By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter

Seoulites' working hours are the second longest in the world, following people in Cairo, Egypt.

According to research by UBS, a Switzerland-based investment bank, Seoulites work 2,312 hours on average per year. Cairo logged the longest yearly working hours of 2,373.

By region, Asians work the most, at an average 2,119 hours, followed by Middle Easterners at 2,063 hours.

For those who like to work less, France offered the best conditions. Lyon, in eastern France, was the city that worked the least, with a yearly average of 1,582 hours. Parisians worked for 1,594 hours.

Meanwhile, in terms of cost of living, Oslo, Norway, ranked as the most expensive city. Others include Zurich, Copenhagen, Geneva, Tokyo and New York.

London, known as one of the costliest cities in the world, fell to 22nd due to the strong pound. However, considering that the pound is turning weaker, the city is expected to jump back to around fifth on the list.

Seoul was also one of the cities considered expensive, due to currency devaluations. Based on the prices of 144 goods and services, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Delhi and Mumbai rank as the cheapest cities.

For example, workers in Zurich or New York have to work nine hours to buy an iPod nano, while Mumbaians in India have to work nine hours for 20 days to get one. It takes 12 minutes for workers in Tokyo to earn the money for a Big Mac lunch, while workers in Nairobi, Kenya, must work for two and a half hours to buy a burger.

meeyoo@koreatimes.co.kr