Singapore has climbed 3 spots in a Cost Of Living survey held by ECA International (Employment Conditions Abroad) of Asian cities. This can be attributed to the rising inflation and the strengthening Singapore dollar.

According to the global survey, Singapore's rising cost of living catapulted it into the 78th spot, up almost 20 places from 97th last year. This is calculated based on a basket of day-to-day goods and services. Although the survey is done twice a year, comparisons are made year-on-year to strip out seasonal differences.

The Cost of Living survey released in July 2009 by Mercer’s reveals the similar findings. Singapore has moved up three places to become the 10th most expensive city in the world for expatriates and is also the fifth most expensive expatriate location in the Asia-Pacific.

The March 2009 survey covered 143 cities and more than 200 items, including housing, transport, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment, in each city. These cities are compared against New York, which is used as the benchmark whilst currency movements are measured against the US dollar.

Most expensive Cities in Asia