Chisinau is Europe's cheapest city for expats

Chisinau, the capital of the Republic of Moldova, is the cheapest city in Europe for international travelers and expatriates, shows a research produced by ECA International, Info-Prim Neo reports. ECA International's cost of living survey compares a basket of 128 consumer goods and services commonly purchased by expatriates in over 370 locations worldwide. The European ranking includes 76 cities. Oslo is Europe’s most expensive city for expatriates and visitors and ranked 2nd globally (surprisinggly, after Angola's capital Luanda). The Norwegian capital is followed by Stavanger, Copenhagen, Moscow, Geneva, Zurich, Basel and Bern, which all feature in the top 10 globally. The cheapest locations in Europe include Chisinau (195 globally), Minsk (161) and Skopje (140). Goods and services in the Moldovan capital are almost 60 per cent cheaper than if purchased in Oslo. Locations in Eastern Europe, such as Prague (65), Warsaw (90) and Bratislava (113) have all experienced the largest increases in the rankings, owing to the strengthening of their respective currencies and also relatively high rates of inflation. The basket used in the survey didn't include items such as accommodation, utility costs, school fees or motoring costs. ECA International is the world’s largest association for human resources professionals. The organization provides remuneration advice and data for internationally operating companies.