Hong Kong second-worst city in Asia for expats to live due to soaring costs and declining stability, survey finds
- The annual report by the networking site InterNations ranked Hong Kong 57th out of 66 cities around the world
- A survey found that 69 per cent of local expats were concerned about political stability in Hong Kong, compared to a global average of 17 per cent
Hong Kong has once again slid down a ranking of the world’s best places for expats to live, falling into the bottom 10 overall and coming second to last among the Asian cities included after being rated worst in the world for both political stability and cost of living.
The annual report by the networking site InterNations ranked Hong Kong 57th out of 66 cities around the world, with the findings based on a survey of 15,000 expats.
The city was trounced by regional rival Singapore, which placed fifth, also coming behind Kuala Lumpur, Ho Chi Minh, Shanghai, Bangkok, Beijing and Tokyo. Seoul was the only Asian city on the list to score lower.
Globally, Valencia in Spain was ranked the top destination for expats.
Last year, Hong Kong was ranked 52nd, behind Singapore, Shanghai and Taipei, but that report had included 82 cities in total. Six years ago, Hong Kong was ranked 10th.
“While Hong Kong has an average performance in the Quality of Urban Living Index (45th) in general, safety and security seem to be a real concern: The city is rated worst in the world for political stability, with 69 per cent of expats being worried about this factor compared to 17 per cent globally,” the report said.