SYDNEY - Sydney has been ranked as the world's 10th costliest city for expatriates, according to Mercer's 2013 Cost of Living Survey released on Tuesday.

In its report, global consulting firm Mercer says Luanda, Angola's capital city, is the world's most expensive city for expatriates.

Moscow and Tokyo appear second and third in Mercer's list of top 10 costliest cities.

The other cities appearing in Mercer's list are N'Djamena, Singapore, Hong Kong, Geneva, Bern and Zurich.

The survey covers 214 cities across five continents and measures the comparative cost of over 200 items in each location, including housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods, and entertainment.

Mercer talent business leader Garry Adams said the survey was conducted in March, when the Australian dollar was well above parity with the US dollar.

"Housing costs are absolutely the biggest contributor to pushing Sydney well ahead of other cities," Adams said.