It’s no shock to me that Stockholm made it onto the list of the most expensive cities to live in. But I am surprised it’s not ranked higher than what it is: No. 21. According to ECA International, a global human resources company, lunch at a restaurant here will cost you $15. A can of beer at a grocery store is $2.07. A dozen eggs is $4.36 and a movie ticket will cost you $14. And you wonder why I am often cranky at the cost of eating out here!
As for No. 1 on the most expensive list, it’s Tokyo. And coming in at No. 2 is our Nordic neighbor Oslo where lunch will set you back $43. Also on the list are Copenhagen at No. 8 and Helsinki at No. 14. As for the US, the most expensive city is no surprise: it’s New York at No. 29.
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Wow, very interesting! Slightly odd too, because none of the figures you mentioned for Stockholm would be out of place here in Brisbane. If we eat out, we quite often pay between $20 and $30 for a main meal at a restaurant (whether lunch or dinner), and I think I paid about $6 for ten eggs the other day…a carton of good beer costs $50 to $60, I believe (not being a beer drinker, I need to rely on the testimony of others). Admittedly these are Australian dollars, but with the exchange rates the way they are at the moment, Brisbane might be more expensive than Stockholm! When we were in London earlier this year, the prices certainly didn’t strike us as being particularly out of the ordinary…
Hi Christian,
Thanks for your thoughts. The rankings were based on more things than just the cost of lunch, but also what it is like for an expat to relocate to the city.
The only Australian city to make it on the list is Sydney, of course. You can check the article out at: http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/109909/the-worlds-most-expensive-cities-2010.
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