http://blogs.wsj.com/expat/2014/11/25/e ... NewsSecond
Want to make lots of local friends during your life abroad? Try Russia. More interested in local food? Japan’s the place for you. But maybe having more cash in your pockets is crucial for your expat adventure? China might merit close a closer look.
That comes from a recent survey of more than 9,000 expats from HSBC** which focused on three categories: finances, overall quality of life and raising children.
The survey ranked Switzerland first for its strong showing across all of the life-quality measures. But if you drill down into the elements of expat life most important to you – like the quality of the education available for your children – Japan again takes first place. For sheer diversity of their friends and classmates, Hong Kong wins. And for the very best healthcare, Taiwan.
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New Zealand comes in first in the work-life balance category. In fact, it won both the broader life experience and raising children categories.
But if you’re looking for the assignments most likely to help you get ahead financially, the top six in the personal disposable income ranking are China, Vietnam, Thailand, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain.
In fact, Bahrain is described as “the jewel in the Middle Eastern crown” as the region’s most attractive country for expats, based on its active social life, positive working culture and environment, its accommodations and manageable commutes.
Here’s how the countries fared in the aggregate rankings, across the three categories:
Switzerland
Singapore
China
Germany
Bahrain
New Zealand
Thailand
Taiwan
India
Hong Kong
Canada
Australia
Qatar
Oman
United Arab Emirates
Vietnam
Russia
Japan
Malaysia
Belgium
Mexico
South Africa
France
Spain
Ireland
Turkey
Netherlands
Saudi Arabia
Kuwait
United States
Italy
Brazil
United Kingdom
Egypt
Readers: Are you an expat? How does your city measure up on finances, quality of life and quality of life for kids? Where would you live if you could live anywhere in the world?
** The Expat Explorer survey polled 9,288 expats from over 100 countries through an online questionnaire. For a country to be included in the final tally, it needed at least 100 expat respondents of whom at least 30 were parents. Take a look at the full interactive HSBC Expat Explorer survey here.