Expats fall in love with Thailand but not the language

If you are an expatriate, Thailand is the best country to find love - however, it's also one of the hardest places for learning the local language.






Canada, Australia and Thailand are regarded by expatriates as the premier places in the world to live and love, according to the second annual expatriate experience survey by HSBC Bank International.



Canada has the best quality of life and is among the easiest places in the world to integrate with the local population, according to the survey of 3,146 people working in 30 different industries and 50 countries. Australia and Thailand come next on the list.



One in five expats has found love, with Thailand being the most likely place to fall in love followed by Germany and Brazil. Almost half of Thailand's expats say that they have found love.



Asia emerged as the place to go for making friends, with Thailand ranked first, followed by Vietnam, Hong Kong and Malaysia. More than half of the expats questioned in the survey - 58 per cent - have lived abroad for more than five years.



The top three countries for settling down are South Africa, Thailand and Canada, where expats have lived for more than five years.



The survey found that for expats, a higher income does not necessarily mean a better quality of life, said Alan Smith, head of international wealth management for HSBC.



Those earning less are also more likely to find love, with expats earning under US$60,000 (1.9 million baht) more likely to find love abroad than any other group. Similarly, expats over the age of 55 will have a greater chance of finding their life partner - one in four expats around the world aged 55 and over have found love or a life partner while living abroad.



Expats living in English-speaking countries have less trouble with language barriers, regardless of their origins. Learning the local language remains the biggest expat challenge of all.



While Thailand is seen as the easiest place to make friends, it is ranked 26th for ease of learning the local language.



For ease in finding a school, Thailand comes fourth; organising finances, 11th. For arranging healthcare, it is ranked second; finding somewhere to live, first. For setting up utilities, 9th; making local friends, 16th; and arranging accommodation, second.



Last year Germany, Canada and Spain were the top three countries deemed to have the best lifestyle for expats.



In another online survey, the British rated Thailand their No.1 holiday destination of 10 countries.



A total of 1,241 Britons responded to the survey, which polled 24,000 people around the world.



Thailand scooped 25% of British votes and the United States 11% but France came last, scoring a miserable

Education International Cost of Living Ranking

Education costs include creche / pre-school fees, high school / college fees, primary school fees, and tertiary study fees.








The October 2009 education international cost of living rank is as follows:







Rank Country, City







1 Venezuela, Caracas

2 Angola, Luanda

3 Brazil, Brasilia

4 Bermuda, Hamilton

5 Central African Republic, Bangui

6 New Caledonia, Noumea

7 Bahamas, Nassau

8 Solomon Islands, Honiara

9 Nigeria, Lagos

10 Gabon, Libreville

11 USA, Boston Mass

12 Belgium, Brussels

13 United Kingdom, London

14 Singapore, Singapore

15 Australia, Sydney

16 Chad, N'Djamena

17 USA, New York NY

18 Croatia, Zagreb

19 USA, San Jose Calif

20 Vanuatu, Port Vila

21 USA, Philadelphia Pa

22 Djibouti, Djibouti

23 Haiti, Port-au-Prince

24 USA, Baltimore Md

25 USA, San Francisco Calif

26 USA, Seattle Wash

27 Sierra Leone, Freetown

28 Australia, Melbourne

29 USA, Los Angeles Calif

30 Cameroon, Douala

31 Australia, Canberra

32 USA, Washington DC

33 USA, Phoenix Ariz

34 USA, San Diego Calif

35 USA, Dallas Tex

36 Kiribati, South Tarawa

37 USA, Charlotte NC

38 USA, Jacksonville Fla

39 USA, Chicago Ill

40 USA, Portland Ore

41 Liberia, Monrovia

42 USA, Atlanta GA

43 Australia, Perth

44 Guinea-Bissau, Bissau

45 Togo, Lome

46 USA, Cleveland Ohio

47 Barbados, Bridgetown

48 USA, Milwaukee Wis

49 USA, Tampa Fla

50 Serbia, Belgrade

51 Jersey, Saint Helier

52 Cote D'Ivoire, Abidjan

53 Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou

54 Congo, Brazzaville

55 USA, Columbus Ohio

56 USA, Miami Fla

57 USA, Denver Colo

58 Seychelles, Victoria

59 Sao Tome and Principe, Sao Tome

60 USA, Las Vegas Nev

61 Moldova, Chisinau

62 USA, El Paso Tex

63 USA, Detroit Mich

64 Benin, Cotonou

65 USA, Memphis Tenn

66 Samoa, Apia

67 Lithuania, Vilnius

68 USA, St Louis MO

69 Colombia, Bogota

70 USA, Pittsburgh Penn

71 USA, Indianapolis Ind

72 USA, Austin Tex

73 Cameroon, Yaounde

74 Afghanistan, Kabul

75 USA, San Antonio Tex

76 Guernsey, St Peter Port

77 Guinea, Conakry

78 USA, Fort Worth Tex

79 Cuba, Havana

80 Australia, Brisbane

81 Senegal, Dakar

82 Portugal, Lisbon

83 Congo Democratic Rep, Kinshasa

84 New Zealand, Auckland

85 United Kingdom, Glasgow

86 Comores, Moroni

87 Falkland Islands, Stanley

88 Malta, Velletta

89 Korea Democratic Republic of, Pyongyang

90 USA, Houston Tex

91 Equatorial Guinea, Malabo

92 Timor-Leste, Dili

93 Mauritius, Port Louis

94 Germany, Berlin

95 France, Paris

96 Isle of Man, Douglas

97 Luxembourg, Luxembourg

98 Kazakhstan, Almaty

99 Belize, Belmopan

100 Russia, Moscow

101 United Kingdom, Birmingham

102 Saint Helena, Jamestown

103 Mali, Bamako

104 Germany, Bonn

105 Ethiopia, Addis Ababa

106 Israel, Jerusalem

107 Australia, Adelaide

108 Germany, Frankfurt

109 Honduras, Tegucigalpa

110 Somalia, Mogadishu

111 Norway, Oslo

112 Romania, Bucharest

113 Myanmar, Yangon

114 Cape Verde, Praia

115 Armenia, Yerevan

116 Burundi, Bujumbura

117 Maldives, Male

118 Finland, Helsinki

119 Estonia, Tallinn

120 Tuvalu, Funafuti

121 Georgia Republic of, Tbilisi

122 Algeria, Algiers

123 Uruguay, Montevideo

124 Niger, Niamey

125 Iran, Tehran

126 Netherlands, Amsterdam

127 Botswana, Gaborone

128 Latvia, Riga

129 Dominica, Roseau

130 Oman, Muscat

131 Korea Republic of, Seoul

132 Rwanda, Kigali

133 Nicaragua, Managua

134 Greenland, Nuuk

135 Gambia, Banjul

136 Cayman Islands, George Town

137 Italy, Milan

138 Iceland, Reykjavik

139 Malawi, Lilongwe

140 Zambia, Lusaka

141 India, Mumbai

142 South Africa, Johannesburg

143 San Marino, San Marino

144 El Salvador, San Salvador

145 Liechtenstein, Vaduz

146 Guam, Hagatna

147 Saint Kitts and Nevis, Basseterre

148 Italy, Rome

149 Indonesia, Jakarta

150 Japan, Tokyo

151 Turkmenistan, Ashgabat

152 South Africa, Pretoria

153 Austria, Vienna

154 Guatemala, Guatemala City

155 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Kingstown

156 Antigua and Barbuda, Saint John's

157 Iraq, Baghdad

158 Marshall Islands, Majuro

159 India, New Delhi

160 India, Chennai

161 Monaco, Monaco

162 Libya, Tripoli

163 Tonga, Nuku'Alofa

164 Saint Lucia, Castries

165 Switzerland, Geneva

166 India, Hyderabad

167 Lesotho, Maseru

168 Madagascar, Antananarivo

169 Greece, Athens

170 Sweden, Stockholm

171 South Africa, Cape Town

172 India, Calcutta

173 Switzerland, Zurich

174 Eritrea, Asmara

175 Bolivia, La Paz

176 Vatican City, Vatican City

177 South Africa, Durban

178 Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek

179 United Arab Emirates, Dubai

180 Micronesia, Palikir

181 China, Beijing

182 India, Bangalore

183 Ghana, Accra

184 Tajikistan, Dushanbe

185 Grenada, Saint George's

186 Nepal, Kathmandu

187 Vietnam, Hanoi

188 Poland, Warsaw

189 Swaziland, Mbabane

190 Qatar, Doha

191 Hungary, Budapest

192 Thailand, Bangkok

193 Tunisia, Tunis

194 Canada, Toronto

195 Belarus, Minsk

196 Turkey, Ankara

197 United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi

198 Bhutan, Thimphu

199 Brunei, Bandar Seri Begawan

200 Kosovo, Pristina

201 Azerbaijan, Baku

202 Denmark, Copenhagen

203 Canada, Vancouver

204 Andorra, Andorra la Vella

205 China, Shanghai

206 Martinique, Fort-de-France

207 Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur

208 Macedonia, Skopje

209 Saudi Arabia, Riyadh

210 Puerto Rico, San Juan

211 Uzbekistan, Tashkent

212 Montenegro, Podgorica

213 Bahrain, Manama

214 Canada, Calgary

215 Pakistan, Lahore

216 Pakistan, Islamabad

217 Pakistan, Karachi

218 Mauritania, Nouakchott

219 Nauru, Yaren

220 Spain, Madrid

221 Tanzania, Dar es Salaam

222 Ecuador, Quito

223 Uganda, Kampala

224 Paraguay, Asuncion

225 Canada, Montreal

226 Bangladesh, Dhaka

227 Mexico, Mexico City

228 Kenya, Nairobi

229 Gibraltar, Gibraltar

230 Slovakia, Bratislava

231 Namibia, Windhoek

232 Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby

233 Canada, Ottawa

234 Jordan, Amman

235 Palau, Melekeok

236 China, Hong Kong

237 Sri Lanka, Colombo

238 Syria, Damascus

239 Morocco, Rabat

240 Bulgaria, Sofia

241 China, Shenzhen

242 Ukraine, Kiev

243 Taiwan, Taipei

244 Laos, Vientiane

245 Philippines, Manila

246 China, Wuhan

247 Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar

248 Albania, Tirana

249 Yemen, Sanaa

250 Zimbabwe, Harare

251 Chile, Santiago

252 Cambodia, Phnom Penh

253 Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo

254 China, Dalian

255 Kuwait, Kuwait City

256 Sudan, Khartoum

257 Cyprus, Nicosia

258 China, Guangzhou

259 Peru, Lima

260 Trinidad and Tobago, Port-of-Spain

261 Lebanon, Beirut

262 Czech Republic, Prague

263 Ireland, Dublin

264 Jamaica, Kingston

265 China, Tianjin

266 Guyana, Georgetown

267 Egypt, Cairo

268 Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo

269 Panama, Panama City

270 Mozambique, Maputo

271 Costa Rica, San Jose

272 Slovenia, Ljubljana

273 Argentina, Buenos Aires

274 Fiji, Suva

275 China, Macao

276 Suriname, Paramaribo











Xpatulator.com is the most comprehensive source of international cost of living index information. Our international cost of living calculator and cost of living allowance calculator are used for international cost of living comparison and calculation of cost of living allowance.









