Hong Kong remains the most expensive city in the world for international workers, according to the latest annual ranking released by human resources firm Mercer. Brussels appears at number 37 in the list.
The city-state Singapore comes second to Hong Kong, followed closely by four Swiss cities: Zurich, Geneva, Basel and Bern. The top ten list of priciest cities for expats is rounded off by New York (US), London (UK), Nassau (Bahamas) and Los Angeles (US).
London has seen the largest uptick in this ranking, moving up from 17th place last year to eighth this year. The reason for London's rise, according to Mercer, is primarily the cost of living and rent in the UK capital.
Brussels – the only Belgian city to feature in the ranking – climbed four places between 2023 and 2024 to its current 37th spot. However, living costs in Brussels remain cheaper than in other major European capitals. For instance, Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin are ranked 29th, 30th and 31st, respectively.
Abuja, Nigeria. Credit: Unsplash / King Buwa
On the other end of the spectrum, Nigeria's capital Abuja holds the title of the least expensive city for foreign workers, out of the 226 global cities included in this index. Islamabad (Pakistan) and Lagos (Nigeria) were also ranked as very cheap for international workers. In these three cities, the report underlined that the demonstrably lower costs of living have partly been driven by currency depreciations.
The five cities to see the most significant increases in cost of living between 2023 and 2024 were Accra (Ghana), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Cairo (Egypt), Tirana (Albania) and Istanbul (Turkey). Except for Tirana – where exchange fluctuations are the main cause of the change in cost of living – high inflation was likely the main reason for rise.
The annual ranking is determined through comparing the prices of 200 goods and services. Factors taken into account include the cost of housing, transport, food, clothing, household goods and recreation.
