British consultancy ECA International conducted a Cost of Living Survey which showed that expatriates will find Manila to be cheaper to reside in than Asian neighbors Bangkok, Thailand and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
In the global survey, Manila took the 187th spot while among Asian cities, it ranked 32nd.
This puts it behind Vientiane which placed 185th, Kuala Lumpur at 178th, and Bangkok and Jakarta at 162nd, 123rd, respectively.
The survey also revealed Tokyo as the most expensive city for expats, joined by other Japan cities, Nagoya at 2nd rank, Yokohama at 5th spot and closely followed by Kobe at 6th place.
The survey also reported that prices have escalated in Asia, with the cost of living basket used by ECA having grown by 6.5 percent, which is why a lot of Asian cities made it to the top 50 list of most expensive cities for international assignees on a global level.
The ECA survey considered in its cost of living basket factors such as food prices and meal, basic amenities, and electrical goods. It did not however incorporate real estate rentals, utilities costs, school fees and car acquisitions. The survey used a year on year comparison of September 2011 and September 2012, ABS CBN News reported.