Our international cost of living index information, together with our hardship index information, and exchange rate differences are used to calculate what a person needs to earn in another location given the differences compared to their current location. The calculators assist in determining expatriate pay (expat pay), expatriate salary (expat salary) levels, international salary levels, international assignment salary levels, cost of living allowance (COLA) amounts, travel allowance amounts, international per diems, and any other calculations based on cost of living index, hardship index, and exchange rate information.









Our calculators provide detailed cost of living index information for 13 individual cost of living categories (basket groups) as well as the overall cost of living index.









Register, buy credits online and you can run the premium content calculators and receive your reports within minutes.







This article may be freely copied as long as reference is made to http://www.xpatulator.com/

Communication International Cost of Living Ranking

Communication costs include various communication costs such as home telephone rental and call charges, internet connection and service provider fees, mobile / cellular phone contract and calls.








The October 2009 communication international cost of living rank is as follows:







Rank Country, City



1 Guinea-Bissau, Bissau

2 New Caledonia, Noumea

3 Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou

4 Latvia, Riga

5 Cameroon, Douala

6 Cape Verde, Praia

7 Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby

8 Germany, Berlin

9 Kiribati, South Tarawa

10 Gabon, Libreville

11 Germany, Bonn

12 Togo, Lome

13 Cameroon, Yaounde

14 Germany, Frankfurt

15 Peru, Lima

16 Italy, Milan

17 Norway, Oslo

18 Italy, Rome

19 Saint Lucia, Castries

20 Thailand, Bangkok

21 Zambia, Lusaka

22 Colombia, Bogota

23 San Marino, San Marino

24 Belarus, Minsk

25 Slovakia, Bratislava

26 China, Beijing

27 Croatia, Zagreb

28 Vatican City, Vatican City

29 Central African Republic, Bangui

30 Swaziland, Mbabane

31 Myanmar, Yangon

32 Greece, Athens

33 Dominica, Roseau

34 Estonia, Tallinn

35 Honduras, Tegucigalpa

36 Brazil, Brasilia

37 Burundi, Bujumbura

38 Cote D'Ivoire, Abidjan

39 Nepal, Kathmandu

40 Nicaragua, Managua

41 China, Shanghai

42 Tunisia, Tunis

43 Spain, Madrid

44 Bahamas, Nassau

45 Armenia, Yerevan

46 Monaco, Monaco

47 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Kingstown

48 Lithuania, Vilnius

49 Gibraltar, Gibraltar

50 Malawi, Lilongwe

51 Micronesia, Palikir

52 Nauru, Yaren

53 USA, Boston Mass

54 Guyana, Georgetown

55 Moldova, Chisinau

56 Bolivia, La Paz

57 Morocco, Rabat

58 Bermuda, Hamilton

59 Liechtenstein, Vaduz

60 Austria, Vienna

61 Palau, Melekeok

62 Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo

63 Korea Democratic Republic of, Pyongyang

64 Mali, Bamako

65 Madagascar, Antananarivo

66 Kazakhstan, Almaty

67 Turkmenistan, Ashgabat

68 Ireland, Dublin

69 Azerbaijan, Baku

70 Saint Kitts and Nevis, Basseterre

71 Chile, Santiago

72 USA, Philadelphia Pa

73 Niger, Niamey

74 Djibouti, Djibouti

75 Grenada, Saint George's

76 Netherlands, Amsterdam

77 Hungary, Budapest

78 Eritrea, Asmara

79 USA, Baltimore Md

80 Japan, Tokyo

81 Angola, Luanda

82 Lesotho, Maseru

83 Bangladesh, Dhaka

84 Iceland, Reykjavik

85 Sierra Leone, Freetown

86 Qatar, Doha

87 Luxembourg, Luxembourg

88 Mexico, Mexico City

89 Antigua and Barbuda, Saint John's

90 Greenland, Nuuk

91 Russia, Moscow

92 Chad, N'Djamena

93 Denmark, Copenhagen

94 Poland, Warsaw

95 China, Shenzhen

96 Ukraine, Kiev

97 Fiji, Suva

98 Switzerland, Geneva

99 USA, Detroit Mich

100 Slovenia, Ljubljana

101 Vanuatu, Port Vila

102 USA, Charlotte NC

103 USA, Phoenix Ariz

104 Belgium, Brussels

105 United Arab Emirates, Dubai

106 China, Wuhan

107 France, Paris

108 Guam, Hagatna

109 Oman, Muscat

110 Andorra, Andorra la Vella

111 Switzerland, Zurich

112 Albania, Tirana

113 Bulgaria, Sofia

114 Pakistan, Lahore

115 Congo, Brazzaville

116 Marshall Islands, Majuro

117 Ecuador, Quito

118 Uruguay, Montevideo

119 Pakistan, Islamabad

120 Pakistan, Karachi

121 Kosovo, Pristina

122 Romania, Bucharest

123 USA, Chicago Ill

124 China, Dalian

125 Samoa, Apia

126 Guatemala, Guatemala City

127 Libya, Tripoli

128 Czech Republic, Prague

129 Macedonia, Skopje

130 USA, Dallas Tex

131 Kuwait, Kuwait City

132 USA, Columbus Ohio

133 USA, Seattle Wash

134 USA, Tampa Fla

135 Tuvalu, Funafuti

136 Barbados, Bridgetown

137 Vietnam, Hanoi

138 USA, New York NY

139 Somalia, Mogadishu

140 Seychelles, Victoria

141 Korea Republic of, Seoul

142 Gambia, Banjul

143 Haiti, Port-au-Prince

144 Kenya, Nairobi

145 USA, El Paso Tex

146 Timor-Leste, Dili

147 China, Guangzhou

148 Congo Democratic Rep, Kinshasa

149 USA, Las Vegas Nev

150 Bahrain, Manama

150 Sweden, Stockholm

152 Canada, Toronto

153 Israel, Jerusalem

154 Australia, Sydney

155 Comores, Moroni

156 Rwanda, Kigali

157 USA, San Antonio Tex

158 USA, Milwaukee Wis

159 China, Hong Kong

160 Botswana, Gaborone

161 Canada, Vancouver

162 El Salvador, San Salvador

163 Sri Lanka, Colombo

164 Isle of Man, Douglas

165 Turkey, Ankara

166 Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo

167 Nigeria, Lagos

168 USA, Atlanta GA

169 USA, San Jose Calif

170 Ethiopia, Addis Ababa

171 USA, Fort Worth Tex

172 Mauritania, Nouakchott

173 USA, Denver Colo

174 USA, Portland Ore

174 USA, Washington DC

176 Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur

177 Cuba, Havana

178 Lebanon, Beirut

179 Saudi Arabia, Riyadh

180 Canada, Calgary

181 Sudan, Khartoum

182 Laos, Vientiane

183 USA, San Francisco Calif

184 Malta, Velletta

185 Portugal, Lisbon

186 Mozambique, Maputo

187 USA, St Louis MO

188 USA, Jacksonville Fla

189 USA, Memphis Tenn

190 Australia, Canberra

191 Paraguay, Asuncion

192 Australia, Melbourne

193 Martinique, Fort-de-France

194 USA, Los Angeles Calif

194 USA, San Diego Calif

196 United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi

197 Taiwan, Taipei

198 Cayman Islands, George Town

199 Syria, Damascus

200 China, Tianjin

201 Brunei, Bandar Seri Begawan

202 United Kingdom, London

203 Canada, Montreal

204 Uzbekistan, Tashkent

205 USA, Pittsburgh Penn

206 Puerto Rico, San Juan

207 Montenegro, Podgorica

208 Australia, Perth

209 USA, Cleveland Ohio

210 Iraq, Baghdad

211 Yemen, Sanaa

212 Venezuela, Caracas

213 Sao Tome and Principe, Sao Tome

214 Guernsey, St Peter Port

215 Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar

216 USA, Austin Tex

216 USA, Indianapolis Ind

218 Jersey, Saint Helier

219 Afghanistan, Kabul

220 Suriname, Paramaribo

221 Liberia, Monrovia

222 Maldives, Male

223 USA, Miami Fla

224 Senegal, Dakar

225 Canada, Ottawa

226 Finland, Helsinki

227 Philippines, Manila

228 Falkland Islands, Stanley

229 Indonesia, Jakarta

230 Serbia, Belgrade

231 Benin, Cotonou

232 Equatorial Guinea, Malabo

233 Saint Helena, Jamestown

234 Georgia Republic of, Tbilisi

235 New Zealand, Auckland

236 Mauritius, Port Louis

237 Cambodia, Phnom Penh

238 Australia, Brisbane

239 South Africa, Johannesburg

240 Egypt, Cairo

241 Uganda, Kampala

242 South Africa, Pretoria

243 Solomon Islands, Honiara

244 USA, Houston Tex

245 Trinidad and Tobago, Port-of-Spain

246 Bhutan, Thimphu

247 Jordan, Amman

248 Australia, Adelaide

249 South Africa, Cape Town

250 Namibia, Windhoek

251 Panama, Panama City

252 South Africa, Durban

253 United Kingdom, Glasgow

254 Algeria, Algiers

255 Singapore, Singapore

256 Tanzania, Dar es Salaam

257 Argentina, Buenos Aires

258 United Kingdom, Birmingham

259 Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek

260 Iran, Tehran

261 Costa Rica, San Jose

262 China, Macao

263 Cyprus, Nicosia

264 Tonga, Nuku'Alofa

265 Belize, Belmopan

266 Zimbabwe, Harare

267 Tajikistan, Dushanbe

268 Ghana, Accra

269 Jamaica, Kingston

270 India, Mumbai

271 India, New Delhi

272 India, Chennai

273 India, Calcutta

274 India, Hyderabad

275 India, Bangalore

276 Guinea, Conakry











Xpatulator.com is the most comprehensive source of international cost of living index information. Our international cost of living calculator and cost of living allowance calculator are used for international cost of living comparison and calculation of cost of living allowance.







