A worker cleans the promenade on the Bund along the Huangpu River against the skyline of the Lujiazui Financial District in Pudong in Shanghai on July 24, 2014.[Photo/VCG]

Shanghai remained the most expensive city on the Chinese mainland for expatriates, according to the latest Worldwide Cost of Living Survey released on Tuesday.

Shanghai, China's business center, is now ranked 16th overall, down from 11th last year and on par with the cost of living in the New Zealand cities of Auckland and Wellington.

The survey, conducted by the Economist's Intelligent Unit, found Shenzhen and Dalian were the next most expensive Chinese cities to live.

Beijing and Suzhou, which saw the biggest drop among the eight Chinese cities examined, both fell 16 places to 47th and 69th respectively.

Suzhou, Guangzhou and Tianjin, tied for 69th place, making them the cheapest cities on the Chinese mainland, according to the report.

Overall, Singapore retains its title as the world's most expensive city for a fourth consecutive year, followed by Hong Kong and Zurich.

The survey, which compares the price of over 150 items in 133 cities around the world, found that Singapore was 20 percent more expensive than New York and 5 percent pricier than China's Hong Kong.

Jon Copestake, editor of the survey, said that Singapore reflected a regional trend, with Asian hubs becoming many of the world's most expensive cities.

In addition to Hong Kong, Singapore was joined in the top 10 by the Japanese cities of Tokyo and Osaka in 4th and 5th place respectively, and the South Korean capital Seoul in 6th place.

Xinhua contributed to this story.