San Juan, Puerto Rico ranked 72 worldwide in Mercer Cost of Living Survey

Jumps 23 spots, becoming more expensive than Frankfurt
SAN JUAN — Although the main finding of the 25th annual Cost of Living Survey by benefits consulting firm Mercer was that several cities in Asia are the most expensive for U.S. employees working abroad, also noteworthy is that San Juan, Puerto Rico, rose 23 spots from last year, making it the 72nd costliest worldwide.
Governments and major companies use data from the survey to determine pay for employees when transferred abroad. New York is used as the base city for comparisons.
The survey includes more than 500 cities, with this year’s ranking including 209 cities and measuring the comparative cost of more than 200 items in each location, including housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods, and entertainment.
Mercer is a subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Cos., a professional services firm, and provides advice and data on worker compensation globally.
Explaining that mobility programs have become a “core component of multinational organizations’ global talent strategy,” Mercer said that according to its 2019 Global Talent Trends report, 65% of employers are using the programs to enhance their workforce strategies.
Its 2019 Cost of Living Survey to help employers make decisions about their employees working abroad found that “a number of factors, including currency fluctuations, cost of inflation for goods and services, and volatility in accommodation prices, contribute to the overall cost” of compensation packages for international assignments.
The survey found that eight out of the top 10 of the world’s most expensive cities for expatriates are Asian. Tokyo (2), Singapore (3) and Seoul (4) top the list, while the costliest city in the world for the second consecutive year is Hong Kong (1). Other cities in the top 10 are Zurich (5), Shanghai (6), Ashgabat (7), Beijing (8), New York (9), and Shenzhen (10).
U.S. cities “climbed in the ranking due to the strength of the US dollar against other major currencies as well as the significant drop of cities in other regions. New York jumped four places to rank 9, the highest-ranked city in the region. San Francisco (16) and Los Angeles (18) climbed twelve and seventeen places, respectively, while Chicago (37) jumped fourteen places. Among other major US cities, Washington, DC (42) is up fourteen places, Miami (44) is up sixteen places and Boston (49) is up twenty-one spots. Portland (107) and Winston Salem, North Carolina (138) remain the least expensive US cities surveyed for expatriates,” a release on the survey reads.
Mercer includes San Juan (72), which jumped 23 spots from March last year, in its Central and South America region, becoming the second-most expensive, only surpassed by Montevideo, Uruguay, (70).
“Other cities in South America that climbed on the list of costliest cities for expatriates include Panama City (93), San José (131), and Havana (133) rising twenty-one, ten, and twenty-two spots, respectively,” Mercer said.
Found third most expensive in the region was Santiago, Chile (79), followed by Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago (83); and São Paolo, Brazil (86), which dropped 28 spots from last year.

Mercer Cost of Living Survey – Worldwide Rankings 2019
(Mercer international basket, including rental accommodation costs)
Mercer Cost of Living Survey – Worldwide Rankings 2019 (Mercer international basket, including rental accommodation costs) | |||
