The largest city of Pakistan, Karachi, and federal capital city, Islamabad, have been named as one of the cheapest cities in the world for those living and working overseas.

The consulting firm Mercer has listed 10 cheapest and as many most expensive cities for expats in the world after comparing cost of over 200 items including housing, transport, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment. So, this list also provides compatriots a chance to look for some cheap cities beyond the boundary and avoid the expensive ones.

10 cheapest cities

1. Tunis, Tunisia
2. Tashkent, Uzbekistan
3. Karachi, Pakistan
4. Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
5. Windhoek, Namibia
6. Banjul, Gambia
7. Islamabad, Pakistan
8. Tbilisi, Georgia
9. Skopje, Macedonia
10. Managua, Nicaragua

10 most expensive cities

1. Hong Kong
2. Tokyo, Japan
3. Singapore
4. Seoul, South Korea
5. Zurich, Switzerland
6. Shanghai, China
7. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
8. Beijing, China
9. New York, United States
10. Shenzhen, China

According to Mercer, Asia was dominant in the top 10 of both types because of its strong housing market. It said Hong Kong remained the most expensive city for the consecutive second year because of its dear housing, petrol and coffee.