Thinking of moving to a new city? Top 10 best and worst cities for expats are named
Do you want to live and work abroad? This text can help you with your choice of place on the map — published the current rating of the best and worst cities for expats, which is held annually and is called Expat City Ranking.
Who made the ranking? The InterNations company, the world’s largest expat community (more than 4.5 million members).
Who participated in the survey? 11,970 expats living in 181 countries and representing 177 nationalities.
How many cities were evaluated? 50 cities.
What were the criteria used to rank the cities? A total of 56 criteria, here are a few of them: quality of life and satisfaction, ease of settlement, work abroad, personal finances, housing, digital life, etc. The basis for the ranking was the average of all the points assessed.
Top 10 cities for expats in 2022
Key characteristics: 1st place in the quality of life index, accessible public transportation, adequate cost of living, friendly and safe city.
But: 50% of expats are dissatisfied with the local labor market, and 30% assess their career opportunities unfavorably.
2. Dubai, UAE
Key Characteristics: easy to interact with local authorities, expats are happy with their social life, the city is great for both work and leisure.
But: expats sometimes complain that they can’t access online services.
3. Mexico City, Mexico
Key characteristics: friendly and affordable city, most foreigners are satisfied with their financial situation and work in general.
But: quality of life leaves a lot to be desired, unsafe, environmental problems.
Key characteristics: easy to settle in, excellent climate, culture, nightlife, and quality of life.
But: few decent job options.
Key characteristics: lots of cool entertainment and a welcoming culture.
But: hard to find a job, not very developed local business culture.
Key characteristics: affordable housing, immigrants feel like they are at home and are happy with the cost of living.
But: there are safety issues, digital life is not yet settled, few career prospects.
Key characteristics: emigrants are satisfied with their financial situation, job, and quality of life.
But: difficult to socialize and make friends.
8. Melbourne, Australia
Key characteristics: a city where it is easy to settle and find work.
But: difficult to find and afford housing.
Key characteristics: quality healthcare system and lack of paperwork.
But: 31% of expats believe their jobs are unfairly paid.
10. Singapore
Key characteristics: a place where it’s easy to settle in, meet your money needs, and climb the career ladder.
But: hard to afford housing.
10 worst cities for expats in 2022
1. Johannesburg, South Africa
Key characteristics: the world’s worst destination for expats on all counts assessed.
But: affordable housing.
2. Frankfurt, Germany
Key characteristics: low level of digital lifestyle, expensive housing, poor public transport accessibility.
But: quality of life on an adequate level, good infrastructure for cars.
3. Paris, France
Key characteristics: difficult to find housing, high cost of living, immigrants find it difficult to adapt because of the lack of acceptance by society.
But: Paris is one of the best places in terms of culture and cuisine.
4. Istanbul, Turkey
Key characteristics: worst city in the rankings for working abroad, 52% of expats have a negative view of the economy.
5. Hong Kong
Key characteristics: low quality of life, unfavorable environment; also expats are dissatisfied with work life and wages.
But: easy to settle in and find housing.
6. Hamburg, Germany
Key characteristics: difficult to adapt and make friends; also expats are dissatisfied with the climate and weather.
But: environmentally friendly goods and services are available, work/life balance is achieved.
7. Milan, Italy
Key characteristics: many expats are not satisfied with their financial situation, there are problems with air quality, it’s difficult to deal with local bureaucracy.
But: convenient location in terms of being able to travel.
8. Vancouver, Canada
Key Characteristics: housing is unaffordable, locals are not very friendly.
But: good climate and beautiful nature, most foreigners are happy with their work-life balance.
9. Tokyo, Japan
Key characteristics: difficult to navigate, difficulty paying cashless and opening a bank account.
But: quality of life is high, culinary diversity and accessibility to public transportation.
10. Rome, Italy
Key characteristics: low quality of life, few career prospects.
But: expats say they feel at home here.
Author
I am responsible for editorial work. I write expert interviews and guides.
