Gulf cities witness a drop in cost of living

JEDDAH (Saudi Arabia): Living costs in the gulf cities have dropped, according to a recent survey on the costs of living in different cities across the world.
The survey, published recently by the Economist Intelligence Unit, ranks Dubai at 94 among the world’s cities, showing a drop of 16 places since 2010. The capital city of UAE, Abu Dhabi, has also come down by five places to 91 according to the latest survey on the cost of living in various cities across the world.Besides these, the cities of Muscat, Oman and Jeddah are also among the least expensive cities globally.
The survey considered over 400 individual prices of 160 products and services including food and drinks, clothing, household supplies and personal care items, home rents, transport, utility bills, fees of private schools, wages of domestic help and recreational costs as well.
The main reason behind a noticeable drop in the cost of living in the Gulf cities is because of price control and the fixing of exchange rates against the US dollar, analysts observed.
While Pakistan’s Karachi ranked as the cheapest city, two of the four cheapest locations are Indian - Mumbai and New Delhi.
Other cities of the gulf ranked according to the respective cost of living are: Riyadh (135), Manama (157), Kuwait City (159), Qatar (164), Muscat (184) and Jeddah (185).