Category: Happiness

World’s Most Expensive Cities

Which cities have the most expensive cost of living?

Mercer Human Resources Consulting, a world-wide firm with offices in North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia has sufficient respect that its evaluations are reported in major newspapers and magazines.  The company has developed a Worldwide Cost of Living survey.  The results were reported in the Toronto Star today.  The entire listing is not posted to the web but can be purchased for $600USD.

Following is an abridged summary that was posted on the Mercer web site.

  • Luandain, Angola is the world’s most expensive city for expatriates; Karachi is the cheapest
  • Top 10 ranked cities are dominated by Africa, Europe and Asia
  • London drops 1 place to rank 18; Singapore and São Paolo join the top 10 list
  • New York is the most expensive in the United States followed by Los Angeles.
  • Los Angeles, the second most expensive U.S. city, fell 22 places to 77th place.

The survey covers 214 cities across five continents and measures the comparative cost of over 200 items in each location, including housing, transport, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment. It is the world’s most comprehensive cost of living survey and is designed to help multinational companies and governments determine compensation allowances for their expatriate employees.New York is used as the base city and all cities are compared against New York. Currency movements are measured against the US dollar. The cost of housing – often the biggest expense for expatriates – plays an important part in determining where cities are ranked.

New entries in the top 10 list of the costliest cities in the world are Singapore(8), up from 11, and São Paolo (10), which has jumped 11 places since the 2010 ranking.Karachi(214) is ranked as the world’s least expensive city, and the survey found that Luanda, in top place, is more than three times as costly as Karachi. Recent world events, including natural disasters and political upheavals, have impacted the rankings for many regions through currency fluctuations, cost inflation for goods and services and volatility in accommodation prices.

Down one place from last year, London(18) is the UK’s most expensive city, followed by Aberdeen(144), Glasgow(148) and Birmingham(150), Belfast(178) is ranked as the UK’s least expensive city.

The survey covers 214 cities across five continents and measures the comparative cost of over 200 items in each location, including housing, transport, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment. It is the world’s most comprehensive cost of living survey and is designed to help multinational companies and governments determine compensation allowances for their expatriate employees. New Yorkis used as the base city and all cities are compared against New York. Currency movements are measured against the US dollar. The cost of housing – often the biggest expense for expatriates – plays an important part in determining where cities are ranked.

At rank 32, New York is the most expensive city in the United States.Los Angeles(77) and Chicago(108) have dropped significantly in the rankings (22 and 17 places respectively) as price increases on goods and services have been moderate compared to New York. Washington, however, also at ranking 108, has climbed three places, as rental accommodation prices have increased significantly.

Portland(186) and Winston-Salem(197) are the least expensive cities in the United States. Up 17 places, Toronto(59) has overtaken Vancouver(65) to become the most expensive Canadian city in the ranking, followed by Montreal(79) and Calgary(96). Ranking 114, Ottawa is the least expensive city in Canada.

