<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><root available-locales="en_US," default-locale="en_US"><static-content language-id="en_US"><![CDATA[<p>Tokyo remains the most expensive city in Asia for expatriates, while Singapore overtook Hong Kong to become the costliest place in the region outside of Japan, according to a survey by human resources consultancy Mercer.<br><br>Tokyo retained its status as the second most expensive city in the world for expatriates after Luanda in Angola, which topped the list for the second year in a row.<br><br>Osaka in western Japan was the next most expensive Asian city, ranked sixth in the world, followed by Singapore at the world's number eight and Hong Kong at number nine.<br><br>"Most Asian cities have moved up in the ranking as availability for expatriate accommodation is limited and demand is high," senior researcher Nathalie Constantin-Metral at Mercer said in a statement.<br><br>The increase in cost of living was, however, most keenly felt in Australia due to a rise in the Aussie against the US dollar, Mercer said in its 2011 Cost of Living survey.<br><br>Sydney rose 10 places to rank 14th, while Melbourne jumped to 21st from last year's 33th position.<br><br>London fell to 18th from 17th, while New York dropped to 32nd from 27th.<br><br>(Reuters)</p>