The governmental body in charge of migration in Mexico is be reformed, sources have disclosed. Tens of thousands of migrants, mostly from Central American countries such as Honduras and Guatemala, enter Mexico each year, hoping to use the country as a gateway into the US.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatnews/8238506/Mexico-plans-reform-of-immigration-system.html
The traditional red telephone box is fast disappearing from Britain’s streets, but if you’re feeling nostalgic, track down one of the many hundreds sold abroad. This one can be found on Dickenson Bay in Antigua, but others have ended up at the University of Oklahoma, in a Florida shopping mall and on a street in Israel.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatpicturegalleries/8245903/Unusual-British-exports.html
More than 140,000 skilled workers hoping to migrate to Australia are caught up in a departmental backlog going back over two years. The backlog has been widely criticised by businessmen who believe that the number of skilled migrants in Australia needs to be swiftly increased in order to help the country ride out the economic crisis.
When Scottish expat John Malcolm was caught speeding in the southern Peloponnese, a Greek police officer strolled over to the car to book him and asked where he was born. “When I told him I was Scottish the officer said, ‘That means you’re as mad as we are,’ and waved me away, saying to his colleague, ‘He’s Scottish – don’t have anything to do with this one,’” Malcolm recalls. http://www.heraldscotland.com/life-style/travel-outdoors/the-truth-about-expat-lifestyle-in-greece-1.1079038 When Scottish expat John Malcolm was caught speeding in the southern Peloponnese, a Greek police officer strolled over to the car to book him and asked where he was born. “When I told him I was Scottish the officer said, ‘That means you’re as mad as we are,’ and waved me away, saying to his colleague, ‘He’s Scottish – don’t have anything to do with this one,’” Malcolm recalls. http://www.heraldscotland.com/life-style/travel-outdoors/the-truth-about-expat-lifestyle-in-greece-1.1079038
Keeping a New Year’s resolution is always an uphill struggle. But is it even harder for those who live away from home? In his new monthly column, Chris Marshall takes a look at some of the tougher issues facing expats everywhere.
Tokyo is the costliest city in the world in which to live as at January 2011.
Tokyo is the most expensive city in the world in which to live, out of 300 global locations, surveyed as at January 2011. While Tokyo is average in terms of the cost of items such as education (ranked 144) and alcohol & tobacco (ranked 138), it is the most expensive place in the world for groceries, healthcare, and household accommodation costs. As the most expensive city in the world, Tokyo has an overall cost of living index of 158.4 (New York = 100). In comparison to the next 3 cities to host the FIFA Soccer World Cup (SWC) Tokyo is 38% more expensive than Rio de Janeiro (SWC 2014), 36% more expensive than Moscow (SWC 2018), and 65% more expensive than Doha (SWC 2022). That means that an expatriate earning USD$5,000 per month in Doha would need to earn USD$8,250 per month in Tokyo to enable them to have the same purchasing power, and therefore a similar standard of living as they had in Doha. The cost of living for an expatriate is affected by both the availability and prices, of goods and services representative of an expatriate lifestyle, local inflation, and the exchange rate between the home and host country. As a result the cost of living has a significant impact on an expatriate’s salary package.
Caracas is the second most expensive city to live in. Caracas is most expensive place in the world for furniture and appliances, alcohol & tobacco, recreation and culture, hotels restaurants and meals out. Caracas is the second most expensive place for groceries and healthcare.
Hong Kong is the third most expensive city in the world for expatriates to live in. The high overall cost of living rank for Hong Kong is primarily a result of two expensive basket groups. Hong Kong is the fourth most expensive city in the world for healthcare, and is the second most expensive city in the world for household accommodation, which typically comprises 30% of an expatriate’s expenses. Hong Kong is a good example of why many international organizations compensate separately for healthcare as well as household related costs such as housing rental, water, electricity, household gas, household fuels, local rates and residential taxes. Items that are provided by the employer should be excluded from a cost of living index calculation. The cost of living index for Hong Kong excluding healthcare and household related costs is substantially lower than it’s overall cost of living index of 129.4. Hong Kong is relatively cheap for recreation & culture (ranked 241 in the world), education (ranked 259 in the world), as well as furniture & appliances (ranked 268 in the world).
