Tel Aviv: world's 29th-most expensive city

ECA International survey places Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in the top fifty, ahead of all other Middle-Eastern cities; Tokyo ranks number one.

Tel Aviv was ranked the 29th-most expensive city in the world in a recent survey released by ECA International, down from 18th place in 2010, making it the most expensive city in the Middle East. Jerusalem was ranked as the 33rd-most expensive city, down from 22nd place last year.

The most expensive city in the world for the second consecutive year, is Tokyo according to the survey. Rounding out the top five were two other Japanese cities, Nagoya and Tokohama, and Oslo and Stavanger in Norway. No other countries in the Middle East were in the top-50. Dubai was ranked as 175th-most expensive while Jeddah at 234th was the least expensive.

The figures were taken from from ECA’s Cost of Living Survey, which calculates the cost of living allowances for international assignees based on surveys that are carried out annually in March and September using a basket of day-to-day goods and services. The surveys provide data regarding employment conditions abroad, and as such do not take into account living costs such as accommodation and utilities, as these items are usually compensated for in expatriate packages. The surveys do cover the costs of food, basic services and general goods.