The 10 Best Places to Live for Expatriates
If you live in one of the saddest cities in the United States, or just have a serious case of wanderlust, a new online tool can help you find the best foreign country to live and work in. HSBC Bank's Expat Navigator lets you slice and dice data from a 2010 survey of more than 4,000 expats across 25 countries who've already made the move.
These countries ranked highest overall based on cumulative feedback on more than 50 different factors ranging from income opportunity and work-life balance to quality of education available to expat kids. The U.S. just missed out on making this list, coming in at #11.
Top 10 Countries Overall for Expatriates
1. Singapore
2. Hong Kong
3. United Arab Emirates
4. Canada
5. Spain
6. Qatar
7. Australia
8. Belgium
9. France
10. China
The list below is where the living is easiest, from quality of housing to feeling welcome at work and "fitting in the new culture." (Note, the interactive tool uses data from a mid-2010 survey; given the current turmoil in Bahrain, expats are now hightailing it out of #3 on this list.)
Countries Offering the Best Experience for Expats
1. Thailand
2. Canada
3. Bahrain
4. Spain
5. South Africa
6. France
7. Bermuda
8. Australia
9. Malaysia
10. Switzerland
Looking to leave behind your rat race 60-hour work week? These are the countries with the best balance between work and leisure:
Countries with the Best Work Life Balance
1. South Africa
2. Thailand
3. Spain
4. France
5. Bermuda
6. Canada
7. Netherlands
8. Switzerland
9. Bahrain
10.Belgium
Retiring abroad has undeniable appeal, and a big consideration is medical care. Here are countries that ranked highest for access to quality health care:
Countries with the Best Health Care
1. France
2. Belgium
3. Bahrain
4. Germany
5. Switzerland
6. South Africa
7. Thailand
8. Spain
9. Canada
10.Saudi Arabia
Finally, the following countries ranked highest for disposable income:
Countries Where Your Money Goes The Furthest
1. Russia
2. Bahrain
3. Saudi Arabia
4. Qatar
5. Bermuda
6. UAE
7. Singapore
8. China
9. Hong Kong
10.Thailand
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