Rank as of March | City | Country/Region | |
2018 | 2019 | ||
1 | 1 | HONG KONG | Hong Kong (SAR) |
2 | 2 | TOKYO | Japan |
4 | 3 | SINGAPORE | Singapore |
5 | 4 | SEOUL | South Korea |
3 | 5 | ZURICH | Switzerland |
7 | 6 | SHANGHAI | China |
43 | 7 | ASHGABAT | Turkmenistan |
9 | 8 | BEIJING | China |
13 | 9 | NEW YORK CITY | United States |
12 | 10 | SHENZHEN | China |
8 | 11 | NDJAMENA | Chad |
10 | 12 | BERN | Switzerland |
11 | 13 | GENEVA | Switzerland |
21 | 14 | VICTORIA | Seychelles |
16 | 15 | TEL AVIV | Israel |
28 | 16 | SAN FRANCISCO | United States |
15 | 17 | GUANGZHOU | China |
35 | 18 | LOS ANGELES | United States |
23 | 19 | OSAKA | Japan |
14 | 20 | COPENHAGEN | Denmark |
26 | 21 | DUBAI | United Arab Emirates |
37 | 22 | KINSHASA | Dem. Rep. of the Congo |
19 | 23 | LONDON | United Kingdom |
18 | 24 | LIBREVILLE | Gabon |
42 | 25 | LAGOS | Nigeria |
6 | 26 | LUANDA | Angola |
17 | 27 | MOSCOW | Russia |
25 | 27 | NANJING | China |
22 | 29 | NOUMEA | New Caledonia |
24 | 30 | ABIDJAN | Côte d’Ivoire |
31 | 30 | CHENGDU | China |
29 | 32 | TIANJIN | China |
40 | 33 | ABU DHABI | United Arab Emirates |
41 | 33 | NAGOYA | Japan |
27 | 35 | TAIPEI | Taiwan |
45 | 35 | RIYADH | Saudi Arabia |
51 | 37 | CHICAGO | United States |
54 | 38 | HONOLULU | United States |
19 | 39 | BRAZZAVILLE | Congo |
52 | 40 | BANGKOK | Thailand |
36 | 41 | QINGDAO | China |
56 | 42 | WASHINGTON | United States |
32 | 43 | DUBLIN | Ireland |
60 | 44 | MIAMI | United States |
33 | 45 | MILAN | Italy |
38 | 45 | SHENYANG | China |
34 | 47 | PARIS | France |
66 | 47 | DHAKA | Bangladesh |
70 | 49 | BOSTON | United States |
29 | 50 | SYDNEY | Australia |
39 | 51 | VIENNA | Austria |
43 | 52 | YAOUNDE | Cameroon |
65 | 53 | BEIRUT | Lebanon |
48 | 54 | BANGUI | Central African Republic |
46 | 55 | ROME | Italy |
79 | 56 | WHITE PLAINS | United States |
77 | 57 | MANAMA | Bahrain |
50 | 58 | AMSTERDAM | Netherlands |
73 | 59 | DJIBOUTI | Djibouti |
86 | 59 | HOUSTON | United States |
47 | 61 | OSLO | Norway |
85 | 62 | DALLAS | United States |
63 | 63 | ACCRA | Ghana |
90 | 64 | SEATTLE | United States |
53 | 65 | HELSINKI | Finland |
73 | 66 | DOUALA | Cameroon |
55 | 67 | MUMBAI | India |
57 | 67 | MUNICH | Germany |
95 | 69 | ATLANTA | United States |
75 | 70 | MONTEVIDEO | Uruguay |
97 | 70 | MORRISTOWN | United States |
62 | 72 | DAKAR | Senegal |
95 | 72 | SAN JUAN | Puerto Rico |
68 | 74 | FRANKFURT | Germany |
49 | 75 | ST. PETERSBURG | Russia |
94 | 75 | AMMAN | Jordan |
67 | 77 | BRUSSELS | Belgium |
102 | 78 | MINNEAPOLIS | United States |
58 | 79 | MELBOURNE | Australia |
69 | 79 | SANTIAGO | Chile |
71 | 81 | BERLIN | Germany |
64 | 82 | MADRID | Spain |
97 | 83 | PORT OF SPAIN | Trinidad & Tobago |
71 | 84 | LUXEMBOURG | Luxembourg |
99 | 85 | ABUJA | Nigeria |
58 | 86 | SAO PAULO | Brazil |
61 | 87 | PERTH | Australia |
106 | 88 | CONAKRY | Guinea |
81 | 89 | AUCKLAND | New Zealand |
116 | 90 | DETROIT | United States |
79 | 91 | BARCELONA | Spain |
82 | 92 | DUSSELDORF | Germany |
114 | 93 | PANAMA CITY | Panama |
122 | 94 | ST. LOUIS | United States |
93 | 95 | LISBON | Portugal |
77 | 96 | CANBERRA | Australia |
83 | 97 | PRAGUE | Czech Republic |
123 | 97 | NAIROBI | Kenya |
125 | 97 | PITTSBURGH | United States |
88 | 100 | HAMBURG | Germany |
117 | 100 | JEDDAH | Saudi Arabia |
106 | 102 | BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN | Brunei |
84 | 103 | BRISBANE | Australia |
117 | 103 | MUSCAT | Oman |
117 | 105 | JAKARTA | Indonesia |
125 | 106 | CLEVELAND | United States |
130 | 107 | PORTLAND | United States |
