World’s 50 Most Expensive Cities, 2017: Luanda, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Zurich, Singapore Tops

This may come as a surprise to many people, Angolan capital Luanda has surpassed Hong Kong as world’s most expensive city for expatriates, according to Mercer’s latest cost of living survey.

The most expensive city is Luanda (1), the capital of the oil-rich Angola, followed by Hong Kong, Tokyo, Zurich, and Sigapore, says Mercer’s 23rd annual Cost of Living Survey. Seoul, Geneva Shanghai, New York City, and Bern comprise the rest of the top ten.

New York City rose to 9th from 11th last year as Brexit-battered London plunged to 30th from 17th.

The survey compared cost of goods and security in various cities for expats, and the first mention of an American city was New York City, which came in at 9.

The next American cities barely scraped into the top 25, with SAN FRANCISCO coming in at 22, and LOS ANGELES at 24.

The 50 most expensive cities in the world for expatriates, 2017

1. Luanda, Angola
2. Hong Kong, Hong Kong
3. Tokyo, Japan
4. Zurich, Switzerland
5. Singapore, Singapore
6. Seoul, South Korea
7. Geneva, Switzerland
8. Shanghai, China
9. New York City, United States
10. Bern, Switzerland
11. BEIJING, China
12. TIANJIN, China
13. SHENZHEN, China
14. MOSCOW, Russia (tie)
15. VICTORIA, Seychelles (tie)
16. NDJAMENA, Chad
17. TEL AVIV, Israel
18. KINSHASA, Dem. Rep. of the Congo
19. GUANGZHOU, China
20. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates
21. OSAKA, Japan
22. SAN FRANCISCO, United States
23. ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates
24. LOS ANGELES, United States
25. SYDNEY, Australia (tie)
26. TAIPEI, Taiwan (tie)
27. SAO PAULO, Brazil
28. COPENHAGEN, Denmark
29. LAGOS, Nigeria
30. LONDON, United Kingdom
31. BRAZZAVILLE, Congo
32. CHICAGO, United States
33. NANJING, China (tie)
34. LIBREVILLE, Gabon (tie)
35. NAGOYA, Japan
36. ST.PETERSBURG, Russia (tie)
37. HONOLULU, United States (tie)
38. DHAKA, Bangladesh
39. WASHINGTON, United States
40. BUENOS AIRES, Argentina
41. MIAMI, United States
42. SHENYANG, China (tie)
43. NOUMEA, New Caledonia (tie)
44. ABIDJAN, Côte d’Ivoire
45. QINGDAO, China
46. MELBOURNE, Australia (tie)
47. CHENGDU, China (tie)
48. OSLO, Norway (tie)
49. DIBOUTI, Djibouti
50. PERTH, Australia

he survey includes 209 cities across five continents and measures the comparative cost of more than 200 items in each location, including housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods, and entertainment.