Asia Pacific Expat Cost of Living Comparison – October 2016

Posted on October 18, 2016 by Xpatulator


Hong Kong has retained the top spot as the overall most expensive in Asia-Pacific and is the second most expensive city in the world (after Luanda), mainly due to the extremely high housing costs, as well as high cost of schooling and limited space available making rentals high. However, when you exclude costs related to housing, education, medical and transport, Hong Kong falls out of the top ten city rankings for this region. This indicates that Hong-Kong is not the most expensive place for other basket groups.
Singapore remains the second most expensive city in the Asia-Pacific region for expatriates (4th most expensive in the world) and tops the region rankings when costs related to housing, education, medical and transport are excluded.
Tokyo is the third most expensive city in Asia-Pacific. This is mainly due to the strength of the Japanese Yen, which has held steady against the USD, while most other currencies have weakened, as well as additional factors such as consumption ta
http://www.xpatulator.com/cost-of-living-article/Asia-Pacific-Expat-Cost-of-Living-Comparison_709.cfm

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Latest International Inflation Rates – as at October 2016

Posted on October 17, 2016 by Xpatulator


The latest available inflation rate for all countries world wide (October 2016 est.):
Afghanistan 7.32%
Albania 2%
Algeria 7.43%
Angola 38.18%
Anguilla 3.1%
Antigua and Barbuda 1.4%
Argentina 40.5%
Armenia -1.9%
Aruba -1.1%
Australia 1%
Austria 0.6%
Azerbaijan 10.8%
Bahamas -0.33%
Bahrain 2.6%
Bangladesh 5.37%
Barbados -1.2%
Belarus 11.8%
Belgium 2.16%
Belize 1%
Benin -1.2%
Bermuda 0.6%
Bhutan 3.31%
Bolivia 3.49%
Bosnia and Herzegovina -1.2%
Botswana 2.6%
Brazil 8.97%
British Virgin Islands 2.3%
Brunei -0.7%
Bulgaria -0.3%
Burkina Faso -0.7%
Burundi 6.6%
Cambodia 3.25%
Cameroon 0.64%
Canada 1.1%
Cape Verde -1.8%
Cayman Islands -2.8%
Central African Republic 38.04%
Chad -1.1%
Chile 3.4%
China 1.3%
Colombia 8.1%
Comoros 1.4%
Democratic Republic of the Congo 5.52%
Congo 3.7%
Cook Islands 0.4%
Costa Rica 0.6%
Cote D’Ivoire -0.4%
Croatia -1.5%
Cuba 4.4%
Cyprus -0.36%
Czech Republic 0.6%
Denmark 0.2%
Djibouti 2%
Dominica 1.8%
Dominican R
http://www.xpatulator.com/cost-of-living-article/Latest-International-Inflation-Rates_712.cfm

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Africa Expat Cost of Living Comparison – October 2016

Posted on October 13, 2016 by Xpatulator


Overall African countries are some of the poorest and least developed in the world, with relatively low local cost of living expenses; however the cost of importing and transporting the international standard of goods that expatriates expect to purchase in the cities in this region makes it extremely expensive to maintain the lifestyle that they are used to.

Luanda is most expensive city to live in the African region, and world-wide, while Asmara in Eritrea is the second most expensive city in Africa (and third most expensive in the world). Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is the third most expensive city in Africa.
http://www.xpatulator.com/cost-of-living-article/Africa-Expat-Cost-of-Living-Comparison_711.cfm

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Top 10 Cheapest Low Hardship Countries For Expatriate Professional Migrants

Posted on October 12, 2016 by Xpatulator


An expatriate professional migrant is someone who voluntarily lives outside their country in order to take up a job opportunity and a better or at the very least a similar, quality of life with the intention returning to their home country and do not therefore consider themselves to be local in their host country.
The 10 cheapest low hardship countries for expatriate professional migrants as at October 2016 for all expat basket items from most cheapest to less cheap are as follows:
1. Poland (Europe)
Poland is the cheapest country in the world for expatriate professionals. The economy of Poland is considered to be one of the healthiest economies of the post-communist countries, and is one of the fastest growing countries within the EU.
2. Hungary (Europe)
3. Botswana (Africa)
4. Malaysia (Asia-Pacific)
5. South Africa (Africa)
6. Cook Islands (Asia-Pacific)
7. Czech Republic (Europe)
8. Paraguay (Americas)
9. Greece (Europe)
10. Mauritius (Africa)
http://www.xpatulator.com/cost-of-living-article/The-10-Cheapest-Low-Hardship-Countries-For-Expatriate-Professional-Migrants_714.cfm

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International Hardship Premium Locations – October 2016

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Xpatulator


In assessing how much to pay an expatriate, it is important to take into account the relative hardship, in terms of quality of living conditions between locations, and assesses the relative level of difficulty that will be experienced in adapting to a new location.

The ratings for hardship are classified into four main groups, the first being those with no real hardship, while the three categories with hardship can be described as follows:

1) Some Hardship (20% Hardship Premium)

2) High degree of Hardship (30% Hardship Premium)

3) Extreme Hardship (40% Hardship Premium).

