The best cities to be an expat, ranked

Asian cities score highly

Ximending in Taipei, ranked the best city to be an expat (Getty Images)

Asian cities are the best places to be an expat, according to a new ranking.

Taipei in Taiwan topped Internations’ 2019 Expat City Ranking, which analysed 82 cities worldwide on factors such as quality of life, ease of getting settled, work life, finance and housing and cost of living.

The Taiwanese capital came in first place for the second year running as the best place to move to for work, followed by Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.

Rounding out the top five were Singapore and Montreal in Canada.

The rest of the top 10 cities were in Europe: Lisbon, Portugal; Barcelona, Spain; Zug, Switzerland; The Hague, the Netherlands; and Basel, Switzerland.

Expats in Taipei rated the city highly for quality of life and local transport, plus most are happy with the availability of healthcare in the city, according to expat network Internations. Additionally, 96 per cent of expats said they felt safe in Taipei.

The other Asian cities in the ranking include Bangkok in 20th place, Tokyo in 26th place and Jakarta in 33rd place.

In terms of the worst cities to move to as an expat, Kuwait City came bottom at 82nd place. Rome, Milan, Lagos, Paris, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Lima, New York City and Yangon were also ranked poorly.

Top 10 cities to move to as an expat

1. Taipei, Taiwan
2. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
3. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
4. Singapore
5. Montreal, Canada
6. Lisbon, Portugal
7. Barcelona, Spain
8. Zug, Switzerland
9. The Hague, the Netherlands
10. Basel, Switzerland