Comprehensive analysis of 70 cities from around the world reveals those that offer the best environment for expats
- Washington D.C. ranks first in the United States as the best city for an expat, and 16thglobally.
- Cape Town, South Africa, ranks last as the worst city for expats.
- Ottawa, Canada, tops the ranking, scoring well for Air Pollution and House Price to Income Ratio.
Berlin, Germany, 13th August 2019 – German online mortgage broker, LoanLink, has released a study revealing the best cities around the world for an expat. With an estimated nine million US citizens living abroad, this study aims to highlight the cities that offer the best quality of life and opportunities for new arrivals.
The study analyses 70 cities from around the world for a total of 24 criteria across four categories: Economics, Experience, Environment and Urbanisation, and Family and Society. The criteria within each category define or suggest a high living standard, such as Average Earnings, Healthcare Expenditure, Traffic Congestion, and even Hours of Sunshine. For those fortunate enough to be able to relocate to their country of choice, this index includes a full range of factors to help individuals, couples, and families select the best city to take their next steps.
With low Air Pollution, high Healthcare Expenditure, and an appealing House Price to Income Ratio,Washington D.C. ranks first in the United States for expats. The capital also boasts a strong Startup Ecosystem, emerging as a hotspot for entrepreneurs with government ties. London, home to an impressive number of co-working spaces, investors, and venture funding, ranks ahead of Washington D.C. for Startup Ecosystem. However, London’s minimal Hours of Sunshine and high Traffic Congestion are unlikely to appeal to expats looking for an active outdoors lifestyle.
A sample of the findings from the Expat City Index 2019 are revealed in the tables below. The full results of the study, along with the methodology, are available on the website.
USA Ranking Table 2019
|
# |
Country
|
City |
Economics Score |
Experience Score |
Environment and Urbanisation Score
|
Family and Society Score |
Overall Score |
|
16
|
United States
|
Washington D.C.
|
7,63
|
5,77
|
6,35
|
4,96
|
6,18
|
|
32
|
United States
|
San Francisco
|
7,64
|
5,59
|
5,86
|
4,80
|
5,97
|
|
37
|
United States
|
New York
|
7,64
|
5,47
|
5,83
|
4,71
|
5,91
|
Global Top 10 Ranking Table 2019
|
# |
Country
|
City
|
Economics Score |
Experience Score |
Environment and Urbanisation Score
|
Family and Society Score |
Overall Score |
|
1
|
Canada
|
Ottawa
|
6,89
|
7,98
|
6,24
|
6,64
|
6,93
|
|
2
|
Australia
|
Canberra
|
6,24
|
7,33
|
6,80
|
6,63
|
6,75
|
|
3
|
New Zealand
|
Wellington
|
6,01
|
6,41
|
6,96
|
6,65
|
6,51
|
|
4
|
Canada
|
Toronto
|
6,97
|
7,28
|
5,95
|
5,77
|
6,49
|
|
5
|
United Kingdom
|
Glasgow
|
6,25
|
5,88
|
6,53
|
7,07
|
6,43
|
|
6
|
Switzerland
|
Bern
|
7,16
|
5,53
|
7,18
|
5,69
|
6,39
|
|
7
|
Spain
|
Madrid
|
5,13
|
7,36
|
7,20
|
5,64
|
6,33
|
|
8
|
Australia
|
Melbourne
|
6,54
|
6,51
|
5,87
|
6,25
|
6,293
|
|
9
|
United Arab Emirates
|
Abu Dhabi
|
5,93
|
7,14
|
6,54
|
5,56
|
6,292
|
|
10
|
Netherlands
|
Amsterdam
|
6,17
|
6,07
|
6,75
|
6,04
|
6,26
|
The full results of the study and the methodology are available on the website.Further insights for the United States
- The United States ranks first in the index for Healthcare Expenditure.
- San Franciso ranks first in the United States for Average Sunshine Hours, ahead of New York, insecond place for this factor
- Washington D.C. ranks significantly higher than San Francisco and New York for Environment and Urbanisation, with the exception of the Cost of Public Transport.
- All cities in the United States score poorly for Family and Society, with few Vacation Days, and High Cost of Living for a Family.
Further insights worldwide:
- Canberra, Australia, ranks second overall on the index. The Australian capital has an excellent Work-Life Balance, with a 38-hour working week.
- Bern, Switzerland, ranks sixth behind Glasgow. The Swiss capital scores full marks for Average Earnings but ranks poorly for Friendliness.
- The United Kingdom ranks ahead of the United States for Work-Life Balance.
- San Francisco and New York both rank ahead of London, boasting better Quality of Life. However, the UK has a higher number of Top 1,000 Universities than the US.
- The United States ranks ahead of Canada and Australia for Average Net Earnings. Zurich,Switzerland, ranks first on the index for this factor.
- Cape Town, South Africa, ranks last on the index. While Cape Town has a strong House Price to Income Ratio, the city scores poorly for Safety, Traffic Congestion, and Unemployment.
About LoanLink: LoanLink simplify the traditional process of securing a mortgage. By leveraging advanced algorithms they track and compare mortgage products from over 400 lenders to assist prospective buyers. With an experienced team from across banking, software, risk, and compliance, LoanLink are helping to bring transparent and hassle-free mortgages to the 21st century.
Publishers are allowed to publish this data and graphics; we kindly ask that you give credit and link to the source.
Spokespeople from LoanLink are available for phone and radio interviews.
Please contact susanna@abcd.agency for further information.
Methodology
We understand that all of the categories in this study are very different. However, in order to standardise our results and create a comprehensive score, all of the different factors have been evenly ranked between 0 and 10. This score is obtained directly from the raw data and a normalisation implemented:
The result (
) is the placement in the ranking and was calculated from the raw data.