For expatriates living in Bangkok, the price of residing here is getting a little less expensive according to the recent Cost of Living Survey conducted by Mercer. The Thai capital still remains a relative bargain when compared to a number of other cities across the globe but things have actually become cheaper during the past few years.
Bangkok was ranked 74th on this year’s list, a significant decrease on last year’s 45th place finish last year or the 43rd place ranking Bangkok received in 2014. The Cost of Living Survey by Mercer ranks 209 cities based on exchange rates and the cost of a selection of goods and services in March of this year. The firm does not list the goods or services it uses for the rankings.
Hong Kong topped the list seeing it become the most expensive city in the world for expats to live in. Last year’s most expensive city, Luanda in Angola, was ranked second this time around. Namibia’s capital of Windhoek was deemed the cheapest city for expats to call home in 2016.
Several cities in Southeast Asia were included in the survey with Singapore being ranked as the most expensive ASEAN location and fourth most expensive in the world. Yangon finished 39th while Manila placed in 80th position. Phnom Penh finished in 118th place making it one of the cheapest places for expats in Southeast Asia. Finally, Kuala Lumpur was the region’s least expensive city finishing in 151st place.
Ilya Bonic, senior partner and president of Mercer’s Talent business, said in a press release that inflation and currency volatility continues to influence the costs of goods and services around the world and is one of the primary cost of living factors for expats.
