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[Ark-AMN]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050620...VH.ucsA;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl
http://www.wftv.com/news/4631288/detail.html

LONDON -- Japan's Tokyo and Osaka are the world's most expensive cities with London in third place, according to a survey released Monday. New York, the most costly of American cities, placed 13th.

The annual report released in London Monday ranked cities based on the comparative cost of more than 200 items including housing, public and private transport, food, clothing and entertainment.

For example researchers for Mercer Human Resource Consulting found a bus ride in London cost $3.66 compared to 51 cents in Prague, $1.83 in Dublin and $1.76 in Paris.

Surveys are conducted in 144 cities around the globe every March. All cities are compared to New York, which is automatically given a ranking of 100, Tokyo in comparison scored 135.

South America was home to the least expensive cities, with Asuncion, Paraguay the cheapest of all surveyed cities.

The Mercer group put the relative expensiveness of Tokyo at No. 1, followed by Osaka then London down to the strength of the pound and the yen against the U.S. dollar and cited the high cost of housing and transport as a major factor in London's cost of living.

"Many of the U.S. cities surveyed have fallen in the rankings due to the weakening of the dollar against the Euro, Canadian dollar and Asian Pacific currencies," Mercer research manager Marie-Laurence Sepede said.

Because China pegs its currency to the U.S. dollar its cities ratings were also affected by the dollar's depreciation and were lower in the rankings than the previous year.

The report also found the cost of living divide between the world's cheapest and most expensive cities was narrowing.

Here's the top 25 list itself

1. Tokyo, Japan (1)
2. Osaka, Japan (4)
3. London, Britain (2)
4. Moscow, Russia (3)
5. Seoul, South Korea (7)
6. Geneva, Switzerland (6)
7. Zurich, Switzerland (9)
8. Copenhagen, Denmark (8)
9. Hong Kong, Hong Kong (5)
10. Oslo, Norway (15)
11. Milan, Italy (14)
12. Paris, France (17)
13. New York City, United States (12)
14. Dublin, Ireland (14)
15. St. Petersburg, Russia (10)
16. Vienna, Austria (19)
17. Rome, Italy (21)
18. Stockholm, Sweden (22)
19. Beijing, China (11)
20. Sydney, Australia (20)
21. Helsinki, Finland (23)
22. Douala, Cameroon (25)
23. Istanbul, Turkey (18)
24. Amsterdam, Netherlands (26), Budapest, Hungary (34) (Amsterdam and Budapest ranked equally).

 

[Galaron]

I find it hard to believe it is more expensive to live someplace in Cameroon than in San Francisco.

 

[xsarien]

Links, people, links! It takes, like, a second!

 

[Smiles and Cries]

I won't complain about New York anymore

 

[Forgotten_Taco]

I find it hard to believe it is more expensive to live someplace in Cameroon than in San Francisco.

Me too.

 

[GDGF]

When I was in Tokyo I ordered a seven dollar glass of ice tea.


Seven freaking dollars. No refill either

 

[ManaByte]

I can't believe San Francisco didn't make the list.

 

[Deku]

Yeah its expensive in Tokyo.

That's why you save all the money to eat out with friends but cut back elsewhere, like eating cup noodles for the rest of the month.

 

[Ark-AMN]

I'm also suprised that San Francisco didn't make that list. But of course, there are quite cheap places in the city to be, they just aren't that pretty, clean or safe.

 

[Manics]

haha, I thought Vancouver was supposed to be on this?

Uh, I think NOT making the list is a good thing no?

 

[Grizzlyjin]

I find it hard to believe it is more expensive to live someplace in Cameroon than in San Francisco.

Yeah, maybe it had to do with the cost of living compared to the average income?

 

[Smiles and Cries]

Yeah, maybe it had to do with the cost of living compared to the average income?

No I don't think so or some cities in South America would also make the list.

 

[Ark-AMN]

If one wanted to visit Japan, how much money/cash should one have on hand?

 

[Jill Sandwich]

Screw this, where's the place that's CHEAPEST to live?

 

[Macam]

Screw this, where's the place that's CHEAPEST to live?

Short of living off the land and living someplace with a half-decent climate, probably somewhere in South/Latin America. When I went to Chihuahua, Mexico my hotel cost $6 a night and food was about $5 per meal.

 

[Teddman]

When I was in Tokyo I ordered a seven dollar glass of ice tea.


Seven freaking dollars. No refill either

I hope it was LONG ISLAND!

 

[Aruarian Reflection]

If one wanted to visit Japan, how much money/cash should one have on hand?

