Cost of living in China's first-tier cities high

The cost of living in China's first-tier cities is now among the highest in the world, according to a survey by consulting company Mercer.

Hong Kong has passed Luanda to take the top spot as the world’s most expensive city for expatriates. Shanghai and Beijing ranked 7th and 9th respectively on the list, while Shenzhen and Guangzhou took 12th and 15th places.

The survey includes more than 375 cities throughout the world and measures the comparative cost of more than 200 items in each location, including housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment.

But according to the Global Liveability Index 2018 by the Economist Intelligence Unit that measures the best or the worst living conditions in cities around the world, despite its high costs Hong Kong ranked just 35th, followed by Suzhou (74th), Beijing (75th), Tianjin (77th) and Shanghai (81st).