Survey: J'lem, TA more expensive than NYC

Although TA’s ranking fell from 18th place in 2010 survey, this came about because of a rise in the cost of living in other cities.

By ILANIT HAYUT/ GLOBES
Tel Aviv Social Justice Protest 311 (photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem)
Tel Aviv Social Justice Protest 311
(photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem)
If anyone is looking for further proof about Israel’s high cost of living, here it is: Tel Aviv is more expensive than New York, topping it by 14 places in the ECA International survey of the world’s most expensive cities in 2011. Tel Aviv was ranked 32nd and New York was ranked 46th. Jerusalem, at 39th place, also ranked higher than the famous US megacity.
Tel Aviv outranked other major cities, including Berlin, Rome, Vienna, Shanghai, Beijing, Vancouver, Ottawa and Strasbourg.
Although Tel Aviv’s ranking fell from 18th place in the 2010 survey, this was not due to a drop in the cost of living in Israel, but rather came about because of a rise in the cost of living in other cities.
Tel Aviv and Jerusalem are the most expensive cities in the Middle East. Dubai ranked 180th, while Jedda, Saudi Arabia, in 232nd place, is the least expensive city in the Middle East.
The Japanese yen kept Tokyo as number one in the world’s most expensive city rankings for the second year. Oslo, in second place, is the most expensive city in Europe, up from sixth place in 2010. The Angolan capital Luanda fell from second place last year to eleventh place this year, keeping its title as the most expensive city in Africa The ECA International rankings weigh the cost of food (the price of milk, meat, fish, fresh fruits and vegetables in stores), basic goods (beverages, tobacco, and various services), and general expenses (clothing, electronics, and dining in restaurants), information which was compiled on the basis of two-year surveys. However, the index does not take into account expenses such as housing, education, utilities (water, electricity and gas) or the purchase of a car, because these are sometimes partly or wholly covered by employers.