Mercer 2009 Cost of Living Survey

• Mercer's Cost of Living survey covers 143 cities across six continents and measures the comparative cost of over 200 items in each location, including housing, transport, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment.
• It is the world’s most comprehensive cost of living survey and is used to help multinational companies and governments determine compensation allowance for their expatriate employees.
• Tokyo knocks Moscow off the top spot as the most expensive city for expatriates; Johannesburg is the cheapest
• Significant currency fluctuations and strengthening of dollar cause major reshuffle in the ranking
• London drops 13 places to rank 16, New York joins the top 10 list