Tel Aviv cheaper than London and New York, but more expensive than Barcelona

Cost of living site Expatistan ranks cities according to data fed to it by residents.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Tel Aviv skyscape 370 (photo credit: REUTERS)
Tel Aviv skyscape 370
(photo credit: REUTERS)
For those Israeli constantly griping about the cost of living in Tel Aviv, their situation is relatively good compared to the residents of 34 other world metropolises.
According to Expatistan, a site that compares the cost of living in cities throughout the globe by computing prices of goods and services sent in by visitors to the page, Tel Aviv is the 35th most expensive place to live.
London took top prize as the most expensive city in the world, followed by Oslo, Geneva, Zurich, and New York.
The cities that round out the top 10 are Lausanne, Singapore, Paris, San Francisco, and Copenhagen.
The cost of rent is the primary reason that Tel Aviv earned the distinction. The “first Hebrew city” as it is known here in Israel is 40 percent more pricey than St. Petersburg, 20 percent more expensive than Barcelona, and 14 percent harder on the wallet than Berlin.
By comparison, rental costs in Tel Aviv are 44 percent cheaper than those in New York, while overall living costs in Tel Aviv are 20 percent cheaper than in Paris, according to Expatistan. London, the world’s most expensive city, is 40 percent pricier than Tel Aviv.