CNBC: The top 10 cities in the world for expats to live and work abroad

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CNBC: The top 10 cities in the world for expats to live and work abroad
20/12/2025 10:40 AM

      CNBC: The top 10 cities in the world for expats to live and work abroad

       
       
      coworkers, Taipei, Taipei 101, Taiwan

      Workers who daydream of packing their bags to move abroad may want to consider Taipei for a personal and professional reset.

      For the second year in a row, Taiwan’s capital was named the No. 1 city for expats to move abroad for work, according to the annual Expat Insider survey by InterNations, an online resource group for expats around the world.

      More than 20,000 expat workers participated in the survey and represented 178 nationalities living in 187 countries or territories.

      For the best cities ranking, expats rated 25 elements of living abroad that measured quality of life, getting settled, work-life satisfaction, financial security and housing, and local cost of living.

      Taipei came out on top thanks to its high ratings for overall quality of life. The city ranked third out of 82 cities for this particular category. Tokyo, Japan, came in first, while Zug, Switzerland, came in second for top quality of life standards.

      Expats in Taipei were especially satisfied with local transportation, as well as available and affordable health care.

      Workers did note that getting settled in Taipei was more difficult, likely because of a language barrier where many residents primarily speak Mandarin Chinese or Taiwanese Hokkien. However, newcomers did rank locals high in terms of friendliness, and the majority of people who recently moved to Taipei said they were happy with their new social life.

       

      Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, was named the second-best city to move to for expats and was identified as the world’s easiest city to get settled in. While Malay is the official language of the country, English is widely used, and 92% of expats found it easy to live in Kuala Lumpur without speaking the local language. That’s compared to a 47% average of expats who feel similarly in other cities across the world. Expats in Kuala Lumpur rated financial security and affordable cost of living highly, and though long-term career opportunities were lacking, expats said they were very satisfied with their jobs in general.

      Recent reports have found people who move abroad are happy not just with the change to their daily lives, but they’re also seeing benefits to their careers. One MetLife survey found 91% of expat workers who receive company benefits are satisfied with their jobs, compared to 73% of their colleagues who stay local. And according to HSBC’s latest expat survey, the average 18 to 34-year-old’s salary rose 35% after relocating overseas, from $40,358 to $54,484.

      Here are the best cities around the world to move to for work.

      10. Basel, Switzerland

       

       

       

      Premium: Basel 170314 EU
      Switzerland Basel-Stadt Basel
      Unkel | ullstein bild via Getty Images
      • 93% of expats feel safe in their new city
      • 82% of expats rate the availability of health care positively
      • 59% of expats feel at home in the city
      • 50% of expats find it easy to adjust to local culture
      • 72% of expats are satisfied with their job
      • 63% of expats are satisfied with their work-life balance

      9. The Hague, Netherlands

       
      GP: The Hague, Netherlands
       
      Getty Images
      • 88% of expats feel safe in their new city
      • 70% of expats rate the availability of health care positively
      • 69% of expats feel at home in the city
      • 56% of expats find it easy to adjust to local culture
      • 73% of expats are satisfied with their job
      • 68% of expats are satisfied with their work-life balance

      8. Zug, Switzerland

       
      Zug Switzerland
       
      Frank Bienewald | LightRocket | Getty Images
      • 98% of expats feel safe in their new city
      • 87% of expats rate the availability of health care positively
      • 67% of expats feel at home in the city
      • 43% of expats find it easy to adjust to local culture
      • 65% of expats are satisfied with their job
      • 67% of expats are satisfied with their work-life balance

      7. Barcelona, Spain

       
      GP: Park Guell
      Park Guell, Barcelona, Spain.
      Ihor_Tailwind | iStock | Getty Images
      • 82% of expats feel safe in their new city
      • 88% of expats rate the availability of health care positively
      • 77% of expats feel at home in the city
      • 77% of expats find it easy to adjust to local culture
      • 65% of expats are satisfied with their job
      • 70% of expats are satisfied with their work-life balance

      6. Lisbon, Portugal

       
      GP: Lisbon, Portugal
       
      Getty Images
      • 96% of expats feel safe in their new city
      • 72% of expats rate the availability of health care positively
      • 73% of expats feel at home in the city
      • 79% of expats find it easy to adjust to local culture
      • 63% of expats are satisfied with their job
      • 74% of expats are satisfied with their work-life balance

      5. Montreal, Quebec, Canada

       
      GP: women walking in rain in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
       
      Getty Images
      • 91% of expats feel safe in their new city
      • 64% of expats rate the availability of health care positively
      • 66% of expats feel at home in the city
      • 71% of expats find it easy to adjust to local culture
      • 73% of expats are satisfied with their job
      • 73% of expats are satisfied with their work-life balance

      4. Singapore

       
      DOUNIAMAG-SINGAPORE-SOCIAL-HEALTH-HIV
      Central Singapore’s iconic promenade and skyline.
      Roslan Rahman | AFP | Getty Images
      • 100% of expats feel safe in their new city
      • 79% of expats rate the availability of health care positively
      • 73% of expats feel at home in the city
      • 77% of expats find it easy to adjust to local culture
      • 64% of expats are satisfied with their job
      • 54% of expats are satisfied with their work-life balance

      3. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

       
      GP Tan Dinh church in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
       
      Getty Images
      • 79% of expats feel safe in their new city
      • 68% of expats rate the availability of health care positively
      • 71% of expats feel at home in the city
      • 71% of expats find it easy to adjust to local culture
      • 79% of expats are satisfied with their job
      • 71% of expats are satisfied with their work-life balance

      2. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

       
      GP: Kuala Lumpur Skyline 181106
      Petronas Twin Towers at sunset, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 
      Laurie Noble | Getty Images
      • 78% of expats feel safe in their new city
      • 86% of expats rate the availability of health care positively
      • 75% of expats feel at home in the city
      • 74% of expats find it easy to adjust to local culture
      • 80% of expats are satisfied with their job
      • 68% of expats are satisfied with their work-life balance

      1. Taipei, Taiwan

       
      GP: Taipei, Taiwan
       
      Getty Images
      • 96% of expats feel safe in their new city
      • 94% of expats rate the availability of health care positively
      • 75% of expats feel at home in the city
      • 67% of expats find it easy to adjust to local culture
      • 72% of expats are satisfied with their job
      • 76% of expats are satisfied with their work-life balance

      Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/03/the-top-10-cities-in-the-world-for-expats-to-live-and-work-abroad.html

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