Belize, Belmopan – Cost of Living

Posted on October 9, 2010 by Xpatulator

The economy of Belize is small and essentially private enterprise economy that is based primarily on agriculture, agro-based industry, and merchandising, with tourism and construction recently assuming greater importance.

Belmopan is the capital of Belize. Belmopan is the seat of government. As a result many of its inhabitants work for the national government in various administrative or technical roles. Belmopan currently has business establishments, international banks, several local financial institutions, a modern bus terminal and market complex.

Belmopan 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.

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Why are Expatriates paid differently to local people?

Posted on October 9, 2010 by Xpatulator

Most countries have a two tier Pay Market. The two distinct pay markets are typically an Expatriate Market and a Local Market.

 

The Expatriate Market is largely determined by the origin of each Expatriate. It is quite normal to have considerable differences between Expatriates doing exactly the same job, in the same country. These differences are largely caused by three factors:

  • The Cost of Living difference between the Home Country (country of origin) and Host Country (where they work)
  • The Relative Hardship difference between Home and Host Country. For example, ,moving to a country where more day to day hardship will be experienced, would normally result in more pay to compensate for the hardship
  • The Exchange Rate difference between the Home and Host Country

 

On the other hand the Local Market is largely determined by local supply and demand for skills.

 

Depending on a number of factors, such as the availability of skills, rate of economic growth, and the type of economy, the percentage of expatriates versus locally employed people will vary.

 

Expatriate Pay is typically calculated by using the Expatriates salary in their Home Country as the start point and by calculating an appropriate salary in the Host Country using the Cost of Living difference, relative hardship, and exchange rate. This is either done using a company in-house policy or using an international relocation calculator.

 

Local Pay is typically determined by the prevailing market salary levels. These salary levels are typically reported in salary surveys run by independent Remuneration Consultancies.

 

We can conclude therefore that Expatriate Pay is primarily determined by factors outside the host country as well as differences between the host country and the Expatriate’s home country.  Local Pay is primarily determined by factors within the country, such as strength of the economy and the supply and demand for skills.

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Bahrain, Manama – Cost of Living

Posted on October 9, 2010 by Xpatulator

The economy of Bahrain is largely based on petroleum and natural gas, the only significant natural resources in Bahrain, which provide about 60% of budget revenues. Bahrain was the first Persian Gulf state to discover crude oil. Because of limited reserves, Bahrain has worked to diversify its economy over the past decade.

Manama is the capital and largest city of Bahrain. Manama is the focal point of the Bahraini economy. Several multinationals have facilities and offices in and around Manama. The economic base for Manama itself is financial services, with over two hundred financial institutions and banks based in the CBD and the Diplomatic Area.

Manama 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.

The latest cost of living rank for each of the 13 Basket Groups is now available.

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Bahamas, Nassau – Cost of Living

Posted on October 8, 2010 by Xpatulator

The economy of The Bahamas is that of a stable, developing nation heavily dependent on tourism and offshore banking.

Nassau is the capital, largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. Nassau has nearly 80 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas. The city is located on the island of New Providence, which functions much like a federal district. While there is no local government, it is governed directly as an administrative division of the national government.

Nassau 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.

The latest cost of living rank for each of the 13 Basket Groups is now available.

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Communication International Cost of Living Ranking 2010

Posted on October 8, 2010 by Xpatulator

This report provides you with the rank of Communication cost of living indexes as at September 2010 for each of our 300 global locations. The indexes are calculated using the prices for specific quantities of the same goods and services in each location, based on expatriate spending patterns across 13 broad categories (Basket Groups). Our calculators make use of the cost of living indexes, based on your input and Xpatulator’s data, to create reports online which you can save, e-mail or convert to a pdf file.

 

Communication costs include various communication costs such as home telephone rental and call charges, internet connection and service provider fees, mobile / cellular phone contract and calls.

 

Xpatulator.com is the most comprehensive source of international cost of living index information.