A LOT

Especially if you're into videogames or like shopping in general, but food + transportation + hotels + everything is ridiculously expensive

 

[AssMan]

ISTANBUL MADE THE LIST! REPRESENT BITCH! BLACK ACTAS!

 

[kIdMuScLe]

Short of living off the land and living someplace with a half-decent climate, probably somewhere in South/Latin America. When I went to Chihuahua, Mexico my hotel cost $6 a night and food was about $5 per meal.

i would consider that expensive unless you had a sign over your head "Hey, im a foreigner" so they charge you more than normal. Down in Mexico, they love doing that. I remember eating like 10 tacos with a couple of sodas for a total of $3. and buyin stuff on the cheap.

 

[Troidal]

Osaka is 2nd?? (
I would have thought Yokohama is more expensive.

And San Francisco not in the list is strange indeed...

 

[shuri]

Are they doing their research based on tourist traps prices or something?

 

[Dilbert]

I can't believe San Francisco didn't make the list.

SF was #50...and ranked below Los Angeles, CA and White Plains, NY (!!!), believe it or not. (SF was ranked #38 last year, FYI.)

 

[Macam]

i would consider that expensive unless you had a sign over your head "Hey, im a foreigner" so they charge you more than normal. Down in Mexico, they love doing that. I remember eating like 10 tacos with a couple of sodas for a total of $3. and buyin stuff on the cheap.

I'm aware, and I do speak Spanish. But even then, that's still ridiculously cheap so the fact that I probably overpaid would indicate it's even cheaper.

 

[Deleted member 1235]

*Looks at travel fund*

I wish I didn't just see amsterdam on that list Especially since where I'm coming from didn't make the list at all. I didn't notice Sydney being terribly expensive though.......

 

[cvxfreak]

I remember last year in Tokyo, me and my mom each had a plate of sushi (one was a Chiirashi bowl). My plate had 7 or 8 pieces of sushi. 3000 Yen for my plate, 3300 Yen for my mom's chiirashi. 800 Yen for a glass of orange juice. And I think there was either a 1000 Yen service charge, or tax or maybe a 4th item (don't remember what).

Me and my mom never complained about a Japanese restaurant in the US ever again.

 

[Deku]

Most Japanese don't eat out at those places everyday.

There are lots of reasonably priced 1000 en restaurants that serve office workers on their lunch breaks. Beef bowl places, ramen places, mcdonalds!

 

[The Faceless Master]

I won't complain about New York anymore

me either!@

 

[Shouta]

Tokyo isn't that expensive if you're being a tourist and all if you're careful of where you eat and how you get places. While transportation was a bit expensive on the whole, I always managed to make meals less than 2000 yen a day while I was in the city.

 

[DCharlie]

"LONDON -- Japan's Tokyo and Osaka are the world's most expensive cities with London in third place, according to a survey released Monday. New York, the most costly of American cities, placed 13th."

*scratches chin*

prices in Tokyo have remained static (and have actually decreased in some cases) over the last 5 years.

London , however, is going f*cking NUTS. about 2.5 years ago, i went to London and i went and had a Curry. Very nice it was too - and about 4.80 GBP for the main curry. I went back at the start of this year, went to the same place and it was 9.50 for the f*cking curry!!! I mean WTF?

House prices in London are fairly nuts too. But from talking to everyone i worked with whilst i lived in London, it sounds like their pay has remained static whilst the price of everything has shot up. So in real terms people are getting less and less and can't afford to buy a home. One friend bought his house about 7 years ago for 80,000 GBP. It's now valued at 300,000 GBP which is just insane.

All that said - i'm looking to buy a house here in Japan, and i'm almost certainly looking at a $1,000,000+ morgage. HUZZAH! So perhaps it is still the most expensive place.

"Tokyo isn't that expensive if you're being a tourist and all if you're careful of where you eat and how you get places. While transportation was a bit expensive on the whole, I always managed to make meals less than 2000 yen a day while I was in the city."

This is indeed true. You can eat very cheaply if you know where to go. And the food will still rock

 

[Diablos]

I hear a one room apartment in London costs 175,000 pounds, or $273,000 dollars a year. Fucking crazy. How can people afford to live? What IS the minimum wage over there? I hope it's good! I also hope it's easy for people to get decent jobs! The price to fill up my tank over there would be like $80+ as well. And then you have stupid taxes (like owning a color TV - yes, you're taxed for this.) I'd lose my mind. YES UKERS, I'D LOOSE MY BLOODY MIND!!!

 

[fart]

i bet they adjust everything for the relative currency values. that might explain at least some of why there's no US city on the list anymore

 

[Oichi]

Living in the most expensive part of the world also makes you SKINNY.

