London now one of world's priciest cities

London is now the sixth most expensive city in the world to live in, new research has shown.

According to research from the Economist Intelligence Unit, it ranks behind only Singapore, Zurich, Hong Kong, Geneva and Paris in terms of the cost of living. Even New York is cheaper.

It's the highest position in the rankings for London since 2007 - just before the worldwide crash - when the city was rated as third most expensive in the world. And it's five slots higher than last year.

Manchester is 26th on the list, ahead of Berlin, Brussels, Reykjavik, Rome and Stockholm, making it one of the fastest risers on the list.

The rankings are compiled by looking at the price of a 'basket' of more than 400 goods, including food and drink, clothing, household supplies and personal care items, rent, transport, utility bills, private schools, domestic help and recreational costs.

While Singapore is rated most expensive for the third year in a row, Zurich and Hong Kong are catching up fast.

But the researchers said that the cost of living around the world varied widely last year, affected by everything from political events to currency devaluations and falling oil and commodity prices.

"In nearly 17 years of working on this survey I can't recall a year as volatile as 2015," Jon Copestake, an editor of the survey, tells the BBC.

"Falling commodity prices have created deflationary pressures in some countries, but in others currency weakness caused by these falls has led to spiralling inflation."

London almost certainly gets its high cost of living from soaring rents and house prices: estate agency Savills recently rated it as having the most expensive accommodation in the world. With housing and office rental costs for the average Londoner calculated at a massive £80,700 a year, the price of a beer doesn't make much odds.

London is followed in the rankings by New York, Copenhagen, Seoul and Los Angeles. But if you're looking for somewhere really cheap to live, you should head for the Zambian capital Lusaka, or Bangalore or Mumbai in India, which were the three lowest-ranking cities on the list.