Geneva, the fourth most expensive city, is particularly expensive for recreation & culture as well as groceries.
Osaka, ranked fith, is most expensive for household accommodation (ranked 3 in the world), healthcare (ranked 5 in the world) and groceries (ranked 6 in the world).
Asia-Pacific has 4 of the 10 most expensive cities in the world. Tokyo is first and Hong Kong the third most expensive location in the world (and most expensive in greater China), whilst Osaka is the third most expensive city in Asia-Pacific (ranked 5 in the world), followed by Nagoya (ranked 9 in the world).
Cities in mainland China remain relatively cheap, mainly due to the pegging of the Chinese Yuan to the US Dollar which has kept costs down. Within mainland China, Shanghai (ranked 19 in the world), and Beijing (ranked 126 in the world) are the most expensive locations. The cheapest city surveyed in China is Tianjin (ranked 284) with a cost of living index of just 61.4. The cheapest city in Asia-Pacific is Nuku’Alofa in Tonga (ranked 299) with a cost of living index of 53.1.
Most expensive cities in Asia-Pacific (Global rank in brackets)
1. Japan, Tokyo (1)
2. China, Hong Kong (3)
3. Japan, Osaka (5)
4. Japan, Nagoya (9)
5. Japan, Yokohama (13)
6. Australia, Sydney (17)
7. China, Shanghai (19)
8. Australia, Canberra (20)
9. Kiribati, South Tarawa (23)
10.Singapore (26)
South Asia is the least expensive region in the world for expatriates to live in. The most expensive city surveyed is Mumbai (ranked 109 in the world), followed by New Delhi (ranked 136), and Chennai (ranked 139). The cheapest city in South Asia is Thimphu in Bhutan (ranked 297).
Most expensive cities in South Asia (Global rank in brackets)
1. India, Mumbai (109)
2. India, New Delhi (136)
3. India, Chennai (139)
4. India, Calcutta (141)
5. Maldives, Male (147)
6. India, Hyderabad (149)
7. India, Bangalore (167)
8. Afghanistan, Kabul (208)
9. Bangladesh, Dhaka (263)
10.Pakistan, Lahore 278)
Europe’s most expensive cities are mostly those that are not on the Euro. The most expensive city in Europe is Geneva (ranked 4 in the world), followed by Zurich (ranked 6), making Switzerland the most expensive country in Europe. Zurich is followed by Oslo (ranked 8). Moscow is the world’s 10th most expensive city (4th in Europe) followed by Vaduz in Liechtenstein. The cheapest city in Europe is Tirana in Albania (ranked 283 in the world) with a cost of living index of 61.7.
Most expensive cities in Europe (Global rank in brackets)
1. Switzerland, Geneva (4)
2. Switzerland, Zurich (6)
3. Norway, Oslo (8)
4. Russia, Moscow (10)
5. Liechtenstein, Vaduz (12)
6. Denmark, Copenhagen (14)
7. United Kingdom, London (16)
8. France, Paris (21)
9. Monaco, Monaco (22)
10.Jersey, Saint Helier (24)
The Middle East’s most expensive city is Abu Dhabi (ranked 27 in the world), followed by Doha (ranked 49), and Bahrain (ranked 87). Dubai is the fourth most expensive city in the Middle East (ranked 89 in the world) with a cost of living index of 89.7. The cheapest city surveyed in the Middle East (and cheapest in the world) is Sanaa in Yemen (ranked 300 in the world) with a cost of living index of 49.7, half that of New York which has a cost of living index of 100.
Most expensive cities in the Middle East (Global rank in brackets)
1. United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi (27)
2. Qatar, Doha (49)
3. Bahrain, Manama (87)
4. United Arab Emirates, Dubai (89)
5. Israel, Jerusalem (102)
6. Lebanon, Beirut (138)
7. Palestinian Territories, West Bank (152)
8. Kuwait, Kuwait City (156)
9. Syria, Damascus (165)
10.Iran, Tehran (170)
The Americas most expensive city is Caracas, which is the world’s second most expensive city to live in for expatriates.