 

The September 2010 communication international cost of living rank is as follows:

 

September 2010 Rank Country, City

1 Swaziland, Mbabane
2 Peru, Lima
3 Thailand, Bangkok
4 Kiribati, South Tarawa
5 Solomon Islands, Honiara
6 New Caledonia, Noumea
7 Kenya, Nairobi
8 Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou
9 Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby
10 Saint Lucia, Castries
11 Colombia, Bogota
12 Latvia, Riga
13 Germany, Munich
14 Gabon, Libreville
15 Bolivia, La Paz
16 Germany, Frankfurt
17 Germany, Cologne
18 Germany, Berlin
19 Norway, Oslo
20 Botswana, Gaborone
21 Germany, Bonn
22 Belarus, Minsk
23 Germany, Hamburg
24 Cameroon, Douala
25 Malawi, Lilongwe
26 Cameroon, Yaounde
27 Togo, Lome
28 Slovakia, Bratislava
29 Madagascar, Antananarivo
30 Burundi, Bujumbura
31 Brazil, Sao Paulo
32 Dominica, Roseau
33 USA, Boston Mass
34 Bahamas, Nassau
35 Italy, Milan
36 Djibouti, Djibouti
37 Italy, Rome
38 China, Beijing
39 Somalia, Mogadishu
40 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Kingstown
41 Brazil, Rio de Janeiro
42 Nicaragua, Managua
43 Nepal, Kathmandu
44 Cape Verde, Praia
45 Honduras, Tegucigalpa
46 USA, Philadelphia Pa
47 French Polynesia, Papeete
48 Armenia, Yerevan
49 Oman, Muscat
50 Sierra Leone, Freetown
51 Brazil, Brasilia
52 Vatican City, Vatican City
53 Turkmenistan, Ashgabat
54 Japan, Tokyo
55 Tunisia, Tunis
56 Kazakhstan, Almaty
57 Azerbaijan, Baku
58 Estonia, Tallinn
59 Croatia, Zagreb
60 Cote DIvoire, Abidjan
61 Costa Rica, San Jose
62 San Marino, San Marino
63 Greece, Athens
64 Chile, Santiago
65 Moldova, Chisinau
66 Marshall Islands, Majuro
67 Saint Kitts and Nevis, Basseterre
68 Russia, Moscow
69 Uruguay, Montevideo
70 Mauritania, Nouakchott
71 Liechtenstein, Vaduz
72 Micronesia, Palikir
73 Bangladesh, Dhaka
74 Eritrea, Asmara
75 Mexico, Mexico City
76 Nauru, Yaren
77 Monaco, Monaco
78 Spain, Madrid
79 Morocco, Rabat
80 Mozambique, Maputo
81 Pakistan, Lahore
82 Guinea-Bissau, Bissau
83 Ethiopia, Addis Ababa
84 USA, Detroit Mich
85 Tuvalu, Funafuti
86 Spain, Barcelona
87 China, Wuhan
88 Mali, Bamako
89 Bermuda, Hamilton
90 China, Shenzhen
91 Austria, Vienna
92 Palau, Melekeok
93 Pakistan, Islamabad
94 Angola, Luanda
95 Guadeloupe, Basse-Terre
96 Grenada, Saint Georges
97 China, Shanghai
98 Pakistan, Karachi
99 China, Dalian
100 Vanuatu, Port Vila

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Asia-Pacific Cost of Living – 2010

Posted on October 8, 2010 by Xpatulator

Tokyo is the costliest city in the world in which to live.

Tokyo is the most expensive city in the world in which to live, out of 300 global locations, surveyed in September 2010. While Tokyo is relatively cheap for items such as alcohol & tobacco (ranked 145), it is the most expensive for groceries and healthcare, and household accommodation costs. Tokyo has always been relatively expensive. This trend has strengthened again recently, as a result of the Japanese Yen having gained in value by about 18% against the United States Dollar in the past two years.

