Living overseas sounds exciting, but some places are expensive and have the potential to deplete your funds quickly.
This was evident in a ranking by UBS of 13 international cities based on the cost of living, including expenses residents would expect to pay for food, clothes and household goods.
For expats living abroad, necessities include tuition for an international school (if traveling with children), rent for a two-bedroom furnished apartment, household help twice a month and a language course if needed was factored into the costs.
These are how the cities stacked up, from most to least affordable, in terms of monthly expenses:
1. Mumbai
Basic Expenses: $1,098.38
Expat Extras: $1,240.07
Total: $2,338.45
2. Jakarta
Basic Expenses: $1,121.16
Expat Extras: $1,864.62
Total: $2,985.79
3. Buenos Aires
Basic Expenses: $1,125.16
Expat Extras: $2,105.74
Total: $3,230.90
4. Bangkok
Basic Expenses: $1,480.25
Expat Extras: $1,963.2
Total: $3,443.51
5. Santiago de Chile
Basic Expenses: $1,232.55
Expat Extras: $2,728.01
Total: $3,960.56
6. Sydney
Basic Expenses: $1,792.15
Expat Extras: $2,986.97
Total: $4,779.12
7. Toronto
Basic Expenses: $ 1,443.17
Expat Extras: $ 3,634.12
Total: $ 5,077.28
8. Amsterdam
Basic Expenses: $1,302.73
Expat Extras: $3,882.89
Total: $5,185.62
9. Hong Kong
Basic Expenses: $1,451.46
Expat Extras: $3,854.66
Total: $5,306.12
10. Frankfurt
Basic Expenses: $1,172.95
Expat Extras: $4,142.30
Total: $5,315.26
11. Dubai
Basic Expenses: $1,311.10
Expat Extras: $4,545.89
Total: $5,856.99
12. Brussels
Basic Expenses: $1,431.18
Expat Expenses: $4,728.04
Total: $6,159.22
13. Geneva
Basic Expenses: $2,099.30
Expat Extras: $4,227.43
Total: $6,326.73 per month
The full report can be viewed here.
