Singapore is Asia's ninth costliest city for expats in 2018

The strength of the Singapore dollar pushed the city back into the global top 20.

Singapore has managed to once again nab the distinction as one of the world's most expensive cities for expats as it ranked ninth in Asia and 18th in the global rankings of the Cost of Living Survey by consulting firm ECA International.

“The Singapore dollar has performed strongly this year, resulting in a slight rise in Singapore’s rankings, up three places to become the 18th most expensive location in the world,” Lee Quane, Regional Director – Asia for ECA International said in a statement. 

The Turkmenistan capital Ashgabat is hailed as the most expensive city for expats both in Asia and on a global scale as a plunging black market rate and foreign exchange shortages have pushed inflation levels to new heights.

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Singapore also trails behind Hong Kong which nabbed second place in the regional rankings followed by, Seoul (third), Tokyo (fourth), Busan (fifth). Shanghai, Yokohama and Nagoya are also ahead of Singapore whilst Osaka rounds out the Asian leaderboard. 

Singapore clinched the 50th spot in the cost of living rankings for 2018, according to a separate study by expat community Inter Nations. The report also found that 52% of expats living in Singapore are dissatisfied with the city’s cost of living. Despite the high cost of living, some expats have noted that the city-state’s lower tax levels made an impact on their take-home pay.