“The fundamental problem is that in Israel there is no alternative metropolitan centre. “Tel Aviv will become increasingly more expensive, just as the entire country is becoming more expensive,” he said. Tel Aviv’s mayor, Ron Huldai, warned in an interview with the Haaretz newspaper that rising property prices - not included in the EIU’s calculations - meant the city was heading towards an “explosion”. The survey found Tel Aviv was the second most expensive city for alcohol and transport, fifth for personal care items, and sixth for recreation. The local prices of around 10% of goods also increased significantly, especially for groceries. Tel Aviv’s climb to the top of the EIU’s World Cost of Living rankings mainly reflected the soaring value of Israel’s currency, the shekel, against the dollar. The survey compares 173 countries by looking at more than 200 products and services. Leisure, tobacco and personal hygiene also saw significance price increases. Transport costs saw a sharp rise due to rising oil prices. Supply chain issues and coronavirus measures which limited production and trade have contributed to the rising cost of living in many cities, according to the analysis. Frankfurt is the most expensive German city and takes 19th place. The Syrian capital Damascus came last in the ranking.īerlin dropped eight places to number 50 and is the cheapest of the six German cities listed. The data was gathered by the Worldwide Cost of Living Survey from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Next in the ranking are Swiss finance centre Zurich, Hong Kong and New York. Tel Aviv takes the top spot from the French capital Paris, which dropped to a shared second place with Singapore.
While more people (339,000) are in Doha than anywhere else, the city's population is growing slower than in other municipalities.The Israeli coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv is the most expensive city in the world, according to the latest analysis from the British Economist magazine published Wednesday.The Qatari population has grown from 522,023 in March 1997 to 744,000 in March 2004, according to the primary results of the Census 2004.From December 2003 to the end of June 2004, the individual price index for rents, fuel and energy jumped 20 per cent when compared with 2001.Rents of homes and electricity charges posted a 20.9 per cent increase if compared with 2001, followed by textiles at 18.4 per cent, entertainment and cultural services at 8.1 per cent and transportation at 4.9 per cent."The census shows that rents are pushing the population outside Doha to settle in less expensive areas," he said. The census, the third to be conducted in the country's history, showed the population has almost doubled if compared with 1986, the year of the first census.Īnother official at the Planning Council, who asked not to be named, said Census 2004 found the distribution of the population in the country's 10 municipalities is changing because of the industrial development of other regions and soaring rents in the capital, Doha. Speaking to Gulf News, Al Emadi said one of the main factors contributing to the prices increases is the higher demand linked to the population growth. Inflation was 2.3 per cent last year, a relatively low level, QCB said. Prices have gone up even more this year," he said.Īccording to the statistics released by the Qatari Central Bank (QCB) and reported by Qatari daily Peninsula, the general price index rose 5.7 per cent from December 2003 to June 2004, QCB said. "The increase in rents, for example, is an indicator of the rising inflation and pressure on consumers. "Life here is becoming more expensive," said Hasan Al Emadi, director of statistics department at the Qatari Planning Council. Other categories such as home appliances were up 2.41 per cent, followed by private medical services (up 1.3 per cent) and restaurants, coffee shops and hotels (up 1.1 per cent). Monthly rents of homes and electricity charges, which the Consumer Price Index categorised together, posted a 20.9 per cent increase compared with 2001 prices, followed by textiles at 18.4 per cent, entertainment and cultural services at 8.1 per cent and transportation at 4.9 per cent.
The Qatari Planning Council has published the Annual Abstract, including social and economic statistics for 2003, along with the results of the Census 2004.Īccording to the Abstract's Consumer Price Index (CPI) for 2003, which compares prices of 40 categories of commodities to 2001, rents, energy and public and private services have experienced a steep price increase. From rents to college tuition, and petrol to healthcare, commodities in Qatar are as much as 20 per cent more expensive than just two years ago, a government report said.