Brazil has 3 of the 4 most expensive cities in the Americas. Sao Paulo (ranked 7 in the world), Rio de Janeiro (ranked 11) are followed by Brasilia (ranked 15). Nassau (ranked 25) is the fifth most expensive city, while New York (ranked 33) is the sixth most expensive city in the America’s and most expensive in the United States of America. The cheapest city to live in the Americas is La Paz in Bolivia (ranked 294 in the world). The cheapest city surveyed in the United States of America is Indianapolis Ind (ranked 285 in the world).
Most expensive cities in the Americas (Global rank in brackets)
1. Venezuela, Caracas (2)
2. Brazil, Sao Paulo (7)
3. Brazil, Rio de Janeiro (11)
4. Brazil, Brasilia (15)
5. Bahamas, Nassau (25)
6. USA, New York NY (33)
7. Canada, Toronto (37)
8. Falkland Islands, Stanley (42)
9. Trinidad and Tobago, Port-of-Spain (47)
10.Canada, Vancouver (54)
About http://www.xpatulator.com Data:
The cost of living and hardship data is updated quarterly. The current data is as at 1 January 2011 based on data colected during the last quarter of 2010. Exchange rates are updated daily.
The economy of Morocco is considered a relatively liberal economy. The services sector accounts for just over half of GDP and industry, made up of mining, construction and manufacturing, is an additional quarter. The sectors who recorded the highest growth are the tourism, telecoms and textile sectors. Morocco , however, still depends on agriculture which accounts for only around 14% of GDP but employs 40-45% of the Moroccan population.
Rabat is the capital of the Kingdom of Morocco. Tourism and the presence of all foreign embassies in Morocco serve to make Rabat the second most important city in the country after the larger and more economically significant Casablanca.
Rabat 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.
The latest cost of living rank for each of the 13 Basket Groups is now available.
Cost of living is the cost of maintaining a specified standard of living, similar to a typical household budget. A Cost of living index is a numerical way of comparing cost of living, either over time, or by comparing different geographical locations.
When you relocate to another geographic location, the cost of everything you spend your salary on will either cost more or less. Some of the costs may be higher in the new location and some of the costs may be lower. The difference in cost of living is typically reported as a “cost of living index.
By selecting the appropriate costs that you will have to pay from your salary, you can use a tool such as www.xpatulator.com to calculate the cost of living difference between 2 locations. Xpatulator uses 13 basket groups, the result of extensive research of actual spending habits, to reflect a reality-based international expenditure pattern. The basket groups are weighted according to Expatriate expenditure norms.
When comparing the cost of living between 2 locations the difference in the aggregate cost of all the selected basket groups are examined in each location using the average reported price in each location for the same quantity of each item. Cost of living is the relative differential in the local cost of the basket groups and the ruling exchange rate between the 2 selected locations.
When comparing the cost of living between different locations the objective is to calculate the difference in the cost of living expressed as an index (e.g. dividing the cost of living in Location A by the cost of living in Location B may result in an index of 140).
The cost of living index indicates the difference in the cost of living between the 2 locations. In the above example the index of 140 means that Location A is 40% more expensive than Location B. This would mean that a person who moves from Location B to Location A would need to earn 40% more, to have the same standard of living in Location A as they have currently.
The mixed economy of the Maldives is based on the principal activities of tourism, fishing and shipping.
Male is the capital and largest city (in terms of population) in the Republic of Maldives. The central part of the Male city is formed by Male Island. Three more islands are part of the city. Slightly less than one third of the nation’s population lives in the capital city. Many, if not most, Maldivians and foreign workers in Maldives find themselves in occasional short term residence on the island since it is the only entry point to the nation and the centre of all administration and bureaucracy.
Male 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.
The latest cost of living rank for each of the 13 Basket Groups is now available.
The economy of Lebanon is charaterized by remittances from Lebanese abroad which account for one fifth of the country’s economy. The thriving tourism and banking activities have made the services sector the most important part of the Lebanese economy employing nearly 65% of the workforce.
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. After the destructive Lebanese civil war, Beirut underwent major reconstruction, and the redesigned historic city center, marina, pubs and nightlife districts have once again rendered it a tourist attraction. The city is the focal point of the region’s cultural life, renowned for its press, theaters, cultural activities, and nightlife.
Beirut 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.
The latest cost of living rank for each of the 13 Basket Groups is now available.
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