Rankings

March 2011 March 2010 City Country
1 1 LUANDA ANGOLA
2 2 TOKYO JAPAN
3 3 N’DJAMENA CHAD
4 4 MOSCOW RUSSIA
5 5 GENEVA SWITZERLAND
6 6 OSAKA JAPAN
7 8 ZURICH SWITZERLAND
8 11 SINGAPORE SINGAPORE
9 8 HONG KONG HONG KONG
10 21 SÂO PAULO BRAZIL
11 19 NAGOYA JAPAN
12 7 LIBREVILLE GABON
12 29 RIO DE JANEIRO BRAZIL
14 24 SYDNEY AUSTRALIA
15 11 OSLO NORWAY
16 22 BERN SWITZERLAND
17 10 COPENHAGEN DENMARK
18 17 LONDON UNITED KINGDOM
19 14 SEOUL SOUTH KOREA
20 16 BEIJING CHINA
21 25 SHANGHAI CHINA
21 33 MELBOURNE AUSTRALIA
23 23 NIAMEY NIGER
24 19 TEL AVIV ISRAEL
25 13 VICTORIA SEYCHELLES
25 15 MILAN ITALY
27 17 PARIS FRANCE
28 67 OUAGADOUGOU BURKINA FASO
29 30 ST. PETERSBURG RUSSIA
30 60 PERTH AUSTRALIA
31 55 BRISBANE AUSTRALIA
32 27 NEW YORK CITY,NY UNITED STATES
33 70 BRASILIA BRAZIL
34 26 ROME ITALY
34 74 CANBERRA AUSTRALIA
36 28 VIENNA AUSTRIA
37 38 NOUMÉA NEW CALEDONIA
38 38 GUANGZHOU CHINA
39 62 DJIBOUTI DJIBOUTI
39 76 STOCKHOLM SWEDEN
41 62 LAGOS NIGERIA
42 31 HELSINKI FINLAND
43 42 SHENZHEN CHINA
44 32 DAKAR SENEGAL
44 141 KHARTOUM SUDAN
46 90 ADELAIDE AUSTRALIA
47 47 PRAGUE CZECH REPUBLIC
48 36 BAKU AZERBAIJAN
49 33 BANGUI CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
50 35 AMSTERDAM NETHERLANDS

Affordable Cities

AARP has an article titled “Pinpointing Affordable Cities” that offers the top 10 most affordable cities in the United States.  First we need to define the word “city.”  Even merriam-webster.com has a difficulty doing that.  They call it “an inhabited place of greater size, population, or importance than a town or village.”

Wikipedia isn’t any better with this introduction, “A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement.[1][2] Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.”

Wikipedia’s link to the United States offers this disturbing definition. “The lack of a clear-cut definition of a city in the United States can lead to some counter-intuitive labeling; for example, before it was dissolved in 2002[49] Maza, North Dakota, with only 5 inhabitants, was a city as by North Dakota law any incorporated location is deemed a city regardless of size. California has both towns and cities but the terms “town” and “city” are considered synonymous. The nation’s top five largest cities are New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Philadelphia.”

I choose to aribtrarily say that for a town to be a city it must have 1 million residence. Here then is the AARP list.  Most of the places they identify are not cities by my definition.  They will suffer from a lack of hospitals, doctors, art and music, employment opportunities, and other city venues.

1. Oklahoma City, Okla. has a population of about 560,000.  It’s not a city.

2. Pittsburgh, Pa. has a population of about 311,000.  It’s not a city.

3. Buffalo, N.Y. has a population of about 270,000.  It’s not a city.

4. Rochester, N.Y. has a population of about 206,000.  It’s not a city.

5. Nashville, Tenn. has a population of about 605,000.  It’s not a city.

6. San Antonio, Texas has a population of about 1,373,000.  It’s a city.

7. Houston, Texas has a population of about 2,257,000.  It’s a city. The fourth largest in the country.

8. Louisville, Ky. has a population of about 262,000.  It’s not a city.

9. Birmingham, Ala. has a population of about 230,000.  It’s not a city.

10. Austin, Texas has a population of about 786,000.  It’s not a city.

“Dancing with the Stars” is a Challenge

“Dancing with the Stars” is obviously a tough challenge for all contestants.  In this current season two of the best professionals have experienced injuries (Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Kym Johnson).

So why were Michael Bolton and Ralph Macchio so upset and believed the judges were unfair is a mystery?  Ralph Macchio said that some of the comments made Monday by judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli were “rude and disrespectful.” Bolton had similar comments when he was voted off the program.

Bristol Palin’s staying power was clearly a vote by an active political group.  The producers need to steer clear of political figures.

The producers of the show need to explain to contestants that they may be voted off the show at any time despite outstanding performances.  Best examples were Brandy in Season 11 and Romeo in the current season.

Prince William and Kate Middleton Wedding Day: Minute by Minute

The Goring Hotel, a few blocks from Buckingham Palace, is where Kate Middleton will spend the night before the wedding. Rooms at the posh hotel go for $315-$2,600 (U.S./Canadian) a night. (Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images)

More details have emerged about the royal wedding day, right down to the minute.

