Sydney is still more expensive to live in than in any other city in the Pacific region, according to Mercer's recent worldwide Cost of Living Survey. Moving to 19th place, up from last year's 20th, Sydney is the only Australian city in the top 50.
Other high-scoring cities in Australia include Melbourne, which occupies 74th place (an improvement on last year's 68th) and Brisbane, in 99th position (from last year's 84th placing).
The 2006 Worldwide Cost of Living Survey from Mercer Human Resource Consulting covers 144 cities across six continents, and measures the comparative cost of over 200 items in each location, including housing, transport, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment.
Moscow topped Tokyo this year as the world's most expensive city, while Asuncion in Paraguay is still the cheapest of those surveyed.