Are You Earning What You Should Be Earning as an Expat in South Asia, ?

The Maldives; Sri Lanka; and India are the most expensive countries to live in South Asia as an expat, the cities are: Male in the Maldives (353rd most expensive in the world); Colombo; and Mumbai.
Thimphu in Bhutan is the cheapest city to live as an expat in South Asia and also the cheapest city in the world.
Male is the biggest mover down the rankings dropping 15 places since April, while the biggest mover up the rankings is Kathmandu in Nepal.

What are the Top 50 most expensive places to live in South Asia? Find out here.

Reference
The cost of living ranking information contained in this article is updated quarterly using data collected by Xpatulator.com over the past 12 months. The international cost of living indexes, on which the rankings are based, is only available using Xpatulator.com's online expatriate calculators that enable users to create personalized cost of living comparison reports which include:

• Salary Purchasing Power Parity Calculator
• Cost of Living Allowance Calculator
• Cost of Living Index Calculator 

Published by Xpatulator.com on 1 July 2013.

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Moving to Male

Today we look at moving to Male in Maldives from Beirut in Lebanon. We highlight cost of living and other major differences likely to be experienced in our series of short blogs on moving between different international locations.
In Male people speak Divehi. In Beirut people speak Arabic.

Male is the capital and largest city (in terms of population) in the Republic of Maldives. Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. The central part of the Male city is formed by Male Island. Three more islands are part of the city. Slightly less than one third of the nation's population lives in the capital city. Many, if not most, Maldivians and foreign workers in Maldives find themselves in occasional short term residence on the island since it is the only entry point to the nation and the centre of all administration and bureaucracy. After the destructive Lebanese civil war, Beirut underwent major reconstruction, and the redesigned historic city center, marina, pubs and nightlife districts have once again rendered it a tourist attraction. The city is the focal point of the region's cultural life, renowned for its press, theaters, cultural activities, and nightlife.

The overall cost of living rank in Male is 197 out of 300 global locations, which equates it with low cost of living locations. An expatriate moving from Beirut to Male will experience a change in cost of living of -13%.
In terms of the hardship people are likely to experience, assessed in global terms, Male is ranked as a some hardship location with a hardship index of 20% compared to Beirut with a hardship index of 30% which is a high degree of hardship location.

Source: http://www.xpatulator.com as at July 2011.

Maldives, Male Cost of Living April 2010

Country Full Name: Republic of Maldives.

Location: The Maldives is in Southern Asia, and consists of a group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south-southwest of India.

Country Climate: Tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August).

Country Terrain: Flat, with white sandy beaches. With an average ground level of 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) above sea level, it is the lowest country on the planet.

Major Languages: Divehi.

Major Religions: Islam.

Country Population: 0.3 million (2008 est.) 0.3 million (2009 est.).

Country Economy: The mixed economy of the Maldives is based on the principal activities of tourism, fishing and shipping.

Currency: Maldive Rufiyaa (MVR).

Country Inflation: 11.9% (2008 est.) 5.5% (2009 est.).

City: Male is the capital and largest city (in terms of population) in the Republic of Maldives.

City Economy: The central part of the Male city is formed by Male Island. Three more islands are part of the city. Slightly less than one third of the nation's population lives in the capital city. Many, if not most, Maldivians and foreign workers in Maldives find themselves in occasional short term residence on the island since it is the only entry point to the nation and the centre of all administration and bureaucracy.
Cost of Living: Male has an overall cost of living index which equates it with middle cost of living locations. The overall cost of living index is comprised of the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across all 13 Basket Groups. Male is currently ranked 167 overall, most expensive place in the world for expatriates to live, out of 282 international locations.

For more cost of living information on Maldives, Male