Expat, remote worker or digital nomad – whatever you call yourself, deciding to move abroad is no easy decision. First of all, how do you choose where to go? Do you seek out the most affordable cities, great places for a night out, or one of the world’s foodie capitals?
There’s loads to consider, but one thing you should definitely think about is the quality of life on offer in your potential new home. Where has the best living standards and housing? What about traffic and air quality? To help you get a handle on all that and more, we’ve got the latest from Mercer’s annual Quality of Living Report.
The report recognises cities that offer expats the best lifestyle and the easiest integration into the local community. Cities are ranked against these factors, and this year Zurich took the crown as the city offering the best quality of life for expats, knocking Austrian capital Vienna into second place.
According to the report, Zurich’s win was ‘fueled by its outstanding public services, low crime rates and a lively cultural scene, all backed by efficient infrastructure and a dedication to sustainability.’ New flight routes have also improved the city’s intercontinental connections.
European cities actually claim eight of the top 10 places, with only Auckland (number five) and Vancouver (joint seventh) scraping their way into the top 10.
These are the cities where expats have the best quality of life
- Zurich
- Vienna
- Geneva
- Copenhagen
- Auckland
- Amsterdam
- Frankfurt and Vancouver
- Bern
- Basel
You can have a look at the report in more detail here.
Feeling inspired?
We’ve been reporting on the growing popularity of digital nomad visas over recent years at Time Out. Have a look at our guide to the best digital nomad visas right now and discover what it's really like to work from anywhere.
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