Tokyo tops most-expensive-cities list. Seattle? It's No. 44
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LONDON - Tokyo is the world's most expensive city to live in, outpacing such global centers as New York, London and Paris, while Seattle checked in at the No. 44 spot, according to a survey released yesterday.
In fact, traditionally costly Paris was not listed among the 10 most expensive cities in the survey, compiled by the London-based Economist Intelligence Unit, which is linked to The Economist magazine.
The survey, which compared prices and products in 133 cities around the world, ranked New York as the seventh most expensive city. New York was a newcomer to the top 10 list and the only U.S. city on it.
The survey said some cities using the European common currency dropped in the rankings, which is done in dollar terms, because of the euro's weakness.
Among those that dropped out of the top 10 were Paris; Zurich and Geneva, Switzerland; Copenhagen, Denmark; and Libreville, Gabon.
Paris is now ranked 26th. Amsterdam dropped 20 spaces to 54th.
The cost of living in Belgrade - bombed by NATO in 1999 to force an end to then-President Slobodan Milosevic's crackdown on Kosovo Albanians - increased from 122nd to No. 3.
According to the report, New York is now slightly more expensive than London, rising from last year's ranking of No. 12 to No. 7. London's cost of living decreased slightly in the last half of 2000, moving from seventh place to eighth.
The weakened Australian dollar pushed Sydney's cost of living down, moving it from 45th to 62nd and putting it on par with Atlanta, Berlin and Brussels.
Living in the United States is relatively cheap, by comparison. Only Chicago and San Francisco ranked in the top 20 most expensive cities. Seattle's No. 44 ranking put it between Lexington, Ky. (43rd) and Cleveland (47th) in the U.S.
The list: 1. Tokyo; 2. Osaka/Kobe, Japan; 3. Belgrade, Yugoslavia; 4. Hong Kong; 5. Seoul, South Korea; 6. Taipei, Taiwan; 7. New York; 8. London; 9. Oslo, Norway; 10. Tel Aviv, Israel.
Other U.S. cities: 13. Chicago; 17. San Francisco; 21. Los Angeles; 23. Houston; 25. Miami; 27. Washington, D.C.; 29. Minneapolis, Minn.; 31. Detroit; 37. Pittsburgh; 39. Boston; 41. Honolulu; 43. Lexington, Ky.; 44. Seattle; 47. Cleveland; 63. Atlanta.