LONDON: For an average middle class Indian, the cost of living can be daunting in two of India's most cosmopolitan cities - Mumbai and Delhi.
But in a shocker, these two of India's most expensive cities have ended up right at the bottom of the heap, in a list of world's cheapest cities.
Mumbai and
Karachi are the joint cheapest locations in the world according to
the Economist Intelligence Unit's "Worldwide cost of living index 2013" with New Delhi just one spot higher.
Tokyo took the title as the world's most expensive city ousting Zurich which is now the world's 7th most expensive city. Japan's Tokyo and
Osaka were the world's top two expensive cities followed by Sydney, Oslo, Melbourne, Singapore, Zurich, Paris, Caracus (
Venezuela) and
Geneva.
A comparative survey showed that buying a one kg loaf of bread in Tokyo is nine times more expensive in than in Mumbai and 8 times more than in Delhi. Buying a pack of 20 cigarettes cost three times more in Tokyo than in Mumbai and over two times more than in Delhi. Ironically, buying a bottle of table wine is more expensive in Mumbai $23.82 as against $15.95 in Tokyo.
The Worldwide cost of living survey, which is based on costs of more than 160 items ranging from food and clothing to domestic help, transport, home rents, private schools and recreational costs said while Asia is home to over half of the world's 20 most expensive cities, the region is also home to six of the 10 cheapest cities. Five of the bottom 10 (and six of the bottom 11) cities hail from the Indian subcontinent defined as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
