Asian cities get more expensive

Asian cities have shot up the list of the world's most expensive places as currency fluctuations bring down the relative cost of living in Europe, a new survey said. Tokyo and Osaka leapfrogged Oslo and Paris to rank as first and second respectively in the cost of living index by the Economist Intelligence Unit. Singapore jumped five places to 10th while Hong Kong overtook London and Vienna to leap 17 places to 11th on the twice-yearly survey of costs in 140 cities worldwide.