An annual survey by the global consulting company Mercer on the cost of living in 207 cities has pushed Beirut up 19 places, from the 63rd-most expensive in the world to the 44th. The Lebanese capital was also the third-priciest among the 16 Arab cities in the survey, losing out only to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, respectively.

 

Mercer explained that Beirut’s progression up the charts is because of the high cost of what it calls “unfurnished housing” (presumably lettings), along with leisure and sports facilities, transport and utilities – all of which, with the exception of the unfurnished housing, are more expensive than New York.

 

Even though New Yorkers will privately admit that their beloved city is a bit Third World – the subway hasn’t changed much from the bad old 1970s, the roads can barely survive the winter and a worrying number of taxi drivers can’t speak a word of English – that’s still quite staggering, considering the relatively low buying power of most Lebanese.

 

So let’s see what all the fuss is about. Mercer says rents are on the rise, and it would be fair to assume that this is down to the number of landlords scrambling to exploit the swelling number of middle-class Syrians seeking refuge from the calamitous situation in their country. [Link]