From IOL. Story by Jan Cronje.

Windhoek and Cape Town are among the world’s 10 cheapest cities for expats to live and work, according to a global survey.

The annual Cost of Living report by Mercer compared expenses in 207 cities across five continents, based on a basket of 200 goods and services including housing, entertainment, food, transport and education.

Cape Town was ranked the eighth cheapest city, while Johannesburg, the only other South African city in the study, placed at No. 17.

Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, ranked the second cheapest place in the world for expats.

For the third consecutive year, the Angolan capital of Luanda was ranked the world’s most expensive city for foreign workers coming to live and take up employment.

N’Djamena, the capital of Chad, was the 10th most expensive.

Mercer, a U.S.-based consulting and financial services company, calculated how much it would cost expats in dollar terms to enjoy the same standard of living in each city. New York was used as the base city.

Cape Town and Johannesburg were cheap largely due to the weak rand against the dollar, according to the report.

The report, released earlier this week, is designed to assist multinational companies work out how much to pay employees.

Tim Harris, chief executive of Wesgro, the Western Cape’s investment and trade promotion agency, said the research confirmed that Cape Town is an appealing destination in which to live, work and play.

“The city is the perfect springboard into the rest of Africa, and this latest ranking will ensure that we remain a desirable international business destination,” Harris said.

Harris said Cape Town should use this ranking “as a positive to enhance our reputation as the preferred headquarters for existing and prospective business in Africa.”

Read more at IOL.