As the most expensive city in the world, Tokyo has an overall cost of living index of 155.4 (New York = 100), while Dubai (ranked 60 in the world) has a cost of living index of 88.84. Therefore Tokyo’s cost of living is 75% higher than Dubai. That means that an expatriate earning USD$5,000 per month in Dubai would need to earn USD$8,750 per month in Tokyo to enable them to have the same purchasing power, and therefore a similar standard of living as they had in Dubai. 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 of an expatriate’s salary package.

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 4 in the world), followed by Nagoya (ranked 6 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 15 in the world), and Beijing (ranked 116 in the world) are the most expensive locations. The cheapest city surveyed in China is Tianjin (ranked 281 in the world) with a cost of living index of 60.34 (New York = 100). The cheapest city in Asia-Pacific is NukuAlofa in Tonga (ranked 299 in the world) with a cost of living index of 54.45 (New York = 100).

Most expensive cities in Asia-Pacific (Global rank in brackets)
1. Japan, Tokyo (1)
2. China, Hong Kong (3)
3. Japan, Osaka (4)
4. Japan, Nagoya (6)
5. Japan, Yokohama (11)
6. China, Shanghai (15)
7. Singapore (20)
8. Australia, Sydney (22)
9. Korea Republic of, Seoul (24)
10. Australia, Canberra (25)

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Barbados, Bridgetown – Cost of Living

Posted on October 8, 2010 by Xpatulator

The economy of Barbados has transformed itself from a low-income economy dependent upon sugar production, into an upper-middle-income economy based on tourism and the offshore sector.

The City of Bridgetown is the capital and largest city of the nation of Barbados. Bridgetown is a major West Indies tourist destination, and the city acts as an important financial, informatics and convention centre in the Caribbean region.

Bridgetown 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 cost of living rank for each of the 13 Basket Groups is now available.

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Bangladesh, Dhaka – Cost of Living

Posted on October 8, 2010 by Xpatulator

The economy of Bangladesh remains a developing nation despite continuous domestic and international efforts to improve its economic and demographic prospects. Its per capita income in 2008 was US$520 compared to the world average of $10,200. Bangladesh grows very significant quantities of rice (chal), tea (Cha) and mustard. Although two-thirds of Bangladeshis are farmers, more than three quarters of Bangladesh?s export earnings come from the garment industry. A large part of foreign currency earnings also comes from the remittances sent by expatriates living in other countries.

Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka District. Dhaka is the commercial heart of Bangladesh. The city has a growing middle class population, driving the market for modern consumer and luxury goods. The city has historically attracted a large number of migrant workers.

Dhaka 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 cost of living rank for each of the 13 Basket Groups is now available.

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Australia, Sydney – Cost of Living

Posted on October 8, 2010 by Xpatulator

The economy of Australia is a prosperous, free market economy dominated by its services sector, representing 68% of Australian GDP. The agricultural and mining sectors (10% of GDP combined) account for 57% of the nation’s exports.

Sydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales. The largest economic sectors in Sydney, as measured by the number of people employed, include property and business services, retail, manufacturing, and health and community services. Since the 1980s, jobs have moved from manufacturing to the services and information sectors. Sydney provides approximately 25 percent of the country’s total GDP.

Sydney 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.

The latest cost of living overview for each of the 13 Basket Groups is now available.

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Australia, Perth – Cost of Living

Posted on October 7, 2010 by Xpatulator

The economy of Australia is a prosperous, free market economy dominated by its services sector, representing 68% of Australian GDP. The agricultural and mining sectors (10% of GDP combined) account for 57% of the nation’s exports.

Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. Perth ranks fourth amongst the nation’s cities, with a growth rate consistently above the national average. Perth dominates the Western Australian economy by virtue of its population and role as the administrative centre for business and government, despite the major mining, petroleum and agricultural export industries located elsewhere in the state. Perth?s function as the State?s capital city, its economic base and population size have also created development opportunities for many other businesses oriented to local or more diversified markets.

Perth 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.

The latest cost of living rank for each of the 13 Basket Groups is now available.

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