Asia is on an upswing and that means property values, food costs, energy bills and the price of gas, cars and more generally are all going up. The cost of living is rising. But Asia is also a very diverse place. Many areas are still quite poor and so the cost to live there is quite low by comparison. In a recent survey from The Economist’s Intelligence Unit we see that five of the most expensive cities to live in the world are in Asia, as are a host of the least expensive.

The most expensive are places like Singapore, Hong Kong and Tokyo where the rule of law and stability helps make them attractive business hubs. The least expensive cities tend to be in India and Pakistan which have their own issues. In most cases the cost of living closely parallels the economy and how desirable and safe a place is to live.