- Home » Expat News » World city surveys could confuse expats as to the real costs of living
World City Surveys Could Confuse Expats As To The Real Costs Of Living
Published: | 4 Jun at 6 PM |
Want to get involved?
Become a
Featured Expatand take our interview.
Become a
Local Expertand contribute articles.
Get in
touchtoday!
In this ever more expensive day and age, becoming an expat isn’t simply deciding on a location and relocating lock, stock, barrel and the family dog.
Awareness of the average cost of living in expat havens all over the world is easily found online, although any one page rarely coincides with the rest as regards estimates of weekly expenses. To make matters worse, most websites calculate the cost of living as including first world necessities, even if the destination is definitely third world at best. Most expats don’t have time to visit and sort out costings before the move, even if they’re aware enough of the country to know how to avoid unnecessary expenses.
One recently-published survey of the cost of living in a number of favourite destinations goes some way to differentiate living costs including food, clothing and household goods from expat luxuries as well as necessities such as rental charges and international schooling for expat children. According to the report, Buenos Aires is the cheapest world city, with basic expenses for a couple with two children at $1,125 a month. What’s referred to as ‘expat extras’, however, puts another $2,106 on the expense sheet. However, without the inclusion of rent as a basic expense rather than an ‘expat extra’, it’s hard to figure exactly how much you’d need to get by.
The same applies to Bangkok, rated as the second most inexpensive world city. Basic living expenses come out at $1,480 a month, with expat extras including rent at a further $1,963. Since the average two bedroomed house in a reasonable district rents at an average of $12000, there’s not much left for other expat extras. Santiago de Chile is the third suggestion, with basic living costs estimated at $1,232 and extras including rent at $2,728.
Australia is known to be an expensive country, with the report suggesting a basic expat living expenditure of £1,792 and extras costing $2,086. Again, similar reports suggest family-sized rentals in Sydney would take up most of the ‘extras’. Total monthly costs in Toronto would set you back by about $5,077 a month, with basic expenses at $1,443 and a good chunk of the remainder taken up by rent.
Unsurprisingly, Geneva is calculated as the most expensive expat destination, with a total monthly outlay of around $6,326, with basic expenses at $2,099 and average rents at just below $1,500. Perhaps the most affordable and certainly the most enjoyable way to approach expat life is to live as do the locals in your favoured destination.
Comments » No published comments just yet for this article...
Feel free to have your say on this item. Go on... be the first!
RECENT NEWS
Celebrating Hanukkah In The Netherlands
As the year draws to a close and more and more of your daily life is conducted in the darkness of winter, the Jewish fes... Read more
Why The Netherlands Is The Best Place For Expats To Start A Business
Practica Coaching offers various coaching programmes, tailored to help you take that next step in your career or to help... Read more
How To Deal With Difficult People At Work
I was brought to tears by my boss once in my life. I was 21, inexperienced and a bit naive - just like a 21-year-old sho... Read more
7 Dutch Christmas Traditions To Incorporate Into Your Festivities
Whether this is your first Christmas in the Netherlands or you just want to start celebrating the festive season the Dut... Read more
How To Get A Car In The Netherlands: A Guide For Expats
Moving to a new country can be stressful. There is a lot to take care of, including transportation such as a car. Mobili... Read more
Dutch Tongue Twisters To Master Your Pronunciation
Learning Dutch is challenging - especially when it comes to the pronunciation - but if you really want to put yourself ... Read more