Cost of Living - America July 2012

The oil rich countries of Venezuela and Brazil are the most expensive places to live for expatriates in the Americas. Caracas is the Americas most expensive place to live in July 2012, both overall and based on the cost of living excluding the housing, education, healthcare and transport baskets. Caracas is followed by Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

The most worlds most expensive place to live, based on the overall cost of living, encompassing all cost of living baskets is Hong Kong having overtaken Tokyo to top the latest international cost of living rankings. Moscow is the most worlds most expensive place to live in July 2012 based on the cost of living excluding the housing, education, healthcare and transport baskets. Many companies cover these costs on behalf of the employee while on international assignments.

The rankings are based on data collected for 780 international locations, covering every country world-wide.

The cost of living (COL) data collected is representative of an expatriate lifestyle. The components of the COL data are local prices for fixed quantities of the same goods and services in each location, local inflation and exchange rates. Prices in each location are affected by availability (i.e. supply & demand) as well as local pricing regulations and taxes on goods and services (e.g.premiums on luxury brands). Local inflation is usually representative of local price increases which in turn impacts an expatriates purchasing power in the host country. The exchange rate impacts both the price of imports to the host country and the expatriate assignment salary calculation between the home and host country. The cost of living has a significant impact on the purchasing power of an expatriate’s salary package.

Caracas, which is the 5th most expensive place in the world to live, has an overall cost of living index of 135.70. The overall global most expensive place to live, Hong Kong has an overall cost of living index of 149.14, followed by Tokyo with 142.12, and Zurich with 137.12. The overall index is comprised of 13 different basket groups. The assumption using the overall index is that everything is paid from the salary package. In addition, the cost of living calculations are weighted according to typical monthly international expatriate spending patterns. The Household Accommodation Basket for example, has a weighting of 30%, while the Groceries Basket has a weighting of 16.5%. That means that an international expatriate who, for example, earns 10,000 would typically spend 3,000 (30% of 10,000) on housing and 1,650 on groceries.

To provide an assignee, sent from a low cost of living country to a more expensive country, with a similar purchasing power to what they have in their home country, requires an adjustment to their assignment salary. The amount of adjustment depends on which country they come from. The larger the difference in cost of living, the larger the adjustment required to ensure a similar level of purchasing power in the host country.

Caracas is particularly expensive for clothing, education and groceries. For example a litre of milk costs around 1.50 USD and a loaf of white bread 1.80 USD in Caracas compared to 0.90 GBP / 1.40 USD and 1.03 GBP / 1.62 USD respectively in London. Not everything in Caracas is expensive. For example a litre of petrol which costs around 0.13 USD in Caracas, costs around 1.02 USD in New York.

Sao Paulo is particularly expensive for clothing, furniture, appliances, and personal care. In addition a litre of petrol/gasoline costs around 1.45 USD in Sao Paulo compared to 0.60 in Luanda, 0.47 in Abu Dhabi and 0.27 USD in Doha.

Cost of Living Rank - The Americas Locations - Overall Cost of Living & All Baskets (Highest to Lowest):

