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World’s Top 10 Most Expensive Cities to Live
10. Bern, Switzerland
The country’s capital is home to several major Swiss companies including Rolex, Toblerone, Swisscom and The Swatch Group, as well as the foreign offices of American companies, such as eBay, Cisco and Ingram Micro. Bern is popular for its lower taxes, as well as liberal labor laws. To top it off, the city has managed to retain its cultural heritage. Old Bern has been recognized as a UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site for being one of Europe’s best examples of a medieval town. The city, which is filled with diverse historical attractions, was home to Albert Einstein from 1903 and 1905, during which he developed his groundbreaking theory of relativity. Human resources consultant ECA International has drawn up its latest list of the world’s most expensive cities for U.S. expatriates. The survey examined 400 cities and regions across the world, and measured a basket of common items purchased by foreign workers in U.S. dollars terms, including food, clothing and electrical goods. 09 more cities after the break...
09. Kobe, Japan
Kobe is one of Japan’s busiest container ports. It is also the point of origin and namesake of the world-renowned Kobe beef. While Japan is the only Asian country surveyed where the cost of goods in the ECA basket has fallen, it is the most expensive country for foreign workers in U.S. dollar terms. That’s a largely a result of the appreciation of the yen over the past six months, as well as the already high cost of goods and services.
08. Geneva, Switzerland
Situated along Lake Geneva in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, Geneva is regarded as the global center for diplomacy. It’s home to many United Nations agencies, as well as the World Trade Organization, Red Cross and World Economic Forum headquarters.
One quarter of this picturesque city is made up of public parks, making it a popular destination for U.S. expatriates looking to relocate. Geneva is also well known for its haute cuisine, boasting more restaurants per capita than New York City.
07. Luanda, Angola
The capital of Angola has seen an influx of multinational companies looking to tap the country’s rich energy reserves. The country is also rich in other goods, exporting coffee, diamonds, sugar, iron and salt.
But a three-decade-long civil war has devastated Luanda’s infrastructure, driving up the cost of goods and services. From haircuts to gym memberships to fast-food meals, nothing comes cheap in the city. A one-year gym membership reportedly costs $2,500 and a haircut can cost upwards of $150.
06. Zurich, Switzerland
Despite its low tax rates, Switzerland’s largest city ranks as the fifth most expensive for expatriates. A large reason for this is the rapid appreciation of the Swiss franc, which has strengthened 27 percent against the U.S. dollar in the last year.
The country’s business center is the base for many leading financial institutions, including Credit Suisse, Julius Baer and UBS. In addition to its position as a European financial hub, Zurich is famous for its watch companies and chocolate makers, such as Lindt & Sprüngli.
05. Yokohama, Japan
As Japan’s second-largest city, Yokohama is a major commercial center for the Greater Tokyo Area.
The port city has a strong economic base, particularly in the biotechnology, semiconductor and shipping industries. Carmaker Nissan and Fujitsu semiconductor have moved their headquarters to the city.
Yokohama also is a budding artistic hub. The city is gearing up to host its triennale art event from August to December this year, with artists from around the world exhibiting their works at venues around the city.
04. Stavanger, Norway
The discovery of oil in the North Sea during the 1960s, converted this quaint metropolis into Norway’s petroleum capital. Over 50 energy companies have offices in Stavanger, making the city home to hundreds of expatriates working in the oil and gas sector.
During the recent economic downturn, Norway’s oil wealth meant the government could sustain economic growth with a lavish stimulus program. The country also has one of the world’s most generous welfare systems, including public schools that offer free, high-quality education.
It is the high cost of food and transportation that make Stavanger No. 4 on the list, however. Food prices in Norway are around 50 percent higher than the euro zone average, with meat, sugar and cereal products being the most expensive products.
03. Nagoya, Japan
Known as Japan’s most dynamic region, Nagoya is located 165 miles west of Tokyo. It is the hub for most of Japan’s manufacturers, and produces a large portion of the country’s automobile and aircraft parts.
A number of Japanese automotive companies are headquartered in Nagoya, including Toyota and Honda. Fortunately, these manufacturing plants were largely unaffected by the impact of the March earthquake and tsunami, which struck the region north of Tokyo.
02. Oslo, Norway
Oslo has been the second most expensive city for expatriates for six years in a row — that’s thanks to the relative strength of the Kroner, which has appreciated 16 percent against the U.S. dollar over the last year, and the resilience of the Norwegian economy during the financial crisis.
This hub of Norwegian trade is the home to the world’s largest shipping companies, shipbrokers and maritime insurance companies.
The city also boasts of one of the world’s most extensive and efficient metro transportation systems, and an environmentally friendly tram system. Efficiency comes at a price, however — a one-way ticket on public transportation costs around $5.60.
01. Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo is the most expensive city in the world, with a movie ticket costing $24 and the average taxi fare at $8.
As a global financial center, the city is home to headquarters for many of the world’s largest investment banks and insurance companies. Tokyo is also one of greenest cities in the world. Despite having a population of more than eight million, it has the lowest carbon dioxide emissions in Asia-Pacific. The city has been praised for its comprehensive transportation policy, under which the city’s entire taxi fleet is being converted to electric vehicles.