Our international cost of living index information, together with our hardship index information, and exchange rate differences are used to calculate what a person needs to earn in another location given the differences compared to their current location. The calculators assist in determining expatriate pay (expat pay), expatriate salary (expat salary) levels, international salary levels, international assignment salary levels, cost of living allowance (COLA) amounts, travel allowance amounts, international per diems, and any other calculations based on cost of living index, hardship index, and exchange rate information.







Our calculators provide detailed cost of living index information for 13 individual cost of living categories (basket groups) as well as the overall cost of living index.







Register, buy credits online and you can run the premium content calculators and receive your reports within minutes.







This article may be freely copied as long as reference is made to http://www.xpatulator.com/

Alcohol & Tobacco International Cost of Living Ranking

Alcohol & Tobacco costs include alcoholic beverages such as alcohol at bar, beer, locally produced spirit, whiskey, and wine as well as tobacco products such as cigarettes.








The October 2009 alcohol & tobacco international cost of living rank is as follows:







Rank Country, City



1 Kiribati, South Tarawa

2 Qatar, Doha

3 Korea Republic of, Seoul

4 Comores, Moroni

5 Norway, Oslo

6 Bahrain, Manama

7 Ethiopia, Addis Ababa

8 Thailand, Bangkok

9 Guinea, Conakry

10 Djibouti, Djibouti

11 Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby

12 United Arab Emirates, Dubai

13 Belarus, Minsk

14 Central African Republic, Bangui

15 Guyana, Georgetown

16 Somalia, Mogadishu

17 Colombia, Bogota

18 Rwanda, Kigali

19 China, Beijing

20 Indonesia, Jakarta

21 Brazil, Brasilia

22 Timor-Leste, Dili

23 Barbados, Bridgetown

24 Solomon Islands, Honiara

25 Palau, Melekeok

26 Singapore, Singapore

27 Micronesia, Palikir

28 Kazakhstan, Almaty

29 Ireland, Dublin

30 Jordan, Amman

31 Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur

32 Brunei, Bandar Seri Begawan

33 Azerbaijan, Baku

34 Georgia Republic of, Tbilisi

35 Tajikistan, Dushanbe

36 Canada, Toronto

37 Myanmar, Yangon

38 Angola, Luanda

39 Mozambique, Maputo

40 Belize, Belmopan

41 Canada, Vancouver

42 Nauru, Yaren

43 Liberia, Monrovia

44 China, Shanghai

45 Guinea-Bissau, Bissau

46 Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo

47 Australia, Sydney

48 Iceland, Reykjavik

49 Greenland, Nuuk

50 Canada, Calgary

51 Finland, Helsinki

52 Tuvalu, Funafuti

53 Venezuela, Caracas

54 Latvia, Riga

55 Congo, Brazzaville

56 Lebanon, Beirut

57 Zambia, Lusaka

58 Costa Rica, San Jose

59 New Caledonia, Noumea

60 Sudan, Khartoum

61 Philippines, Manila

62 Kenya, Nairobi

63 Cote D'Ivoire, Abidjan

64 Madagascar, Antananarivo

65 Togo, Lome

66 Armenia, Yerevan

67 Estonia, Tallinn

68 Bolivia, La Paz

69 Ukraine, Kiev

70 Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek

71 Denmark, Copenhagen

72 Bermuda, Hamilton

73 Canada, Montreal

74 Nepal, Kathmandu

75 Ecuador, Quito

76 Australia, Canberra

77 Vanuatu, Port Vila

78 Fiji, Suva

79 Israel, Jerusalem

80 Australia, Melbourne

81 Hungary, Budapest

82 Peru, Lima

83 Macedonia, Skopje

84 Chad, N'Djamena

85 Jamaica, Kingston

86 Burundi, Bujumbura

87 Slovenia, Ljubljana

88 Guam, Hagatna

89 Canada, Ottawa

90 Niger, Niamey

91 Oman, Muscat

92 USA, New York NY

93 Serbia, Belgrade

94 Sierra Leone, Freetown

95 Marshall Islands, Majuro

96 Australia, Perth

97 Mali, Bamako

98 Isle of Man, Douglas

99 Nigeria, Lagos

100 Cayman Islands, George Town

101 Korea Democratic Republic of, Pyongyang

102 Nicaragua, Managua

103 Honduras, Tegucigalpa

104 United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi

105 United Kingdom, London

106 Bahamas, Nassau

107 Turkey, Ankara

108 Turkmenistan, Ashgabat

109 Chile, Santiago

110 Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou

111 Sweden, Stockholm

112 Benin, Cotonou

113 China, Shenzhen

114 Russia, Moscow

115 Montenegro, Podgorica

116 Trinidad and Tobago, Port-of-Spain

117 Senegal, Dakar

118 France, Paris

119 Australia, Brisbane

120 Martinique, Fort-de-France

121 Vietnam, Hanoi

122 Seychelles, Victoria

123 Czech Republic, Prague

124 China, Wuhan

125 Croatia, Zagreb

126 Jersey, Saint Helier

127 Bulgaria, Sofia

128 Italy, Milan

129 Puerto Rico, San Juan

130 New Zealand, Auckland

131 Gabon, Libreville

132 San Marino, San Marino

133 Sao Tome and Principe, Sao Tome

134 Antigua and Barbuda, Saint John's

135 India, Mumbai

136 Algeria, Algiers

137 China, Hong Kong

138 Eritrea, Asmara

139 Saint Kitts and Nevis, Basseterre

140 USA, Baltimore Md

140 USA, Washington DC

142 Italy, Rome

143 USA, Columbus Ohio

144 Kosovo, Pristina

145 Laos, Vientiane

146 USA, Atlanta GA

147 USA, Dallas Tex

148 Monaco, Monaco

149 Slovakia, Bratislava

150 Belgium, Brussels

151 Cameroon, Douala

152 China, Dalian

153 Dominica, Roseau

154 Poland, Warsaw

155 Egypt, Cairo

156 Netherlands, Amsterdam

157 Maldives, Male

158 USA, Fort Worth Tex

159 Morocco, Rabat

160 Samoa, Apia

161 India, New Delhi

162 USA, Cleveland Ohio

163 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Kingstown

164 USA, Memphis Tenn

165 USA, St Louis MO

166 Australia, Adelaide

167 USA, Boston Mass

168 Haiti, Port-au-Prince

169 India, Chennai

170 Spain, Madrid

171 Namibia, Windhoek

172 Gibraltar, Gibraltar

173 Iran, Tehran

174 Guernsey, St Peter Port

175 India, Hyderabad

176 Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar

177 USA, Portland Ore

178 USA, Tampa Fla

179 China, Guangzhou

180 USA, San Antonio Tex

181 Falkland Islands, Stanley

182 Sri Lanka, Colombo

183 Mauritania, Nouakchott

184 Mauritius, Port Louis

185 Cuba, Havana

186 USA, Detroit Mich

187 Switzerland, Geneva

188 Malta, Velletta

189 USA, El Paso Tex

190 Japan, Tokyo

191 USA, Philadelphia Pa

192 USA, Austin Tex

193 USA, Las Vegas Nev

194 USA, Pittsburgh Penn

195 Uzbekistan, Tashkent

196 Taiwan, Taipei

197 India, Calcutta

198 Switzerland, Zurich

199 Guatemala, Guatemala City

200 USA, Charlotte NC

201 Vatican City, Vatican City

202 Liechtenstein, Vaduz

203 USA, Seattle Wash

204 Greece, Athens

205 USA, Miami Fla

206 Uruguay, Montevideo

207 Portugal, Lisbon

208 Cameroon, Yaounde

209 Albania, Tirana

210 Luxembourg, Luxembourg

211 USA, San Francisco Calif

212 Austria, Vienna

213 USA, San Jose Calif

214 Cape Verde, Praia

215 Paraguay, Asuncion

216 Germany, Berlin

217 India, Bangalore

218 USA, Houston Tex

219 Cyprus, Nicosia

220 Mexico, Mexico City

