The Romanian capital lost nine positions and was ranked as the 181st in the survey carried out by Mercer consultancy regarding the most expensive cities for expatriates in 2017.
Bucharest is ranked just behind Warsaw (Poland) and has bigger costs for expats compared to the Sofia or Belgrade. However, the Romanian capital has more competitive costs compared to Budapest (176) and Kiev (163).
The costliest city, driven by cost of goods and security, is Luanda (1), the capital of Angola, according to Mercer. Next are Hong Kong (2), Tokyo (3), Zurich (4), and Singapore (5). Meanwhile, the least expensive cities are Tunis (209), Bishkek (208), and Skopje (206).
“As a result of local currencies depreciating against the US dollar, some cities in Eastern and Central Europe, including Prague (132) and Budapest (176) fell in the ranking, while Minsk (200) and Kiev (163) jumped four and thirteen spots, respectively, despite stable accommodations in these locations,” said the report.
Mercer is present in Romania through a partnership with Marsh Benefits.
Top 10 most expensive cities for expats:
Bucharest’s position