Cost Of Living, Hardship and Expat Pay

The most expensive city to live in the world...

2012-01-31T20:53:00.000-08:00

Tokyo, Japan is rated as one of the most expensive places to live in the world. It is a city that moves at a well oiled pace, with the energy of New York City and an obsession with newness, it silently throws out unexpected glimpses of its traditional side which are not immediately apparent. Somehow the intertwining of the time-honored old and the techno sparkling new just works. It is not

Positive Economic Indicators for 2012

2012-01-20T02:56:00.000-08:00

We have two fairly positive economics indicators to get 2012 of to a good start. China's economic growth in 2011 was healthier than expected. UK inflation fell in December. China’s economy expanded by 9.2 percent last year, slowing from 2010. Global turbulence and efforts to tame high inflation slowed the growth rate. However the still healthy 9.2% growth suggests China’s economy will avoid a

Foreign Currency Exchange Transfer

2012-01-16T10:25:00.000-08:00

If you are relocating overseas one significant factor you will come across will be your foreign currency exchange transfer from the country you are leaving to the one you are leaving for. Over the past decade foreign currency exchange providers have become a more preferred choice for people to move their money as they provide far better rates of exchange than banks and more often than not a

Cost of Living in Kabul Afghanistan compared to Harare Zimbabwe

2012-01-13T08:06:00.000-08:00

The economy of Zimbabwe has reserves of metallurgical-grade chromite and commercial mineral deposits include coal, asbestos, copper, nickel, diamonds, gold, platinum and iron ore. However internal upheaval, population displacement, poverty, 94% unemployment and years of hyperinflation have negatively impacted the economy. The Zimbabwe dollar was abandoned in April 2009 when the US Dollar became

Cost of Living Trends 2012

2012-01-11T09:54:00.000-08:00

The cost of living outlook in 2012 for America, the Euro countries and Britain looks poor. People are struggling to survive with the burden of their debts and government debt may yet claim more victims. The best hope lies with bringing outsourced jobs back and increasing export demand, but there is little sign that this will happen in 2012. Expatriate prospects look better in the East for now,

2011 Cost of Living Year End Wrap Up

2011-12-14T06:35:00.000-08:00

As 2011 draws to a close we report the final cost of living rankings for the year based on the data collected during the third quarter, for 950 global locations. The cost of living for an expatriate is affected by local prices. Prices for goods and services, that are representative of an expatriate lifestyle, are in turn the result of factors such as availability (supply &

The Expat App Low Down

2011-12-12T11:15:00.000-08:00

Being an expat can be very challenging with myriads of obstacles to overcome, but life may become a little bit easier by downloading some of the below apps to help out with your daily routine. Have you seen the fantastic expat apps available for your mobile devices? Here are some that are well worth looking at downloading whether you are travelling or trying to settle into a new city from

Expat Eye on the World

2011-11-30T03:08:00.001-08:00

Being much more visual when it comes to gathering information or purely learning just about anything, I am always on the look out for videos that will help me achieve this. Deciding to become an expat IS a big deal, especially when it is the first time you take on this type of an adventure. Like any adventure or trip the most interesting part of it is to research everything about the place you

International Cost of Living - November 2011

2011-11-26T18:41:00.001-08:00

Tokyo remains the costliest city in the world, for expatriates, to live in. Tokyo is the most expensive city to live in for groceries, healthcare, and household accommodation. Geneva is the second most expensive city to live in. Geneva is most expensive place in the world for hotels restaurants and meals out and is second most expensive place for groceries, healthcare, and transport,

How to Calculate a Cost of Living Allowance - Part 3

2011-11-17T09:13:00.000-08:00

The formula for calculating a cost of living allowance using the inputs discussed in part 2 are as follows: (Net Spendable Salary X Cost of Living Index X Hardship Index X Exchange Rate) less (Net Spendable Salary X Exchange Rate) = COLA Examples of COLA Calculations using our data Example 1) An Australian employee with a net spendable salary of AUD$100,000 moving from Perth to London where

How to Calculate a Cost of Living Allowance - Part 2

2011-11-16T09:02:00.000-08:00

The formula for calculating the specific cost of living index for an international assignment is as follows:Cost of Living Index = Customized Cost of Living Index for Host City / Customized Cost of Living Index for Home CityWhen moving to a higher cost of living host city, the index will be greater than 1 (positive). When moving to a lower cost of living host city the index will be less

How to Calculate a Cost of Living Allowance - Part 1

2011-11-15T08:52:00.001-08:00

A Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) is a salary supplement paid to employees to cover differences in the cost of living, particularly as a result of an international assignment. The amount of COLA should enable an expatriate to be able to purchase the same basket of goods and services in the host location as they could in their home country. The basis for calculating a COLA is

The Provisional 7Wonders of the World, is Your Country 1?

