(Seychelles News Agency) - Seychelles has been ranked 2nd in Africa and 14^th worldwide on a list of the world’s most expensive cities for expatriate workers to live in, a 2017 survey revealed.

Angola, the capital of Luanda, was ranked 1^st in Africa followed by Seychelles, a group of 115 islands in the western Indian Ocean, according to the survey. N’Djamena in Chad ranked 3rd, while Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo ranked 4th.

The annual cost of living survey conducted by Mercer, the world’s largest human resources consultancy firm, found that African, Asian, and European cities dominated the 2017 list of most expensive locations for workers abroad.

The human resource manager of Abhaye Valabjhi, a car distributorship in Seychelles, Alvin Chang-Sam, told SNA that he thinks that many foreign workers are provided with accommodation and food, thus lowering their cost of living in Seychelles.

“The expatriate working in the island nation is sometimes better off than the locals,” Chang-sam said.

The survey focused on the cost of living for expatriate in the world cities, cost of housing, transport, clothing, and fast food. (Gerard Larose, Seychelles Tourism Board) Photo License: CC-BY

However, Prakash Chand, who is an Indian expatriate worker residing in Beau Vallon, located in the northern side of Mahe, the main island, told SNA that he believes life in the islands is expensive.

“If I go to India with the salary I get here, I will be able to buy twice the things I will normally buy in the island nation,” he said.

The survey attributed the cost of goods and accommodations as the main factor determining the cost of living for expats in the island nation.

A two bedroom apartment suitable for expatriates costs $1700 (15,000 rupees) per month.

While Angola is ranked as the most expensive city in Africa, it is also the most expensive city globally, knocking Hong-Kong off the top spot from last year’s list. It is the second time in three years that Luanda topped the survey.

While Luanda rose, all UK cities fell significantly in this year’s ranking, likely due to the fall in the value of the pound following the country’s Brexit vote to leave the Euro zone.

For those in the market for a cheaper expatriate experience, the survey ranked Gaborone, Botswana in the 196^th position; Cape Town, South Africa in the 199^th position; and Windhoek, Namibia ranked 206th, while Tunis, Tunisia ranked 209th and was found to be the least expensive city globally.

The survey focused on the cost of living for expatriate in the world cities, the cost of housing, transport, clothing, and fast food.