Vancouver and Toronto are the most expensive cities in Canada for expatriates, according to Mercer’s 2018 cost of living survey released June 26.
Mercer’s global ranking looks at 209 cities around the world and compares the costs of more than 200 items in each region, including housing, transportation, food, clothing, entertainment and household goods.
Vancouver and Toronto come in at number 109 globally. Toronto jumped 10 spots over the past year because of an increase in housing costs. Vancouver was Canada’s most expensive city last year, ranking at number 107 worldwide.
“While Toronto’s cost of living ranking has risen, this year’s results – combined with the results of Mercer’s annual quality of living survey released earlier this year – show that Canadian cities provide a world-class quality of living at a relatively moderate cost,” said Mercer Canada partner and career business leader Gordon Frost.
“This is a significant strength for Canada and Canadian companies as we compete for top talent in a highly competitive global economy and prepare for the workforce of the future.”
The least expensive cities in Canada are Ottawa, Calgary and Montreal.
Several U.S. cities were more expensive than Vancouver and Toronto in this year’s survey, with New York City taking top spot, followed by San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago.
The 10 most expensive cities in the world in 2018 are, according to the survey:
1. Hong Kong;
2. Tokyo, Japan;
3. Zurich, Switzerland;
4. Singapore;
5. Seoul, Korea;
6. Luanda, Angola;
7. Shanghai, China;
8. Ndjamena, Chad;
9. Beijing, China; and
10. Bern, Switzerland.
@EmmaHampelBIV
