Mumbai most expensive city for expats, says survey

Mumbai: Mumbai continues to be the most expensive city for expatriates in India, according to Mercer’s 23rd annual cost of living survey. Mumbai (57) is India’s most expensive city for expatriates, inching closer to break into the top 50 most expensive cities in the world.

New Delhi, ranked 99, has moved into the top 100 category, Chennai (135), Bangalore (166) and followed by Kolkata (184). Mumbai (57) is ranked higher and more expensive than cities like Auckland (61), Dallas and Paris (62), Canberra (71), Seattle (76) and Vienna (78) of the world.

It has moved 25 notes up from being ranked 82 in 2016. Five of the top 10 cities in this year’s ranking are in Asia.

Mumbai’s jump in ranking points surge in prices of food and personal care. During this period, inflation, amongst the highest in Indian cities, moved from 4.81% to 5.57%.

While inflation in India has been maintained, over the last few years, prices of expat food items such as cheese, butter, fish, meat etc have increased significantly. Prices for fruits and vegetables such as onions, tomatoes, lettuce and pineapple have also shown increase. Mumbai is also one of the most expensive cities in India on account of transportation.