142 | 108 | PHNOM PENH | Cambodia |
87 | 109 | ADELAIDE | Australia |
138 | 109 | MANILA | Philippines |
92 | 111 | RIGA | Latvia |
109 | 112 | VANCOUVER | Canada |
137 | 112 | HANOI | Vietnam |
101 | 114 | WELLINGTON | New Zealand |
109 | 115 | TORONTO | Canada |
115 | 115 | DOHA | Qatar |
91 | 117 | YANGON | Myanmar |
103 | 118 | NEW DELHI | India |
121 | 119 | KUWAIT CITY | Kuwait |
124 | 120 | HO CHI MINH CITY | Vietnam |
99 | 121 | RIO DE JANEIRO | Brazil |
132 | 121 | LIMA | Peru |
105 | 123 | LYON | France |
120 | 124 | BAMAKO | Mali |
104 | 125 | POINTE A PITRE | Guadeloupe |
108 | 126 | STUTTGART | Germany |
89 | 127 | STOCKHOLM | Sweden |
111 | 128 | COTONOU | Benin |
112 | 128 | ATHENS | Greece |
128 | 128 | CASABLANCA | Morocco |
113 | 131 | BRATISLAVA | Slovakia |
141 | 131 | SAN JOSE | Costa Rica |
76 | 133 | BUENOS AIRES | Argentina |
165 | 133 | HAVANA | Cuba |
128 | 135 | BIRMINGHAM | United Kingdom |
130 | 136 | GUATEMALA CITY | Guatemala |
134 | 137 | ABERDEEN | United Kingdom |
161 | 138 | WINSTON SALEM | United States |
147 | 139 | MONTREAL | Canada |
140 | 140 | TALLINN | Estonia |
145 | 141 | KUALA LUMPUR | Malaysia |
132 | 142 | LJUBLJANA | Slovenia |
138 | 143 | ZAGREB | Croatia |
157 | 144 | MEXICO CITY | Mexico |
134 | 145 | LOME | Togo |
134 | 145 | OUAGADOUGOU | Burkina Faso |
148 | 145 | GLASGOW | United Kingdom |
156 | 148 | QUITO | Ecuador |
143 | 149 | NIAMEY | Niger |
173 | 150 | KIEV | Ukraine |
145 | 151 | NUREMBERG | Germany |
148 | 152 | VILNIUS | Lithuania |
154 | 153 | CALGARY | Canada |
144 | 154 | CHENNAI | India |
163 | 154 | ISTANBUL | Turkey |
150 | 156 | LEIPZIG | Germany |
164 | 157 | KINGSTON | Jamaica |
152 | 158 | BELFAST | United Kingdom |
179 | 159 | MAPUTO | Mozambique |
165 | 160 | RABAT | Morocco |
153 | 161 | LIMASSOL | Cyprus |
160 | 161 | OTTAWA | Canada |
161 | 161 | PORT LOUIS | Mauritius |
151 | 164 | BUDAPEST | Hungary |
125 | 165 | PORT AU PRINCE | Haiti |
172 | 166 | TIRANA | Albania |
174 | 166 | SAN SALVADOR | El Salvador |
188 | 166 | CAIRO | Egypt |
178 | 169 | SANTO DOMINGO | Dominican Republic |
168 | 170 | BOGOTA | Colombia |
180 | 171 | DAR ES SALAAM | Tanzania |
183 | 171 | ADDIS ABABA | Ethiopia |
154 | 173 | WARSAW | Poland |
158 | 174 | BRASILIA | Brazil |
169 | 175 | KIGALI | Rwanda |
176 | 176 | BUCHAREST | Romania |
175 | 177 | SOFIA | Bulgaria |
186 | 178 | BAKU | Azerbaijan |
170 | 179 | BENGALURU | India |
170 | 180 | CAPE TOWN | South Africa |
181 | 181 | BELGRADE | Serbia |
158 | 182 | COLOMBO | Sri Lanka |
192 | 183 | KAMPALA | Uganda |
195 | 184 | ALGIERS | Algeria |
177 | 185 | JOHANNESBURG | South Africa |
183 | 186 | ASUNCION | Paraguay |
193 | 187 | MONTERREY | Mexico |
165 | 188 | HARARE | Zimbabwe |
182 | 189 | KOLKATA | India |
189 | 189 | GABORONE | Botswana |
187 | 191 | ALMATY | Kazakhstan |
194 | 192 | NOUAKCHOTT | Mauritania |
204 | 193 | BLANTYRE | Malawi |
191 | 194 | SARAJEVO | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
199 | 195 | LA PAZ | Bolivia |
185 | 196 | LUSAKA | Zambia |
198 | 197 | YEREVAN | Armenia |
202 | 198 | MINSK | Belarus |
201 | 199 | TEGUCIGALPA | Honduras |
200 | 200 | MANAGUA | Nicaragua |
197 | 201 | SKOPJE | Macedonia |
203 | 202 | TBILISI | Georgia |
190 | 203 | ISLAMABAD | Pakistan |
196 | 204 | WINDHOEK | Namibia |
206 | 204 | BANJUL | Gambia |
207 | 206 | BISHKEK | Kyrgyzstan |
205 | 207 | KARACHI | Pakistan |
209 | 208 | TASHKENT | Uzbekistan |
208 | 209 | TUNIS | Tunisia |
Source: Mercer’s 2019 Cost of Living Survey
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