world's most expensive cities

[stupendous man]

Boulder didn't even make it!

World's most expensive cities 2007
1. Moscow
2. London
3. Seoul
4. Tokyo
5. Hong Kong
6. Copenhagen
7. Geneva
8. Osaka
9. Zurich
10. Oslo
11. Milan
12. St. Petersburg
13. Paris
14. Singapore
15. New York City
16. Dublin
17. Tel Aviv
18. Rome
19. Vienna
20. Beijing


http://money.cnn.com/2007/06/15/pf/m...ex.htm?cnn=yes

[Tippster]

Holy fuck NYC isn't even in the top 10!

How do they base their data - local currency coonverted to US $$? If so, then the current exchange rate would be the single most important factor.

[cj001f]

Vive Asunción!

[13]

i'm really surprised los angeles isn't on there. so surprised that i call bullshit.

[Professor Chaos]

You peeps need to get out more.

Just came back from a trip to Europe, including London and Copenhagen.

Im broke as a joker.

[philippeR]

According to the link, yes, the exchange rate is a big factor.

Anyway, life is relatively cheap in the US compared to Yurp, if you don't take into account small things like health insurance, pension, unemployment benefits, education costs... frequently free of heavily subsidized in euro countries.
Consumer goods and everyday services (restaurants, stuff like that) are usualy cheaper.

[Dromond]

Consumer goods and everyday services (restaurants, stuff like that) are usualy cheaper.

And here, also often of a lower quality. Especially food. That was my impression in CH anyways.

[Roo]

Yay for me, living in the second most expensive city on the entire fucking planet! The plus side? Everywhere I go seems dirt cheap.

The formatting is a bit out of bonk on this table, but you get the idea.

COST OF LIVING AROUND THE WORLD
Rent of flat Bus/tube ticket Music CD Intnl paper Cup of coffee Burger meal
Moscow £2,057 N/A £12.77 £3.24 £3.14 £2.47
London £2,000 £3 £12.99 £1.20 £2 £3.89
Tokyo £2,110 £1.32 £8.13 £0.66 £2.33 £2.77
Copenhagen £1,182 £1.73 £14 £1.64 £2.55 £4.99
New York £2,057 £1.03 £8.96 £0.84 £1.93 £2.93
Beijing £1,461 N/A £11.29 £2.06 £2.32 £1.36
Sydney £1,048 £1.01 £10.05 £1.81 £1.41 £2.60
Vancouver £700 £0.98 £10.06 £1.64 £1.42 £2.18
Johannesburg £490 N/A £11.19 £1.68 £0.98 £1.40
Buenos Aires £720 £0.18 £5.81 £2.99 £0.91 £2.24
Source: Mercer Human Resource Consulting where the consultants know better than to go to Copenhagen for a Big Tasty.


Why do I not live in Don Cheapo Vancouver?

[Roo]

Holy fuck NYC isn't even in the top 10!

How do they base their data - local currency coonverted to US $$? If so, then the current exchange rate would be the single most important factor.

Tipp - UK tourists go to NYC with empty suitcases. Allegedly.

I'm guessing the smarter ones go and buy a suitcase there.

[cj001f]

i'm really surprised los angeles isn't on there. so surprised that i call bullshit.

#42 down from #29 last year.

Mercer is a HR consultancy aiming at executives, so their baseline is perhaps different.

[The AD]

Why do I not live in Don Cheapo Vancouver?

Head south young man! Jo'burg looks like the best deal to me.

[yogachik]

It's got to be the $ conversion. Most expensive city I've EVER been in was Zurich. Glad to see I'll be visiting others in the top FIVE in the next few weeks. I'm scared.

[Benny Profane]

....Dublin?

[Roo]

I'm quite surprised not to see Stockholm on the list.

[cj001f]

Amen - Switzerland is absurdly expensive for travellers esp. ZRH and GVA.

Jo'burg looks like the best deal to me.

Aside from the rampant violent crime, sure.

I admit to secretly thinking owning a car with a flame thrower to defeat carjackers would be james bond cool.

edit: here's the full list so people will stop being surprised:
Mercer Link

[The AD]

Aside from the rampant violent crime, sure.

Well, the skiing ain't great, either...

[cj001f]

Well, the skiing ain't great, either...

there's plenty of gnar!


well, not really and the once yearly snowfall

[Roo]

Amen - Switzerland is absurdly expensive for travellers esp. ZRH and GVA.

I admit to secretly thinking owning a car with a flame thrower to defeat carjackers would be james bond cool.

I'd like to drive one of those into Kruger National Park and cremate baboons.

[Roo]

edit: here's the full list so people will stop being surprised:
Mercer Link

Look at their March 2006 rankings for the Top Ten. They seem like a crack bunch of statisticians. Who needs a sixth place when they can have two eighth places?

[Tri-Ungulate]

....Dublin?

Rapid economic development does that. My friends who moved from there to SLC will attest to how pricey Dublin is. New deal for new class of wealthy Irish is to buy flats in NYC and rent them out.

[cj001f]

I'd like to drive one of those into Kruger National Park and cremate baboons.

I was thinking someone cooking hotdogs out the window would be a magnificent magazine cover.

Should I live in Birmingham or Los Angeles?

[powder11]

Everywhere I go seems dirt cheap.

with the 50% off discount UK tourists get traveling abroad, one would think you people would learn how to properly tip.

[Mrs Roo]

Why do I not live in Don Cheapo Vancouver?

Yeah, why don't we live in Vancouver?

[grskier]

Boulder didn't even make it!
.......
http://money.cnn.com/2007/06/15/pf/m...ex.htm?cnn=yes

I doubt Boulder is big enough to make the list.... might even be clumped into the Denver metro....

If it were municipalities it'd change a lot of things... also wondering what they define as the city. If they broke Manhatten out it would definitely change a lot of things.

[Mrs Roo]

with the 50% off discount UK tourists get traveling abroad, one would think you people would learn how to properly tip.

Tipping is for mugs

Seriously, though. I went a bit overboard with the tipping in Canada through sheer guilt!

Actually, could someone give me a run down of US tipping etiquette so I don't mess up next month. Who do I tip and how much? I think it's a paper money thing. As our lowest note is £5 (10 bucks-ish) I think it pains an Englishmen to tip with paper money.