DAILY EXPRESS: WHEN a ride in one of London’s black cabs empties your purse, it isn’t hard to swallow the popular myth that the capital is the most expensive city in the world.
So thank your stars you’re not in Moscow, where the average visitor to the city – now officially the world’s most expensive – forks out nearly £250 a night for a room, compared with £154 in London.
In fact, the latest poll by industry observer Hogg Robinson Group put London in 10th place – down from eighth in 2006.
Second to the Russian capital was New York, where visitors pay £192 per night. In third place was Paris (£171), followed by Dubai (£164), Milan (£164), Stockholm (£160), Mumbai (£160), Bangalore (£159) and Hong Kong (£154).
For Moscow, it was a case of reclaiming the dubious title it also held in 2005 and 2006.
Room prices there have risen 93 per cent since 2004 and Margaret Bowler, global hotel relations director for Hogg Robinson Group, believes this has less to do with the draw of the country and more to do with economic factors.
She said: “The cost and availability of land in central Moscow, restricting the development of new hotels, is set to continue room inflation into 2008.” It is just the latest confirmation of the city’s sky-high prices. Moscow World’s Cosliest City >>> By Heather Meyer
Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)