221 Saint Helena, Jamestown

222 USA, Jacksonville Fla

223 Botswana, Gaborone

224 Syria, Damascus

225 Suriname, Paramaribo

226 Andorra, Andorra la Vella

227 United Kingdom, Glasgow

228 Germany, Bonn

229 Germany, Frankfurt

230 Bhutan, Thimphu

231 Moldova, Chisinau

232 Cambodia, Phnom Penh

233 USA, Phoenix Ariz

234 USA, Denver Colo

235 Afghanistan, Kabul

236 China, Tianjin

237 USA, Chicago Ill

238 United Kingdom, Birmingham

239 Tonga, Nuku'Alofa

240 USA, Los Angeles Calif

241 USA, Milwaukee Wis

242 USA, San Diego Calif

243 Ghana, Accra

244 Saint Lucia, Castries

245 Malawi, Lilongwe

246 Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo

247 Gambia, Banjul

248 Romania, Bucharest

249 USA, Indianapolis Ind

250 Grenada, Saint George's

251 Pakistan, Lahore

252 Pakistan, Islamabad

253 Pakistan, Karachi

254 South Africa, Johannesburg

255 Yemen, Sanaa

256 Lesotho, Maseru

257 Panama, Panama City

258 South Africa, Pretoria

259 Tanzania, Dar es Salaam

260 El Salvador, San Salvador

261 Equatorial Guinea, Malabo

262 South Africa, Cape Town

263 South Africa, Durban

264 Congo Democratic Rep, Kinshasa

265 China, Macao

266 Iraq, Baghdad

267 Swaziland, Mbabane

268 Zimbabwe, Harare

269 Argentina, Buenos Aires

270 Uganda, Kampala

271 Bangladesh, Dhaka

272 Tunisia, Tunis

273 Lithuania, Vilnius

274 Saudi Arabia, Riyadh

275 Kuwait, Kuwait City

276 Libya, Tripoli







Xpatulator.com is the most comprehensive source of international cost of living index information. Our international cost of living calculator and cost of living allowance calculator are used for international cost of living comparison and calculation of cost of living allowance.







Our international cost of living index information, together with our hardship index information, and exchange rate differences are used to calculate what a person needs to earn in another location given the differences compared to their current location. The calculators assist in determining expatriate pay (expat pay), expatriate salary (expat salary) levels, international salary levels, international assignment salary levels, cost of living allowance (COLA) amounts, travel allowance amounts, international per diems, and any other calculations based on cost of living index, hardship index, and exchange rate information.







Our calculators provide detailed cost of living index information for 13 individual cost of living categories (basket groups) as well as the overall cost of living index.







Register, buy credits online and you can run the premium content calculators and receive your reports within minutes.







This article may be freely copied as long as reference is made to http://www.xpatulator.com/

Latest International Cost of Living Ranking

This report provides you with the rank of cost of living indexes as at October 2009 for each of our 276 global locations. The indexes are calculated using the prices for specific quantities of the same goods and services in each location, based on expatriate spending patterns across 13 broad categories (Basket Groups). Our calculators make use of a cost of living index customised to the basket groups selected, the Exchange Rate and a relative Hardship Comparison for 276 locations around the globe. Together with the assignees salary you are provided with a report on-line, based on your input and Xpatulator's data, which you can save, e-mail or convert to a pdf file.








The October 2009 overall international cost of living rank, together with the previous year’s rank as at October 2008, and the change in rank is as follows:







Oct 2009 Rank Country, City (Oct 2008 Rank)[Change in Rank]



1 Japan, Tokyo (1) [0]

2 China, Hong Kong (33) [-31]

3 Switzerland, Geneva (4) [-1]

4 Central African Republic, Bangui (46) [-42]

5 Switzerland, Zurich (8) [-3]

6 Denmark, Copenhagen (3) [3]

7 Venezuela, Caracas (32) [-25]

8 United Arab Emirates, Dubai (34) [-26]

9 Chad, N'Djamena (15) [-6]

10 Norway, Oslo (2) [8]

11 Liechtenstein, Vaduz (18) [-7]

12 Brazil, Brasilia (5) [7]

13 Bermuda, Hamilton (26) [-13]

14 Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby (40) [-26]

15 Angola, Luanda (36) [-21]

16 Greenland, Nuuk (7) [9]

17 New Caledonia, Noumea (13) [4]

18 Cameroon, Douala (17) [1]

19 France, Paris (14) [5]

20 Ireland, Dublin (12) [8]

21 Solomon Islands, Honiara (173) [-152]

22 Italy, Milan (16) [6]

23 San Marino, San Marino (19) [4]

24 Qatar, Doha (45) [-21]

25 Monaco, Monaco (20) [5]

26 United Kingdom, London (6) [20]

27 Taiwan, Taipei (86) [-59]

28 Finland, Helsinki (28) [0]

29 Korea Republic of, Seoul (41) [-12]

30 Austria, Vienna (22) [8]

31 Italy, Rome (27) [4]

32 Russia, Moscow (10) [22]

33 Gabon, Libreville (58) [-25]

34 Croatia, Zagreb (35) [-1]

35 Australia, Sydney (29) [6]

36 Bahamas, Nassau (84) [-48]

37 Nigeria, Lagos (11) [26]

38 Isle of Man, Douglas (24) [14]

39 USA, New York NY (50) [-11]

40 Netherlands, Amsterdam (38) [2]

41 Belgium, Brussels (37) [4]

42 Vanuatu, Port Vila (133) [-91]

43 Bahrain, Manama (82) [-39]

44 Slovakia, Bratislava (23) [21]

45 Micronesia, Palikir (57) [-12]

46 Mali, Bamako (54) [-8]

47 Cameroon, Yaounde (53) [-6]

48 Comores, Moroni (77) [-29]

49 Canada, Toronto (59) [-10]

50 USA, Boston Mass (52) [-2]

51 Kiribati, South Tarawa (160) [-109]

52 Turkey, Ankara (65) [-13]

53 Togo, Lome (85) [-32]

54 USA, San Francisco Calif (30) [24]

55 Spain, Madrid (47) [8]

56 USA, San Jose Calif (48) [8]

57 Nauru, Yaren (80) [-23]

58 United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi (100) [-42]

59 Germany, Berlin (56) [3]

60 Jersey, Saint Helier (39) [21]

61 Palau, Melekeok (69) [-8]

62 Guernsey, St Peter Port (44) [18]

63 Vatican City, Vatican City (61) [2]

64 Singapore, Singapore (66) [-2]

65 Guinea-Bissau, Bissau (67) [-2]

66 Canada, Vancouver (71) [-5]

67 Congo Democratic Rep, Kinshasa (128) [-61]

68 Estonia, Tallinn (64) [4]

69 Haiti, Port-au-Prince (87) [-18]

70 Falkland Islands, Stanley (49) [21]

71 Australia, Melbourne (62) [9]

72 Australia, Canberra (63) [9]

73 Germany, Bonn (60) [13]

74 Iceland, Reykjavik (42) [32]

75 Germany, Frankfurt (74) [1]

76 Luxembourg, Luxembourg (70) [6]

77 Malta, Velletta (113) [-36]

78 Azerbaijan, Baku (75) [3]

79 Timor-Leste, Dili (185) [-106]

80 Djibouti, Djibouti (92) [-12]

81 Senegal, Dakar (88) [-7]

82 Trinidad and Tobago, Port-of-Spain (135) [-53]

83 Czech Republic, Prague (21) [62]

84 Portugal, Lisbon (72) [12]

85 Canada, Calgary (219) [-134]

86 Australia, Perth (73) [13]

87 USA, Los Angeles Calif (68) [19]

88 Cote D'Ivoire, Abidjan (31) [57]

89 USA, Philadelphia Pa (79) [10]

90 Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou (121) [-31]

