Slowing inflation among major Asian locations and the strengthening of Asian currencies have pushed up the cost of living for international staff and visitors in Asia, according to a recent survey.

A survey conducted by human resources consultant ECA International has ranked Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong among the 30 most expensive cities worldwide. These cities' dramatic climb up the rankings is seen as a result of the recent economic recession in the U.S. and Europe and the strengthening of Asian currencies.

The survey compares the cost of 125 consumer goods and services commonly purchased by international staff based in more than 370 locations worldwide, including grain and oil products, dairy products, meat, fish, fresh fruit and vegetables, beverages, tobacco, clothing, electronic products, automobiles and restaurant consumption.

Slowing inflation among major Asian locations and the strengthening of Asian currencies have pushed up the cost of living for international staff and visitors in Asia, said Lee Quane, ECA's regional director for Asia.

According to the survey, seven Asian cities appear in the global top 50 most expensive cities, among which four Japanese cities (Tokyo, Nagoya, Yokohama and Kobe) hold the second to fifth places in the ranking. Three Chinese cities appear in the top 50 for the first time with Beijing moving from 104th to 26th place, Shanghai from 111th to 28th place and Hong Kong from 98th to 29th place in the ranking.

Luanda, Angola remains the most expensive city in the world, and Maseru, Lesotho the cheapest. Both are African cities.

Tokyo remains the most expensive Asian location, followed by Nagoya, Yokohama, Kobe, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Singapore. That means China takes five of the Asian top 10 spots in the ECA's cost-of-living ranking. Also, many Chinese mainland cities feature in the Asian top 30 most expensive locations, including Tianjin, Dalian, Shenyang, Qingdao, Chengdu, Suzhou, Wuhan, Xiamen, Xi'an and Nanjing.

ECA International is one of the world's leading HR assignment solutions providers. Its main business is to provide clients with information and advice on the management and assignment of employees around the world. ECA's cost-of-living indices are calculated based upon surveys on the consumption of day-to-day goods and services worldwide, which is conducted annually in March and September. The data is used to reflect cost of living around the world.

(China.org.cn by Li Xiao, June 12, 2009)