Regional rivalry: Hong Kong topples Singapore in most expensive cities ranking

But life here hasn’t become any cheaper.

Hong Kong has overtaken Singapore in a list of the most expensive cities for expatriates in Asia.

ECA’s Cost of Living survey revealed that Hong Kong is now the 8th most expensive Asian city for expatriates, overtaking Singapore at rank 9.

The survey showed that the cost of goods and services for expatriates in Singapore has increased at approximately 2.3% over the past year, a relatively low rise compared to the rest of Asia where gains of almost 6% have been observed on average.

Globally, Singapore is the 31st most expensive city for foreigners while Hong Kong sits at rank 29.

Tokyo maintains its position as the most expensive Asian location for expatriates, but it has now also dropped out of the global top ten for the first time in at least a decade.