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DUBLIN HAS MOVED up 10 places in an annual survey of the costliest cities for expats to live in.
The Irish capital as Dublin is ranked 51st in this year’s Mercer’s Cost of Living survey for expatriots, which measures the comparative cost of over 200 items including housing, transport, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment in 211 cities around the world.
Belfast jumped 38 places from last year’s results to number 120.
The latest survey notes that Asian and European cities dominate the rankings as the most expensive places for foreign workers to move to, although the top two positions are held by Luanda in Angola and N’Djamena in Chad.
Senior Consultant at Mercer Noel O’Connor explains:
While Luanda and N’Djamena are relatively inexpensive cities, they are quite costly for expatriates since imported goods come at a premium. In addition, finding secure living accommodations that meet the standards of expatriates can be challenging and quite costly as well. This is generally why some African cities rank high in our survey.
O’Connor adds that west European cities were boosted in the rankings because of the euro’s slight strengthening against the dollar and increased demand for rental property.
“Dublin’s move up ten places in the 2014 Cost of Living survey primarily reflects both of these factors,” he said.
Conversely, Australian, Canadian and Japanese cities fell in the rankings due to the shift in their local currencies against the US dollar. New York was the highest-ranked US city, at number 16, while LA climbed 10 places to 62 and San Francisco rose 18 places to number 74.
According to Mr. O’Connor: “Even though we saw US cities rise in the rankings this year due in part to the strength of the US dollar, it’s important to note that relative costs shift with currency volatility, making overseas assignment costs sometimes greater and sometimes smaller.”
The survey data is provided for governments and major companies to use when calculating the relative purchasing power of their employees during postings and relocation abroad.
The top ten cities ranked in the survey are:
At the other end of the scale, Karachi in Pakistan ranks as the least expensive city for expats.
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You should try living here for real to experience how expensive it is!
This survey factors in currency rates so it’s only true if you are posted to work in Ireland by a foreign company and get paid in a foreign currency such as Sterling…lies, damned lies and statistics.
You should try living in any other major city before you denigrate Dublin! It’s completely unhelpful & foolish for Irish people to constantly whine on about how terrible this country is while the IDA, Enterprise Ireland & committed citizens spend money & time championing & broadcasting its many virtues abroad in an effort to bring revenue and jobs to Ireland. This country, though imperfect, has a hell of a lot going for it and it’s up to us, its people, to actively engage to correct its ills, not hide behind nicknames and shout from cyberspace! “Ask not what your country can do for you…”
Greg, optimism isn’t allowed here, didn’t you know?
But I do agree with you.
The only thing that makes dublin expensive is accommodation . We pay half our income putting a roof over our heads .
wouldnt even class Dublin as a major city. more like a big town. it even has very light rush hour traffic compared to other places.
Accommodation is not expensive in Dublin…. Living in number #3 Hong Kong we cut a check for €7800 of rent a month.
It near makes my ears bleed to hear Irish people having a whine that it’s expensive because a pint now costs €6…
Hong Kong is one of the greatest cities in the world . Dublin is not Hong Kong . We are a small country and yet the people are paying accommodation equivalent to what people are paying in London which is rated in the top ten capitals in the world .
Aaron, Dublin’s traffic, heavy or otherwise, is not a reasonable metric to judge the city’s global significance. The fact that it is the capital of a country where a huge amount of international business is conducted, is. The tech sector is booming with 10 of Top 10 tech companies now calling Ireland their EU home let alone Pharma, Banking etc… Agreed it’s not a Pop. of 10M and one doesn’t need to wear a gas mask to breathe there, but Dublin is certainly a city of importance though it kills me to say it being a Corkman! ;)
after being to a couple of mega city’s im glad i call this place home. it’s a pity it’s being run into the ground tho.
Dublin is one if the top 39 cities in the world so I think that makes it a major city in my book. Obviously not in terms of size but importance.
*top 30
A big town? with 1.2 million people in it from hundreds of different countries . a very big town indeed
Dublin is a small but ideal city to live in !stop whining about everything guys, now kill me with your red thumbs..
I love Dublin, it has everything you want in a city. One of my favourite cities in the world. As they say bigger doesn’t always mean better ;) some country Irish people seem obsessed with size…..im from London a so called mega city. Much of it is a shlthole and I would never visit many areas of London.
Exactly, I don’t why people are obsessed with it’s size and population.
Did the analysis factor in the price of Garth Brooks tickets? If not it’s a meaningless survey.
I’d say the 100,000 in social housing who live within the city’s canals push the price up significantly. The cost of housing is unnaturally inflated. They need to let it drop to the price people can afford, but they won’t because it’s their cash cow to fund the bloated state.
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