We live in a new normal, due to various recent events, and many people find themselves with more work flexibility.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had noteworthy effects on many of Europe’s rental markets, as nationals and expatriates fled both Ukraine and Russia.

In Tbilisi, there is a bridge called “Bridge of Peace,” designed to connect Old Tbilisi with the new district.

Rents in and around London increased throughout Q1 and Q2 and are now noticeably higher than pre-pandemic levels. As demand outstrips supply, rents bounced back at historic rates since their pandemic low point in Q1 2021.

Before discussing the rental market in Istanbul, a housing source shared an old Ottoman wives’ tale about Turkish coffee.

In St. Maarten, two main currencies are used: the U.S. dollar (USD) and the Netherlands Antillean guilder (ANG). Throughout the country I saw both currencies listed for prices in stores. 

After being away from survey travel for more than a year, it was an experience getting readjusted while simultaneously learning the new processes of international pandemic travel.

If it's not the most interesting job in the world, it's certainly one of them. AIRINC Cost-of-Living Surveyors travel all over the world for roughly six months of the year to collect pricing data. On the surface, this is the dream job for anyone that thrives on challenging global travel – the kind that takes grit and determination to grind through as you move cities on a seemingly daily basis. Instead of touring from site to site though, you move from store to store and source to source in each location, collecting data to populate a market basket of goods, services, housing, and hardship data. 

Having worked as a surveyor for AIRINC, I can tell you it is one of the most unique and fascinating jobs in the world. On the surface, this is the dream job for anyone that thrives on challenging global travel – the kind that takes grit and determination to grind through as you move on a seemingly daily basis. Instead of touring from site to site though, you move from store to store and source to source, collecting data to populate a market basket of goods, services, housing, and hardship data.

Over my fifteen years of cost of living surveys, I’ve traveled by taxi, subway, commuter rail, and ferry to collect data. Once, while pricing a supermarket in China, I noticed bicycles were under 140 CYN (20 USD). Tired of crawling through traffic in taxis, I bought a bike and completed the survey riding around the city. I really enjoyed the freedom a biking survey provided but assumed it was an isolated event.