Although Tokyo was named as one of the best cities in the world in 2022, it might not be a great place for expats to live. That’s according to the annual Expat City Ranking compiled by InterNations, a global network of expatriates, which put Tokyo 42nd out of 50 cities around the globe.
Over 11,000 people took part in the Expat Insider survey, which analyses 50 major cities around the world. The survey focuses on five key areas of expat life: quality of life, ease of settling in, working abroad, personal finance and expat essentials.
Looking at the other end of the spectrum, the survey's top three best cities for expats are Valencia (No 1), Dubai (No 2) and Mexico City (No 3). Tokyo is sandwiched between Rome (No 41) and Vancouver (No 43), while the lowest-ranked city is Johannesburg in 50th place.
Overall, Tokyo ranked 16th for quality of life. It also scored highly when it came to health and well-being, travel and transit as well as leisure options. As for ease of settling in, Tokyo placed 39th, with survey responders saying it’s hard to make friends in the city and that they don't feel welcome.
Under the working abroad category, Tokyo came in 40th place as expats have a difficult time finding work satisfaction and work-life balance. In terms of personal finance, Tokyo came in 22nd place based on the general cost of living, satisfaction with finances and disposable income.
Finally, Tokyo ranked in 45th place in the expat essentials category. According to the report, the city does not offer enough cashless payment options for ease and convenience. Additionally, Tokyo came in 50th place for language as the survey said it’s not easy to live in Tokyo without speaking Japanese.
To read the full report, visit the website.
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