ST. LOUIS — Cost of living has always been a big selling point for St. Louis, and in 2021 it’s more of a bargain than last year.
But it's not alone in making that claim.
Every city across the country that’s part of Mercer’s 27th annual Cost of Living survey is ranked lower than in 2020.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, is the world's most expensive city, switching places with Hong Kong which is now No. 2. Beirut Lebanon, rose 42 points to rank third.
St. Louis was No.103 in this year's study, just behind Stuttgart, Germany. It had been ranked 83rd last year. New York, the highest-ranked U.S. city, fell out of the international top 10, dropping from No. 6 to No. 14. Among U.S. cities, St. Louis was No. 17 last year, ahead of Portland, Pittsburgh and Cleveland, rounding out the top 20.
Mercer said the decline was chiefly due to currency fluctuations between March 2020 and March 2021, despite the rising cost of goods and services in the U.S.
Mercer’s survey, released Tuesday, included 209 cities worldwide. It measured the comparative cost of more than 200 items, including housing, transportation and food. The data helps employers determine compensation packages and can also play a role in recruiting talent and influence decision on expanding or transforming a company’s geographic footprint, the international consulting firm said.
To read the full story and see out the top 20 most expensive cities, check out the St. Louis Business Journal story here.
