Africa-Press – Tanzania. Dar es Salaam is the second in the list of most expensive city for expats in the East African region after Nairobi, according to a new survey.
The Mercer Cost of Living report released last week ranks the Tanzania’s commercial capital at position 167, having climbed four places from last year.
Nairobi remains the most expensive city for expats within the East African Community (EAC).
The Kenyan capital improved 47 places to become the world’s 145th most expensive city this year.
Kigali is the least expensive city in the region at number 175, followed by Kampala which ranks 171.
N’Djamena (13), Lagos (19) and Libreville (20) were ranked the first, second and third costliest cities in Africa for international employees. Lusaka was the cheapest in Africa at position 208.
Prague is the 90th most expensive city in the world for expats and among the top 30 in Europe according to the 2021 Mercer Cost of Living Ranking, a biannual report that examines the cost of living for international employees in major cities across the globe.
According to the report, Covid-19 continues to cause unparalleled disruption to international mobility, prompting companies to re-evaluate how they will manage a mobile workforce in a post-pandemic world.
It further indicates that after several years of organizations’ efforts to modernize mobility strategies, organizations are beginning to implement alternate forms of international assignments and cross-border working arrangements to sustain their overseas operations and workforces.
“Cost of living has always been a factor for international mobility planning, but the pandemic has added a whole new layer of complexity, as well as long-term implications related to health and safety of employees, remote working and flexibility policies, among other considerations,” said Ilya Bonic, Career President and Head of Mercer Strategy.
The Mercer report, one of the most comprehensive of its kind with more than 200 cities across the world included, is designed to help multinational corporations develop appropriate compensation packages for their expatriate employees.
It also helps employers understand the importance of monitoring currency fluctuations and assessing the inflationary and deflationary pressures on goods, services and accommodation in all operating locations.
Governments and major companies use data from this survey to protect the purchasing power of their employees when transferred abroad; rental accommodation costs data is used to assess local expatriate housing allowances.
