Dhaka ranks as the most expensive city in South Asia for expatriates, according to Mercer's Cost of Living Survey 2022.
Bangladesh's sprawling capital, which frequently finds itself among the least liveable cities in the world, is reportedly more expensive than India's Mumbai and New Delhi – in terms of living cost for international employees, according to the Mercer Survey.
Dhaka was ranked the 98th most expensive city for foreign employees. No other South Asian city was in the top 100.
Neighbouring India's business capital, Mumbai, was ranked 127. A total of seven Indian cities ranked in the list. Pakistan's Karachi was ranked at 223 and Islamabad at 224, meaning they are among the least expensive for expats.
In terms of living cost for foreign employees, Dhaka is also more expensive than some of the most developed cities in the world such as Canada's Vancouver (ranked at 108th), Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur (181st), Saudi Arabia's Jeddah (111th), and Qatar's Doha (133rd).
Hong Kong tops Mercer's 2022 Cost of Living City ranking, followed by Zurich and Geneva, while Ankara closes the ranking at the 227th spot.
The survey was revealed today (June 29, 2022). Mercer measured the comparative costs of more than 200 goods and services such as utilities, domestic supplies, transport, housing, clothing, food, and recreation in each location.
Mercer's Cost of Living Survey highlights essential factors — such as currency fluctuations, cost inflation and accommodation price instability — in determining the cost of packages for internationally mobile employees.