91 Ghana, Accra (115) [-24]

92 Lebanon, Beirut (122) [-30]

93 Sao Tome and Principe, Sao Tome (145) [-52]

94 Hungary, Budapest (9) [85]

95 USA, Washington DC (78) [17]

96 Sweden, Stockholm (51) [45]

97 Tuvalu, Funafuti (151) [-54]

98 USA, Baltimore Md (90) [8]

99 Cayman Islands, George Town (101) [-2]

100 Saudi Arabia, Riyadh (183) [-83]

101 Georgia Republic of, Tbilisi (127) [-26]

102 Sierra Leone, Freetown (106) [-4]

103 Andorra, Andorra la Vella (96) [7]

104 USA, San Diego Calif (83) [21]

105 Benin, Cotonou (55) [50]

106 Ukraine, Kiev (43) [63]

107 Canada, Montreal (117) [-10]

108 Greece, Athens (103) [5]

109 Barbados, Bridgetown (104) [5]

110 Israel, Jerusalem (119) [-9]

111 Colombia, Bogota (164) [-53]

112 China, Beijing (147) [-35]

113 Serbia, Belgrade (159) [-46]

114 Saint Helena, Jamestown (89) [25]

115 Lithuania, Vilnius (132) [-17]

116 USA, Seattle Wash (95) [21]

117 Gibraltar, Gibraltar (76) [41]

118 Kazakhstan, Almaty (81) [37]

119 Liberia, Monrovia (176) [-57]

120 USA, Miami Fla (110) [10]

121 Cape Verde, Praia (196) [-75]

122 Sudan, Khartoum (102) [20]

123 USA, Portland Ore (105) [18]

124 Samoa, Apia (138) [-14]

125 Kuwait, Kuwait City (181) [-56]

126 Martinique, Fort-de-France (142) [-16]

127 USA, Chicago Ill (108) [19]

128 Indonesia, Jakarta (130) [-2]

129 United Kingdom, Glasgow (91) [38]

130 India, Mumbai (171) [-41]

131 Mozambique, Maputo (136) [-5]

132 Jordan, Amman (123) [9]

133 Guam, Hagatna (161) [-28]

134 Latvia, Riga (143) [-9]

135 Montenegro, Podgorica (228) [-93]

136 Australia, Brisbane (120) [16]

137 Marshall Islands, Majuro (111) [26]

138 Puerto Rico, San Juan (153) [-15]

139 Moldova, Chisinau (114) [25]

140 Rwanda, Kigali (223) [-83]

141 Canada, Ottawa (150) [-9]

142 Niger, Niamey (93) [49]

143 Tanzania, Dar es Salaam (172) [-29]

144 Maldives, Male (190) [-46]

145 Seychelles, Victoria (129) [16]

146 USA, Jacksonville Fla (179) [-33]

147 New Zealand, Auckland (137) [10]

148 United Kingdom, Birmingham (116) [32]

149 USA, Dallas Tex (178) [-29]

150 USA, Tampa Fla (158) [-8]

151 USA, Cleveland Ohio (174) [-23]

152 USA, Atlanta GA (165) [-13]

153 Zambia, Lusaka (94) [59]

154 Slovenia, Ljubljana (149) [5]

155 Jamaica, Kingston (125) [30]

156 Grenada, Saint George's (134) [22]

157 India, New Delhi (206) [-49]

158 Mauritius, Port Louis (156) [2]

159 USA, Denver Colo (146) [13]

160 Cyprus, Nicosia (112) [48]

161 USA, Phoenix Ariz (155) [6]

162 India, Chennai (211) [-49]

163 Honduras, Tegucigalpa (217) [-54]

164 Somalia, Mogadishu (189) [-25]

165 Gambia, Banjul (99) [66]

166 Mexico, Mexico City (169) [-3]

167 USA, Milwaukee Wis (167) [0]

168 Antigua and Barbuda, Saint John's (200) [-32]

169 USA, Charlotte NC (191) [-22]

170 Philippines, Manila (126) [44]

171 USA, Pittsburgh Penn (184) [-13]

172 Romania, Bucharest (109) [63]

173 Botswana, Gaborone (195) [-22]

174 Bulgaria, Sofia (182) [-8]

175 Chile, Santiago (193) [-18]

176 Congo, Brazzaville (139) [37]

177 Afghanistan, Kabul (199) [-22]

178 India, Calcutta (220) [-42]

179 USA, Detroit Mich (175) [4]

180 Iran, Tehran (186) [-6]

181 Saint Kitts and Nevis, Basseterre (209) [-28]

182 USA, Austin Tex (177) [5]

183 Poland, Warsaw (25) [158]

184 Guinea, Conakry (124) [60]

185 India, Hyderabad (221) [-36]

186 USA, Columbus Ohio (170) [16]

187 China, Shanghai (226) [-39]

188 Syria, Damascus (227) [-39]

189 Equatorial Guinea, Malabo (107) [82]

190 Algeria, Algiers (118) [72]

191 Ethiopia, Addis Ababa (230) [-39]

192 USA, Fort Worth Tex (188) [4]

193 Armenia, Yerevan (140) [53]

194 USA, Las Vegas Nev (131) [63]

195 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Kingstown (218) [-23]

196 Australia, Adelaide (180) [16]

197 Myanmar, Yangon (152) [45]

198 Peru, Lima (203) [-5]

199 USA, Houston Tex (192) [7]

200 Guyana, Georgetown (225) [-25]

201 USA, San Antonio Tex (215) [-14]

202 Cuba, Havana (231) [-29]

203 Korea Democratic Republic of, Pyongyang (204) [-1]

204 Dominica, Roseau (222) [-18]

205 USA, Indianapolis Ind (187) [18]

206 Malawi, Lilongwe (208) [-2]

207 Madagascar, Antananarivo (157) [50]

208 Brunei, Bandar Seri Begawan (162) [46]

209 USA, St Louis MO (201) [8]

210 Thailand, Bangkok (144) [66]

211 Kosovo, Pristina (205) [6]

212 USA, El Paso Tex (197) [15]

213 USA, Memphis Tenn (210) [3]

214 Costa Rica, San Jose (240) [-26]

215 India, Bangalore (238) [-23]

216 Uruguay, Montevideo (163) [53]

217 Morocco, Rabat (166) [51]

218 Albania, Tirana (141) [77]

219 Belize, Belmopan (232) [-13]

220 Burundi, Bujumbura (213) [7]

221 Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo (235) [-14]

222 Nicaragua, Managua (233) [-11]

223 Vietnam, Hanoi (97) [126]

224 Panama, Panama City (224) [0]

225 Belarus, Minsk (207) [18]

226 Oman, Muscat (246) [-20]

227 Kenya, Nairobi (154) [73]

228 Mauritania, Nouakchott (194) [34]

229 Egypt, Cairo (241) [-12]

230 El Salvador, San Salvador (242) [-12]

231 Guatemala, Guatemala City (216) [15]

232 Namibia, Windhoek (251) [-19]

233 Saint Lucia, Castries (247) [-14]

234 Bangladesh, Dhaka (258) [-24]

235 Macedonia, Skopje (214) [21]

236 South Africa, Johannesburg (239) [-3]

237 Laos, Vientiane (229) [8]

238 South Africa, Pretoria (245) [-7]

239 Eritrea, Asmara (268) [-29]

240 Turkmenistan, Ashgabat (274) [-34]

241 Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur (202) [39]

242 Suriname, Paramaribo (237) [5]

243 Iraq, Baghdad (254) [-11]

244 Pakistan, Lahore (248) [-4]

245 China, Macao (261) [-16]

246 Bolivia, La Paz (260) [-14]

247 Fiji, Suva (148) [99]

248 Tunisia, Tunis (236) [12]

249 Pakistan, Islamabad (253) [-4]

250 China, Shenzhen (267) [-17]

251 Pakistan, Karachi (255) [-4]

252 Uganda, Kampala (198) [54]

253 Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo (263) [-10]

254 South Africa, Cape Town (250) [4]

255 Ecuador, Quito (264) [-9]

256 Lesotho, Maseru (256) [0]

257 Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek (212) [45]

258 China, Wuhan (270) [-12]

259 Paraguay, Asuncion (168) [91]

260 Nepal, Kathmandu (234) [26]

261 Sri Lanka, Colombo (252) [9]

262 Bhutan, Thimphu (259) [3]

263 Yemen, Sanaa (273) [-10]

264 Tajikistan, Dushanbe (249) [15]

265 Swaziland, Mbabane (243) [22]

266 Argentina, Buenos Aires (257) [9]

267 Uzbekistan, Tashkent (265) [2]

268 Libya, Tripoli (266) [2]

269 South Africa, Durban (262) [7]

270 Tonga, Nuku'Alofa (98) [172]

271 China, Dalian (269) [2]

272 Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar (244) [28]

273 China, Guangzhou (271) [2]

274 Cambodia, Phnom Penh (272) [2]

275 China, Tianjin (275) [0]

276 Zimbabwe, Harare (276) [0]







This article may be freely copied as long as reference is made to http://www.xpatulator.com/

Clothing International Cost of Living Rank

Clothing costs include clothing and footwear products such as business suits, casual clothing, children’s clothing and footwear, coats and hats, evening wear, shoe repairs, and underwear.








The October 2009 clothing international cost of living rank is as follows:







