Two Pakistani cities, Islamabad and Karachi, have been listed among the world’s cheapest cities for international employees in 2022.
Both Islamabad and Karachi are ranked as the 4th and 5th cheapest cities for expats in the cost of living index 2022 published by a US-based asset management company, Mercer.
Surprisingly, all the least costly cities on the list are in the Muslim majority countries. Here is the list of the top ten least costly cities for expats in 2022, according to Mercer’s ranking:
| Ranking | City | Country |
| 1. | Ankara | Turkey |
| 2. | Bishkek | Kyrgyzstan |
| 3. | Dushanbe | Tajikistan |
| 4. | Islamabad | Pakistan |
| 5. | Karachi | Pakistan |
| 6. | Istanbul | Turkey |
| 7. | Tashkent | Uzbekistan |
| 8. | Tunis | Tunisia |
| 9. | Almaty | Kazakhstan |
| 10. | Algiers | Algeria |
Here is the list of the top ten most expensive cities for international employees in 2022:
| Ranking | City | Country |
| 1. | Hong Kong | Hong Kong (China) |
| 2. | Zurich | Switzerland |
| 3. | Geneva | Switzerland |
| 4. | Basel | Switzerland |
| 5. | Bern | Switzerland |
| 6. | Tel Aviv | Israel |
| 7. | New York City | United States of America (USA) |
| 8. | Singapore | Singapore |
| 9. | Tokyo | Japan |
| 10. | Beijing | China |
Mercer carries out the cost of living data research twice a year in order to facilitate multinational companies (MNCs) and governments to evaluate compensation strategies for their overseas employees.
The survey analyzes more than 200 products and services, along with highlighting important elements such as currency changes, inflation, and accommodation rates in order to determine the cost of packages for internationally mobile employees.