2011-11-14T06:35:00.001-08:00

On the 11/11/11, just to make it ever so exciting with a special date line, the provisional 7Wonders of the World were announced. I wonder did you notice the announcement and if so did you notice who was nominated and who was left off the list? Is your country's wonder one of the wonders that made it, or just fell off or just did not figure? Take a quick look here and see for yourself...

Cost of Living - Household Accommodation - October 2011

2011-11-12T09:44:00.001-08:00

Cost of living rank of Household cost of living indexes as at October 2011 for 300 global locations. The indexes are calculated using the prices for specific quantities of the same goods and services in each location, based on expatriate spending patterns across 13 broad categories (Basket Groups). The calculators make use of the cost of living indexes, based on your input and Xpatulator's data

International Cost of Living Trends in 2011

2011-11-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

Tokyo remains the costliest city in the world, for expatriates, to live in as at October 2011. Tokyo is the most expensive city to live in for groceries, healthcare, and household accommodation. Geneva is the second most expensive city to live in. Geneva is most expensive place in the world for hotels restaurants and meals out and is second most expensive place for groceries, healthcare

Cost of living - Healthcare - October 2011

2011-11-07T01:08:00.000-08:00

Cost of living rank of Healthcare cost of living indexes as at October 2011 for 300 global locations. The indexes are calculated using the prices for specific quantities of the same goods and services in each location, based on expatriate spending patterns across 13 broad categories (Basket Groups). The calculators make use of the cost of living indexes, based on your input and Xpatulator's

Cost of Living - Groceries - October 2011

2011-11-02T10:01:00.000-07:00

Cost of living rank of Grocery cost of living indexes as at October 2011 for 300 global locations. The indexes are calculated using the prices for specific quantities of the same goods and services in each location, based on expatriate spending patterns across 13 broad categories (Basket Groups). The calculators make use of the cost of living indexes, based on your input and Xpatulator's data,

Cost of Living - Furniture & Appliances - October 2011

2011-10-25T10:25:00.000-07:00

Cost of living rank of Furniture & Appliance cost of living indexes as at October 2011 for 300 global locations. The indexes are calculated using the prices for specific quantities of the same goods and services in each location, based on expatriate spending patterns across 13 broad categories (Basket Groups). The calculators make use of the cost of living indexes, based on your input and

Expat Festivities while far from home….

2011-10-20T11:52:00.000-07:00

Being an Expat permits unusual and fascinating events to occur while on your adventure, you belong to a community where celebrating different customs and traditions is an opportunity. CC rights Travelling Slackerhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/travellingslacker/ Our first cultural event to be experienced was Ramadan and Eid, this was fascinating and insightful. Coming from South Africa

Expatriate Salary Purchasing Power Parity

2011-10-17T15:00:00.001-07:00

The core strategy driving expatriate pay programs globally is the principle of protecting an employees’ domestic income and spending power, irrespective of global location. How to achieve this has been an issue many organizations spend considerable time on. Exchange rates are volatile as they are based on short-term factors and are subject to substantial distortions from speculative movements

Expatriate Engagement

2011-10-17T14:00:00.000-07:00

Engagement is a fairly recent term in business. In the past the talk was about “attracting, motivating and retaining” expatriate employees. All three strategies focused primarily on money. A competitive salary that takes into account the relative cost of living, exchange rate and hardship together with global expatriate benefits such as longer vacations, flights home, private school, club

Cost of Living South Asia - October 2011

2011-10-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

South Asia is the least expensive region in the world for expatriates to live in. The most expensive city surveyed is Mumbai (ranked 139 in the world). Mumbai is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra and is the commercial and entertainment centre of India, generating 5% of India's GDP, and accounting for 25% of industrial output, 40% of maritime trade, and 70% of capital

Cost of Living Europe - October 2011

2011-10-14T10:11:00.000-07:00

Europe’s most expensive cities are mostly those that are not on the Euro. The most expensive city in Europe is Geneva (ranked 2 in the world), followed by Zurich (ranked 3), making Switzerland the most expensive country in Europe if not the world. Switzerland's currency has risen by 43% against the euro between the start of 2010 and mid-August this year. The Swiss National Bank, which

Cost of Living - Education - October 2011

2011-10-14T05:51:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of Dr Sharon Pruitt and Pink Sherbet Photography Cost of living rank of Education cost of living indexes as at October 2011 for 300 global locations. The indexes are calculated using the prices for specific quantities of the same goods and services in each location, based on expatriate spending patterns across 13 broad categories (Basket Groups). The calculators make use of the cost

Cost of Living Asia-Pacific - October 2011

2011-10-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

Asia-Pacific has 2 of the 4 most expensive cities in the world. Tokyo is the most expensive place in the world for expatriates while Hong Kong is the fourth most expensive (and most expensive in greater China). Cities in mainland China remain relatively cheap, mainly due to the pegging of the Chinese Yuan to the US Dollar which has kept costs down. Japan and Australia both have 4 cities