東京生活費持續世界最高

Last month the Mainichi News on-line reported the following:

世界の生活費:１位東京、日本４都市が１０位内に…円高で

毎日新聞　2012年12月12日　21時44分

　香港などに拠点を置く国際人材コンサルティング会社「ＥＣＡインターナショナル」が１２日発表した世界の生活費ランキングで、日本からは昨年に続き１位の東京以下、名古屋（２位）、横浜（５位）、神戸（６位）の４都市が１０位内に入った。

　円高が要因とみられ、ＥＣＡは「日本では物価は低下しているが、東京が世界で最も高額な都市の座を守っている」とした。世界の４００以上の都市で、食品、衣料など駐在員が使う物品、サービスの価格を比較した。

　経済成長に伴い生活費が高騰するアジアの都市は軒並みランクを上げた。

(試譯文)

An international human resource consulting company the "ECA International" which had established a base in Hong Kong etc. announced on the 12th (last month) that in the living-expenses world ranking, in total four Japanese cities were within the top 10; Japan’s Tokyo continuously to be in the 1st place, Nagoya (the 2nd place), Yokohama (the 5th place), and Kobe (the 6th place).

The strong yen was regarded as a factor and ECA assumed that "In Japan, although prices are falling, Tokyo is occupying the seat as the highest amount city in the world." In over 400 cities in the world the price of goods and service on items such as food and clothing which stationing employees would use was compared.

With economic growth and soaring living expenses, cities in Asia had their ranking raised across the board.

So, international companies should think twice before sending their staff to work in Japan.