Baku, Fineko/abc.az. Mercer Human Resource has published an annual review of world cities on the cost of living for foreigners (Cost of Living Survey 2012).

Azerbaijan’s capital Baku, as well as a year ago, has kept its place among the 50 most expensive cities in the world. However, having climbed down by a level, Baku is now occupying only the 49th place. Baku is followed only by capital of the Seychelles Victoria which shared the 50th place (25th in Cost of Living Survey 2011) with Dakar, the capital of Senegal (44th place a year earlier.

The most expensive country for foreigners became Japan whose three cities at once got in Top 10 of Cost of Living Survey 2012 and Switzerland with the two cities in Top 10.

Top 10 itself is as follows: Tokyo (it occupied 2nd place in 2011), Angola’s capital Luanda (1), Japan’s Osaka (6), Moscow (4), Geneva (5), 6-7th place was shared by Zurich (7) and Singapore (8), the 8th is occupied Chad’s capital N’Djamena (3), 9th by Hong Kong (9), and Top 10 was closed by Japan’s Nagoya (11).

In the final rankings of 2012 Baku was a level lower than New York (it dropped from 32nd to 33rd), Paris (it fell from 27th to 37th), Milan (it soared from 38th up to 25th position), Rome (collapsed from 34th to 42nd place), and Vienna (it flew from 36th to 48th position, which a year ago was held by the capital of Azerbaijan).

Mercer prepared the ranking as of March 2012, and all impacts on the cost of living associated with Eurovision 2012 in Baku and the recent depreciation of the Russia ruble were not included in the final report.

13.06.2012 09:39