Expat City Ranking 2018 reveals the best and worst cities for expats

Taipei, Singapore, and Manama are top destinations for expats, while Rome, Jeddah, and Riyadh rank at the bottom of the list.

Taipei comes in 1st out of 72 cities worldwide in the Expat City Ranking 2018. The city is in good company, with many other Asian metropolises also ranking in the top 10 cities for expats, such as Singapore (2nd), Ho Chi Minh City (4th), Bangkok (5th), and Kuala Lumpur (6th). Other cities which are also regarded highly by expats include Manama (3rd), Aachen (7th), Prague (8th), Madrid (9th), and Muscat (10th). On the other hand, many European cities can be found in the bottom 10 cities for expats.

According to respondents, the worst ten cities in the world are Milan (63rd), Johannesburg, Stuttgart, Dublin, Paris, London, Stockholm, Rome, Jeddah, and Riyadh (72nd).

The so-far unpublished Expat City Ranking 2018 is based on this year’s Expat Insider survey, conducted by InterNations, the largest expat community worldwide. With more than 18,000 respondents living and working abroad, it is one of the most extensive expat studies in the world. Apart from offering an in-depth analysis of expat life in 72 cities, the survey ranks them by a variety of factors such as quality of urban living, getting settled, urban work life, as well as finance & housing.

The Top 10 Cities for Expats in the World

Taipei (1st) Is the World’s Friendliest and Safest City for Expats

Taipei, the winner of the Expat City Ranking 2018, ranks in the top 5 for all main categories of the survey, receiving its best ratings in terms of quality of urban living (1st). All expats in the city (100%) are happy with the local transportation system (vs. 70% globally) and safety in the city (vs. 80% globally). What is more, more than seven in ten expats (72%) rate the local cost of living as good, compared to 44 percent globally. Lastly, Taipei is named the friendliest city for expats in the world: 94 percent of expats rate the general friendliness of local residents positively (vs. 62% globally).

A High Level of Safety, but Cost of Living Is an Issue in Singapore (2nd)

The majority of expats in the city-state Singapore (88%) is extremely satisfied with their personal safety, compared to 48 percent globally. An Indian expat living in Singapore notes: “It is easy for everyone to enjoy life here without worrying about safety.” What is more, expats seem to get settled into life in Singapore easily (10th). It might help that 83 percent find it easy to live in the city without speaking the local language (vs. 48% globally). However, the high cost of living (50th) poses an issue: more than half (52%) are dissatisfied with that factor, compared to 37 percent globally.

Manama (3rd) Is the World’s Easiest City to Get Settled In as an Expat

Ranking 3rd overall, Manama is the world’s best city to get settled as an expat. More than seven in ten expats (72%) find it easy to get used to the local culture (vs. 61% globally), and 87 percent say the local residents are generally friendly towards foreign residents (vs. 62% globally). “The locals are very friendly and helpful,” a British expat shares. However, expats express dissatisfaction with the quality of urban living (50th) in the city. For example, close to three in ten (28%) are unhappy with the local transportation (vs. 19% globally).

Expats in Ho Chi Minh City (4th) Enjoy the Best Cost of Living

The affordability of housing (1st worldwide) and the low cost of living (1st) are the main reasons for Ho Chi Minh City’s excellent ranking in the Expat City Ranking 2018. In fact, 77 percent find housing affordable (vs. 37% globally), and 82 percent rate the local cost of living positively (vs. 44% globally). However, expats are unhappy with the quality of the urban environment (71st) — only ranking better than Jakarta for this factor — and the availability (65th) and quality of healthcare (66th). A US American expat states: “The healthcare including foreign medical services are substandard”.

Expats Laud Are Happy with their Finances and Housing in Bangkok (5th)

Only beaten by Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok is the second-best city for finance & housing according to expats in 2018. Three-quarters (75%) are satisfied with their financial situation, which is 17 percentage points more than the global average (58%). Additionally, 83 percent of expats in the city say that it is easy to find housing (vs. 52% globally). But expats bemoan the low quality of the urban environment (63rd). “The air and water quality in Bangkok could be improved,” says an expat from the US. More than two in five (45%) are dissatisfied with this factor, compared to 18 percent globally.

Kuala Lumpur (6th) Is the World’s Easiest City to Find Housing as an Expat
Expats in Kuala Lumpur find it easy to get settled in the city (4th out of 72): two-thirds of expats (67%) say making new friends is easy, compared to 46 percent globally. It also seems like there is close to no language barrier, as 88 percent claim it is easy to live in Kuala Lumpur without speaking the local language (vs. 48% globally). What is more, it is easy to find (1st) and afford housing (6th) in Kuala Lumpur: in fact, close to nine in ten (86%) agree that it is easy for expats to find housing (vs. 52% globally).

Aachen (7th) Is the Best Expat City for Urban Work Life
Coming in 7th out of 72 cities worldwide, Aachen is the best-rated German city in 2018. It is even the world’s best city in terms of urban work life, due to high job satisfaction and security (83%, respectively, satisfied), as well as a good work-life balance (74% satisfied). “Work and personal life are in a good balance,” says an expat from Venezuela. Moreover, Aachen boasts the most affordable housing among the German cities surveyed (5th worldwide). Two-thirds (67%) find housing affordable in Aachen, which is 59 percentage points more than in Munich (8%), the worst-rated German city for this factor.

Prague (8th) Is a Top Destination for Career Expats

Prague is the second-best European city for expats in the Expat City Ranking 2018, coming in 8th worldwide. The city ranks in the top 10 for urban work life (3rd), quality of urban living (5th), and local cost of living (7th). In fact, it even comes in first for local career opportunities, with 76 percent of expats satisfied with this factor (vs. 51% globally). This is also an eight-percentage-point increase since 2017 (68%). In terms of urban living, an expat from Macedonia names the “local transportation” among her favorite things about the city — and close to every expat in the city (97%) agrees that it is good (vs. 70% globally).

Top Transportation and Leisure Options Impress Expats in Madrid (9th)
Madrid (9th) ranks far ahead of its Spanish counterpart Barcelona (27th) in the Expat City Ranking. The city receives its best ratings in terms of quality of urban living (3rd): close to every expat (97%) is satisfied with the local transportation (vs. 70% globally), and 91 percent praise the leisure options (vs. 74% globally). “There is always something to do and events going on,” says an expat from the US. However, urban work life (52nd) seems to pose an issue, particularly in terms of job security (65th). One-third (33%) is unhappy with this factor, compared to 21 percent globally.

It Is Easy to Get Settled in Muscat (10th), but Expats Miss Career Opportunities
Muscat shows varying results, ranking highly for some factors whilst landing in the bottom 10 for others: close to three in five expats (58%) laud the affordable housing (8th), compared to 37 percent globally. Expats also find it easy to get settled (7th), which might be because 83 percent find the local population friendly towards foreign residents (vs. 62% globally). But the city ranks low for transportation (62nd) and career opportunities (66th). In fact, 40 percent are unhappy with the transportation system (vs. 19% globally), and 39 percent are dissatisfied with their career prospects (vs. 27% globally).