Rank Country, City



1 Croatia, Zagreb

2 Russia, Moscow

3 China, Beijing

4 United Arab Emirates, Dubai

5 Qatar, Doha

6 Bahrain, Manama

7 Slovakia, Bratislava

8 Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby

9 Angola, Luanda

10 Brazil, Brasilia

11 Slovenia, Ljubljana

12 New Caledonia, Noumea

13 Switzerland, Geneva

14 Chad, N'Djamena

15 Switzerland, Zurich

16 China, Shanghai

17 Austria, Vienna

18 Palau, Melekeok

19 Lebanon, Beirut

20 USA, San Francisco Calif

21 Denmark, Copenhagen

22 Liechtenstein, Vaduz

23 Belgium, Brussels

24 France, Paris

25 Samoa, Apia

26 United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi

27 Mexico, Mexico City

28 Netherlands, Amsterdam

29 Micronesia, Palikir

30 Djibouti, Djibouti

31 Monaco, Monaco

32 USA, Boston Mass

33 Jordan, Amman

34 Kuwait, Kuwait City

35 Greece, Athens

36 Czech Republic, Prague

37 Philippines, Manila

38 USA, Philadelphia Pa

39 Japan, Tokyo

40 San Marino, San Marino

41 Gambia, Banjul

42 Korea Republic of, Seoul

43 Nauru, Yaren

44 Luxembourg, Luxembourg

45 Italy, Milan

46 Canada, Toronto

47 Germany, Berlin

48 Georgia Republic of, Tbilisi

49 Portugal, Lisbon

50 USA, San Jose Calif

51 China, Shenzhen

52 Italy, Rome

53 Saudi Arabia, Riyadh

54 Canada, Vancouver

55 Germany, Bonn

56 Spain, Madrid

57 China, Wuhan

58 Uzbekistan, Tashkent

59 Hungary, Budapest

60 Ukraine, Kiev

61 Venezuela, Caracas

62 Belize, Belmopan

63 Germany, Frankfurt

64 Greenland, Nuuk

65 Cote D'Ivoire, Abidjan

66 USA, Austin Tex

67 Sudan, Khartoum

68 Peru, Lima

69 China, Hong Kong

70 USA, New York NY

71 Canada, Calgary

72 Bulgaria, Sofia

73 China, Dalian

74 USA, San Antonio Tex

75 Sweden, Stockholm

76 Jamaica, Kingston

77 Vanuatu, Port Vila

78 Colombia, Bogota

79 Estonia, Tallinn

80 Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur

81 Andorra, Andorra la Vella

82 Haiti, Port-au-Prince

83 Vatican City, Vatican City

84 Canada, Montreal

85 Kazakhstan, Almaty

86 Bermuda, Hamilton

87 Brunei, Bandar Seri Begawan

88 USA, Los Angeles Calif

89 Gabon, Libreville

90 Nigeria, Lagos

91 Taiwan, Taipei

92 China, Guangzhou

93 Gibraltar, Gibraltar

94 Togo, Lome

95 USA, Washington DC

96 Turkey, Ankara

97 Norway, Oslo

98 USA, Houston Tex

99 Finland, Helsinki

100 Cameroon, Douala

101 Cayman Islands, George Town

102 Azerbaijan, Baku

103 Kiribati, South Tarawa

104 Suriname, Paramaribo

105 USA, Miami Fla

106 Mauritius, Port Louis

107 Chile, Santiago

108 Equatorial Guinea, Malabo

109 Guinea-Bissau, Bissau

110 USA, San Diego Calif

111 Somalia, Mogadishu

112 Korea Democratic Republic of, Pyongyang

113 USA, Phoenix Ariz

114 Ireland, Dublin

115 USA, Jacksonville Fla

116 Mozambique, Maputo

117 Ethiopia, Addis Ababa

118 Tunisia, Tunis

119 Sao Tome and Principe, Sao Tome

120 USA, Detroit Mich

121 Canada, Ottawa

122 Senegal, Dakar

123 Australia, Sydney

124 USA, Baltimore Md

125 Romania, Bucharest

126 Cambodia, Phnom Penh

127 Guernsey, St Peter Port

128 USA, Tampa Fla

129 Barbados, Bridgetown

130 Thailand, Bangkok

131 Central African Republic, Bangui

132 Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou

133 Cameroon, Yaounde

134 USA, Atlanta GA

135 Moldova, Chisinau

136 China, Tianjin

137 Myanmar, Yangon

138 Congo, Brazzaville

139 United Kingdom, London

140 Jersey, Saint Helier

141 Egypt, Cairo

142 Comores, Moroni

143 Singapore, Singapore

144 USA, Cleveland Ohio

145 Iceland, Reykjavik

146 Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek

147 USA, Columbus Ohio

148 Sierra Leone, Freetown

149 Timor-Leste, Dili

150 Oman, Muscat

151 Isle of Man, Douglas

152 USA, Denver Colo

153 USA, Las Vegas Nev

154 Marshall Islands, Majuro

155 USA, Seattle Wash

156 USA, Portland Ore

157 Macedonia, Skopje

158 Australia, Melbourne

159 USA, Fort Worth Tex

160 Antigua and Barbuda, Saint John's

161 USA, Dallas Tex

162 Iran, Tehran

163 Australia, Canberra

164 Namibia, Windhoek

165 Cape Verde, Praia

166 Australia, Perth

167 Martinique, Fort-de-France

168 Lithuania, Vilnius

169 Malta, Velletta

170 China, Macao

171 USA, Memphis Tenn

172 Puerto Rico, San Juan

173 Rwanda, Kigali

174 Saint Kitts and Nevis, Basseterre

175 Panama, Panama City

176 Liberia, Monrovia

177 Bahamas, Nassau

178 Kosovo, Pristina

179 Ghana, Accra

180 USA, Charlotte NC

181 USA, El Paso Tex

182 Armenia, Yerevan

183 USA, Pittsburgh Penn

184 Morocco, Rabat

185 Falkland Islands, Stanley

186 Botswana, Gaborone

187 Costa Rica, San Jose

188 Saint Helena, Jamestown

189 Latvia, Riga

190 Maldives, Male

191 USA, Milwaukee Wis

192 Guam, Hagatna

193 South Africa, Johannesburg

194 Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo

195 Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo

196 Dominica, Roseau

197 USA, St Louis MO

198 Tuvalu, Funafuti

199 Indonesia, Jakarta

199 South Africa, Pretoria

201 Grenada, Saint George's

202 Honduras, Tegucigalpa

203 Montenegro, Podgorica

204 USA, Chicago Ill

205 Zambia, Lusaka

206 Bolivia, La Paz

207 Syria, Damascus

208 Australia, Brisbane

209 Nepal, Kathmandu

210 Madagascar, Antananarivo

211 New Zealand, Auckland

212 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Kingstown

213 Laos, Vientiane

214 Turkmenistan, Ashgabat

215 Cyprus, Nicosia

216 Kenya, Nairobi

217 Mauritania, Nouakchott

218 Niger, Niamey

219 South Africa, Cape Town

220 Swaziland, Mbabane

221 Iraq, Baghdad

222 United Kingdom, Glasgow

223 USA, Indianapolis Ind

224 Australia, Adelaide

225 Poland, Warsaw

226 Tonga, Nuku'Alofa

227 Saint Lucia, Castries

228 Lesotho, Maseru

229 South Africa, Durban

230 Fiji, Suva

231 United Kingdom, Birmingham

232 Serbia, Belgrade

233 El Salvador, San Salvador

234 Guatemala, Guatemala City

235 Albania, Tirana

236 Mali, Bamako

237 Israel, Jerusalem

238 Pakistan, Lahore

239 Eritrea, Asmara

240 Trinidad and Tobago, Port-of-Spain

241 Ecuador, Quito

242 Pakistan, Islamabad

243 Pakistan, Karachi

244 Cuba, Havana

245 Nicaragua, Managua

246 Uruguay, Montevideo

247 Afghanistan, Kabul

248 Vietnam, Hanoi

249 Bhutan, Thimphu

250 Benin, Cotonou

251 Tanzania, Dar es Salaam

252 Paraguay, Asuncion

253 Tajikistan, Dushanbe

254 India, Mumbai

255 Algeria, Algiers

256 Belarus, Minsk

257 India, New Delhi

258 India, Calcutta

259 Malawi, Lilongwe

260 Argentina, Buenos Aires

261 India, Chennai

262 Zimbabwe, Harare

263 Solomon Islands, Honiara

264 Libya, Tripoli

265 India, Bangalore

266 India, Hyderabad

267 Seychelles, Victoria

268 Guinea, Conakry

269 Guyana, Georgetown

270 Uganda, Kampala

271 Sri Lanka, Colombo

272 Burundi, Bujumbura

273 Congo Democratic Rep, Kinshasa

274 Yemen, Sanaa

275 Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar

276 Bangladesh, Dhaka











Xpatulator.com is the most comprehensive source of international cost of living index information. Our international cost of living calculator and cost of living allowance calculator are used for international cost of living comparison and calculation of cost of living allowance.







Our international cost of living index information, together with our hardship index information, and exchange rate differences are used to calculate what a person needs to earn in another location given the differences compared to their current location. The calculators assist in determining expatriate pay (expat pay), expatriate salary (expat salary) levels, international salary levels, international assignment salary levels, cost of living allowance (COLA) amounts, travel allowance amounts, international per diems, and any other calculations based on cost of living index, hardship index, and exchange rate information.







Our calculators provide detailed cost of living index information for 13 individual cost of living categories (basket groups) as well as the overall cost of living index.







Register, buy credits online and you can run the premium content calculators and receive your reports within minutes.







This article may be freely copied as long as reference is made to http://www.xpatulator.com/

The positives and negatives of moving internationally

This is a basic summary on the Positives and Negatives on moving from one place to another in our global world from someone who has been there and done it a couple of times. How to make the negatives positive and how to make the decision whether you are ready to leave your comfort zone or not, to have an adventure and enjoy it as such or not. To remember you are never alone on this journey of discovery.




1. You are able to live in a country with a different culture and if you embrace the culture and enjoy every aspect of it, you will enjoy your stay;

2. It is very interesting to see how different countries work, from government departments through to shops and even the traffic rules;

3. You get to explore a completely new environment and travel without it costing you a fortune;

4. You make new friends from all over the world, as an expat you will become part of an expat community and this community will tell you where to go, travel and visit;

5. Then there is the local community and if you are working with locals, they will do the same thing, tell you where to go to experience the local community;

6. Usually you get to earn a better salary than in your country of origin, so save save save;

7. It is also not unusual, when accepting a job through an overseas company that many of the normal day to day expenses are paid for, such as accommodation, transport, medical and schooling; and many others that are taken care of;

8. If you have children they will have the opportunity of getting an international schooling and become global citizens of the world;

9. Many people are never given the opportunity to move around the world, this is such a wonderful opportunity to teach your children how to cope in different situations, travel and cope in airports, embrace other cultures and generally survive a different lifestyle;

10. You learn to take baby steps, accept how things work or don’t, not to sweat the small stuff and become accepting of situations, people and places iow to chill. All of the above can teach you a lot about yourself.





So what about the negatives….it is so normal for us humans to always potentially look at the negative side before we look at the positives and we tend to always find so many more negatives. So here is my list…but with positives to go with them:



1. Packing your entire life to move or store, probably the worst part of moving, you need to decide what to keep or sell or give away or throw away; positively it’s a great opportunity to get rid of junk!

2. Unpacking, ditto to the above….

3. Leaving your family and friends behind which under any situation is difficult; positively the world is such a small place now that between email, blogs and skype they are always only a pc away. Plus with air travel it is easy to get home very very quickly;

4. The language differences can result in misunderstandings and things not getting done in the way you would have done them in your own country, positively this teaches us patience and English is a fairly universal language;

5. You will have to go through all the processes of getting Visa’s, Residence Permits, sometimes even going through medicals, driving tests, finger printing, etc (depending on the country you are going to) which can be incredibly frustrating, but this is the way that the country you are moving to can keep tabs on who is coming and going from their country. Positively, it should make you feel safer knowing that they are checking on who is entering, that these people are responsible citizens of the world and have no criminal records, etc.

6. It will be hard for the family to settle, everything is different and unusual if you have gone to a culture very different from your own, even if it is similar it is still different; talk to the family, let everyone express how they are feeling, be understanding of each others’ moods and positively it gets the family talking;

7. New routines, a new school, a new office, new friends; and all of these take time; but all the above have the word new in so that is positive….

8. Moving countries is one of the top 3 most stressful situations a person can be in, but how you handle it will result in how well your health copes with the move; remember to always think about (perhaps even list) the reasons you made the decision to move (make sure it is a decision that has been made by the family) and hang on to all those positives, you are going to hit rough patches and you are going to need all your positive lists to get through certain stages and times of the move.



So not too bad, I love being a citizen of the world, I love knowing that I have gone through this process, that I can do it, that I can be positive, that I can meet some fantastic people that are different to me, that life is bigger than just my small little world….



