(CNN) — Spot the odd one out in this list of global cities: Hong Kong, Zurich, Singapore and... Ashgabat?
The Turkmenistan capital might not spring to mind when listing deep-pocket destinations, but Ashgabat is now the world's second most expensive city for overseas workers, according to Mercer's newly released Cost of Living Survey.
While it's rubbing shoulders with the likes of Tokyo (at No. 2) and New York (at No. 6), Ashgabat's five-point rise up the rankings this year is down to an ongoing economic crisis, food shortages and subsequent hyperinflation.
Hong Kong, also experiencing turmoil in the shape of political unrest, has once again topped the league, in large part due to it having the world's most expensive property market, against some very stiff global competition.
2020 cost of living city ranking
1. Hong Kong (China)
2. Ashgabat (Turkmenistan)
3. Tokyo (Japan)
4. Zurich (Switzerland)
5. Singapore
6. New York City (USA)
7. Shanghai (China)
8. Bern (Switzerland)
9. Geneva (Switzerland)
10. Beijing (China)
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