LIVING EXPENSES

Tokyo retains its crown as the world's most expensive city, according to a twice-yearly survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit (a sister company of The Economist). The survey expresses the cost of living for expatriate executives as a percentage of the cost in New York. Only a selection of the 127 surveyed cities are shown in the chart. On the back of an economic recovery in East Asia, Seoul's position in the complete table rose from 36th last year to 14th, with an index of 98 against New York's 100. Appreciation of the dollar against the euro resulted in New York leap-frogging Paris, whose overall rank fell from seventh to 12th. London is once again the most expensive city in the European Union though Oslo eclipses it in Europe as a whole.