The cost of living has decreased for expatriates living in Abu Dhabi and Dubai with both cities dropping in a global ranking of the most expensive places to reside, according to consulting firm Mercer. While Abu Dhabi has dropped 18 places from 22nd to 40th position on Mercer’s Annual Cost of Living Survey, conducted in March, Dubai has dropped seven places to 26th position from its 2017 ranking as the 19th most expensive city to live. However, Rob Thissen, senior associate of Mercer in Dubai said while the survey indicated a decrease in the cost of living in the two locations, this is only in comparison to other global cities. He said that if the ranking goes down, it does not necessarily mean the cost of living is going down. The ranking compares Dubai and Abu Dhabi with other cities in the world and there are two reasons they have gone down. The first reason, he said, is the depreciation of the US dollar versus several major currencies over the last 12 months, meaning the dirham does not go as far when travelling overseas. The second reason is the falling rental rates in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi in comparison to other global cities.