1. Venezuela, Caracas
2. Brazil, Sao Paulo
3. Brazil, Rio de Janeiro
4. USA, New York (Manhattan) NY
5. Brazil, Brasilia
6. USA, New York (Brooklyn) NY
7. Canada, Toronto
8. USA, Honolulu HI
9. Canada, Vancouver
10. Canada, Edmonton
11. Canada, Calgary
12. USA, New York (Queens) NY
13. USA, San Jose CA
14. USA, San Francisco CA
15. Canada, Montreal
16. USA, New York NY
17. Brazil, Belo Horizonte
18. Bahamas, Nassau
19. USA, Nassau County NY
20. Haiti, Port-au-Prince
21. Barbados, Bridgetown
22. Canada, Ottawa
23. Brazil, Fortaleza
24. Falkland Islands, Stanley
25. USA, Orange County CA
26. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Kingstown
27. Saint Kitts and Nevis, Basseterre
28. Brazil, Salvador
29. Grenada, Saint George's
30. Cayman Islands, George Town
31. USA, Oakland CA
32. USA, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA
33. USA, Anchorage AK
34. Martinique, Fort-de-France
35. USA, Los Angeles-Long Beach CA
36. Antigua and Barbuda, Saint John's
37. Sao Tome and Principe, Sao Tome
38. USA, Boston MA
39. Bermuda, Hamilton
40. USA, San Diego CA
41. USA, Bergen-Passaic NJ
42. USA, Philadelphia PA
43. Mexico, Monterrey
44. Jamaica, Kingston
45. Trinidad and Tobago, Port-of-Spain
46. USA, Hartford CT
47. USA, Middlesex-Monmouth NJ
48. USA, New Haven CT
49. Uruguay, Montevideo
50. USA, Seattle WA
51. Mexico, Mexico City
52. USA, Fresno CA
53. Puerto Rico, San Juan
54. USA, Amarillo TX
55. USA, Chicago IL
56. Mexico, Puebla
57. USA, Dutchess County NY
58. Mexico, Tijuana
59. USA, Sacramento CA
60. Dominica, Roseau
61. USA, Burlington-Chittenden Co VT
62. USA, Baltimore MD
63. Mexico, Leon
64. Mexico, Toluca
65. Chile, Santiago
66. USA, Portland ME
67. USA, Fort Lauderdale FL
68. Saint Lucia, Castries
69. Mexico, Guadalajara
70. Guadeloupe, Basse-Terre
71. USA, Riverside City CA
72. Colombia, Bogota
73. USA, Manchester NH
74. Peru, Lima
75. USA, Hampton Roads-SE Virginia VA
76. USA, Portland OR
77. Cuba, Havana
78. USA, St. Paul MN
79. USA, Minneapolis MN
80. USA, Eugene OR
81. USA, Miami-Dade County FL
82. USA, Albany NY
83. USA, Bakersfield CA
84. USA, Richmond VA
85. USA, Lancaster PA
86. Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo
87. USA, Phoenix AZ
88. USA, Sarasota FL
89. USA, Las Vegas NV
90. USA, Cleveland OH
91. USA, Indianapolis IN
92. USA, Reno-Sparks NV
93. USA, Akron OH
94. USA, Milwaukee-Waukesha WI
95. USA, Rochester NY
96. USA, Denver CO
97. USA, Asheville NC
98. USA, Gainesville FL
99. USA, Columbia SC
100. USA, Binghamton NY
101. USA, Wilmington NC
102. USA, Detroit MI
103. USA, York County PA
104. Guyana, Georgetown
105. USA, Montgomery AL
106. USA, Boise ID
107. USA, Raleigh NC
108. USA, Plano TX
109. USA, Durham NC
110. Argentina, Buenos Aires
111. USA, Charleston SC
112. French Guiana, Cayenne
113. USA, Salt Lake City UT
114. USA, Bradenton FL
115. USA, Orlando FL
116. USA, Evansville IN
117. USA, Cape Coral-Fort Myers FL
118. USA, Fayetteville NC
119. Panama, Panama City
120. USA, Davenport-Moline-Rock Is IA-IL
121. USA, Tucson AZ
122. USA, Myrtle Beach SC
123. USA, Spokane WA
124. USA, Kansas City MO
125. USA, Green Bay WI
126. USA, Jackson MS
127. USA, Rockford IL
128. USA, Appleton WI
129. USA, Austin TX
130. USA, Arlington TX
131. Costa Rica, San Jose
132. USA, Pittsburgh PA
133. USA, Jacksonville FL
134. USA, Atlanta GA
135. USA, Augusta GA
136. USA, Little Rock-North Little Rock AR
137. USA, Tampa FL
138. USA, Lincoln NE
139. USA, Cincinnati OH
140. USA, Fort Wayne-Allen County IN
141. USA, Columbus OH
142. USA, Kennewick-Richland-Pasco WA
143. USA, Buffalo NY
144. USA, Baton Rouge LA
145. USA, Dallas TX
146. USA, Charlotte NC
147. USA, Savannah GA
148. USA, Erie PA
149. USA, Mobile AL
150. USA, Colorado Springs CO
151. USA, Kalamazoo MI
152. El Salvador, San Salvador
153. USA, Charleston WV
154. Paraguay, Asuncion
155. USA, Shreveport-Bossier City LA
156. USA, Cedar Rapids IA
157. USA, Roanoke VA
158. USA, El Paso TX
159. USA, St. Louis MO
160. USA, San Antonio TX
161. USA, Greenville SC
162. USA, Dayton OH
163. USA, Martinsburg-Berkeley County WV
164. USA, Midland TX
165. USA, Wichita KS
166. USA, Fayetteville AR
167. USA, Fort Worth TX
168. USA, Lexington KY
169. USA, South Bend IN
170. USA, Huntsville AL
171. USA, Chattanooga TN
172. USA, Oklahoma City OK
173. USA, Des Moines IA
174. USA, Houston TX
175. USA, Youngstown-Warren OH
176. USA, Birmingham AL
177. Guatemala, Guatemala City
178. USA, Omaha NE
179. USA, Clarksville TN
180. USA, Winston-Salem NC
181. USA, Corpus Christi TX
182. USA, Brazoria County TX
183. USA, Tulsa OK
184. Argentina, Cordoba
185. USA, Springfield MO
186. USA, Memphis TN
187. USA, Lubbock TX
188. Suriname, Paramaribo
189. USA, Murfreesboro-Smyrna TN
190. USA, Louisville KY
191. USA, Knoxville TN
192. USA, Brownsville TX
193. USA, Johnson City TN
194. Honduras, Tegucigalpa
195. USA, McAllen TX
196. USA, Nashville-Franklin TN
197. USA, Fort Smith AR
198. Belize, Belmopan
199. USA, Harlingen TX
200. Ecuador, Quito
201. Bolivia, La Paz
202. Nicaragua, Managua
203. Argentina, Rosario

