Claiming eight of the top 10 spots, Asian cities continue to dominate the list of most expensive locations for working abroad, in our 2019 ranking.
Ranking highlights
2019 City Ranking
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| Rank |
City |
Country/region |
| 1 |
Hong Kong |
Hong Kong (SAR) |
| 2 |
Tokyo |
Japan |
| 3 |
Singapore |
Singapore |
| 4 |
Seoul |
South Korea |
| 5 |
Zürich |
Switzerland |
| 6 |
Shanghai |
China |
| 7 |
Ashgabat |
Turkmenistan |
| 8 |
Beijing |
China |
| 9 |
New York |
United States |
| 10 |
Shenzhen |
China |
| Rank |
City |
Country/Region |
| 11 |
N'Djamena |
Chad |
| 12 |
Bern |
Switzerland |
| 13 |
Geneva |
Switzerland |
| 14 |
Victoria |
Seychelles |
| 15 |
Tel Aviv |
Israel |
| 16 |
San Francisco |
United States |
| 17 |
Guangzhou |
China |
| 18 |
Los Angeles |
United States |
| 19 |
Osaka |
Japan |
| 20 |
Copenhagen |
Denmark |
| 21 |
Dubai |
United Arab Emirates |
| 22 |
Kinshasa |
Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| 23 |
London |
United Kingdom |
| 24 |
Libreville |
Gabon |
| 25 |
Lagos |
Nigeria |
| 26 |
Luanda |
Angola |
| 27 |
Moscow |
Russia |
| 27 |
Nanjing |
China |
| 29 |
Noumea |
New Caledonia |
| 30 |
Abidjan |
Côte d'Ivoire |
| 30 |
Chengdu |
China |
| 32 |
Tianjin |
China |
| 33 |
Abu Dhabi |
United Arab Emirates |
| 33 |
Nagoya |
Japan |
| 35 |
Taipei |
Taiwan |
| 35 |
Riyadh |
Saudi Arabia |
| 37 |
Chicago |
United States |
| 38 |
Honolulu |
United States |
| 39 |
Brazzaville |
Republic of the Congo |
| 40 |
Bangkok |
Thailand |
| 41 |
Qingdao |
China |
| 42 |
Washington |
United States |
| 43 |
Dublin |
Ireland |
| 44 |
Miami |
United States |
| 45 |
Milan |
Italy |
| 45 |
Shenyang |
China |
| 47 |
Paris |
France |
| 47 |
Dhaka |
Bangladesh |
| 49 |
Boston |
United States |
| 50 |
Sydney |
Australia |
| 51 |
Vienna |
Austria |
| 52 |
Yaounde |
Cameroon |
| 53 |
Beirut |
Lebanon |
| 54 |
Bangui |
Central African Republic |
| 55 |
Rome |
Italy |
| 56 |
White Plains |
United States |
| 57 |
Manama |
Bahrain |
| 58 |
Amsterdam |
Netherlands |
| 59 |
Djibouti |
Djibouti |
| 59 |
Houston |
United States |
| 61 |
Oslo |
Norway |
| 62 |
Dallas |
United States |
| 63 |
Accra |
Ghana |
| 64 |
Seattle |
United States |
| 65 |
Helsinki |
Finland |
| 66 |
Douala |
Cameroon |
| 67 |
Mumbai |
India |
| 67 |
Munich |
Germany |
| 69 |
Atlanta |
United States |
| 70 |
Montevideo |
Uruguay |
| 70 |
Morristown |
United States |
| 72 |
Dakar |
Senegal |
| 72 |
San Juan |
Puerto Rico |
| 74 |
Frankfurt |
Germany |
| 75 |
St. Petersburg |
Russia |
| 75 |
Amman |
Jordan |
| 77 |
Brussels |
Belgium |
| 78 |
Minneapolis |
United States |
| 79 |
Melbourne |
Australia |
| 79 |
Santiago |
Chile |
| 81 |
Berlin |
Germany |
| 82 |
Madrid |
Spain |
| 83 |
Port of Spain |
Trinidad & Tobago |
| 84 |
Luxembourg |
Luxembourg |
| 85 |
Abuja |
Nigeria |
| 86 |
São Paulo |
Brazil |
| 87 |
Perth |
Australia |
| 88 |
Conakry |
Guinea |
| 89 |
Auckland |
New Zealand |
| 90 |
Detroit |
United States |
| 91 |
Barcelona |
Spain |
| 92 |
Düsseldorf |
Germany |
| 93 |
Panama City |
Panama |
| 94 |
St. Louis |
United States |
| 95 |
Lisbon |
Portugal |
| 96 |
Canberra |
Australia |
| 97 |
Prague |
Czech Republic |
| 97 |
Nairobi |
Kenya |
| 97 |
Pittsburgh |
United States |
| 100 |
Hamburg |
Germany |
| 100 |
Jeddah |
Saudi Arabia |
| 102 |
Bandar Seri Begawan |
Brunei |
| 103 |
Brisbane |
Australia |
| 103 |
Muscat |
Oman |
| 105 |
Jakarta |
Indonesia |
| 106 |
Cleveland |
United States |
| 107 |
Portland |
United States |
| 108 |
Phnom Penh |
Cambodia |
| 109 |
Adelaide |
Australia |
| 109 |
Manila |
Philippines |
| 111 |
Riga |
Latvia |
| 112 |
Vancouver |
Canada |
| 112 |
Hanoi |
Vietnam |
| 114 |
Wellington |
New Zealand |
| 115 |
Toronto |
Canada |
| 115 |
Doha |
Qatar |
| 117 |
Yangon |
Myanmar |
| 118 |
New Delhi |
India |
| 119 |
Kuwait City |
Kuwait |
| 120 |
Ho Chi Minh City |
Vietnam |
| 121 |
Rio de Janeiro |
Brazil |
