Johannesburg - Don't think that an offer to work in New York, Moscow, London or Tokyo for three times your salary is going to increase your wealth.Johannesburg is one of the cities in the world with the lowest cost of living, according to Mercer, an international human resource consultation group. Johannesburg rated 136th on Mercer's index of 143 countries.That is cheaper than last year's position (117), probably because of the weakening of the rand against the US dollar.The aim of the index is to guide to governments and companies on the remuneration packages for their overseas workers.Moscow is for the second year in a row the most expensive city to live in, followed by London, Seoul, Tokyo and Hong Kong.Paraguay's capital, Asuncion, is the cheapest city to live in for the fifth year running.Mercer spokesperson Alistair Peck says the index compares the cost for housing, household goods, transport, food and entertainment. New York was used as a benchmark with a score of 100.The cost of living in Moscow is 34% higher at 134.4 points, while the cost of living in Asuncion is half of that in New York.Rebecca Powers, senior consultant at Mercer, said employers must be constantly aware of the cost of living for their overseas workers to ensure their remuneration packages are fair and competitive.According to her, there were significant changes to this year's list, mostly due to volatility in exchange rates.Due to the stronger euro, most of the European countries find themselves in the top half of the list.London is the most expensive European city, while Sofia in Bulgaria the cheapest in 108th position.New York (15) is the most expensive city in North America, five places cheaper than last year, while Ottawa (109) in Canada is the cheapest.Accra (76) in Ghana is Africa's most expensive city to live in.Zimbabwe's capital Harare, previously the most expensive African country, was not included in the index because "the serious economic crisis made it impossible to compare costs".
Top 50 rankingsEurope, Middle East, Africa: Europe dominated the top 50, placing 30 cities on the list and capturing six of spots in the top ten. Strong currencies helped push most European cities higher for 2007. Africa placed five cities in the top 50, with Douala, Cameroon on top with a rank of 24. Four of the African cities climbed in the rankings while Lagos, Nigeria dropped from 31 to 37.Four cities in the Middle East were in the top 50 for 2007, lead by Tel Aviv, Israel in 17th place. Istanbul, Turkey took the biggest drop in the top 50, from 15th to 38th. Asia: Eight Asian cities were on the top 50 list, led by Seoul, Korea in third place. The biggest mover was Taipei, Taiwan which dropped from 28th to 48th. Americas: Only two US cities made the list (New York City at 15th and Los Angeles at 42nd) thanks to the weak US dollar. No Canadian or Latin American cities were in the top 50.Australasia: Sydney was the lone representative in the top 50, placing 19th.
AustralasiaWellington is the least costly city in this region in 111th place with a score of 71.8. Auckland climbs one place to rank 99th (score 73.9). Expatriates in Australia continue to face higher living costs than their counterparts in New Zealand. Sydney remains the most expensive city in Australia at position 21 with a score of 94.9. Melbourne occupies position 60, up 14 places from last year, and scores 82.5. Adelaide is in 96th place (score 74.7).
What is the "normal" office hours in NZ, is it the same as here in SA?? How do most employers feel about Flexi time...........just a thought, doesnt really matter, I am still on my way.........
