Have you ever thought about packing everything and moving abroad? If you need a little help deciding exactly where, the experts at Internations have an idea.
Every year, professionals at Internations, a website connecting expats around the world, release their expat city rankings, showcasing the top destinations for quality of life. The ranking is based on data collected from the Expat Insider 2024 survey, which asks expats around the world to rate up to 53 factors including personal satisfaction in their new home, cost of living, healthcare, safety, housing and more . It also asked expatriates to answer the question, “All things considered, how happy are you in general with your life abroad?”
In 2024, the team collected responses from 12,543 immigrants representing 175 nationalities. After tallying their responses, the researchers named Valencia, SpainTop destination for those looking for a new life abroad.
“After a slight decline to third place in 2023, Valencia 2022 returned to form by securing first place in the 2024 Expat City Rankings. It also ranks first in quality of life and personal finance indices,” the team shared in their findings. “No respondents (0 percent) in Valencia had anything negative to say about the affordability of public transportation. (vs. 15 percent globally), recreational sports opportunities (vs. 11 percent), or their personal safety (vs. 8 percent). In fact, more than nine out of 10 immigrants rated these factors as favorable, up 96 percent (vs. 70 percent) for public transportation costs. More than three in four expats (77 percent) are satisfied with the general cost of living (compared with 40 percent globally) and their financial situation (compared with 54 percent).
However, the research found one drawback: according to local expats, it can be difficult to “work abroad” in Valencia. Expats are not impressed by the local job market (46 percent negative responses vs. 31 percent globally). Still, they feel they get paid fairly for their work and enjoy their work-life balance.” And, of course, it doesn’t hurt. Valencia has 300 days of sunshine per year,
Another Spanish city, Alicante, came in second place for best expat quality of life, followed by Vienna, Austria and two more Spanish destinations rounded out the top five, with Madrid and Málaga coming in fourth and fifth respectively. So if you need a little direction on where to go, Spain definitely looks like the place to be.
See full rankings here internationals.org,
