Thomko Petro Chemical Blog

Thanks to the weakened dollar, the United States has jumped ahead of France, Britain and other European countries as a cheaper place to do business.

 In 2006, the United States ranked seventh, trailing several other G7 countries. This year, with the dollar at record lows against the euro, only Mexico and Canada are cheaper.

 Mexico, which is new to the study, was cheapest overall. It was added to incorporate a major trading country that is a party to the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Among the larger cities, the cheapest in which to operate were Puebla, Guadalajara and Monterrey, all in Mexico.

In the United States, the cheapest places were Atlanta, Tampa, Fla., and the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

The San Francisco Bay Area was the most expensive in the nation, edging out New York for that dubious distinction. London, Frankfurt, Germany, and Manchester, England, were all more expensive than San Francisco.

Source: San Francisco Chronicle