- Geneva is the most expensive city in Europe for the fourth year in a row, as Swiss cities dominate the top ten
- London drops three places this year, down to the sixth most expensive city in Europe for business travel
- UK cities all drop down the rankings compared to last year
Geneva is once again the most expensive location in Europe for business travellers according to research by global mobility experts, ECA International (ECA). On average, the total cost of a standard business trip to Geneva is GBP 554 a day, compared to GBP 448 in London.
“Swiss cities once again dominate the most expensive places for business trips in Europe, with five different locations in the top ten,” said Simon Franklin, Daily Rates Manager at ECA International. “Switzerland has always been an expensive nation for business travel, and this year is no different as the Swiss franc has performed very strongly.”
Updated annually, ECA’s Daily Rates report reviews the average costs for hotel accommodation – which makes up the bulk of any daily allowance – as well as meals, drinks, laundry, taxi transport and daily essentials. This information is used by companies to determine daily expense allowances for staff undertaking international business travel.
London drops out of the top ten most expensive in the world
London meanwhile has seen a drop in the rankings, as have all the UK locations included in the list. The UK capital has dropped out of the top ten most expensive locations in the world for business travel, overtaken by Monaco, Basel and Paris this year. London is now also in sixth place in Europe, down from third the year before.
Franklin said: “Whilst the price of business travel to London has remained relatively static over the past few years, the strong performance of the euro in the past year has seen costs in other cities such as Paris and Monaco overtake the UK capital. The cost of business travel in the UK overall has continued to fall, with every surveyed UK location seeing a drop in the table.”
“Aberdeen especially illustrates the sudden drop in cost for business travel to the UK, falling from 13th to 39th in the European rankings in just two years. This has been exacerbated by the recent downturn in the oil and gas industry which has led to a reduction in demand for business travel to the area, as well as having an impact on the local economy.”
Business travel in New York City the most expensive in the world
New York is the only location in the world more expensive for business travel than Geneva. A business trip to New York costs GBP 611 a day on average.
Franklin said: “The high demand for hotels in New York is reflected in the premium rate that rooms are currently charged at; averaging GBP 392 per night at a 4* hotel. The high cost of hotels and transport, as well as mandatory 15-20 percent tipping policies during meals out, contribute to the US city being the most expensive in the world for business travel.”
Hotels in London and Paris among the most expensive in the world
The price of hotels in London and Paris is much higher than anywhere in Europe, with the exception of some Swiss locations. A room in London costs on average GBP 334 per night in a 4* hotel, making it the 11th most expensive in the world, while Paris costs GBP 364, making it the 5th most expensive in the world.
Ten most expensive locations for business travel in Europe
| Location | 2018 ranking | 2017 ranking |
| Geneva, Switzerland | 1 | 1 |
| Zurich, Switzerland | 2 | 2 |
| Paris, France | 3 | 4 |
| Basel, Switzerland | 4 | 6 |
| Monaco | 5 | 8 |
| London, UK | 6 | 3 |
| Lugano, Switzerland | 7 | 7 |
| Bern, Switzerland | 8 | 5 |
| Reykjavik, Iceland | 9 | 14 |
| Copenhagen, Denmark | 10 | 11 |
Ten most expensive locations for business travel globally
| Location | 2018 ranking | 2017 ranking |
| New York, USA | 1 | 1 |
| Geneva, Switzerland | 2 | 2 |
| Zurich, Switzerland | 3 | 3 |
| Luanda, Angola | 4 | 4 |
| Bridgetown, Barbados | 5 | 5 |
| Paris, France | 6 | 10 |
| Nassau, Bahamas | 7 | 6 |
| Washington DC, USA | 8 | 7 |
| Basel, Switzerland | 9 | 12 |
| Monaco | 10 | 16 |
-Ends-
Notes to Editors
- Rooster will coordinate comment and interviews for Simon Franklin, Daily Rates Manager at ECA International
- Figures used in this release were taken from ECA’s 2017/2018 Daily Rates Report, with prices recorded between September and December 2017 and exchange rates taken from ECA’s September 2017 Cost of Living survey.
For further press information, please contact:
Yasmine Triana/Aaryn Vaughan
Rooster PR
T: +44 (0)20 3440 8934
E: [email protected]
About ECA International (www.eca-international.com)
ECA International is the market-leading provider of knowledge, information and technology that enables businesses to manage their international reward programmes.
Partnering with thousands of clients on every continent, we provide a fully-integrated suite of quality data, specialist software, consultancy and training. Our unparalleled insights guide clients as they mobilise their most valuable resource: people.
We make the complex world of international mobility simple, providing clients with the expertise and support they need to make the right decisions – every time.
ECA International: Mobility solutions for a world that’s constantly moving.
About ECA’s Daily Rates
ECA’s Daily Rates for business travellers help organisations to anticipate the cost of business trips and short-term assignments. Globally, the Daily Rates reports for 2017-18 are available for 375 locations in 192 countries.
Each report itemises costs for the following expenses for flexibility when calculating allowances for short trips abroad:
- Hotel room (3, 4 and 5 star)
- Meals
- Laundry
- Alcoholic and soft drinks
- Incidental costs
- Journeys by taxi
PLEASE NOTE – 4* hotel accommodation was used as the point of comparison for hotel accommodation costs in these rankings as it best represents the typical level of accommodation used by business travellers.
