Best City For Expats To Live And Work In 2022

expat network

Best City For Expats To Live And Work In 2022

Online language learning platform Preply has investigated the best cities around the world for expats to move to. Whatever your reasons for moving to a different country, it’s important to learn the basics of the native language spoken there so you can feel confident communicating with your neighbors, colleagues, lecturers, and anyone else you come into contact with on your new adventure.

As a result, according to Preply’s data, over 26% of those learning a new language online are doing so due to relocating to a new area.

With emigration becoming an increasingly popular choice amongst students, families, and working professionals, this begs the question – which cities around the world are the best for expats to move to?

To find out which cities around the world are the best for expats looking to relocate, Preply has ranked 60 of the most popular destinations on 11 relevant relocation metrics, including:

Cost of living – the average monthly expenditure as an expat
Salary – the average monthly salary after tax
Income tax – the estimated amount of tax paid on $50,000
Rent – the average monthly rent cost of a 1 bedroom apartment in the city centre
Connectivity – the average internet speed (Mbps)
Things to do – the number of top-rated attractions
Dining out – the average cost of a meal at an inexpensive restaurant
Saftey – the cities safety score (0-100, 100 being the safest)
Visitor return rate – the percentage of visitors that came back to the city for a second time
Co-working costs – the average monthly cost co-working space
Learning the dominant language – how many hours to learn the dominant language fluently

You can see the full study and ranking at: https://preply.com/en/blog/expat-cities/

The Global Expat Index: The world’s top 10 cities for expats to live and work in

		Monthly cost of living as an expat (£)	Av. monthly salary (after tax) (£)	Estimated tax on £50,000 (£)	Rent (£)	Internet speed (Mbps)	No. of attractions	Cost of a meal (£)	Safety index 0-100	Visitor return Rate (%)	Co- working cost (£)	Hours to learn language	Expat relocation score
1	Kuala Lumpur	£903	£1,043	£12,812	£363	11	322	£2.86	36.87	17%	£76	900	6.62
2	Tbilisi	£1,150	£372	£8,541	£580	10	153	£7.38	74.5	18%	£77	1100	6.58
3	Lisbon	£1,367	£959	£20,499	£865	29	476	£8.54	70.87	15%	£127	600	6.51
4	Dubai	£2,674	£4,082	£0	£1,411	8	812	£9.30	83.95	16%	£246	2200	6.45
5	Bangkok	£1,725	£492	£14,947	£451	19	177	£2.11	59.7	18%	£109	1100	6.35
6	Prague	£1,866	£1,325	£9,822	£756	23	314	£6.95	75.57	13%	£139	1100	6.32
7	Madrid	£1,673	£1,647	£20,071	£856	36	370	£11.06	70.06	13%	£128	600	6.27
8	Barcelona	£1,730	£1,582	£20,071	£873	36	578	£11.02	51.05	14%	£165	600	6.21
9	Alicante	£1,093	£1,214	£20,071	£521	35	51	£11.11	71.19	14%	£128	600	6.18
10	Montreal	£1,717	£2,454	£14,093	£913	16	28	–	68.89	16%	£230	1100	6.18

Kuala Lumpur is the best city for expats to live and work in 2022

With an overall expat relocation score of 6.62 out of 10, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia ranks as the best city in the world for expats. Monthly living costs for relocators in Malaysia’s largest city amount to around £903 and with the average monthly rent for a one bedroom property in the city centre being £363, this leaves plenty of disposable income leftover to enjoy all that Kuala Lumpur has to offer.

When it comes to leisure, there’s plenty to keep you busy in Kuala Lumpur. The city boasts over 322 activities such as theme parks, cave tours, and visits to the famous Petronas Twin Towers. Business professionals and remote workers will also appreciate Kuala Lumpur’s affordable coworking spaces, with the average cost being £76 per month, the lowest out of the top 20 cities.

Tbilisi in Georgia comes in second place for expats, followed by Lisbon, Dubai and Bangkok

Tbilisi in Georgia follows closely behind in second place with an expat relocation score of 6.58.

Tblisi is more expensive for expats compared to Kuala Lumpur, with the average person bringing home a monthly salary of £372 after tax and a 1 bedroom apartment in the city centre costing around £580. However, Tbilisi is one of the safer cities out of all those ranked, with a good city safety index of 74.5 out of 100.

Tbilisi was followed by Lisbon in Portugal, which also ranked well for safety. Dubai and Bangkok came in fourth and fifth, with expat relocation scores of 6.45 and 6.35 respectively.

Moving Abroad Checklist

Initial Considerations

Will your partner be travelling with you?

If so, what will they be giving up in your present home and will they be able to continue with their career in your new home? You will need to check whether a separate visa is required for your partner to work or if your visa gives that right. If they are unable to work you will need to decide on the effect on your finances and what alternatives are available to give a fulfilling life (home business, training, voluntary work).

Are you taking family with you?

Moving with family raises many exciting opportunities, but also can create challenges. The HSBC Expat Explorer survey indicates that expat kids can take six months to settle in to their new country (see article). Getting young or even older children to prepare to move and leave their friends and family behind can be a challenge and should be thought through.

The options for education is another area that needs to be thought through.

Moving your child to a new country with a different education system can be a great opportunity to broaden their experience, but if they are close to key exams the timing can make this inadvisable. If you do take your family with you, it is important to decide between joining the local school system or choosing an international school.

Where will you be living?

Whether you will be living in a house or apartment, furnished or unfurnished, these decisions will affect what you need to take with you. The time you are planning to live overseas will also affect whether you should leave your property at home empty, rent it out or sell it. See the article Sell, Store or Ship.