Where is the best place to live for expats in 2022? Hong Kong slumps to near bottom of global expat index while Mexico, Indonesia and Taiwan come out top for liveability
- InterNations canvassed 12,000 expats in 181 countries for its ‘Expat Insider 2022’ survey and found Mexico’s welcoming culture and affordability put it on top, closely followed by Indonesia
- Hong Kong ranks well on ease of settling in and public transport, but the cost of living is a perennial concern – an issue that saw remote New Zealand score even lower
When evaluating the best and worst places for expats to live and work overseas, InterNations goes straight to the source.
After canvassing the views of nearly 12,000 expats in 181 countries and territories, the global network for expatriates, which counts some 4.6 million members around the world, has published its latest results.
And the winner, according to the “Expat Insider 2022” survey, is Mexico. Not only is this Latin American country voted the easiest place to settle down in but 91 per cent of expats are happy with their life there. This is the highest share of contented respondents among all locations apart from Indonesia which, in second place, excels on the cost of living metric as well as in personal happiness.
Taiwan, in third place, is regarded as “safe and financially stable”, even though 41 per cent of expats are unhappy about a lack of flexibility in their workplace (versus 19 per cent globally).
What went wrong, Hong Kong?
Hong Kong, however, languishes near the bottom, ranking 50th on the 52-city index, ignominiously earning a place among the very worse-rated.
In a city where foreign residents make up about 10 per cent of the estimated 7.5 million population, 70 per cent of respondents to InterNations’ survey agreed that moving to Hong Kong had improved their career prospects (versus 60 per cent globally). But it lags on the quality of life metric, as well as on the general cost of living, while respondents reported a perceived lack of creativity in the local business culture.
Hong Kong’s public transport is a highlight, and the city ranks best on the “expat essentials” and “ease of settling in” indices. But according to Malte Zeeck, InterNations founder, expats feel that they cannot openly express themselves and their opinions (56 per cent, compared to 18 per cent globally). They are also unhappy with the urban environment (33 per cent versus 17 per cent globally).
Mexico’s feel-good factors