Cost of Living Rank - The Americas Locations - Excluding Housing, Education, Healthcare and Transport Baskets (Highest to Lowest):

1. Venezuela, Caracas
2. Brazil, Sao Paulo
3. Brazil, Rio de Janeiro
4. USA, New York (Manhattan) NY
5. Brazil, Brasilia
6. USA, New York (Brooklyn) NY
7. USA, Honolulu HI
8. Canada, Toronto
9. USA, New York (Queens) NY
10. Canada, Vancouver
11. USA, San Francisco CA
12. Canada, Calgary
13. USA, New York NY
14. USA, San Jose CA
15. Brazil, Belo Horizonte
16. Canada, Edmonton
17. Canada, Montreal
18. USA, Nassau County NY
19. Sao Tome and Principe, Sao Tome
20. Barbados, Bridgetown
21. USA, Anchorage AK
22. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Kingstown
23. Brazil, Salvador
24. USA, Oakland CA
25. Mexico, Monterrey
26. Cayman Islands, George Town
27. Bahamas, Nassau
28. Saint Kitts and Nevis, Basseterre
29. Canada, Ottawa
30. USA, Orange County CA
31. Brazil, Fortaleza
32. Haiti, Port-au-Prince
33. Grenada, Saint George's
34. USA, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA
35. USA, Philadelphia PA
36. USA, Boston MA
37. Mexico, Mexico City
38. Chile, Santiago
39. USA, Los Angeles-Long Beach CA
40. USA, Bergen-Passaic NJ
41. Colombia, Bogota
42. Martinique, Fort-de-France
43. USA, Hartford CT
44. Mexico, Toluca
45. Bermuda, Hamilton
46. USA, San Diego CA
47. Jamaica, Kingston
48. Antigua and Barbuda, Saint John's
49. USA, New Haven CT
50. Mexico, Guadalajara
51. Peru, Lima
52. Mexico, Puebla
53. Uruguay, Montevideo
54. USA, Seattle WA
55. Mexico, Tijuana
56. Mexico, Leon
57. USA, Middlesex-Monmouth NJ
58. USA, Burlington-Chittenden Co VT
59. USA, Fresno CA
60. USA, Dutchess County NY
61. USA, Baltimore MD
62. USA, Sacramento CA
63. USA, Chicago IL
64. Dominica, Roseau
65. USA, Fort Lauderdale FL
66. Puerto Rico, San Juan
67. Saint Lucia, Castries
68. Falkland Islands, Stanley
69. USA, Manchester NH
70. USA, Portland ME
71. USA, Hampton Roads-SE Virginia VA
72. USA, St. Paul MN
73. USA, Riverside City CA
74. USA, Portland OR
75. USA, Miami-Dade County FL
76. USA, Minneapolis MN
77. Guadeloupe, Basse-Terre
78. Trinidad and Tobago, Port-of-Spain
79. Guyana, Georgetown
80. USA, Albany NY
81. USA, Bakersfield CA
82. USA, Lancaster PA
83. USA, Sarasota FL
84. USA, Richmond VA
85. USA, Cleveland OH
86. USA, Las Vegas NV
87. French Guiana, Cayenne
88. USA, Phoenix AZ
89. USA, Reno-Sparks NV
90. USA, Eugene OR
91. USA, Wilmington NC
92. USA, Asheville NC
93. USA, Denver CO
94. USA, Gainesville FL
95. USA, Columbia SC
96. USA, Akron OH
97. USA, Charleston SC
98. USA, Raleigh NC
99. Costa Rica, San Jose
100. USA, Cape Coral-Fort Myers FL
101. USA, Montgomery AL
102. USA, Bradenton FL
103. USA, Salt Lake City UT
104. Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo
105. USA, York County PA
106. USA, Milwaukee-Waukesha WI
107. USA, Indianapolis IN
108. USA, Myrtle Beach SC
109. USA, Fayetteville NC
110. USA, Plano TX
111. USA, Augusta GA
112. USA, Orlando FL
113. USA, Baton Rouge LA
114. USA, Rochester NY
115. USA, Boise ID
116. USA, Davenport-Moline-Rock Is IA-IL
117. USA, Durham NC
118. USA, Jacksonville FL
119. USA, Evansville IN
120. USA, Mobile AL
121. USA, Arlington TX
122. USA, Pittsburgh PA
123. USA, Tucson AZ
124. USA, Kansas City MO
125. USA, Detroit MI
126. USA, Binghamton NY
127. USA, Atlanta GA
128. USA, Greenville SC
129. Ecuador, Quito
130. USA, Jackson MS
131. USA, Shreveport-Bossier City LA
132. USA, Winston-Salem NC
133. USA, Charlotte NC
134. USA, Little Rock-North Little Rock AR
135. USA, Cincinnati OH
136. Paraguay, Asuncion
137. USA, El Paso TX
138. USA, Savannah GA
139. USA, Tampa FL
140. USA, Buffalo NY
141. USA, Erie PA
142. USA, St. Louis MO
143. USA, Chattanooga TN
144. USA, Colorado Springs CO
145. USA, Fort Wayne-Allen County IN
146. USA, Dallas TX
147. USA, Spokane WA
148. USA, Fayetteville AR
149. USA, Kalamazoo MI
150. USA, Cedar Rapids IA
151. USA, Appleton WI
152. USA, Austin TX
153. USA, Huntsville AL
154. USA, Lincoln NE
155. USA, Rockford IL
156. Suriname, Paramaribo
157. USA, Oklahoma City OK
158. USA, Green Bay WI
159. USA, Birmingham AL
160. USA, Roanoke VA
161. USA, Columbus OH
162. USA, South Bend IN
163. Guatemala, Guatemala City
164. USA, Kennewick-Richland-Pasco WA
165. USA, Midland TX
166. USA, Youngstown-Warren OH
167. USA, Wichita KS
168. USA, San Antonio TX
169. Cuba, Havana
170. Honduras, Tegucigalpa
171. USA, Charleston WV
172. USA, Des Moines IA
173. Argentina, Buenos Aires
174. USA, Murfreesboro-Smyrna TN
175. USA, Dayton OH
176. USA, Clarksville TN
177. USA, Martinsburg-Berkeley County WV
178. USA, Knoxville TN
179. USA, Lexington KY
180. USA, Fort Worth TX
181. USA, Memphis TN
182. USA, Nashville-Franklin TN
183. USA, Springfield MO
184. USA, Tulsa OK
185. USA, Omaha NE
186. USA, Amarillo TX
187. USA, Lubbock TX
188. USA, Houston TX
189. Belize, Belmopan
190. USA, Fort Smith AR
191. USA, Johnson City TN
192. USA, Brazoria County TX
193. Panama, Panama City
194. USA, Corpus Christi TX
195. USA, Brownsville TX
196. Bolivia, La Paz
197. El Salvador, San Salvador
198. USA, Louisville KY
199. Nicaragua, Managua
200. Argentina, Cordoba
201. USA, McAllen TX
202. USA, Harlingen TX
203. Argentina, Rosario

