African oil towns: getting very pricey | beyondbrics

African oil towns: getting very pricey | beyondbrics:

"

Luanda: up go the costs

If you thought that London / HK / Mumbai / [enter your city here] was a bit on the expensive side, spare a thought for those in Luanda and Juba.

The capitals of Angola and South Sudan are the 1st and 3rd most pricey oil and gas towns in the world for expats, according to hydrocarbons news provider Rigzone. Sifting through the latest cost of living data produced by ECA and Mercer International, Rigzone reckons both capitals now beat Perth and Moscow, and are separated only by Norway’s Stavanger, when it comes to their power to lighten your wallet.

Prices in Luanda, Angola’s capital, are the stuff of legend. At its peak two years ago, there were rumours that watermelons reached $100. That sounds a bit farfetched – it’s hard to imagine a watermelon tasting that good, even on a hot day in southern Africa – but you can certainly still expect to pay $200 for a pair of jeans, $50 for a hotel hamburger, and prices in supermarkets are ‘absurd’, says one local lawyer."

'via Blog this'