Best Asia-Pacific cities for expats

Let’s have a look together at the 2022 Asia & Oceania 's top cities for expats, in case you're dreaming of a new start the Mysterious East.

After spending years travelling the world, or maybe after a long reflection, you finally decided to give Asia (or Oceania...) a chance for your next chapter of life.

InterNations recently conducted a study call “Expat Insider 2021 - the world through expat eyes”, providing very interesting insights about expat’s views and feelings about their country. A few cities from Asia and Oceania stood out among the global cities listed.

Their scores have been attributed following the 6 themes of the survey :

• quality of urban living,
• ease of settling in,
• urban work life,
• personal finance & housing,
• local cost of living,
• happiness level.

The expert’s voice, Minh Mai, Recruitment Manager Vietnam : “Why not Ho Chi Minh?”

“Vietnam, the dragon of Asia, is forecast to become the second-largest economy in Southeast Asia after Indonesia and the 20th-largest economy in the world by 2036 (by CEBR)

 Ho Chi Minh city is the largest city in Vietnam and also considered as Vietnam's economic hub. Having a strategic location advantage in Southeast Asia, with a modern and high infrastructure system and supported by the most crowded well qualified human resources in the country, the city holds the leading role in driving the economic and social development of Vietnam.

The city is also popular for the affordable cost of living, rich culture, and the overall dynamic and young vibe.”

The best cities for expats

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur is a favorite among expatriates for the Finance and Housing index. It is also at the top in terms of social life and settling in. "It's easy to live here, and the people are wonderful," sums up one American expat.

Kuala Lumpur makes it to the very top of the Expat City Ranking 2021. The city excels in the Getting Settled Index (1st), with top 10 results in all subcategories. In fact, three-quarters or more feel at home there (75% vs. 65% globally) and find it easy to get used to the local culture

Kuala Lumpur also ranks 1st out of 57 in the Finance & Housing Index: expats find housing both affordable (74% vs. 42% globally) and easy to find (91% vs. 60% globally). Additionally, 80% are satisfied with their financial situation (vs. 64% globally), and 64% say that their household income is more than enough to cover expenses (vs. 52% globally).

Sydney, Australia

Expats praise its climate (5th), recreational opportunities but also its urban environment. Sydney is also a city where it is easy to make friends and where professional opportunities are good. However, life in Sydney is expensive, especially because of its exorbitant rents.

The city shows its best performance in the Quality of Urban Living Index (10th): expats are particularly happy with the local leisure options (89% vs. 72% globally), the local climate and weather (95% vs. 66% globally), the quality of medical care (89% vs. 71% globally), and the urban environment (92% vs. 71% globally).

Another four in five expats (80%) describe the local residents as generally friendly (vs. 69% globally), and 72% report feeling at home in Sydney (vs. 65% globally). Sydney also ranks 11th worldwide in the Urban Work Life Index. Nearly two-thirds of expats (66%) are happy with the local career opportunities (vs. 45% globally), and 78% rate their work-life balance positively (vs. 66% globally).

Singapore

Singapore is considered the futuristic city of Asia, as more and more skyscrapers are appearing in the city every day. The city has one of the most beautiful skylines of any city in Asia because of the abundance of greenery throughout the city, as well as the modern skyscrapers that dot the skyline. The Tanjong Pagar Center, which is 951 feet high, is the tallest building in the city.

Coming 5th out of 57 in the Expat City Ranking 2021, Singapore receives its best results in the Quality of Urban Living Index (3rd), particularly in the Safety & Politics Subcategory (1st). It also performs well in the Transportation Subcategory (4th). A British expat is particularly pleased with “the efficiency and low cost of public transport services”. The majority of expats is satisfied with the availability of healthcare (89% vs. 76% globally) and the quality of medical care (84% vs. 71% globally).

Singapore also scores high in the Getting Settled Index (12th). Expats find it easy to make new friends (56% vs. 48% globally) and are happy with their social life (60% vs. 57% globally). Expats rate the state of the local economy positively (85% vs. 62% globally), but the local career opportunities are fairly average (47% vs. 45% globally). Housing is reported easy enough to find (79%).

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

The Vietnamese economic capital comes in 6th place in the ranking. Ho Chi Minh City comes 2nd in the ranking of local cost of living and for the index of finances and housing. Ho Chi Minh City is even ranked first in the world for the financial criteria.

Ranking 6th out of 57 in the Expat City Ranking 2021, Ho Chi Minh City makes it into the top 10 for four indices. It ranks 2nd in both the Local Cost of Living Index (84% rate the local cost of living positively vs. 48% globally) and the Finance & Housing Index. It even tops the list in the Finance Subcategory : 75% of expats say that their disposable household income is more than enough to cover expenses (vs. 52% globally), and 77% are satisfied with their financial situation (vs. 64% globally). They also find housing affordable (61% vs. 42% globally) and easy to find (88% vs. 60% globally).

The Vietnamese city does well in the Urban Work Life Index and is the best city in terms of overall job satisfaction. In fact, 88% of expats are satisfied with their job in general (vs. 68% globally). Ho Chi Minh City also scores high in the Getting Settled Index : expats find it easy to make new friends (77% vs. 48% globally), are happy with their social life (74% vs. 57% globally), and describe the local people as generally friendly towards foreign residents (93% vs. 67% globally).

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