Auckland (58) and Wellington (79) both fell four places from 2013 while Sydney dropped from ninth last year to 26 in the 2014 list.
Other Australian cities also witnessed dramatic falls, including Melbourne (33), which dropped 17 spots and Perth (37), which fell 19.
Adelaide (59) fell an impressive 25 places from its 2013 ranking.
‘The results of our latest Cost of Living Index are promising for companies considering establishing headquarters in Australia or relocating expats,’ Garry Adams, Leader of Mercer’s Talent Business, Pacific said.
‘The drop in rankings mean Australia becomes more attractive for global talent because ex-pats’ dollars will go further, it does not mean that Australian cities have become cheaper for Australians.
‘Changes in the value of the Australian dollar against the US dollar are the primary reasons for the drop in our rankings.’
Mercer’s 2014 Cost of Living Survey compares the cost of housing, transport, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment around the world and currency movements are measured against the US dollar (here’s a link to it if you want to read the whole thing).
The top 20, 2014:
1. Luanda (Angola)
2. N’Djamena (Chad)
3. Hong Kong (Hong Kong)
4. Singapore (Singapore)
5. Zurich (Switzerland)
6. Geneva (Switzerland)
7. Tokyo (Japan)
8. Bern (Switzerland)
9. Moscow (Russia)
10. Shanghai (China)
11. Beijing (China)
12. London (United Kingdom)
13. Victoria (Seychelles)
14. Seoul (South Korea)
15. Copenhagen (Denmark)
16. New York (United States)
17. Shenzhen (China)
18. Tel Aviv (Israel)
19. Libreville (Gabon)
20. Kinshasa (DRC)
Image via Getty
