Fortunately, the EIU’s Worldwide Cost of Living Survey, which is published twice a year, reflects living costs for expatriate workers. According to the EIU, it surveys 400 individual prices across 160 products and services in cities across the world. These include food, transport and rents, as well as recreation and private schools. The resulting data ranks the world’s major cities for the benefit of human resource departments to help them work out compensation packages and allowances for expatriates and employees who travel on business.
SINGAPORE (Mar 25): This is the season for indices. On March 20, Singapore was ranked 34th in the World Happiness Index — less happy than Taiwan, but far more cheery than Hong Kong and China, as well as its neighbours, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Globally, the Scandinavian and north European cities top the index; and New Zealand, Canada and Austria round out the top 10. The index this year focuses on happiness and the community, taking into account how happiness has evolved over the years, as affected by technology, social norms, conflicts and government policies.
A week earlier, the Economist Intelligence Unit pronounced Singapore as the world’s most expensive city to live in. It may be in good company — it is tied for first place with Hong Kong and Paris — but it is the only city that has maintained this ranking from the previous year. What is perhaps a point for concern is that Singapore first topped the index in 2014, making this the sixth year running that it has been ranked by the EIU as the most expensive city in the world to live in.
