News of: Monday, June 20 2005,

Amsterdam gone up on list cost of living

According to Mercer Human Resource Consulting, Amsterdam has gone up 2 places on the list of 144 cities world-wide.

Amsterdam now ranks 24, as compared to 26 last year.

The most expensive city remains Tokyo, followed by Osaka and London.

Within Europe (and above Amsterdam) are London, followed by Moscow, then Zürich, Geneva, Copenhagen, Oslo, Milan, Paris, Dublin, St Petersburg, Vienna, Rome, Stockholm, Helsinki and Istanbul.

European cities listed as cheaper than Amsterdam are i.a. Budapest, Warsaw, Prague, Bratislave, Luxembourg, Berlin, Athens, Brussels, Barcelona and Madrid.

Mercer’s survey covers 144 cities across six continents and measures the comparative cost of over 200 items in each location, including housing, transport, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment. It is the world’s most comprehensive cost of living survey and is used to help multinational companies and governments determine compensation allowances for their expatriate employees.