Tokyo or Karachi?

Those considering relocating abroad will want to look at the recent Mercer's Cost of Living rankings. It may even be useful for those considering the venue for an international conference. Mercer measured the comparative cost of living for in 214 major cities including renting an apartment, transport, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment. The overall rankings being heavily influenced by the local cost of suitable accommodation. The top five, most expensive, cities in the rankings for 2012 were: Tokyo, Luanda, Osaka, Moscow and Geneva. Karachi in Pakistan was bottom of the list rated as being one-third as expensive as Tokyo. Other rankings included: London (25), New York (33) and Paris (37). Some US cities appear quite cheap with Chicago ranked at 110 and Washington DC at 107.