 

[Shouta]

I forgot that Reno and I look so alike @_@

 

[Oichi]

No way, I look more like WasabiKing.

According to sp0rks anyway.

Either way, I'm far better looking!

 

[Loki]

I hear a one room apartment in London costs 175,000 pounds, or $273,000 dollars a year.

I'm pretty sure that's to buy the apartment, not a yearly renter's fee. It's the same in NYC-- apartments cost between $200-400K to buy outright. Small, single-bedroom apartments, mind you. There's no way that they charge $270K/yr for rent (~$13K/mo), unless you're talking about a very spectacular apartment.

 

[slayn]

is this like... looking at the most expensive areas of a city? the cheapest? an average?

if a big city the difference between the the most and least expensive places to live in that city very hugely. Maybe San Francisco isn't higher on the list if it the expensive areas (read: liveable areas) are more concentrated whereas just everywhere in tokyo is generally more expensive?

 

[Socreges]

I saw the Canadian results this morning

Toronto is more expensive than Vancouver! And Calgary, as cheap as people say it is, is right behind them. They're all ~80th, give or take 10, IIRC

 

[hXc_thugg]

This list just helps to verify what social class I belong to. Can't afford San Francisco, and it's 50th? Working class hero is me.

 

[captmcblack]

Jesus, there are actually more expensive places than New York?

Well at least we're most expensive in the USA. That's worth gnashing my teeth over.

Fuck you, $3 gallon of milk.

 

[xsarien]

I hope it was LONG ISLAND!

Also surprised that didn't make the list. It has some of the highest taxes in the country right along with inflated real estate values.

 

[hXc_thugg]

Also surprised that didn't make the list. It has some of the highest taxes in the country right along with inflated real estate values.

And a terribly mediocre music scene.

 

[Hyoushi]

Hm. I thought Tokyo was quite inexpensive, except for CD's, DVD's and fruit of course

Must be the rents boosting that index up.

 

[tetsuoxb]

Hm. I thought Tokyo was quite inexpensive, except for CD's, DVD's and fruit of course

Must be the rents boosting that index up.

Yeah, now that I got a real job in Osaka, I am moving to a new place since I cant stay in my JET apartment.

So yesterday I spent -

500000 yen security deposit (of which you only get a max 100000 yen back)
83000 yen first months rent
5000 yen prorated 1 days rent
87000 yen real estate agency fee
20000 yen earthquake insurance
-------------
~690000 yen, or about 6500 USD just to move in..... or about 2.5 months pay.

Im eating ramen for the rest of the month.

 

[Naked Snake]

Holy shit at Moscow's place on the list, my sister has been living there for the past 30 years or so.

 

[mrklaw]

Is that based on US dollar prices? Surely a fairer comparison would be % of average income?

eg what % of your income do you spend on rent etc?


House prices here in the UK are crazy. I bought a 2 bed flat in Brighton in around 1999 for £60k. Two years later I sold it for £108k. Thats an increase of £24k per year - the flat was earning more money than I was!

Of course its stupid, you still have to buy another place, and they have all gone up in price. So the only people it fucks over are those trying to buy their first house.

 

[Raxel]

.

 

[ChryZ]

I've been to Tokyo twice, some stuff is pricey indeed, but there are ways to keep it moderate. Ryokan instead of hotel, street vendor snacks instead of restaurant, train instead of taxi, etc.

 

[Mama Smurf]

I guess they only look at the big cities and stuff.

Here in the UK I live in a small town in the north. Now a small town is going to be cheaper than in a city and the further north you go (with the exception of people living south of London), it generally gets cheaper.

HOWEVER when I was in Vancouver for half a year...it was cheaper than my little town! I was living in the heart of downtown Vancouver, great location, nice apartment, but I couldn't get anything bigger around here for the same amount.

Almost everything was cheaper in the second most expensive city in Canada. The only thing that cost me a bit more was food, but that's only because I buy the cheapest crap possible over here, and it just wasn't available in small inner-city supermarkets over there. If I had bought the same stuff over here and over there (you know, Coca-Cola, Pop Tarts, anything that's the same in both places), that would have been cheaper too.

 

[djtiesto]

Also surprised that didn't make the list. It has some of the highest taxes in the country right along with inflated real estate values.

It's amazing, they just built these McMansions right across from the local mall, the asking price is $900,000. I was looking at a Huntsville real estate guide when I was down there, a house for about the same size was going for $250,000.

 

[DCharlie]

"Here in the UK I live in a small town in the north."

which small town in the north? being from a small town in the north too, we might be able to bond or something!