City Economy: The Helsinki metropolitan area generates approximately one third of Finland’s GDP. GDP per capita is roughly 1.5 times the national average, making Helsinki one of the wealthiest capitals in Europe.

Cost of Living: Helsinki has an overall cost of living index which equates it with high cost of living locations. The overall cost of living index is comprised of the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across all 13 Basket Groups. Helsinki is currently ranked 32 overall, most expensive place in the world for expatriates to live, out of 282 international locations.

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Fiji, Suva Cost of Living April 2010

Posted on June 8, 2010 by Xpatulator

Country Full Name: Republic of the Fiji Islands.

Location: Fiji is an island group in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand.

Country Climate: Tropical marine; only slight seasonal temperature variation.

Country Terrain: Mostly mountains of volcanic origin.

Major Languages: English, Fijian, Hindi.

Major Religions: Christianity, Hinduism, Islam.

Country Population: 0.877 million (2008 est.) 0.883 million (2009 est.).

Country Economy: The economy of Fiji is endowed with forest, mineral, and fish resources, and is one of the more developed of the Pacific island economies, though still with a large subsistence sector.

Currency: Fiji Dollar (FJD).

Country Inflation: 7.8% (2008 est.) 5.0% (2009 est.).

City: Suva is the capital and largest city of Fiji.

City Economy: Suva is the commercial and political centre as well as the main port city of Fiji.

Cost of Living: Suva has an overall cost of living index which equates it with middle cost of living locations. The overall cost of living index is comprised of the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across all 13 Basket Groups. Suva is currently ranked 176 overall, most expensive place in the world for expatriates to live, out of 282 international locations.

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Falkland Islands, Stanley Cost of Living April 2010

Posted on June 8, 2010 by Xpatulator

Country Full Name: Falkland Islands. Also called Las Malvinas by Argentina.

Location: The Falkland Islands (Overseas Territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina) are islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of southern Argentina.

Country Climate: Cold marine; strong westerly winds, cloudy, humid; rain occurs on more than half of days in year; average annual rainfall is 24 inches in Stanley; occasional snow all year, except in January and February, but does not accumulate.

Country Terrain: Rocky, hilly, mountainous with some boggy, undulating plains.

Major Languages: English.

Major Religions: Christianity.

Country Population: 0.003 million (2008 est.) 0.003 million (2009 est.).

Country Economy: The economy of the Falkland Islands, previously heavily over-dependent on sheep farming (and historically whaling), has become more diversified in the last decades and now also has income from tourism and commercial fishing as well as a service base for the fishing industry.

Currency: Falkland Islands Pound (FKP).

Country Inflation: N/A.

City: Stanley (also known as Port Stanley) is the capital and only true city in the Falkland Islands.

City Economy: Stanley is the main shopping centre on the islands and the hub of East Falkland’s road network.

Cost of Living: Stanley has an overall cost of living index which equates it with high cost of living locations. The overall cost of living index is comprised of the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across all 13 Basket Groups. Stanley is currently ranked 84 overall, most expensive place in the world for expatriates to live, out of 282 international locations.

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Ethiopia, Addis Ababa Cost of Living April 2010

Posted on June 8, 2010 by Xpatulator

Country Full Name: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

Location: Ethiopia is in Eastern Africa, west of Somalia.

Country Climate: Tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation.

Country Terrain: High plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley.

Major Languages: Amharic, Oromo, Tigrinya, Somali.

Major Religions: Christianity, Islam.

Country Population: 79.2 million (2008 est.) 81.2 million (2009 est.).

Country Economy: The economy of Ethiopia is based on agriculture, which accounts for half of gross domestic product (GDP), 60% of exports, and 80% of total employment. Ethiopia has virtually no private sector business at all. Despite recent improvements, with an exploding population Ethiopia remains one of the poorest nations in the world.

Currency: Ethiopian Birr (ETB).

Country Inflation: 25.3% (2008 est.) 36.4% (2009 est.).

City: Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia.

City Economy: Addis Ababa has the status of both a city and a state. It is where the African Union and its predecessor the OAU are based. The economic activities in Addis Ababa are diverse.

Cost of Living: Addis Ababa has an overall cost of living index which equates it with low cost of living locations. The overall cost of living index is comprised of the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across all 13 Basket Groups. Addis Ababa is currently ranked 230 overall, most expensive place in the world for expatriates to live, out of 282 international locations.

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Estonia, Tallinn Cost of Living April 2010

Posted on June 8, 2010 by Xpatulator

Country Full Name: Republic of Estonia.

Location: Estonia is in Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia.

Country Climate: Maritime; wet, moderate winters, cool summers.

Country Terrain: Marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south.

Major Languages: Estonian, Russian.

Major Religions: Christianity.

Country Population: 1.3 million (2008 est.) 1.3 million (2009 est.).