To start with, it’s revealed that Kate Middleton will be spending her final night of single-dom at the Goring Hotel, nearby Buckingham Palace. (Don’t bother looking … it’s fully booked for April 28). It’s reported that the bride-to-be, her sister Pippa and mom Carole will be staying in a five-room suite, complete with a four-poster bed and a grand piano,

From the moment Kate awakens (if she even gets any sleep), everything is on the clock. Here’s how the day will break down. (These are London times. For Eastern times, subtract five hours: Western times subtract eight hours):

  • Between 8.15 am and 9.45 am (3:15-4:45 Eastern):  The general congregation will arrive at the Great North Door of Westminster Abbey.
  • From 9.50am:  Governors-General and Prime Ministers of realm countries,the diplomatic corps, and other distinguished guests arrive at the Abbey.
  • 10.10am: Prince William and Prince Henry of Wales leave Clarence House for Westminster Abbey.  They arrive at the Abbey at 10.15 am.
  • 10.20 am: Members of Foreign Royal Families arrive at Westminster Abbey from Buckingham Palace.
  • 10.20 am: Carole Middleton, Kate’s mom, and brother James Middleton leave the Goring Hotel for Westminster Abbey.  They arrive at the Abbey at 10.27 am.
  • 10.25 am: Members of the Royal Family (except those listed below) leave Buckingham Palace for Westminster Abbey.  They arrive at the Abbey at 10.30am.
    • 10.35 am: The following Members of the Royal Family leave Buckingham Palace for Westminster Abbey.  They arrive at the Abbey at 10.40am

                 – The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence
                 – The Duke of York
                 – Princess Eugenie of York
                 – Princess Beatrice of York
                 – The Earl and Countess of Wessex

  • 10.38 am: The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall leave Clarence House for Westminster Abbey.  They arrive at the Abbey at 10.42 am.
  • 10.40 am: The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh leave Buckingham Palace for Westminster Abbey.  They arrive at the Abbey at 10.45 am.
  •  10.48 am: The bridesmaids and Pages leave the Goring Hotel for Westminster Abbey.  They arrive at the Abbey at 10.55 am.
  • 10.51am The Bride, accompanied by Mr. Michael Middleton, leaves the Goring Hotel for Westminster Abbey.
  •  11.00 am The marriage service begins.  The service will be relayed by audio speakers along the route.
  • 12.15 pm: The carriage procession of the bride and bridegroom with a Captain’s Escort of the Household Cavalry, followed by The Queen’s procession with a Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry, leaves Westminster Abbey for Buckingham Palace.
  • 12.30 pm: The bride’s carriage procession arrives at Buckingham Palace.
  • 12.40 pm: Members of the royal family and Members of foreign royal families arrive at Buckingham Palace.
  • From 12.40 pm: Other guests for the Reception arrive at Buckingham Palace.
  • 1.25 pm:  The Queen and the bride and bridegroom, together with their families, appear on the balcony.
  • 1.30 pm:  Flypast by the Royal Air Force and Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. 

This report taken from the Toronto Star.

April Fools’ Jokes

Just say any of these things to your family.

The maple syrup’s full of ants.

A cat just chased a mouse into the house through our doggy door. (I actually used this one).

 
A mouse is creeping on the shelf.
 
Is that a spider on your back?
 
I ate the whole pie by myself.
 

The kitchen sink just overflowed.

The toilet just overflowed. (ours has risen to the brim) 

 
A flash flood washed away the school.
  
I threw your blanket in the trash.

US Jobless Claims down 20K To 368K In Feb 26 Week

The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly dropped last week, pointing to continued improvement in the jobs market as the economy picks up speed.

The S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial average are up over 1.5%.  The rise was the result of the lower unemployment claims and higher than expected retail sales reports from such companies as Target, Macy’s, and Heinz (Heinz 3Q Profit Up 20% on Strength in North America).

We still have a long way to go but at last there is light at the end of this horrible recession.