With this new ranking Amsterdam gained two places compared to last year. This is the result of a study by consultancy firm Mercer, which undertook a study into the daily living expenses in 144 cities all over the world.
The study covered issues such as housing, food, clothing, domestic articles, transportation and amusement. Surprisingly dining out in Amsterdam is relatively cheap compared to for example Paris, where dinners cost about 10 percent more.
Within the EU London is the most expensive city. Noticeably housing and transportation costs are very expensive. Also the sales tax on alcohol and tobacco makes living in London expensive. On the global list London improved its ranking from 12th to 10th spot.
Globally Hong Kong is the most expensive city, Moscow made second place, followed by last years top city Tokyo in third. Johannesburg, South Africa is the cheapest major city.
The best price-quality ration can be found in New Zealand (Auckland and Wellington) and Australia (Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth). Living expenses in these cities are not even half of what they are in other expensive cities, but they still rank within the top 30 for their quality.
New York is the most expensive city in North and South America. In Africa costs are highest in Harare, ZimbabweÂ's capital. Dubai and Beirut are the most expensive cities of the Middle East.
(source: Mercer and De Telegraaf)
