Dubai has been named the most expensive city in the Middle East but was still outside the top 20 worldwide, according to a new survey by Swiss bank UBS.
Dubai ranked 22nd globally for the price of a standardised basket of 122 goods and services while Doha was placed 36th out of 72 cities covered.
Oslo, Tokyo and Zurich were ranked the most expensive cities in the world, according to the study.
When rents are added to the mix, New York, Hong Kong and Dubai jump up in the list, UBS added.
By contrast, the cost of living is lowest in the Indian cities of Delhi and Mumbai.
For the level of wages paid, Dubai ranked 33rd and Doha 46th with the highest gross wages earned by workers in Zurich, Geneva and Copenhagen. Delhi and Mumbai brought up the rear of the earnings rankings, where workers receive only around six percent of the average Zurich wage.
The UBS survey also ranked Dubai 27th for individual purchasing power while Doha was placed 44th.
UBS also ranked cities based on the length of worktime it took employees to buy a BigMac. It was estimated that Dubai workers would need to work for 12 minutes while Doha workers would work for 21 minutes.
The survey also showed that people work the most in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America, at over 2,000 hours per year.
The shortest working hours and highest number of days of paid vacation are enjoyed by workers in Western Europe.
To ensure the global comparability of the study, the data collected for each country in local currency was converted into a single, common currency.
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