Expense-Account Living for Less

Thanks to the sky-high value of the dollar, U.S. businessmen going abroad no longer need to take along a CARE package of cash. The annual survey by Britain's Financial Times reports that London, which last year was the most expensive destination in the world for an American, has fallen to 26th place among 100 major business cities. The cost of bed and breakfast at a first-class London hotel is now only $91.02, as compared with $137 in 1980. Brussels, fifth on the list last year, has plunged to 30th place.

Even Tokyo, which two years ago boasted the world's highest prices, has fallen to 13th place. Paris, which is in third place, retains its reputation for haute cuisine and haute prices. A dinner for two at a top restaurant costs $127.72. But, says Richard Rahn, chief economist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce: "It is now possible not only to travel to Paris but also to have dinner there."

Many of this year's most expensive business destinations are obscure spots in the Third World. In Accra, Ghana, a three-mile taxi ride costs $10.92. A drink in a bistro in Kinshasa, Zaire, is $6.05. The most expensive city in the world at present is Bridgetown, the capital of Barbados, where U.S. companies, including TRW, Intel and Playtex, operate manufacturing plants to take advantage of low wage rates. A hotel room with breakfast there is a stunning $155.36. The world's least expensive city this year, as last, is Peking. A capitalist looking for a share of the China trade can dine on Peking duck for $17.77 and rest his head for a mere $29.88 a night.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.