Via Link
Top 10 Hardest Working Countries of the World
10. Slovenia
Average Hours Worked: 8.15
Slovenia rounds out the top 10 in terms of average hours worked among the population of OECD member states, possibly as a result of the fact that Slovenians do three hours and 51 minutes of unpaid work each day, 24 minutes more than the OECD average. Slovenia also has the lowest income inequality in OECD and the ninth – lowest relative income poverty rate at 7.8 percent of its population. Slovenia registered a big fall in infant mortality in the last generation and has the second lowest rate in the OECD of 2.1 per 1,000 live births, just after Luxembourg. But the country is rated in the highest third of the OECD for perceived corruption and the lowest third for confidence in national institutions. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) released its ‘Society at a Glance’ survey, which investigated the number of hours the population of its member countries spent in both paid and unpaid work (defined as working at home or doing volunteer work), as well as how much time people spent in leisure activities. Lets take a look at which countries are among the world’s busiest and hardest-working nations?
Average Hours Worked: 8.16
According to the OECD the U.S. is only ranked ninth among the hardest working nations. However, at $31,000, the U.S. has the second – highest average household income after taxes and benefits in the OECD, after Luxembourg. But U.S. income is distributed relatively unequally, with both the fourth – highest rate of income inequality and relative poverty (17.3 percent of people are poor compared to an OECD average of 11.1 percent) in the OECD. People in the U.S. have a life expectancy of 77.9 years, lower than the OECD average of 79.3 years, despite having the highest public and private spending on health at 16 percent of GDP, considerably higher than the OECD average of 9 percent.
08. New Zealand
Average Hours Worked: 8.18
New Zealand may not be famed for its work ethic, but it actually ranks quite high. Unpaid work in New Zealand accounts for 43 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the third highest in the OECD after Australia (46 percent) and Portugal (53 percent). Along with Israel, Iceland and Turkey, New Zealand is one of only four OECD countries with a fertility rate at 2.14 children per woman, sufficient to replace the population in the coming generation.
07. China
Average Hours Worked: 8.24
The research also included non-OECD member countries such as China, India, South Africa, and Brazil because all are “enhanced engagement countries” — which means OECD members have opted to forge a more structured and coherent partnership with them. The research states that, at less than an hour, both men and women spend very little time on unpaid work in China, in comparison with other countries, particularly in terms of cooking and cleaning. Meanwhile, at 12.29 births per 1,000 of the population, China has one of the lowest birth rates in the world, equal to France and the United Kingdom. The average birth rate stands at 1.54 children per woman.
06. Austria
Average Hours Worked: 8.29
At nearly 8 1/2 hours of work per day, Austrians have the sixth – highest total time spent working – both paid and unpaid – in the OECD. (The OECD average is 8 hours.) Austria also has the fifth – lowest unemployment rate in the OECD at 4.8 percent – far lower than the average OECD rate of 8.1 percent. Austria has low income inequality and poverty rates with around 7.2 percent of the population on relatively low income or classed as being in poverty in both cases.
05. Estonia
Average Hours Worked: 8.36
At 8 hours and 36 minutes, Estonians – yes we did say Estonians – have the fifth – highest total work time in the OECD, well over the OECD average of 8 hours and 4 minutes. At 3 hours and 52 minutes, Estonians do the fourth – highest unpaid work time after Turkey, Mexico and Australia, and well above the OECD average of 3 hours and 28 minutes. However, at 14.1 percent , Estonian unemployment is also the third – highest in the OECD, six percentage points above the OECD average of 8.1 percent.
04. Canada
Average Hours Worked: 8.37
Canadians have the second – highest rate of “positive experiences” in the OECD after Iceland – feeling well-rested, being treated with respect, smiling, doing something interesting, and experiencing enjoyment. At the same time, Canadians have above OECD average “negative experiences,” such as pain, worry, sadness, stress and depression. Canada has the sixth highest proportion of its population foreign-born in the OECD at 20 percent, nearly double the OECD average of 11.7 percent.
03. Portugal
Average Hours Worked: 8.48
While some people might think that the Portuguese live a relaxed Mediterranean lifestyle, they in fact rank among some of the hardest – working in the world. Men do nearly two hours of unpaid work in Portugal, compared to less than an hour in other OECD countries such as Korea and Japan. The amount of time devoted to unpaid work accounts for up to 53 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in the country, the highest proportion of all OECD countries, compared to 19 percent of GDP in Korea. Meanwhile, 60 percent of the Portuguese population spends time cooking and cleaning, spending the third largest amount of time on household chores at 110 minutes per day.
02. Japan
Average Hours Worked: 9
01. Mexico
The second-hardest working nation among OECD member countries will probably come as no surprise to anybody. Japan’s adherence to its work ethic is legendary with company employees often competing to stay at work later than their colleagues to achieve promotion in many corporations, where company loyalty is demanded and where a job for life still means life. Japanese people work an average 9 – hour day while the unemployment at 5.3 percent is well below the OECD average of 8.1 percent.
01. Mexico
Average Hours Worked: 9.54
Recently, Richard Hammond of the TV program “Top Gear” managed to upset the Mexican Ambassador to the U.K. by suggesting that Mexicans were “lazy, feckless, flatulent [and] overweight”. The OECD’s research, however, may go some way to ward redressing the balance by showing that the Mexican people are in fact the hardest working in the world, working a total of nearly 10 hours on average every day. They also have the second-highest level of income inequality and the highest level of relative poverty among OECD countries.
Via : CNBC
