РУСФОРУМ АВСТРАЛИЯ

Australia - the football champion of Asia, recent victor at the Cricket World Cup - has just taken out a less-coveted gong: most expensive country. Again.

Deutsche Bank, in its fourth annual Mapping the World's Prices report, found for the fourth year in a row that a buck in Australia brings the least bang. Australians, topping the purchasing power parity index, pay $1.12 in their currency for what Americans can obtain for one dollar of their own.

Getting from A to B on public transport costs more in Australia than anywhere else. So does buying a pack of cigarettes, while accommodation in Sydney is especially exorbitant.

The United Kingdom was rated the third most expensive country, while New Zealand came in second as its currency nears parity with the Australian dollar.