Bangkok is now the 63rd most expensive location in a new cost of living survey for expats. Singapore has experienced a big rise in the rankings, becoming the 12th most expensive location in the world for expatriates.

Lee Quane, regional director for Asia at ECA International says that Bangkok has risen 100 places in just the last five years.

“We have seen the cost of living in Thailand increase over several years now. It’s now the 63rd most expensive location in our list.”

“The city is now significantly more expensive than regional capitals including Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Manila. Meanwhile, Singapore’s rise in our rankings is largely due to another strong year for the Singapore dollar.”

Singapore has overtaken Beijing (China), Busan (South Korea) and Yokohama (Japan) compared to a year ago.

The ECA’s Cost of Living Survey compares a basket of like-for-like consumer goods and services commonly purchased by international assignees in 482 locations worldwide.

ECA International has been conducting research into cost of living for over 45 years. Hong Kong is now the fourth-most expensive location in the world for expatriates, up from 11th last year, and the second most expensive location in Asia. After being ranked in 28th place just five years ago, Hong Kong now sits only behind Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, and the Swiss cities Zurich and Geneva.

Prices in Hong Kong rose at a faster rate in the past 12 months compared to Tokyo, Shanghai and Seoul. Shanghai was the only mainland Chinese city to feature in the global top 10, staying in 10th place.

“The Chinese yuan has been very stable compared to other currencies during the survey period.”

The location with the highest cost of living in the world was Ashgabat in Turkmenistan, which rose 110 places from last year. Quane said that although the rise of Ashgabat in the rankings may be a surprise to some, those familiar with the economic and currency issues experienced by Turkmenistan over the past few years may have seen this coming.

“Ever-escalating levels of inflation, coupled with a prominent illegal black market for foreign currencies have pushed up the cost of imports. This implies that the costs for visitors in Ashgabat, at the official exchange rate, have increased enormously – putting it firmly at the top of the rankings.”

Singapore, now the 12th most expensive place in the world

Flying cars. Long awaited, a thing of 1950s editions of Popular Mechanics and sci-fi, now a small step closer to reality.

Uber, the worldwide ride-sharing App, say it is going to use Melbourne, Australia as the first non-US city for its new aerial transportation service. They’ve even claimed 2023 as their launch date for the initiative. Melbourne joins Dallas and LA as test locations for the world’s first working fleet of flying ‘taxis’.

But there are plenty of skeptics despite the large investment and working models currently being kicked around. There have been many drawings and plans, and a lot of talk, but few working, flying cars have made it to the skies for serious testing at this stage.

Uber has announced its southern hemisphere test bed location at the Uber Elevate Summit in Washington as it unveiled its vision for flying taxis as a way to ease traffic congestion in the world’s largest cities.

This week, Uber also announced new aircraft partners to the program – one of them Pennsylvania-based Jaunt Air Mobility, which will produce a rotor and fixed-wing version of new Uber flying taxis. Uber have also displayed the Bell Nexus flying quadcopter – basically a mega ‘drone’ with engines and a cabin large enough to carry passengers.

Uber says the ‘aerial option’ will be included on their smartphone app that will include ground and air transportation and pool passenger into one aircraft.

In the past week Uber launched their first aerial service with helicopters taking passengers from downtown Manhattan to John F. Kennedy International Airport as a fill in before the first generation of purpose-built Uber flying car/drones take to the skies. Be prepared to fork out $220 for the eight minute helicopter trip between lower Manhattan and JFK International with the Bell Helicopter service starting next month.

Huge crowds, estimated to be over 1 million, massed in Hong Kong over the weekend to protest against pro-beijing leaders allowing extraditions to the mainland.

The demonstrations were the largest in the international finance hub since the 1997 handover when the region was returned from Britain (which ‘leased’ the colony for 99 years) back to China.

Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing leaders have been in the process of pushing a bill through the local parliament that would allow extraditions to any jurisdiction with which it does not already have a treaty – that includes mainland China.

The proposals have sparked an outcry and galvanised new opposition that unites a wide cross-section of the city. Six hour protests moved through the Hong Kong streets over the weekend shouting “Scrap the evil law” and “Oppose China extradition!”

In a statement last night the government described the protest as “an example of Hong Kong people exercising their freedom of expression” but didn’t concede any changes to the legislation urging their politicians to continue debating the bill.

Hong Kong’s leaders continue to insist the law is needed to plug loopholes and stop the city being a ‘safe haven’ for mainland fugitives and dissidents.

China has been trying to exert more control over the business hub since whilst pro-democracy campaigners have been resisting the creeping ‘Chinafication’ and asking for the ‘one country, two systems’ sentiment to be observed. Under the principle, regions like Macao and Hong Kong could continue to have their own governmental system, legal, economic and financial affairs, including trade relations with foreign countries.