Living in Europe, Here's what to expect from the cost of living....

Wondering why your expenses are so high in some cities, living as an expat?  

Here are the latest listings for Europe over the last five years.

For the full listing go here.

International Cost of Living Rankings for April 2014

Luanda, Angola retains its #1 ranking making it the most expensive destination in Africa and in the world for expats.  This is due to its costly accommodation where expatriate housing is extremely expensive, and imported produce and international private schooling excessively costly. 

Caracas comes in at #2, this once sort after expat destination has experienced rampant inflation, produce shortages and tight government controls on foreign exchange have pushed it up the rankings. As the World’s fifth largest exporter of oil, Venezuela was once a top destination for skilled foreign oil and gas workers. However Calgary, Canada is now benefiting with an influx of those expats leaving Caracas due to strict government regulations which are limiting the hiring and compensation of these workers, as well as by the soaring cost of living.

Oslo which ranks #3, in contrast to Luanda and Caracas enjoys low inflation, low unemployment, and one the highest GDPs per capita in the World. An expat haven?

Top Ten International Cost of Living - Cities - April 2014

Rank	Country and city	Region	Previous Quarter Rankings
1	Angola, Luanda	Africa	1
2	Venezuela, Caracas	Americas	5
3	Norway, Oslo	Europe	7
4	Singapore, Singapore	Asia-Pacific	13
5	China, Hong Kong	Asia-Pacific	6
6	Switzerland, Zurich	Europe	2
7	Switzerland, Geneva	Europe	4
8	Monaco, Monaco	Europe	11
9	Japan, Tokyo	Asia-Pacific	12
10	Australia, Sydney	Asia-Pacific	17

Top Twenty International Cost of Living Rankings Incl. Countries - April 2014

Rank	All Areas, Country and City	Region	Previous Quarter Rankings
1	Angola, Luanda	Africa	1
2	Venezuela, Caracas	Americas	5
3	Angola, All Areas	Africa	3
4	Norway, Oslo	Europe	7
5	Norway, All Areas	Europe	9
6	Singapore, Singapore	Asia-Pacific	13
7	China, Hong Kong	Asia-Pacific	6
8	Switzerland, Zurich	Europe	2
9	Switzerland, Geneva	Europe	4
10	Venezuela, All Areas	Americas	10
11	Monaco, Monaco	Europe	11
12	Switzerland, All Areas	Europe	8
13	Japan, Tokyo	Asia-Pacific	12
14	Australia, Sydney	Asia-Pacific	17
15	USA, New York (Manhattan) NY	Americas	15
16	Russia, Moscow	Europe	14
17	Bermuda, Hamilton	Americas	18
18	Denmark, Copenhagen	Europe	19
19	United Kingdom, London	Europe	20
20	Liechtenstein, Vaduz	Europe	16

For the full cost of living and regional rankings go here

Norway, Oslo Cost of Living January 2010

LOCATION: Norway is in Northern Europe, bordering the North Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Sweden.

CAPITAL CITY: Oslo

LARGEST CITY: Oslo

CURRENCY: Norwegian Krone (NOK)

ECONOMY: The Norwegian economy is a mixed economy, featuring a combination of free market activity and large government ownership. The government controls key areas, such as the strategic petroleum sector, hydroelectric energy production, aluminum production, the largest Norwegian bank and telecommunication. The country is richly endowed with natural resources including petroleum, hydropower, fish, forests, and minerals. Norway has one of the highest standards of living in the world in part by having a large amount of natural resources compared to the size of population.

Oslo has an overall cost of living index which equates it with high 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. Oslo is currently ranked 6 overall, most expensive place in the world for expatriates to live, out of 276 international locations. The cost of living overview for each of the 13 Basket Groups is as follows:

Alcohol & Tobacco costs for alcoholic beverages such as alcohol at bar, beer, locally produced spirit, whiskey, and wine as well as tobacco products such as cigarettes is relatively more expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 4 out of 276.

Clothing costs for clothing and footwear products such as business suits, casual clothing, childrens clothing and footwear, coats and hats, evening wear, shoe repairs, and underwear is relatively more expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 80 out of 276.

Communication costs for various communication costs such as home telephone rental and call charges, internet connection and service provider fees, mobile / cellular phone contract and calls is relatively more expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 18 out of 276.

Education costs such as creche / pre-school fees, high school / college fees, primary school fees, and tertiary study fees is equally expensive on average compared to other cities with a rank of 93 out of 276.

Furniture & Appliance costs for furniture, household equipment and household appliances such as dvd player, fridge freezer, iron, kettle, toaster, microwave, light bulbs, television, vacuum cleaner, and washing machine is relatively more expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 32 out of 276.

Grocery costs for food, non-alcoholic beverages and cleaning material items such as baby consumables, baked goods, baking, canned foods, cheese, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, fruit juices, meat, oil & vinegars, pet food, pre-prepared meals, sauces, seafood, snacks, soft drinks, spices & herbs is relatively more expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 9 out of 276.

Healthcare costs for general healthcare, medical and medical insurance such as general practitioner consultation rates, hospital private ward daily rate, non-prescription medicine, and private medical insurance / medical aid contributions is relatively more expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 47 out of 276.

Household costs for housing, water, electricity, household gas, household fuels, local rates and residential taxes such as house / flat mortgage, house / flat rental, household electricity consumption, household gas / fuel consumption, household water consumption, and local property rates / taxes / levies is relatively more expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 74 out of 276.

Miscellaneous costs related to stationary, linen and general goods and services such as domestic help, dry cleaning, linen, office supplies, newspapers and magazines, and postage stamps is relatively more expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 2 out of 276.

Personal Care costs for personal care products and services such as cosmetics, hair care, moisturizer / sun block, nappies, pain relief tablets, toilet paper, toothpaste, and soap / shampoo / conditioner is equally expensive on average compared to other cities with a rank of 135 out of 276.

Recreation and Culture costs such as books, camera film, cinema ticket, DVD and CDs, sports goods, and theatre tickets is relatively more expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 17 out of 276.

Restaurants, Meals Out and Hotel costs such as business dinner, dinner at a restaurant (non fast food), hotel rates, take away drinks and snacks (fast food) is relatively more expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 8 out of 276.

Transport costs for public transport, vehicle costs, vehicle fuel, vehicle insurance and vehicle maintenance such as hire purchase / lease of vehicle, petrol / diesel, public transport service maintenance, tires, vehicle Insurance, and vehicle purchase is relatively more expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 1 out of 276.

Your exact customized cost of living index for Oslo is based on which of the above basket groups as well as the comparison location you select in the Calculators.

In terms of the hardship people are likely to experience, assessed in global terms, Oslo is ranked as a minimal hardship location with a hardship index of 10%.

Your exact customized hardship index premium for Oslo is based on the comparison location that you select in the Calculators.