Rising transport costs and pricey alcohol have earned Singapore the title of the world's most expensive city, according to a new survey.
一项新调查显示，交通成本高涨和昂贵的酒精饮料为新加坡赢得了全球最生活成本最高城市的头衔。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.
经济学人智库(Economist Intelligence Unit，简称EIU)进行的“全球生活成本”调查发现，东京的排名从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.
这项调查的结果每年3月公布，追踪的是截至上年9月的一篮子商品和服务的价格，其中包括食品、交通、公用事业、酒精饮料、烟草、私立学校和家政服务等，然后对全球131个城市进行比较排名并制成指数。纽约被赋值100并被设置为基准指数。该调查未考虑房地产价格或收入所得税，但却将销售税和烟酒税纳入考量。
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.
有人质疑该调查的实用性。对此EIU表示，调查旨在为人事经理提供参考，他们可利用这一调查结果来计算如何为在全球城市间移居的经理和公司高管提供补偿。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分的成绩荣登榜首，这意味着新加坡的生活成本比排在第26位的纽约高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驻香港经济学家贝尔(Edward Bell)说，持续的通胀，尤其是购车带来的成本是新加坡荣升全球生活成本最高城市桂冠的主要因素。在调查涉及的一篮子商品中，新加坡的交通成本占到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).
酒精饮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价大约在25美元，几乎是东京售价（约为12.40美元）的两倍。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.
巴黎得分为129，是全球生活成本第二高的城市。奥斯陆（得分为128）、苏黎世（得分为125）和悉尼（得分为120）分别排在第三至第五位。Tokyo had a score of 118, as did Caracas, Geneva and Melbourne. Copenhagen, the last city in the top 10, scored 117.
东京得分为118，与加拉加斯、日内瓦和墨尔本一样。前十名中垫底的哥本哈根得分为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.'
贝尔表示，从排名中可以看到日本推出新政策后给日圆等带来的影响。他说东京以前总是排在前三，这次排名大幅下滑令外界有了新的认识。他又说现在到东京敢花钱了，虽然东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).
调查结果显示，亚太地区其他生活成本较高的城市包括香港（排名第13位，得分为113）、大阪（排名第14位，得分为112）和首尔（排名第17位，得分为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.
贝尔说，受薪酬水平上涨、通货膨胀上升以及人民币升值的影响，中国内地城市在排行榜上名次有所上升。上海在此次调查中的排名上升九位，至第21位，得分为101，这意味着上海目前的生活成本比纽约贵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，得分为96）、大连（排名第42位，得分为92）和北京（排名第47位，得分为88）也是排名居前的中国内地城市。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).
排名居后、生活成本最低的城市仍然在南亚。调查结果显示，全球生活成本最低的三大城市分别为孟买（排名第131位，得分为39）、卡拉奇（排名第130位，得分为40）和新德里（排名第129位，得分为43）。