Where a McHappy Meal costs US$25

Where a McHappy Meal costs US$25
By Daisy Melwani


Where does Australia rank on the list of the world’s most expensive cities for business travellers?

Employees on work trips to Caracas, Venezuela’s capital, can expect to submit hefty expense claims after it was revealed as the world’s most expensive city for business travellers.

According to BCD Travel’s Expert Market report, Geneva, Hong Kong, Zurich, London and Paris all cost more for business trips than Sydney, which ranked 18th and is the only Australian city to make the top 20 most expensive places to travel to for work.

Sydney averaged US$461 daily spend per person, considerably lower than Caracas which topped US$611, Hong Kong atUS$523 or London atUS$508. In contrast, no American city was listed in the top 20, with San Francisco taking top spot for the US in 23rd position globally, with a daily spend of US$444.

“US cities are generally cheaper than major European and Asian cities in most cost of living or cost of travel studies, but it’s interesting to see this trend carries over into the world of business travel too,” the report stated.

The corporate travel company analysed clients’ expenditure while undertaking business travel, and included hotel costs, car rental reservations and food.

Researchers revealed reasons behind why Caracas was the most expensive business destination suggesting it was impacted by the city having the second highest murder rate in the world resulting in business travellers often booking the city’s most expensive hotels, and its higher cost for taxis compared with the US, and even the staggering price for McDonald’s – which will set you back more than US$25 for a Happy Meal.

On the other end of the spectrum, Guatemala City, Guatemala, was listed in 79th place at an average daily spend per person of US$209.

TOP 20 BCD

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