The latest InterNations survey finds that despite strong career prospects, the poor quality of life, the unfriendly attitude of the local population, and long working hours, combined with bad weather, make London an undesirable location for those who move abroad.
Surveying over 14,000 expats living in 191 countries or territories representing 174 nationalities, the survey covered categories such as: Quality of Life, Ease of Settling In, Working Abroad, Personal Finance, and Cost of Living amongst others.
Though London scores its best result in the Ease of Settling In Index, it only comes in on a slightly above-average 13th position, although in the Feeling Welcome subcategory London manages to get into the top 10 at no. 10 out of 35. Although London does well when it comes to welcoming expats, finding local friends is another matter. With the UK capital ranking 17th out of 35 in the Finding Friends subcategory, London’s rating drops somewhat. As for Quality of Life, London sits at an unimpressive 24th out of 35 – ranking 26th for Leisure Options, 33rd for Personal Happiness, 18th for Travel & Transport, 24th for Health & Well-Being, and 24th for Safety & Security.
Overall, London comes in at 16th place for the Working Abroad Index: an average result among the 35 cities surveyed. However, one key area that London scores highly in is the Job & Career subcategory of the index, where it comes in at a very respectable 5th place.
So, who scored tops in the survey then…well Melbourne takes the top spot scoring high with expats when it comes to work/life balance, overall job satisfaction and the availability of leisure activities. Houston, Texas comes in at no.2 with Madrid at number 3, Dusseldorf and Singapore round out the top 5.
Melbourne – no.1 for expats credit: TkKurikawa
Find more InterNations Expat Insider 2016 rankings, reports and infographics on http://www.internations.org/expat-insider
