When relocating to work abroad, it’s not always the case that we have a partner by our side to experience new cultures, cuisines, and experiences. So, when flying solo, where are the best cities to live and work in as a young single person?
- New research from Compare The Market Australia has revealed the best European cities to travel to for working singles based on factors such as the cost of an average date, rent price, and internet speed
- Budapest ranked top of the list as the 3rd cheapest cost per date and the 6th quickest internet speed of the cities analysed
- Other cities to feature include Prague, Lisbon, and Sofia
To find out just this Compare The Market has looked into 7 factors including the cost of going on a date, the unemployment rate, internet download speeds and rent prices around Europe, and ranked the best European cities from highest to lowest based on their total scores.
Below are the top 10 European to live and work in for young singles*:
| Rank | City | Cost of a
Date (USD) |
Number of Attractions | Unemployment
Rate |
Internet
Speed (Mbps) |
Rent Price/Month
(USD) |
| 1 | Budapest, Hungary | 55.87 | 2,443 | 3.45 | 40.79 | 640.00 |
| 2 | Prague, Czechia | 65.26 | 4,103 | 2.80 | 20.87 | 550.00 |
| 3 | Lisbon, Portugal | 69.71 | 3,112 | 6.55 | 24.75 | 760.00 |
| 4 | Sofia, Bulgaria | 61.90 | 988 | 5.66 | 20.74 | 310.00 |
| 5 | Warsaw, Poland | 55.56 | 1,396 | 5.43 | 26.18 | 630.00 |
| 6 | Istanbul, Turkey | 39.34 | 4,463 | 13.68 | 7.19 | 970.00 |
| 7 | Bratislava, Slovakia | 74.75 | 730 | 5.00 | 27.03 | 580.00 |
| 8 | Berlin, Germany | 94.20 | 3,371 | 4.98 | 29.64 | 690.00 |
| 9 | Riga, Latvia | 78.31 | 907 | 6.14 | 31.38 | 360.00 |
| 10 | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 123.61 | 3,104 | 3.41 | 70.32 | 1220.00 |
*Please note just five of the seven factors have been included in this table for simplification.
Budapest ranks as the top European city for singles to work and live
As a city that’s well known for its buzzing city life, and relatively low cost of living, it may be of little surprise that Budapest ranks top of the list for working singles. As the 3rd cheapest European city for a date, for the 6h quickest internet speed of the European cities analyzed, and with 3,186 restaurants and bars, Budapest is the perfect balance of work and play for young singles – even though the average rent may be more expensive than other countries on the list at an average of $640.00 (USD).
Prague and Lisbon make up the top three European countries for working singles, filled with rich cultural heritage, and cheap date night costs. In both countries the cost of an average date night is under $100 (USD) per person and for those that enjoy a crisp beer the average is just under $2 (USD) a pint.
Copenhagen offers the quickest internet speed for remote working
When it comes to working remotely abroad, fast internet speed is essential for optimum productivity. For those where technology is a key component of their jobs, Copenhagen in Denmark has the quickest speed at 123.96 Mbps, followed by Zurich and Stockholm. Zurich in Switzerland has the lowest unemployment rate out of the European cities, alongside Prague and Copenhagen, making these some of the easiest cities to find work in.
And finally, you’ll want to stay somewhere where the rent is affordable, and Sofia in Bulgaria fits that description perfectly with average monthly rent being only $310 (USD).
Istanbul is the most affordable city for young singles looking to date
Finding love in a foreign country doesn’t have to be difficult, and some cities make it extra easy to find cheap date night spots. The city with the cheapest date is Istanbul in Turkey, with a cost of only $39.34 (USD) for 2 cinema tickets, 1 bottle of wine, a 5km taxi journey, and a three-course meal for two in a medium-priced restaurant.
Methodology
The dataset ranks 50 different cities across the world, based on how good it would be to be a young single person there. To do this, 7 different factors were used. Once the factors were collected, they were normalised, to provide each factor with a score between 0 and 1. The normalised values were then summed, to give each city a total score out of 7. The cities were then ranked from highest to lowest, based on their total scores. The factors used are as follows:
- Cost of a Date – The total cost of 2 cinema tickets, 1 bottle of wine, a 5km taxi journey, and a three-course meal for two in a medium-priced restaurant, for each city
- Cost of a Pint – The cost of 1 pint of a domestic beer in a restaurant, for each city.
- Number of Restaurants/Bars – The number of restaurants/bars listed on TripAdvisor, for each city.
- Number of Attractions/Things to do – The number of attractions/things to do listed on TripAdvisor, for each city.
- Unemployment Rate – The unemployment rate of the country each city is located in.
- Internet Download Speeds – The average download speed in Mbps of the country each city is located in.
- Rent Prices – The average rent per month, for an apartment in each city.
All data correct as of 30/09/22
Source: comparethemarket.com.au
