These are the best (and worst) places to live as an expat
What is the best country to live in? What are the best countries for expats to work? And how about the best country to move to, to retire to or start over from scratch?
This month global networking organisation, Internations, published its survey on the best and worst countries for expats. They surveyed over 12,000 expats on their perceptions of their quality of life, career prospects, personal safety and finances, as well as their impressions of how their host country’s response to the pandemic.
Some of the results might surprise you…
I guess this survey underlines just how personal our impressions of life abroad really are. My paradise might be your hell, and vice versa.
For me, the survey provides an interesting overview, but it doesn’t reflect my personal priorities. Personal safety is a big deal for me, while language barriers I can deal with. I’d choose Japan over Ecuador any day!
What about you? Which would be your best county to live in as an expat?
Here are the best countries for expats in 2021
1. Taiwan – Taiwan ranks top for the 3rd year in a row thanks to its quality of life, career opportunities, affordability, friendly locals & great medical care.
2. Mexico – In Mexico expats say its ease to settle in and make friends. They also praise its affordability, however personal safety is a big negative.
3. Costa Rica – In Costa Rica expats praise the ease of settling in and stunning scenery. Traffic and poor travel infrastructure are problematic, however expats are generally happy with their quality of life.
4. Malaysia – Expats find it easy to settle in and make friends here. They feel at home, and language barriers are not an issue.
5. Portugal – While Portugal ranks badly in terms of work life, it compensates through its high quality of life. Expats are happy here overall.
6. New Zealand – New Zealand impresses with its work-life balance. Expats feel career opportunities are great and their jobs are secure. The country also ranks top for government communication regarding COVID-19.
7. Australia – Expats here rave about the quality of life, beautiful environment and work opportunities. This seems to make up for the high living costs and cost of healthcare.
8. Ecuador – Expats here praise the country’s affordability and find it easy to make friends and settle in. Personal security and internet access are real issues, however.
9. Canada ranks high overall, with expats saying they find it easy to settle in and make friends. The only real negatives seem to be incomes not stretching far enough to cope with high living costs.
10. Vietnam – Expats in Vietnam report the highest level of job satisfaction within the countries surveyed. Relatively high salaries and a low cost of living make expats feel secure in terms of their personal finances. Expats are concerned by environment issues, but appreciate the friendliness of locals.
And here are the worst countries for expats in 2021
50. Malta. Malta ranks low for its general quality of life. Expats seem particularly dissatisfied with how little a salary stretches.
51. India. While expats here love how far their incomes stretch and how easy it is to make friends, they bemoan a poor quality of life. It is the worst-rated country worldwide when it comes to environmental factors – air quality is a real problem, it seems.
52. Turkey. Expats are especially dissatisfied with their working life and financial prospects. Work life is a major concern here, with an undervalued currency struggling with the impact of COVID-19.
53. Cyprus – While expats find it easy to settle in, they are concerned about their working life and personal financial situation.
54. Japan. Expats here find it tough to make friends and adapt to the local culture. Learning Japanese is hard, they say, and surviving without Japanese is tougher, they claim.
55. Egypt. Expats complain about their health & wellbeing, personal happiness and the quality of the environment. 1 in 3 expats struggle to secure high speed internet for their homes.
56. Russia. Expats in Russia find the language barrier tough to deal with, and struggle to settle in. A quarter worry about job security and many also struggle financially with a relatively high cost of living.
57. South Africa. South Africa ranks lowest in terms of personal safety, with just 1 in 4 respondents saying they feel safe. Expats claim their income doesn’t stretch far enough to cover their expenses and the local economic situation is poor, with a high proportion worrying about job security.
58. Italy. Expats say they are dissatisfied with their financial situation, with a high number saying their disposable household income is not enough to cover their expenses. According to the survey, it’s hard to find a job, and career prospects are poor.
59. (last place) Kuwait. For the 7th time in 8 years, Kuwait comes in last place. Expats say they are generally unhappy – it’s hard to make friends, public transport and leisure options are lacking & they find it tough settling into a very foreign culture, they claim.
Me too. But it’s so personal right? As a ‘serial Expater’ I can work from anywhere but I guess if you’re looking for a regular office job it might be tricky in Malta. I also love the idea of living somewhere small right now, but it would have not been my ideal ten years ago!
So interesting! Bummed that Ireland didn’t make it to the top and I am surprised about Malta, I would have thought it would have ranked higher…
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Me too. But it’s so personal right? As a ‘serial Expater’ I can work from anywhere but I guess if you’re looking for a regular office job it might be tricky in Malta. I also love the idea of living somewhere small right now, but it would have not been my ideal ten years ago!