Amsterdam ranks in top third of most expensive cities for immigrants

Amsterdam ranked as the 64th most expensive place for immigrants in a survey released on Tuesday, dropping six places since last year on the Mercer Cost of Living Survey. The annual comparison examined the cost of living in 209 cities, and placed Amsterdam in 12th among European cities researched.

All cities in the study were compared against New York, with all measurements valued in dollars. The study looked at over 200 different measures, including the costs of clothing, entertainment, food, household items, housing, and transportation. The study also took into account the immediate economic disruption caused by Covid-19, as well as the social issues at hand and the potential impact on expat packages offered to workers, the company said.

The most expensive city remained Hong Kong, followed by Ashgabat in Turkmenistan, and Tokyo, Japan. In fourth place was Zurich, Switzerland, considered the most expensive in Europe.

Morristown in the United States and Shenyang, China ranked just above Amsterdam, while Rome, Italy and Sydney, Australia were listed as slightly less expensive for new residents. Tunis, Tunisia was the least expensive on the list, followed by Windhoek, Namibia, and Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Dozens of other European cities were examined, but no other cities in the Netherlands were featured in the study.

European cities with the highest cost of living

Global cities with the highest cost of living