Singapore provides the best quality of life in Asia for expatriates and South Korea the worst, according to an annual survey by the Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy.
The island state beat last year's winner, Malaysia.
Respondents rated Singapore's combination of high financial rewards, excellent infrastructure, safety, cleanliness and general efficiency as the region's best.
However, expatriates said Singapore's system of censorship, limited access to foreign media, the high cost of living, lack of recreational activities and bureaucracy detracted from its overall quality of life.
South Korea dropped to 11th or last place from the ninth position it held last year.
Expatriates cited frustrations caused by the large language and cultural gap between themselves and Koreans.