UK cities drop dramatically in expat cost league – ECA International
UK cities are at their lowest positions in a global league table of the most expensive cities for expatriate workers, according to recent data from ECA International. Central London is now 132nd in the world, down from 65th last year, the lowest position since the consultant began publishing the data 10 years ago.
- Central London sits just above Addis Ababa in Ethiopia in the global rankings and has been overtaken this year by Rio de Janeiro, Bangkok and Dublin.
- Luanda in Angola is at the top of the ranking, due to the high cost of goods typically purchased by international assignees in the country and the ‘overvaluation’ of the local currency.
- All the Chinese locations in the survey are in the top 100 most expensive in the world having risen regularly in the past five years (although did fall back in the rankings in 2016/17).
Steven Kilfedder, production manager at ECA International, said:
‘Thanks to the weakened pound, UK businesses are paying more to send staff to work overseas, but it is cheaper to bring staff to the UK. UK locations have seen the most dramatic decline in Europe this year and the fifth-largest decline in the world – behind cities in Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Egypt and Ghana in Africa. All ranked UK cities have dropped below regional rivals Paris, Berlin and Brussels in the cost-of-living rankings.’
ECA’s ‘Cost of Living Survey’ compares a basket of like-for-like consumer goods and services commonly purchased by international assignees in over 460 locations worldwide. For more information visit www.eca-international.com
