Cost of expat living in Bucharest stays below Eastern European peers, ranks 70th in Europe

The cost of living for expats in Bucharest have kept the city on the 70th position in Europe, according to a recent study by ECA International. Worldwide, Bucharest ranks 183rd, compared to 189th last year. Oslo became the most expensive city in Europe for expats to live in, followed by Copenhagen, which used to be number one in 2009. Stavanger in Norway, Copenhagen, Geneve, Zurich, Berna, Basel, Helsinki, Moscow and Paris make the top 10 most expensive cities in Europe. The cost of living in a foreign country is taken into account by multinational companies sending expats in when calculating their salary and benefits packages. Vienna was the most expensive city in Central and Eastern Europe, ranking 12th in Europe, followed by Athens, number 24th, Sankt Petersburg on 28, Istanbul on 29, Ankara on 36 and Zagreb on 41. The cost of living in Bucharest is lower for expats than most of the Central and Eastern European capitals, with the exception of Kiev, Minsk and Chisinau, according to the study. Worldwide, the most expensive city for expatriates is Tokyo, followed by Olso, which is also the number one in Europe.