If you are thinking about moving, think of the positives and negatives that it will create in your life and if you can cope especially with the negatives, go for it! Have an adventure!







This article may be freely copied as long as reference is made to http://www.xpatulator.com/

Why are Expatriates paid differently to local people?

Most countries have a two tier Pay Market. The two distinct pay markets are typically an Expatriate Market and a Local Market.




The Expatriate Market is largely determined by the origin of each Expatriate. It is quite normal to have considerable differences between Expatriates doing exactly the same job, in the same country. These differences are largely caused by three factors:



The Cost of Living difference between the Home Country (country of origin) and Host Country (where they work)

The Relative Hardship difference between Home and Host Country. For example, ,moving to a country where more day to day hardship will be experienced, would normally result in more pay to compensate for the hardship

The Exchange Rate difference between the Home and Host Country

On the other hand the Local Market is largely determined by local supply and demand for skills.



Depending on a number of factors, such as the availability of skills, rate of economic growth, and the type of economy, the percentage of expatriates versus locally employed people will vary.



Expatriate Pay is typically calculated by using the Expatriates salary in their Home Country as the start point and by calculating an appropriate salary in the Host Country using the Cost of Living difference, relative hardship, and exchange rate. This is either done using a company in-house policy or using an international relocation calculator.



Local Pay is typically determined by the prevailing market salary levels. These salary levels are typically reported in salary surveys run by independent Remuneration Consultancies.



We can conclude therefore that Expatriate Pay is primarily determined by factors outside the host country as well as differences between the host country and the Expatriate's home country. Local Pay is primarily determined by factors within the country, such as strength of the economy and the supply and demand for skills.







About The Author: Steven Coleman runs the most comprehensive international relocation calculator available, an internet service that is used primarily to calculate expatriate salary levels for international assignments, which can be found at http://www.xpatulator.com





This article may be freely copied as long as reference is made to http://www.xpatulator.com/

Do Expatriates experience hardship?

Does an Expatriate and their family experience any hardship? First impressions can be misleading. Many Expatriates accept an overseas position with high expectations of a better quality life, luxury accommodation, and the excitement of new experiences.




The reality is that many Expatriates are disappointed with the reality versus the expectation of their living and working experience. Once they settle in to their new environment, hardship, over which they have very little control often appear. Hardship is the relative difference in the quality of living a person and their family will experience and the relative impact on their lifestyle when moving between different locations. Factors include-:



Economic Differences: Such as moving from a First-World location with little poverty and high levels of service provision to a Third-World location where poverty may be prevalent and services intermittent or unavailable



Political Differences: Such as moving from a liberal western life style where diverse views are tolerated to a highly regulated life style where conformity is expected



Religious Differences: Such as moving from an environment where your religion is dominant, to a location where your religion is potentially seen with suspicion



Public Service Differences: Such as moving from an environment where water, electricity, sanitation, work permits etc are easily accessible, fast and efficient to one where services are not reliable, where administration requires a great deal of your time in poorly maintained offices potentially exposed to corrupt officials



Environment/Climate Differences: Such as moving from a mild climate to one of extreme weather such as very hot or very cold locations



Personal Safety Differences: Such as moving from a safe secure environment where you can walk the streets in safety to an environment where you require security (armed response, expensive insurance, high walls electric fences etc) and where it may not be safe to walk outdoors alone



Health Differences: Such as moving from an environment where vaccines and health standards have eradicated most disease to an environment where health standards are poor, and life threatening viral outbreaks common



Education Differences: Such as moving from an environment where state education standards are high, pupils are taught in their mother-tongue, and schools are close to home to an environment where state school standards are poor and in a different language requiring attendance at an international school which can be expensive and require daily travel



Transportation Differences: Such as moving from a location where public transport is freely available and efficient, to a location where it is unreliable and may not be safe to use.



In assessing how much to pay an Expatriate, it is important to take into account the relative hardship, in terms of quality of living conditions between locations, and assesses the relative level of difficulty that will be experienced in adapting to a new location.







About The Author: Steven Coleman runs the most comprehensive international relocation calculator available, an internet service that is used primarily to calculate expatriate salary levels for international assignments, which can be found at http://www.xpatulator.com





This article may be freely copied as long as reference is made to http://www.xpatulator.com/

The Secret to Moving

The biggest secret I have found to moving is to stay calm, my stomach always used to churn every time my husband would say: “Let’s look at moving to London, Perth, Colorado….” I would have this rush in the pit of my stomach and wonder how we were going to cope with the challenge.




Now, I take it one step at a time. What do we do first, what do we need to know before we make the decision, how does the family feel about a new culture, different schools, a new home and most importantly new friends.



So, where do we start? Usually with the most important questions, why are we moving and do we really want to change from our comfort zone, once you have been able to answer these questions and you have more positives about leaving than staying (and the answer to this could be as simple as being offered a job in a new country), then you need to start researching the place you are moving to.



Questions start surfacing such as will we fit in and be happy in a new country, what is the education like, medical facilities, culture, politics, housing, work conditions, transport and entertainment? How many expats like ourselves will be living there, will our life be normal or will we have to adjust too extremely, and are we happy to do this?



This is where I start searching the internet, www.wikipedia.com is a great site to get an overall overview on any country in the world and it will cover all the basic factual information for you, including geographical location, population, historical background, religion, culture, education, economic situation and political info.



On getting a basic understanding of a country, I would then start looking at government sites and gathering information about the ease of moving to this country. What is required from a governmental legal perspective, including visa’s, whether a spouse can work on entry, how long a spouse needs to wait before starting to work, what legal rights do you have in the country, can you take your pets with and how does this work, what furniture can you take with (some countries do not allow wooden furniture into a country if it has not been treated) these government sites will cover any and all questions of this nature for you.



Finally and probably more importantly are the forums and blogs you can find, where expats can inform you of what to expect and you can ask any question and expect an honest answer. These sites can come across with mixed emotions from people who are enjoying the move and loving the country to those who hate every minute of their stay. The relevant question to ask here is why….why are they enjoying or hating it and then make your own decision?



The above would be the questions that I would want answered, as the spouse that stays at home and cares for the children, however bread winner wants a different question answered. They want to know what they should be earning in the new country and this is where xpatulator.com can be relevant to you. Xpatulator gives you the answers you are looking for dependant on the questions you answer in the Cost of Living Calculator. It will determine what your salary in the new country should be to maintain your standard of living, and at the end of the day as the spouse that stays at home you need to know these answers as well.



Why, you may ask? Because $200 000 may sound like a fabulous salary, however if your cost of living in the country you are moving too is extremely high, it may not cover your costs on a monthly basis. With the calculator, you can determine whether or not you will be able to afford to live in the new country. The calculator will work out the salary you should be earning if you have to cover all costs, or if your company will cover some of those costs for you. They also cover the Negative Cost of Living and Negative Hardship. What are these you ask with horror? Negative Cost of Living refers to a location that has a lower cost of living than the country you are living in and selecting to use this will result in a proportional decrease in the salary required e.g. if you had to move from London to Zimbabwe you will find the cost of living will be lower (negative difference). Negative Hardship refers to less hardship in the new location e.g. if you had to move from Zimbabwe to London you will find that your quality of living will be easier (negative difference).



So before you disregard the importance of what you need to earn when moving to a new country, take all aspects into account. At the end of the day what you will earn, will determine the school, home, medical facilities and entertainment you will be able to afford. So the secret to moving from one country to another, may be your emotional stability and happiness in the new location, however this is often determined by how much money is sitting in your bank account.







About The Author: Steven Coleman runs the most comprehensive international relocation calculator available, an internet service that is used primarily to calculate expatriate salary levels for international assignments, which can be found at http://www.xpatulator.com





This article may be freely copied as long as reference is made to http://www.xpatulator.com/

Expatriate Pay Philosophy

Organisations spend insufficient time creating a well designed expatriate remuneration strategy and policy. This is dangerous given that the highest employee turnover is at the beginning and end of international assignments, indicating a lack of integration of expatriate pay philosophy with the broader organisational pay philosophy.








The remuneration of expatriates often tends to be a rushed last minute decision due to urgent operational requirements. The resulting implications often only arise after the expatriate arrives in the host country, and when the assignment comes to an end. For example, the post assignment position back in the home country pays less than the expatriate earned on assignment.







Inconsistent treatment of expatriates quickly leads to unhappy expatriates. Once an organisation has more than 1 or 2 expatriates in the field it becomes vital to have a defendable expatriate pay philosophy in place. This philosophy should clearly convey the organisation's remuneration principles regarding expatriate assignments. An expatriate assignment pay philosophy is intended to provide guidance in the consistent and equitable treatment of all expatriates and forms the basis of the organisation's expatriate pay policy.







Most large global organisations have over time established a clear policy for remunerating expatriates. This is often a legacy policy, where past practice has become policy. However expatriate pay is a complex area of remuneration with complex issues such as volatile exchange rates, weak and strong currencies, constantly changing differences in cost of living between countries, different tax regimes, as well as the reality that there are attractive and not so attractive countries to work and live in. This is an area where a clear philosophy and an aligned practical policy are required to ensure attraction, fairness, equity, motivation and retention.







Firstly let's deal with what makes an employee an expatriate. In my view an expatriate is a person working in a foreign country, where they are not permanently resident, on an assignment of typically not more than 3-5 years but is a citizen from another country. There are as many different expatriate pay practices as there are organisations employing expatriates. However we can identify at least four broad approaches to expatriate pay that has emerged as the dominant philosophies underlying expatriate pay.







Salary Build-Up (SBU)



The Salary Build-Up approach uses the current market related home salary as the base for calculating the expatriate package. Home in this case is the country where the employee permanently resides or is a citizen. The purpose of the build-up approach is to maintain internal equity between countries and to equalise the impact of differences between country tax rates. This ensures that expatriates neither lose nor gain as a result of tax treatment in the host country.







