Abu Dhabi and Dubai among most expensive cities to live in

Dubai / EMIRATES BUSINESS

Dubai and Abu Dhabi have been ranked the most expensive cities to live in across the Middle East, according to Mercer’s 2016 Cost of Living Survey. The global rankings see Dubai as the 21st most expensive city in the world, a rise of two places in comparison to last year, with Abu Dhabi, 25th in world, changed from 33rd last year. The two UAE cities have experienced a rise in their world rankings in this respect, following the wider Middle Eastern trend of GCC countries becoming more expensive.
Talent Mobility Consultant at Mercer Middle East, Rob Thissen, said: “The main reason Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and in fact almost all cities in the Middle East increased in rank, is that their currencies are pegged to the US Dollar, with Riyadh for instance currently rated more expensive than Rome.”
The Middle East has multiple locations situated in the world’s top hundred, with a strong showing primarily from the GCC countries. Several cities experienced a jump in the rankings, as they are pushed up by other locations’ decline, as well as the strong increase for expatriate rental accommodation costs, particularly in Abu Dhabi and Jeddah. One Levant city, Beirut, is positioned as the third most expensive city in the Middle East and 50th globally, down from 44th last year; which is tied with nearby Amman, Jordan, also 50th, representing a rise of four places from last year. Returning to the GCC, Riyadh is the 57th most expensive city in the world, a significant difference from its 71st place last year; Manama, Bahrain sees its ranking at 71st, differing from 91st last year; Doha is 76th, up from 99th last year; Muscat comes in at 94th, jumping from 117th last year; Kuwait City is 103rd, also climbing from 117th position in 2015; lastly Jeddah is 121st, a change from 151st last year.
Rob Added: “These rankings uniquely combine day-to-day expenditure on goods and services such as food, clothing and transportation, with rental prices. While prices of most goods and services are considered to be cheaper in Saudi Arabia compared with Europe, it is the expatriate rental market that pushes cities like Riyadh and Jeddah up the ranking.” He also added: “What this means is that once again, cities in our region have become more expensive to send people to, with expatriates expecting increased cost of living and housing allowances. To the contrary, when sending staff out of the Middle East, multinationals have to be wary that cost of living allowances are likely to go down, and have to clearly explain and communicate this to their staff to avoid lengthy discussions.”

The Americas
Cities in the United States have climbed in the ranking due to the strength of the US dollar against other major currencies, in addition to the significant drop of cities in other regions which resulted in US cities being pushed up the list. New York is up five places to rank 11, the highest-ranked city in the region. San Francisco (26) and Los Angeles (27) climbed eleven and nine places, respectively, from last year while Seattle (83) jumped twenty-three places. Among other major US cities, Honolulu (37) is up fifteen places, Washington, DC (38) is up twelve places, and Boston (47) is up seventeen spots. Portland (117) and Winston Salem, North Carolina (147) remain the least expensive US cities surveyed for expatriates.
Senior Partner and President of Mercer’s Talent Business, Ilya Bonic said, “Despite mild price increases overall, most cities in the US have climbed in the ranking, primarily due to a strong US dollar.”
In South America, Buenos Aires (41) ranked as the costliest city despite a twenty-two place drop from last year. San Juan, Puerto Rico (67) follows as the second most expensive location in the region, climbing twenty-two spots. The majority of other cities in South America fell as a result of weakening currencies against the US dollar despite price increases on goods and services in countries, such as Brazil, Argentina, or Uruguay. In particular, São Paolo (128) and Rio de Janeiro (156) plummeted eighty-eight and eighty-nine places, respectively, despite a strong increase for goods and services. Lima (141) dropped nineteen places while Bogota (190) fell forty-two places. Managua (192) is the least expensive city in South America. Caracas in Venezuela has been excluded from the ranking due to the complex currency situation; its ranking would have varied greatly depending on the official exchange rate selected.
Canadian cities continued to drop in this year’s ranking mainly due to the weak Canadian dollar. The country’s highest-ranked city, Vancouver (142), fell twenty-three places. Toronto (143) dropped seventeen spots, while Montreal (155) and Calgary (162) fell fifteen and sixteen spots, respectively.