Shifting Costs Shift Global Mobility Rankings

Global mobility firm ECA has released its latest Cost of Living Report, highlighting changes in living costs for expats and international employees worldwide. The report compares costs across 208 locations using a shopping basket of everyday essentials like bread and eggs.

The ranking reflects typical expatriate spending patterns, not local resident expenses. Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has risen from 45th to 19th most expensive city for international assignees due to strong mineral export earnings and rising accommodation costs.

Australia's cities, including Sydney, Canberra, and Perth, have also climbed in the rankings as a result of a stronger Australian dollar and increasing local prices. Sydney has entered the top 30, jumping 14 places from last year.

Tokyo, however, has fallen 19 places due to a weak yen, making Japanese assignments cheaper for international employers but reducing the spending power of locally paid staff. According to ECA's head of product analytics, Steven Kilfedder, 'Costs there are still rising in yen terms, but the yen has weakened enough to more than offset those increases'.