Cost of Living in Muscat Is The Lowest in Middle East: Mercer

Muscat is the least costly city in the Middle East, according to Mercer's most recent Cost of Living City Ranking for expatriates.

Only Muscat, ranked 130th, fell in the rankings in the region, and it did so by 11 spots. All other cities, with the exception of Kuwait City, saw their rankings rise.

The index, released by the American consulting firm Mercer, this year covers 227 cities on five continents and compares the prices of more than 200 different things, including accommodation, transportation, food, apparel, home goods, and entertainment.

Tel Aviv, which is ranked eighth globally, continues to be the most expensive city in the Middle East for hiring foreign workers.

Dubai at the 18^th and Abu Dhabi at the 43^rd are the next two most costly cities in the region, and both have witnessed quite considerable increases in their rankings since the previous year, indicating that their citizens must adjust to the rising cost of living.

Riyadh climbed 18 places to the 85^th level, Manama jumped 19 spots to the 98th, Jeddah was the 101^st , Doha at the 126th, and Kuwait City at the 131^st are the other most expensive cities in the region.

The rise in rental prices is one of the main factors influencing how the rankings will change in 2023.

Notably, Dubai is the second city in the poll where the cost of renting has significantly affected the ranking, following Singapore at the 2^nd place, which has witnessed an average 50 percent increase in rent.

The Cost of Living City Ranking was once again topped by Hong Kong, followed by Singapore, which climbed six spots from the previous year's ranking to overtake Zurich and take the second position.