The Xpatulator.com High and Extreme Hardship Premium Locations (30%-40% Premium) as at October 2016:
Abidjan in Cote D’Ivoire 40%
Abuja in Nigeria 30%
Accra in Ghana 20%
Adana in Turkey 30%
Addis Ababa in Ethiopia 40%
Ahmedabad in India 30%
Alexandria in Egypt 40%
Algiers in Algeria 30%
Almaty in Kazakhstan 40%
Amman in Jordan 30%
Ankara in Turkey 30%
Antananarivo in Madagascar 40%
Apia in
http://www.xpatulator.com/cost-of-living-article/International-Hardship-Premium-Locations_715.cfm

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International City Cost of Living for Expatriate Professional Migrants – October 2016

Posted on October 4, 2016 by Xpatulator


Luanda is the most expensive city in the world for an expatriate professional migrant to live in October 2016.
The top ten most expensive cities in the world comprise three from Africa (Luanda (1); Asmara (3); Kinshasa (10)), three from Asia-Pacific (Hong Kong (2); Singapore (4); Tokyo (7)), three from Europe (Zurich (5); Geneva (6); Oslo(8)), and one from America (Hamilton(9)).
Luanda in Angola is the most expensive city in the world for expatriate professional migrants to live. As opposed to Hong Kong, everything in Luanda is expensive as almost all international standard goods and services are imported. Despite the lower oil price, the slow-down in oil related projects, and dramatic reduction in revenue to Angola in 2016, prices in Luanda remain extremely high, largely as a result of the weaker Angolan Kwanza (down approximately 40% against the US Dollar in the past year).
http://www.xpatulator.com/cost-of-living-article/International-City-Cost-of-Living-for-Expatriate-Professional-Migrants_716.cfm

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The Most Expensive Countries in the World for Expatriate Professional Migrants – October 2016

Posted on October 3, 2016 by Xpatulator


The October 2016 top ten most expensive countries in the world comprise three from Africa (Angola) (1); Democratic Republic of the Congo (5); Eritrea (7)), three from Europe (Norway (2); Switzerland (3); Denmark (8)), three from America (Bermuda (4); Cayman Islands (6); Bahamas (9), and one from Asia Pacific (Japan) (10).
Angola is the most expensive city in the world for expatriate professional migrants mainly because almost all international standard goods and services have to be imported and due to the lack of infrastructure there are price premiums due to demand exceeding supply. The lower oil price and consequent dramatic reduction in revenue to Angola in 2016 has seen prices remain extremely high, largely as a result of the weaker Angolan Kwanza (down approximately 40% against the US Dollar in the past year) making imports extremely expensive.
http://www.xpatulator.com/cost-of-living-article/The-Most-Expensive-Countries-in-the-World-for-Expatriate-Professional-Migrants_717.cfm

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Hong Kong – Xpatulator cost of living

Posted on September 22, 2016 by Xpatulator


Hong Kong is a special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China. Hong Kong’s highly favourable geographical position and trading opportunities are wealth-generating assets.
The cost of living for expatriates / professional migrants in Hong Kong as at 1 September 2016 is very high in comparison to other places in the world.
The official languages are Chinese and English. Business is conducted in English, which all Hong Kong business people speak, although they may converse in Cantonese with their colleagues. Overall, the standard of spoken English outside business circles has deteriorated in recent years, making communication for non-Cantonese speakers increasingly difficult in many routine transactions. The main religions are Buddhism and Taoism.
Business introductions are usually formal, for example it is expected to use formal professional titles followed by surname. Expatriate business dress is conservative.
http://www.xpatulator.com/cost-of-living-review/China-Hong-Kong_50.cfm

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Singapore, Singapore – Xpatulator cost of living

Posted on September 21, 2016 by Xpatulator


The cost of living for expatriates / professional migrants in Singapore as at 1 September 2016 is very high in comparison to other places in the world.
Singapore is a blend of Western, Chinese and Asian culture. Expatriate business dress is typically informal, with more people wearing open-necked shirts and slacks/skirts than business suits. Formal suits are usually only worn at official occasions.
The security risk for expatriates in Singapore is low, putting it amongst the safest destinations in the world. Risks include low levels of petty crime, and a low level underlying threat of terrorism.
Medical facilities are of a high quality but expensive. High levels of air pollution (haze) from fires in Indonesia can impact health. Dengue fever and chikungunya virus occur. Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease is common.
The population of Singapore is 5.2 Million (2016 est.), while the inflation rate is -0.7% (2016 est.).
http://www.xpatulator.com/cost-of-living-review/Singapore-Singapore_178.cfm

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China, Shanghai – Xpatulator cost of living

Posted on September 6, 2016 by Xpatulator


Shanghai is the largest city in China, and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world. The population of Shanghai is 34 Million (2016 est.), while the inflation rate is 1.8% (2016 est.).

The cost of living for expatriates / professional migrants in Shanghai as at 1 July 2016 is very high in comparison to other places in the world. In Shanghai, the cost of each basket, based on local prices, compared to the international average, is categorized follows (Exact cost of living percentages only available in personalised reports):
1) Alcohol (where available) & Tobacco: High
2) Clothing: Very High
3) Communication: Low
4) Education: Very High
5) Furniture & Appliances: High
6) Groceries: Very High
7) Healthcare: Very High
8) Household Accommodation: Very High
9) Miscellaneous: Very High
10) Personal Care: Very High
11) Recreation & Culture: High
12) Restaurants Meals Out and Hotels: High
13) Transport: Average
http://www.xpatulator.com/cost-of-living-review/China-Shanghai_52.cfm

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