Other god news - the dollar to the Euro is 1.25+ But the global markets and their shake-outs (corrections???) aren't making life easy for anyone .....

Wow .... what a difference since the pound was so strong (or the dollar so weak) that the conversion rate was nearly $1 - 2.10 pounds

1.00 GBP
=
1.48438 USD

this should make a HUGE difference when it comes to American's buying power.

Now that the economy has gone topsy-turvy, how are things looking these days in London compared to Paris?

Al: Perhaps you're right and tourists feel the cost of living differential more acutely. But, why am I constantly housing friends from the UK who come to Paris to shop? And, I don't just mean during the sales! These are professionals who earn good salaries and cannot believe what they need to spend each month just to cover expenses?

Depends on what you are talking about in terms of purchasing. If you are talking about equating the price in terms of dollarsof course the exchange rate is a big big factor.

But the figures show that cost of living is less in London than Paris so there are factors that we
Americans dont take into account....like wages are better in London and more people are employed than Paris. So no matter how expensive that hotel or apartment rent may seem if one makes more money the cost of living is less.

Does anyone know - or have ideas - as to why London is so much more expensive than Paris?

I was in London ten days ago and while visiting and living there are different things, I was shocked at the much higher comparative costs in London.

St. Germain: I couldn't agree more. Each time I go to London, I spend a fortune on nothing. The rents (by the week) are astronomical. Friends ask me to bring them clothes from Paris since they're less expensive than in London. Whenever I see a price for an item, I think it's expensive in Euros compared to Paris -- only to realize that the cost is in UK pounds. Go figure!

As for Oslo ...I had no idea!

I've thought for quite a while that London is more expensive than Paris.

And Oslo number 1???

I don't know if this is a full explanation.....but one must consider the exchange rate in effect . I always figured one and a half times on the € against the dollar but now I have to figure DOUBLE for the approx. exchange. It is in effect increasing the rise in prices.

It surprises me that it would be more expensive than in London. I am always hearing louder complaints about costs, real estate, etc, from friends I have in London.

In a way I was surprised but I did have a "dispute" here on BP that it seemed easier for for me to live in New York (albeit not Manhattan) than it would if I lived in Paris.

A point we don't realize is that the cost of living in a city is not the same as expenses for a tourist.Pas le meme chose.

I was surprised to read that the cost of living in Paris is one of the most expensive in Europe including London.

1 Oslo, Norway
2 Tokyo, Japan
3 Reykjavik, Iceland
4 Osaka Kobe, Japan
4 Paris, France
6 Copenhagen, Denmark
7 London, UK
8 Zurich, Switzerland
9 Geneva, Switzerland
10 Helsinki, Finland

Here's the shake-out. Are you surprised too?