Dublin is the most expensive city in the Eurozone for relocating executives, according to the Mercer Cost Of Living survey, which tracks the costs to highly mobile executives and employees of moving between countries.

According to Mercer, almost two-thirds of employers globally use  mobility programmes to enhance their workforce strategies, and so they assess expatriate package costs carefully.

Mercer’s 25th annual report finds that factors including currency fluctuations, inflation for goods and services, and volatility in accommodation prices, contribute to the overall cost of expatriate packages for employees on international assignments.

Dublin lies in 43rd place globally, down 11 places from 2018. This fall is in common with other west European countries and comes largely as the result of the weaker euro, but Dublin remains the most expensive city in the Eurozone when it comes to moving staff about.

Hong Kong is the most expensive city on earth for new expats, followed by Tokyo and Singapore, with five more Asian cities in the Top Ten.

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Senior consultant Noel O’Connor (pictured) said: “One of the main factors influencing Dublin’s high ranking is the cost of rental accommodation. Expatriates may face serious problems finding appropriate rental accommodation, often the biggest cost for companies placing employees on assignment."

The survey includes more than 500 cities and measures the comparative cost of more than 200 items in each location, including housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods, and entertainment.

Tel Aviv (15) continues to be the most expensive city in the Middle East for relocation, followed by Dubai (21), Abu Dhabi (33), and Riyadh (35). Many currencies in the Middle East are pegged to the US dollar, which pushed cities up in the ranking, as well as steep increases for expatriate rental.

The full report is available from Mercer here, and there’s more information on the city rankings here.