About Xpatulator.com’s Cost of Living Data

Xpatulator.com’s cost of living data is based on prices for the same quantity and quality of goods and services, representative of expatriate lifestyle, in each city. The data is collected and updated on a quarterly basis. The cost of living data is used by Xpatulator.com clients to calculate salary purchasing power parity, cost of living allowances, and customized (i.e. clients can select their own base city) cost of living indexes for expatriate assignments online, using Xpatulator.com’s 3 premium content calculators.

The 13 basket groups do not count equally and are weighted according to expatriate expenditure norms as follows (weighting percentage is in brackets):

1. Alcohol & Tobacco (2%): Alcoholic beverages and tobacco products.
2. Clothing (2.5%): Clothing and footwear products.
3. Communication (2%): Telephone, Internet, Mobile Contract and Calls.
4. Education (5%): Creche Fees, School Fees, College Fees, and Tertiary Study Fees.
5. Furniture & Appliances (5%): Furniture, household equipment and appliances.
6. Groceries (16.5%): Food, non-alcoholic beverages and cleaning materials.
7. Healthcare (5%): Doctor Consultation rates, Private Ward Rate, Prescription Medicine, and Private Medical Insurance Contributions.
8. Household (30%): Housing rental, utilities, local rates and residential taxes.
9. Miscellaneous (3%): Stationary, Linen and general goods and services.
10. Personal Care (3%): Personal Care products and services.
11. Recreation & Culture (6%): Books, Camera Film, Cinema Ticket, DVD and CD’s, Sports goods, Theatre Tickets.
12. Restaurants Meals Out and Hotels (2%): Dinner at Restaurant (non fast food), Hotel Rates, Take Away, Drinks & Snacks (fast Food).
13. Transport (18%): Public Transport, Vehicle Costs, Vehicle Fuel, Vehicle Insurance and Vehicle Maintenance.

About Xpatulator.com

Xpatulator.com is the most comprehensive source of international cost of living information. We provide free international cost of living overviews and rank information covering 13 cost of living baskets and every country around the world as well as premium content calculators.

Founded in 2007, Xpatulator.com’s mission is to organize the world’s cost of living indices, exchange rates and relative hardship indices and make it accessible and useful to all.

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