The Angolan capital Luanda has knocked Hong Kong off the top spot in an annual survey by Mercer Consulting that ranks the cost of living for expatriate workers in world cities.
The survey found the cost of renting a two-bedroom apartment suitable for expatriates in Luanda was £4,800 ($6,055) per month, while a fast food hamburger meal priced at £11.50.
It was the second time in three years that Luanda topped the survey, which compares the costs of housing, transport and clothing in 209 cities.
While Luanda rose, all UK cities fell significantly in this year’s rankings which were released on Wednesday, with 30th-ranked London dropping 13 places from 2016.
The survey suggested that the country’s vote to leave the European Union had played a role in the drop by causing the value of sterling to fall.
Mercer found that a number of African cities continue to rank high in this year’s survey, reflecting high living costs and prices of goods for experts.
Luanda is followed by Victoria in the Seychelles (14th), N’Djamena in Chad (16th), and Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (18th).
Lagos, the commercial capital of Nigeria, is ranked 29th and not among the top five African cities that are very expensive.
Top 10 and Bottom 10 below…
World’s 10 most expensive cities
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, US
10. Bern, Switzerland
World’s 10 least expensive cities
200. Minsk, Belarus
201. Karachi, Pakistan
202. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
203. Monterrey, Mexico
204. Tbilisi, Georgia
205. Blantyre, Malawi
206. Windhoek, Namibia
206. Skopje, Macedonia
208. Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
209. Tunis, Tunisia
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