The Salary Build-Up approach typically involves deducting hypothetical tax in the home country, and builds on top of the home salary with an international premium (to compensate for hardship experienced), cost living index and the exchange rate to calculate a total net (i.e. after tax) assignment package.







The net assignment package is then "grossed up" in the host country for local tax and other statutory and non-statutory deductions to ensure the net pay assignment package is paid to the expatriate.







Salary Purchasing Power Parity (SPPP)



The Salary Purchasing Power Parity approach uses the principle of putting all expatriates within the organisation on an equal footing regardless of nationality and geographical location. The purpose of the SPPP approach is to ensure parity in the level of the purchasing power of the salary of expatriates doing the same job at the same level in different parts of the world, taking hardship, cost of living, and exchange rate differences into account.







This approach is typically used by global organisations that have a large number of expatriates, who move from one international assignment to another and compete globally for skills. Organisations using the SPPP approach typically establish a single global pay scale which is often by default that of the global headquarters country. The expatriate's salary is calculated by adding calculated additional amounts for the hardship, cost of living, and exchange rate differential between the global headquarters (home) and the host country.







The assignment package is then taxed in the host country and other statutory and non-statutory deductions made to arrive at the net pay assignment package paid to the expatriate.







Cost of Living Allowance (COLA)



The Cost of Living Allowance approach uses the principle of retaining the expatriate's home salary and paying an additional separate allowance, primarily for cost of living, but also for hardship based on the differences between the home location and the host location. The purpose of the COLA is to ensure parity in the level of the purchasing power of expatriates doing the same job at the same level in different parts of the world, taking hardship, cost of living, and exchange rate differences into account by paying a cost of allowance to compensate for the differences. At the end of the assignment the COLA falls away.







This approach is typically used by global international organisations that have a large number of expatriates, who move from one international assignment to another and compete globally for skills. Organisations using the COLA approach typically have country level pay scales. The expatriate's COLA is calculated by adding calculated additional amounts for the hardship, cost of living, and exchange rate differential between the home country and the host country.







The assignment package is then taxed in the host country and other statutory and non-statutory deductions made to arrive at the net pay assignment package paid to the expatriate.







Local Market (LM)



The Local Market approach uses the principle of applying the local (i.e. host country) expatriate market pay rates. In many organisations the policy is to use the better of the Build-Up or the Local Market approaches, to ensure that the assignment package is equitable and competitive in the host market.







Due to the need for market data, the Local Market approach is typically only used where a strong local and / or expatriate market exists in the host country, and reliable salary surveys exist that accurately report the level of market salary for different positions. For example, take an organisation sending an expatriate from an economically poor, relatively low salary market country, to a city such as New York. It is likely that having used the home base salary as the basis of the calculation, that the resulting total assignment package will be significantly lower than the New York Salary Market. This would occur even after adding an international premium (to compensate for hardship experienced), and a cost living amount (to compensate for the higher cost of living in New York) as well as applying the exchange rate. The reason is that the market level of home base salary in an economically poor country is so much lower than the equivalent market salary in New York.







The Local Market approach is typically used in high economic growth and high cost of living countries where demand for skills is high and there are a large number of expatriates comprising many nationalities such as the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong or Singapore.







In conclusion it is important to ask questions about your current expatriate pay philosophy. Does your current expatriate pay philosophy drive the desired behaviour? Is the current policy and practice aligned to organisational objectives? Does the current policy work for or against the organisation achieving its global objectives?







We recommend a regular review of organisational expatriate pay philosophy in light of what the organisation seeks to achieve and where it operates geographically, whilst ensuring integration with the other pay related strategies of the organisation.









About The Author: Steven Coleman runs the most comprehensive international relocation calculator available, an internet service that is used primarily to calculate expatriate salary levels for international assignments, which can be found at http://www.xpatulator.com







This article may be freely copied as long as reference is made to http://www.xpatulator.com/

Expatriate Salary Purchasing Power Parity

The core strategy driving expatriate pay programs globally is the principle of protecting an employees’ domestic income and spending power, irrespective of global location. How to achieve this has been an issue many organizations spend considerable time on.




Exchange rates are volatile as they are based on short-term factors and are subject to substantial distortions from speculative movements and government interventions. In the short term, exchange rates, even when averaged over a period of time such as a year, are not a good measure of the comparative value of a salary in relation to its comparative international purchasing power. In the short to medium term at least, apparent changes in the comparative level of remuneration between one country and another may be principally a function of changes in the exchange rate.



In response to this Steven Coleman developed an on-line tool to calculate the salary purchasing power parities (SPPP's) for every country in the world. In simple terms the salary purchasing power parity is the rate of salary purchasing power that equalizes the purchasing power of different currencies, given the relative cost of the same basket of goods at the exchange rate versus one US Dollar. This means that a given salary, when converted into different currencies at the SPPP rates, will buy the same basket of goods and services in all countries.



The basket of goods and services used in SPPP calculations is derived on an International basis and includes certain items often excluded from expatriate cost of living data (most notably housing costs), however any or all of the 13 basket groups can be included or excluded from a calculation. SPPP's provide a reasonably good picture of the differences in standards of living for individual’s resident and paid in different countries.



Internationally comparable data are crucial to forming sustainable expatriate pay policies and monitoring progress. Market exchange rates give misleading comparisons because they do not reflect salary purchasing power differences. Salary Purchasing Power Parities account for price differences between countries and so measure real quantities.



By establishing salary purchasing power equivalence, where one dollar salary purchases the same quantity of goods and services in all countries, SPPP conversions allow cross-country comparisons of salary levels free of salary survey market and exchange rate distortions.





About The Author: Steven Coleman runs the most comprehensive international relocation calculator available, an internet service that is used primarily to calculate expatriate salary levels for international assignments, which can be found at http://www.xpatulator.com





This article may be freely copied as long as reference is made to http://www.xpatulator.com/

Moving to a new Country, How to cope

Having experienced a couple of country moves I can give you a few tips. Everything I wrote before on researching the country on websites, joining blogs and finding out whether your salary is going to cover your cost of living, are all relevant. What I want to do is take you through the process of moving. If you are being hired by a company who are going to help you move, life is going to be a lot easier. If however, you are going to be doing this on your own you need to prepare yourself for a little work. Firstly, find out what you need from a documentation point of view to get into the new country. 1. Do you need a visa, which type of visa will you need (working, spousal, minor children, etc) for each member of the family and start preparing the documentation for them. 2. Documents could include Unabridged birth certificates, ID documents, Passports, Passport Photos, Marriage Certificate, each country has its own requirements. Some countries require a police / criminal clearance. Find out either from the government website or the embassy in your country as to what you need, or alternatively find an agency that can do it all for you. An agency will let you know what you need to get and can assist you in obtaining the relevant documents. Secondly, what will you need to do when you get to the new country. 1. You will need to find a place to stay in the interim, open a bank account, organise a post box, transport, etc, so you need to find out what you need to have to do these. Do you need to keep certified copies of your passport or bank statements, etc? 2. Will you need to go through medicals for any reason, do you need to take any medical records with you? 3. How do you set up your medical aid, life insurance, buy or rent a property, get a phone installed??? Once again if you are moving with a company all of this will be a lot easier, as you will always have someone to facilitate you with the processes, but moving to a foreign country where everything is different could take its toll. Sometimes the best advice is just to ask.




Thirdly, prepare yourself for the move. 1. Start planning, make a list of everything you need to do. 2. Our list consisted of the following: a. Plan the day you are going to fly out and book the tickets, this date will determine all the below dates. First ensure that you have all documentation required before booking your tickets. b. List all accounts that need to be paid or cancelled and the dates that this needs to be completed by e.g. Medical Aid, Security company, Car insurance, Telephone account, Internet account, Post box, Clothing accounts, etc. c. Decide what to do with your bank account, and all the cards attached to it. Do you want to keep your account open and keep all the cards, or just keep 1 card? Remember the bank charges that you will need to pay monthly and that you will have 2 sets of bank accounts if you do keep it open. However, it could be worthwhile so that you have money available and cards that you can use. d. What are you going to do with your car/s, house, other assets, furniture, even down to your clothes - if you are going to sell them start planning what to sell, how much for and how you need to go about doing this, with deadline dates. Alternatively you can store your belongings. e. If you require to give someone power of attorney to sell anything or do any other legal work for you, decide on who you would want to do this for you and how to go about doing it. Your bank can normally assist you in this process. f. Decide what you want to do with your Life policies, Retirement annuities, or any other policy or investment you have made, your broker can help you with these decisions. g. When are you going to tell everyone about this decision you have made, do you have to resign from a job before you go and when do you need to let them know, plan your decision carefully as you don't want to leave with any problems. h. Do you employ anyone, start planning how to tell them you are leaving, what they need to be paid, is there a retrenchment package attached, write referral letters, do you need to write letters to any government departments to inform them of the change in status of your employee and leave with everyone happy. i. If you are taking any personal belongings with you start getting quotes from removal companies and make a decision on who to go with. Get at least 5 quotes to be objective and ensure you are comfortable with the service, and get referrals. j. Are you taking animals with you? If so do the same as above. Find out whether there are any special requirements you need to take into account when taking your animals with you. Do you need to keep them in quarantine and if so for how long, what documentation do you need to get for them and vaccinations? k. Organise someone to take you to the airport. l. Check on how you are all feeling, how are the kids doing and how do they feel about the move. Talk about it and let the kids know what is happening. m. Have a farewell party for all of you, the kids and their friends and you and your friends. There needs to be some form of closure, and it will make you feel just how special all the people in your life are and how special you are to them. n. Remember to keep contact details close at hand of everyone that is important to you. o. See if you can find a personal relocator in the country you are moving too, they can be of great help too.



I hope this helps in the process required to relocate. It can be daunting and unsettling, or an adventure, you need to decide how to perceive the move. In my next article, I will write about settling in and the processes you need to go through to do this.







This article may be freely copied as long as reference is made to http://www.xpatulator.com/