| 121 |
Lima |
Peru |
| 123 |
Lyon |
France |
| 124 |
Bamako |
Mali |
| 125 |
Pointe-à-Pitre |
Guadeloupe (France) |
| 126 |
Stuttgart |
Germany |
| 127 |
Stockholm |
Sweden |
| 128 |
Cotonou |
Benin |
| 128 |
Athens |
Greece |
| 128 |
Casablanca |
Morocco |
| 131 |
Bratislava |
Slovakia |
| 131 |
San José |
Costa Rica |
| 133 |
Buenos Aires |
Argentina |
| 133 |
Havana |
Cuba |
| 135 |
Birmingham |
United Kingdom |
| 136 |
Guatemala City |
Guatemala |
| 137 |
Aberdeen |
United Kingdom |
| 138 |
Winston-Salem |
United States |
| 139 |
Montréal |
Canada |
| 140 |
Tallinn |
Estonia |
| 141 |
Kuala Lumpur |
Malaysia |
| 142 |
Ljubljana |
Slovenia |
| 143 |
Zagreb |
Croatia |
| 144 |
Mexico City |
Mexico |
| 145 |
Lome |
Togo |
| 145 |
Ouagadougou |
Burkina Faso |
| 145 |
Glasgow |
United Kingdom |
| 148 |
Quito |
Ecuador |
| 149 |
Niamey |
Niger |
| 150 |
Kiev |
Ukraine |
| 151 |
Nürnberg |
Germany |
| 152 |
Vilnius |
Lithuania |
| 153 |
Calgary |
Canada |
| 154 |
Chennai |
India |
| 154 |
Istanbul |
Turkey |
| 156 |
Leipzig |
Germany |
| 157 |
Kingston |
Jamaica |
| 158 |
Belfast |
United Kingdom |
| 159 |
Maputo |
Mozambique |
| 160 |
Rabat |
Morocco |
| 161 |
Limassol |
Cyprus |
| 161 |
Ottawa |
Canada |
| 161 |
Port Louis |
Mauritius |
| 164 |
Budapest |
Hungary |
| 165 |
Port au Prince |
Haiti |
| 166 |
Tirana |
Albania |
| 166 |
San Salvador |
El Salvador |
| 166 |
Cairo |
Egypt |
| 169 |
Santo Domingo |
Dominican Republic |
| 170 |
Bogotá |
Colombia |
| 171 |
Dar es Salaam |
Tanzania |
| 171 |
Addis Ababa |
Ethiopia |
| 173 |
Warsaw |
Poland |
| 174 |
Brasilia |
Brazil |
| 175 |
Kigali |
Rwanda |
| 176 |
Bucharest |
Romania |
| 177 |
Sofia |
Bulgaria |
| 178 |
Baku |
Azerbaijan |
| 179 |
Bengaluru |
India |
| 180 |
Cape Town |
South Africa |
| 181 |
Belgrade |
Serbia |
| 182 |
Colombo |
Sri Lanka |
| 183 |
Kampala |
Uganda |
| 184 |
Algiers |
Algeria |
| 185 |
Johannesburg |
South Africa |
| 186 |
Asunción |
Paraguay |
| 187 |
Monterrey |
Mexico |
| 188 |
Harare |
Zimbabwe |
| 189 |
Kolkata |
India |
| 189 |
Gaborone |
Botswana |
| 191 |
Almaty |
Kazakhstan |
| 192 |
Nouakchott |
Mauritania |
| 193 |
Blantyre |
Malawi |
| 194 |
Sarajevo |
Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| 195 |
La Paz |
Bolivia |
| 196 |
Lusaka |
Zambia |
| 197 |
Yerevan |
Armenia |
| 198 |
Minsk |
Belarus |
| 199 |
Tegucigalpa |
Honduras |
| 200 |
Managua |
Nicaragua |
| 201 |
Skopje |
Macedonia |
| 202 |
Tbilisi |
Georgia |
| 203 |
Islamabad |
Pakistan |
| 204 |
Windhoek |
Namibia |
| 204 |
Banjul |
Gambia |
| 206 |
Bishkek |
Kyrgyzstan |
| 207 |
Karachi |
Pakistan |
| 208 |
Tashkent |
Uzbekistan |
| 209 |
Tunis |
Tunisia |
This ranking indicates differences in cost of living factors affecting expatriates in popular assignment destinations and should not be used as the basis for determining compensation, as many complex and dynamic factors must be taken into account. Please contact us about developing your international assignment program.
Mercer and cost of living data
Mercer is the leading provider of data on cost of living and housing for employees sent to work abroad. As part of the ongoing research, Mercer produces these annual rankings of the cost of living in more than 200 of the most prevalent assignment destinations for expatriate employees. The rankings demonstrate how currency fluctuation and shifts in the prices of goods and services can affect the purchasing power of expatriate employees. Multinational companies rely on Mercer for timely and accurate information to compensate their skilled professionals who take on international assignments.
Cost of living data
Mercer’s Cost of Living data forms the basis of compensation packages for international assignees.
Learn more
Ranking press release
Learn more about the trends and highlights in this year's ranking, plus comments from Mercer's mobility experts.
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