Dhaka: Dhaka is more expensive city than Washington of the United States in terms of cost of living for expatriates, according to Mercer's 2017 Cost of Living Survey.

The organisation found that Dhaka is now the 38th most expensive city worldwide for expatriates while Washington takes its position as 39th.

Dhaka is also more expensive city than some cities of development countries and regional cities of Bangladesh -- Berlin of Germany, Toronto of Canada, Shenyang of China, Melbourne of Australia, Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai of India, Paris of France, Bangkok of Thailand, Islamabad and Karachi of Pakistan and Colombo of Sri Lanka, said the survey report.

African, Asian, and European cities dominate the list of most expensive locations for working abroad, it said.

The top 10 cities are Luanda, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Zurich, Singapore, Seoul, Geneva, Shanghai, New York and Bern.

Five of the top 10 cities in this year's ranking are in Asia. Hong Kong (2) is the most expensive city as a result of its currency pegged to the US dollar, which drove up the cost of accommodations locally. This global financial center is followed by Tokyo (3), Singapore (5), Seoul (6), and Shanghai (8).

These rankings indicate differences in cost of living factors affecting expatriates in popular assignment destinations but these rankings should not be used as the basis for determining compensation, as many complex and dynamic factors must be taken into account, it added.