For expatriates, Mumbai more expensive than Seattle, Frankfurt

Hong Kong tops the list of most expensive cities for expatriates, pushing Luanda in Angola to second position, according to Mercer's 2016 Cost of Living Survey. Zurich and Singapore remain in third and fourth positions, respectively, whereas Tokyo is in fifth. The survey, designed to help MNCs and governments determine compensation strategies for their expatriate employees, rated over 375 cities. Mumbai (82) is India's most expensive city, followed by New Delhi (130) and Chennai (158). Kolkata (194) and Bengaluru (180) are the least expensive Indian cities. Mumbai is ranked higher and more expensive than Seattle (83), Frankfurt (88), Canberra (98), Berlin (100) and Istanbul (101). Despite volatile global markets and growing security issues, organisations still leverage expansion strategies to remain competitive and to grow, said Ruchika Pal, India practice leader, global mobility, Mercer. "With a large number of Indian multinationals progressively expanding their footprint abroad, 70 per cent of them are expecting expatriate assignments to increase over the next two years to address business needs as well as build careers and leadership development."