Short Takes

Budget Concerns

Tea and … er, Hold the Crumpets

Cost-conscious consultants eager to do business in the city by the Thames may find other European cities a better match for their wallets — other cities like, say, Bucharest.
London has just topped The Economist Intelligence Unit's cost-of-living survey as the most expensive city in the European Union. The survey, which uses New York as a base index of 100, compares prices and products in 126 cities around the world.
A weak Euro and the comparative strength of the pound helped London overtake Paris and Geneva. Bucharest is Europe's cheapest city.
London still has a little way to go, though, before it overcomes two Japanese cities, Tokyo and Osaka, which have retained their "most expensive in the world" title since 1991.
Anyone who has booked a hotel room in New York City recently won't be shocked to hear that the Big Apple is the most expensive North American city. Still, it ranks just 12th in the world. Chicago, which has risen 11 places, is the second most expensive.