On the Road

Expense account living

Planning a business trip to England? Better pack a suitcase full of traveler's checks. This year London has become the world's most expensive city for an executive to visit, nosing out such traditional high-roller havens as Paris and Tokyo. Two days in the shadow of Big Ben--with first-class wining and dining all the way--now cost a princely $1,093, excluding airfare, according to a new survey of 30 cities by Business International, a New York consulting firm.

London leads the world in pricy hotel rooms, typically $192, but not in everything. A three-course dinner for four at a leading Paris restaurant will run $525. And drinks and entertainment at a Tokyo nightclub can produce a tab of $486 for four. Surprisingly, Lagos, Nigeria, is the world's fourth most expensive city to visit. The bill for a week's rental of a moderate-priced car there is $603, plus 83-c- per mile.

The U.S. has become the favorite of expense account auditors. New York City is only eighth on the list at $708 for a two-day visit, while Chicago ($570) and San Francisco ($567) rank 15th and 16th. The cheapest of the cities surveyed is Lima, Peru ($265). A hotel room costs just $60 a night, four theater tickets run to $12 and cigarettes are only 69-c- a pack. The low cost might just attract more businessmen into the llama import trade.

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