According to this news from Reuters on Yahoo News, its mentioned that Kuala Lumpur is the cheapest city to live in, followed by Mumbai, Buenos Aires and Delhi.
A comment from a local however thinks otherwise:
I live in Kuala Lumpur and can say that Kuala Lumpur is far from being a cheap city. I wonder if the surveyors consider the salaries of average workers in Kuala Lumpur. On average salary of RM1,500 (USD398) per month and after deductions (EPF, SOCSO) the take home pay per month is only approx USD350. One meal at the local food court is USD2 (nothing fancy, just a simple bowl of noodle + drink) X 3 meals per day = USD6 per day. Public transport is USD2 per day. Hence average person spends USD8 per day. That’s USD240 per month minus occasionally meals at restaurant or buying other personal stuff like cloths, go to cinema (that’s why pirated DVD is so rampant, it’s cheap at USD1.5 per movie and quality’s pretty good too and not censored), etc. Worst if the average person drives as car in Kuala Lumpur is not cheap (it’s more expensive than most developed nations). Subsidised petrol is USD2.27 per gallon and will go up in 2007 when govt reduces the subsidy.
Kuala Lumpur is cheap to expatriates and the really rich locals but not the average Tom, Dick and Harry on the street. Next time, I suggest the surveyors look into what’s the salaries of the average person and what he can buy and ultimately save at the end of the month before they conclude something. And Malaysians do not get social welfare as generous as the developed nations.
So there you go..
Stumble it!