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Oslo and London are the world's most expensive cities, while Zurich and Geneva residents have the highest buying power, according to a report released on last Wednesday. Europe dominates the list of 71 cities compiled by Swiss bank UBS, while Asian cities -- including Kuala Lumpur and Mumbai -- are among the cheapest places to live, based on the cost of a basket of 122 goods and services. Oslo maintained its top position from 2005, while London rose three places to second. Copenhagen, Zurich and Tokyo round out the top five, with New York in seventh place globally. But London and New York are the most expensive cities when housing costs are included, said the 52-page report. "It's no wonder that their residents often tolerate extreme commutes in order to find affordable housing," it said. North American workers earn the highest wages, closely followed by Western Europe. But European net earnings are significantly lower because of higher taxes and social security contributions. "After statutory deductions, people living in the Swiss cities, Dublin and Los Angeles have the most left over from their wages," said the report. London rose from 15th place to sixth in the gross wages ranking, but was only 20th in domestic purchasing power. Kuala Lumpur was the cheapest city, followed by Mumbai, Buenos Aires and Delhi. Delhi was also among the bottom five cities in both the wages and purchasing power rankings. Cities in eastern Europe and China were among the least expensive, while Asian cities have the longest working hours, with Seoul workers averaging 50.2 hours a week. Workers in Asia also have the fewest vacation days, on average 12 per year, compared to a global 20 days. "Western Europe, by contrast, is very attractive for employees who value their leisure time," the report added. |
據上周三公布的一項報告顯示，奧斯陸和倫敦是全球生活費用最高的城市，而蘇黎世和日內瓦的居民則擁有全球最高的購買力。 瑞士聯合銀行對全球71個城市的122種商品和服務的價錢進行了比較分析，結果顯示，歐洲城市在榜單上占有顯著優勢，而包括吉隆坡和孟買在內的亞洲城市，則位居生活費用最低的城市行列。 奧斯陸繼2005年奪冠后再度榮登榜首，而倫敦的排名今年上升了三位，獲得“亞軍”。 位于前五名的另外三個城市為哥本哈根、蘇黎世和東京，紐約名列全球第七。 這份長達52頁的調查報告中提到，如果將住房成本算進去，生活費用最高的城市是倫敦和紐約。 報告中說：“人們為了找到一個能買得起的住房，常常忍受上下班惡劣的交通，這在倫敦和紐約不足為奇。” 北美洲工人的工資最高，其次是西歐。但是，由于較高的稅收和社會保障金，歐洲人的凈收入要低很多。 報告說：“除去法定必須繳納的費用，瑞士各城市、都柏林和洛杉機居民的凈收入最高。” 倫敦居民的總工資收入從第十五位升至第六位，但國內購買力僅名列第二十位。 吉隆坡的生活成本最低，其次是孟買、布宜諾斯艾利斯和德里。同時，德里人工資和購買力水平都排在后五名。 東歐和中國城市的生活成本也很低，而亞洲城市的工人工作時間最長，漢城工人平均每周工作50.2小時。 亞洲工人的假期也最少，每年平均12天，而全球的平均假期是20天。 報告中說：“與此相比，到西歐工作對于那些看重個人空閑時間的人來說很有吸引力。” |
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