調查 上海生活成本高過紐約

Rising transport costs and pricey alcohol have earned Singapore the title of the world's most expensive city, according to a new survey.

一項新調查顯示，交通成本高漲和昂貴的酒精飲料爲新加坡贏得了全球最生活成本最高城市的頭銜。

The Economist Intelligence Unit's 'The Worldwide Cost of Living' survey also found that Tokyo, Japan's notoriously spendy capital, has fallen to sixth place from top spot in its ranking from last year.

經濟學人智庫(Economist Intelligence Unit，簡稱EIU)進行的“全球生活成本”調查發現，東京的排名從去年的第一降至第六。

Published every March to the public, the study tracks the prices of a basket of goods and services, such food, transport, utilities, alcohol, tobacco, private schools and domestic help as they were in September of the previous year. It then compares them across 131 cities around the world to form an index. The baseline of the index is New York, which has a score of 100. The survey doesn't take into account the price of real estate or income taxes, but it does factor in consumption taxes such as sales tax and levies on alcohol and tobacco.

這項調查的結果每年3月公佈，追蹤的是截至上年9月的一籃子商品和服務的價格，其中包括食品、交通、公用事業、酒精飲料、菸草、私立學校和家政服務等，然後對全球131個城市進行比較排名並製成指數。紐約被賦值100並被設置爲基準指數。該調查未考慮房地產價格或收入所得稅，但卻將銷售稅和菸酒稅納入考量。

While some question its utility, the EIU says its survey is intended for human resources managers, who use the findings to calculate how to compensate its managers and executives as they move from one city to another across the globe.

有人質疑該調查的實用性。對此EIU表示，調查旨在爲人事經理提供參考，他們可利用這一調查結果來計算如何爲在全球城市間移居的經理和公司高管提供補償。

Singapore, which topped the rankings, earned a score of 130, meaning the cost of living there is 30% higher than in New York, which ranked 26th. The Southeast Asian city-state moved up five spots from last year's survey.

新加坡以130分的成績榮登榜首，這意味着新加坡的生活成本比排在第26位的紐約高30%。和去年相比，新加坡的排名上升了五位。

Persistent inflation, especially with regard to car ownership, was one major factor pushing Singapore to the top of the ranking, said Edward Bell, a Hong Kong-based economist at the EIU. Transport costs represent 20% of the overall basket of goods measured in the survey.

EIU駐香港經濟學家貝爾(Edward Bell)說，持續的通脹，尤其是購車帶來的成本是新加坡榮升全球生活成本最高城市桂冠的主要因素。在調查涉及的一籃子商品中，新加坡的交通成本佔到20%。

Alcohol was another factor propelling Singapore to the top, with a bottle of table wine there costing roughly $25, almost twice as much as it would cost in Tokyo (around $12.40).

酒精飲料是促使新加坡名列榜首的又一大因素，一瓶佐餐葡萄酒在新加坡的售價大約在25美元，幾乎是東京售價（約爲12.40美元）的兩倍。

Paris, with a score of 129, was ranked the world's second most-expensive city, while Oslo (128), Zurich (125) and Sydney (120) ranked third through fifth.

巴黎得分爲129，是全球生活成本第二高的城市。奧斯陸（得分爲128）、蘇黎世（得分爲125）和悉尼（得分爲120）分別排在第三至第五位。

Tokyo had a score of 118, as did Caracas, Geneva and Melbourne. Copenhagen, the last city in the top 10, scored 117.

東京得分爲118，與加拉加斯、日內瓦和墨爾本一樣。前十名中墊底的哥本哈根得分爲117。

'You're seeing the impact of the new policies in Japan and their effect on the yen,' said Mr. Bell. 'Tokyo was so consistent in being in the top 3, but to see it fall quite a bit is changing perceptions.' He added that 'it's feeling much easier on the wallet to spend time there,' though the city is still 'not exactly cheap.'

貝爾表示，從排名中可以看到日本推出新政策後給日圓等帶來的影響。他說東京以前總是排在前三，這次排名大幅下滑令外界有了新的認識。他又說現在到東京敢花錢了，雖然東京的生活成本仍然不低。

According to the survey, other expensive cities in Asia-Pacific included Hong Kong (No. 13, with 113), Osaka (No. 14, with 112) and Seoul (No. 17, with 108).

調查結果顯示，亞太地區其他生活成本較高的城市包括香港（排名第13位，得分爲113）、大阪（排名第14位，得分爲112）和首爾（排名第17位，得分爲108）。

Chinese cities are moving up in the rankings, a reflection of higher wages, rising inflation and the appreciation of the yuan, Mr. Bell said. Shanghai rose nine spots to rank No. 21 overall. Its score of 101 means it's now 1% more expensive than New York.

貝爾說，受薪酬水平上漲、通貨膨脹上升以及人民幣升值的影響，中國內地城市在排行榜上名次有所上升。上海在此次調查中的排名上升九位，至第21位，得分爲101，這意味着上海目前的生活成本比紐約貴1%。

Shenzhen (No. 32, with a score of 96), Dalian (No. 42, with 92) and Beijing (No. 47, with 88) were the other top-ranking Chinese cities.

深圳（排名第32位，得分爲96）、大連（排名第42位，得分爲92）和北京（排名第47位，得分爲88）也是排名居前的中國內地城市。

At the other end of the scale, the cheapest places to live continue to lie in South Asia. The survey concluded that the three least-expensive cities in the world are Mumbai (No. 131, with a score of 39), Karachi (No. 130, with 40) and New Delhi (No. 129, with 43).

排名居後、生活成本最低的城市仍然在南亞。調查結果顯示，全球生活成本最低的三大城市分別爲孟買（排名第131位，得分爲39）、卡拉奇（排名第130位，得分爲40）和新德里（排名第129位，得分爲43）。