Cheapest Cities I Would Probably Afford to Live in…
That’s a good question: if I had to move to live and work in another city in another country, which of them would I consider: most expensive or least expensive ones? Well, regarding my current income and the current economy state I would probably opt for the city where I could save more of my budget. That is where Mercer’s Survey of Worldwide Cost of Living 2009 is brought into play and may help to decide. Even though some of these places are not my dream destinations because of high crime rates and other problems, they are very economical to live in.
However, Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, has one of the lowest crime rates in the world, needless to say about its perfect environmental state comparing to the polluted megalopolises of Europe, America or Asia.
1. Johannesburg is number one cheapest city. Johannesburg is the largest and the wealthiest city in South Africa. Moreover, Johannesburg represents the source of a high-volume gold and diamond trade.
2. Monterrey, Mexico. With one US Dollar equal to 13 Mexican Pesos Monterrey could represent a great place to live in if it wasn’t so notorious for corruption and drug traffic.
3. Asuncion, Paraguay. In compliance with the Mercer’s research the rent of a luxury two bedroom unfurnished apartment per month is roughly 790$. For those who have their incomes in dollars the rent in Asuncion is one of the cheapest in the list.
4. Yes, there are lots of disadvantages for an expatriate of living in Karachi, Pakistan for an expatriate, but the rent cost is not one of them. The rent of a luxury two bedroom unfurnished apartment in Karachi per month is nearly 440$.
5. Wellington and Auckland, New Zealand. Living in New Zealand is great both for your purse and peace of mind: good currency exchange rates and perfect nature tantalize people to New Zealand from different corners of the world.
So now let’s return to our initial question: what is better city to live in – Tokyo or Johannesburg? It is unarguably Johannesburg: more people speak English there :-).