Dubai has registered an impressive jump on Mercer’s latest Cost of Living Survey. The city has climbed 23 places in just one year, landing on the 67th spot in the world. Despite that, Dubai is not Middle East’s priciest city for expats this year.[wpsr_retweet]
Dubai is the 67th most expensive city for expatriates in the world for 2014. It ranks between cities like Madrid (63), Rio de Janeiro (65), as well as Berlin (68) and Barcelona (71).
Still, the city is not heading cost of living regional ranking for the Middle East. In it, Dubai is listed second right after Beirut, which takes the 63rd spot this year. United Arab Emirates’ capital Abu Dhabi is the third priciest city for expats in the Middle East and 68th in the world. Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah, on the other hand, is the most affordable city in the region, since it occupies the 175th spot.
According to Mercer’s report, the impressive rise of Dubai can be partly explained by the increasing retail property prices. Another factor that has pushed the city from the 90th to the 67th position in only twelve months is the fact that many other cities have witnessed a decline on the list. For example, Rio de Janeiro has dropped from the 29th to the 65th position, Buenos Aires fell with 27 spots, while Bangkok and Prague lost 22 and 19 positions, respectively.
Abu Dhabi’s rise from its last year’s 79th place to its current 68th position was also influenced by the same factors.
Most expensive cities for expats in the Middle East:
- Beirut (63)
- Dubai (67)
- Abu Dhabi (68)
- Teheran (77)
- Amman (103)
It should be noted that Mercer’s Cost of Living Survey is based on a comparison of cost of food, housing, clothing, goods, transportation, household items and etc. In addition in measures the movement of local currencies against the US dollar.
