Dubai Ranks 2nd World Wide in Best Cities for Expats

(InterNations Report) Internations has carried out its annual Expat Insider survey. By quizzing 11,970 expats, the organisation has generated a ranking of 50 cities across the world. Four European cities made it into the top ten.

The Expat Insider 2022 report analysed 50 expat destinations around the world and ranked them according to the quality of life for expats.

In the Expat City Ranking 2022, the top 3 destinations — Valencia, Dubai, and Mexico City — all do very well when it comes to the ease of settling in. Among the bottom 3, on the other hand, financial concerns and administrative hurdles make life abroad difficult.

Top Findings

• #1 Valencia offers expats a great quality of life abroad.
• In #2 Dubai, expats find it easy to deal with admin topics.
• Getting settled couldn’t be easier in #3 Mexico.
• Johannesburg (#50), Frankfurt (#49), and Paris (#48) are the worst destinations in 2022.

The Top 10 Cities for Expats

1. Valencia
2. Dubai
3. Mexico City
4. Lisbon
5. Madrid
6. Bangkok
7. Basel
8. Melbourne
9. Abu Dhabi
10. Singapore

#1 Valencia: Livable, Friendly & Affordable

Valencia places 1st out of 50 in the Expat City Ranking 2022, as well as 1st in the Quality of Life Index. Expats describe public transportation as affordable (85% happy vs. 70% globally) and love the great opportunities for recreational sports (92% vs. 75% globally). And 92% of expats feel safe in Valencia (vs. 81% globally).

When it comes to the Ease of Settling In Index (3rd), expats feel at home there (74% vs. 62% worldwide) and are happy with their social life (72% vs. 56% globally). The city also ranks third in the Personal Finance Index, even placing first for cost of living: 83% of expats rate it positively (vs. 45% globally).

While Valencia performs well in the Expat Essentials Index (13th), the Working Abroad Index (41st) is by far its weakest point. It places last for Career Prospects (50th): 50% of expats rate the local job market negatively (vs. 27% globally), and 30% judge their own career opportunities unfavorably (vs. 22% globally).

#2 Dubai: Great for Both Work & Leisure

Dubai comes first worldwide in the Expat Essentials Index and its Admin Topics Subcategory. Expats report that it is easy to deal with the local authorities (66% vs. 40% globally), and 88% are happy with the availability of government services online (vs. 61% globally). However, 18% are unhappy with the access they have to online services (vs. 7% globally).

The Ease of Settling In Index (8th) — expats are happy with their social life (68% happy vs. 56% globally) and feel welcome in Dubai (81% vs. 66% globally) — and the Quality of Life Index (6th) are two more highlights. Nearly all expats (95%) are satisfied with the infrastructure for cars (vs. 75% globally), and they rank both the culture and nightlife (5th) and the culinary variety and dining options (3rd) highly.

Dubai comes sixth in the Working Abroad Index. Expats are happy with their job (70% happy vs. 64% globally) and report that the local business culture encourages creativity (78% vs. 51% globally).

#3 Mexico City: Friendly & Affordable but Unsafe

Mexico City ranks first worldwide in the Ease of Settling In Index. Expats feel at home (82% happy vs. 62% globally) and welcome (89% vs. 66% globally) there, and 87% describe the local residents as generally friendly (vs. 66% globally). The city performs equally well in the Personal Finance Index (1st). Expats there are the most satisfied with their financial situation (73% happy vs. 60% globally). Despite its average performance in the Working Abroad Index (24th), expats are happy with both their personal career opportunities (71% vs. 58% globally) and their jobs overall (73% vs. 64% globally).

In the Expat Essentials Index (30th), Admin Topics (44th) are an issue, but housing is both easy to find (9th) and to afford (6th). Lastly, Mexico City ends up in the bottom 10 of the Quality of Life Index (44th). Expats are especially disappointed with the Environment & Climate (41st) and the Safety & Security (47th) Subcategories. Over one in three (35%) are unhappy with their personal safety (vs. 9% globally).