Country Economy: The economy of Estonia’s economy is rated as high income by the World Bank. The Estonian economy Estonian economic miracle has often been described as the Baltic Tiger.

Currency: Estonian Kroon (EEK).

Country Inflation: 10.4% (2008 est.) -0.03% (2009 est.).

City: Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia.

City Economy: The most important economic sectors of Tallinn are the light, textile, and food industry, as well as the service and government sector. Tallinn also has a well developed information technology sector In addition to longtime functions as seaport and capital city.

Cost of Living: Tallinn has an overall cost of living index which equates it with high cost of living locations. The overall cost of living index is comprised of the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across all 13 Basket Groups. Tallinn is currently ranked 82 overall, most expensive place in the world for expatriates to live, out of 282 international locations.

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Eritrea, Asmara Cost of Living April 2010

Posted on June 8, 2010 by Xpatulator

Country Full Name: The State of Eritrea.

Location: Eritrea is in Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan.

Country Climate: Hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the central highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually, heaviest June to September); semiarid in western hills and lowlands.

Country Terrain: Dominated by extension of Ethiopian north-south trending highlands, descending on the east to a coastal desert plain, on the northwest to hilly terrain and on the southwest to flat-to-rolling plains.

Major Languages: Tigrinya, Tigre, Arabic, English.

Major Religions: Islam, Christianity.

Country Population: 5.0 million (2008 est.) 5.2 million (2009 est.).

Country Economy: The economy of Eritrea is largely based on subsistence agriculture, with 80% of the population involved in farming and herding. Drought has often created difficulty in the farming areas.

Currency: Nakfa (ERN).

Country Inflation: 12.6% (2008 est.) 14.0% (2009 est.).

City: Asmara is the capital city and largest settlement in Eritrea.

City Economy: Textiles and clothing, processed meat, beer, shoes, and ceramics are the major industrial products of Asmara.

Cost of Living: Asmara has an overall cost of living index which equates it with low cost of living locations. The overall cost of living index is comprised of the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across all 13 Basket Groups. Asmara is currently ranked 238 overall, most expensive place in the world for expatriates to live, out of 282 international locations.

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Equatorial Guinea, Malabo Cost of Living April 2010

Posted on June 8, 2010 by Xpatulator

Country Full Name: The Republic of Equatorial Guinea.

Location: Equatorial Guinea is in Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Cameroon and Gabon.

Country Climate: Tropical; always hot, humid.

Country Terrain: Coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are volcanic.

Major Languages: Spanish, French.

Major Religions: Christianity.

Country Population: 1.2 million (2008 est.) 1.3 million (2009 est.).

Country Economy: The economy of Equatorial Guinea has benefited from the discovery of large oil reserves in 1996 and its subsequent exploitation. Forestry, farming, and fishing are also major components of GDP. Subsistence farming predominates. The deterioration of the rural economy under successive brutal regimes has diminished any potential for agriculture-led growth.

Currency: CFA Franc (XAF).

Country Inflation: 5.9% (2008 est.) 4.1% (2009 est.).

City: Malabo is the capital of Equatorial Guinea.

City Economy: Despite its status as the capital of Equatorial Guinea for several decades, Malabo’s street network remains poorly developed. Malabo itself has few paved roads leading into it, and fewer than one hundred paved and developed streets.

Cost of Living: Malabo has an overall cost of living index which equates it with middle cost of living locations. The overall cost of living index is comprised of the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across all 13 Basket Groups. Malabo is currently ranked 171 overall, most expensive place in the world for expatriates to live, out of 282 international locations.

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El Salvador, San Salvador Cost of Living April 2010

Posted on June 8, 2010 by Xpatulator

Country Full Name: Republic of El Salvador.

Location: El Salvador is in Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and Honduras.

Country Climate: Tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season (November to April); tropical on coast; temperate in uplands.

Country Terrain: Mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau.

Major Languages: Spanish.

Major Religions: Christianity.

Country Population: 5.8 million (2008 est.) 5.8 million (2009 est.).

Country Economy: The economy of El Salvador has been hampered by natural disasters such as earthquakes and hurricanes, but El Salvador currently has a steadily growing economy. The service sector is the largest component of GDP at 64%, followed by the industrial sector at 25%. Agriculture represents only 11% of GDP.

Currency: US Dollar.

Country Inflation: 7.3% (2008 est.) 1.0% (2009 est.).

City: San Salvador is the capital and largest city of the nation of El Salvador.

City Economy: San Salvador is home to one-half of El Salvador’s wealth. The city offers the widest boulevards in Central America and is served by a railroad that connects to other cities.

Cost of Living: San Salvador has an overall cost of living index which equates it with low cost of living locations. The overall cost of living index is comprised of the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across all 13 Basket Groups. San Salvador is currently ranked 246 overall, most expensive place in the world for expatriates to live, out of 282 international locations.

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