The Best & Worst places for Expats (2023)
Where are Expats the happiest?
InterNations is the largest Expat Network in the world. Every year they do a survey of its members, questioning them on different aspects of expat life. This year the survey included 12,000 Expats living in 172 countries.
Based on the survey, what are the best places for expats? What are the worst?
There a few surprises in the study.
The BEST Places for Expats in 2023
#1. Mexico
It is the 2nd year in a row that Mexico that comes out at the top of the list (Mexico has been in the Top 5 since 2014).
Overall, 91% of Expats say they are happy with their lives in Mexico (compared to 72% globally)
Breaking it down into categories:
- Ease of Settling In Index: 1st (out of 53 countries)
- Local Friendliness: 1st. 89% of Expats find that locals are friendly towards foreign residents (vs. 65% globally)
- Finding Friends: 2nd. 74% of expats say it is easy to make friends (vs 43% globally). Foreigners feel they have a good support network and are happy with their social lives.
- Ease of getting used to the culture: 1st
- Housing: 6th. Expats find accommodation both easy to find and affordable.
- Personal Finance Index: 2nd. The index includes different aspects of life including housing (above). Overall, 71% of expats are happy with the general cost of living (vs 44% globally). Overall, 80% are satisfied with their financial situation (vs. 58% globally).
- People are happy with their personal career opportunities (4th), fair pay (5th), and their work-life balance (7th).
- The Quality of Life Index (26th) is a mixed bag. While Expats judge their overall quality of life high (16th) as well as Leisure options (2nd), they gave Mexico a low score for political stability (45th of 53 countries) and safety (18% don’t feel safe, more than double the global average of 8%).
Summarizing the numbers: people love the culture, the social life and the affordability of Mexico. Political stability and personal safety are negatives.
#2. Spain
Spain is another country that always makes it in the Top 10 (well, since InterNations started doing the surveys in 2014).
Overall, 87% of Expats say they are happy with their lives in Spain (compared to 72% globally)
Breaking it down:
- Leisure Options: #1 (out of 53 countries). 88% of Expats are happy with the culture and nightlife in Spain (compared to 68% globally) and 91% are happy with the available opportunities for recreational sports (vs 75% globally)
- Ease of Settling In Index: 12th.
- Culture & Welcome Subcategory. Four in five expats (80%) feel at home in Spain (vs 62% globally)
- Working Abroad Index: 34th. This is where Spain does worse than the global average. Less than half the expats (49%) agree that moving there has improved their career prospects (vs. 59% globally). 36% are unhappy with the local job market (vs. 26% globally).
- Personal Finance Index: 13th. 69% of expats are happy with the cost of living (vs 44% globally). In “affordability of housing”, Spain came in 13th (out of 53 countries).
Summarizing the numbers: Spain has good leisure activities and is in the 25th percentile among countries when it comes to personal finances. Negative: Spain is challenging if you come here to work.
#3. Panama
I’m a bit surprised abut this one, I don’t hear of too many people Expat-ing to Panama.
Overall, 81% of Expats say they are happy with their lives in Panama (compared to 72% globally)
- Ease of Settling In Index: 4th (out of 53 countries)
- Finding Friends: 1st.
- Culture and feeling welcome: 2nd
- Quality of life is mixed at 28th, but expats like the climate and weather (11th) and air quality (10th).
- Working Abroad Index: 30th. The local job market (47th) and lack of job security (45th) are very low and among the worst of the 53 countries rated in the survey.
- Personal Finance Index: 8th. 80% of expats are happy with their financial situation (vs. 58% globally), a major component of that being affordability of housing (65% vs 38% globally).
Summarizing the numbers: Like Mexico, people like the culture, social life and the affordability of Panama. Unlike Mexico (but like Spain), Expats coming here have a harder time finding work.
Rounding out the Top 10 “Best” places for Expats
#4. Malaysia
#5 Taiwan
#6 Thailand
# 7 Costa Rica
# 8 Philippines
#9 Bahrain
#10 Portugal
A few surprises above: Seeing Portugal down at 10th, Thailand being superseded by Malaysia, and the Philippines making it in the Top 10.
The WORST Places for Expats in 2023
#53. Kuwait
Overall, only 43% of respondents say they’re happy in Kuwait (vs 72% globally). That’s the worst number by far.
Kuwait doesn’t do well in any category:
- Personal Finance Index: 38th. It’s the brightest spot among the categories. The general cost of living is high but there is availability of housing (only 15% of expats struggled to find housing compared to 31% globally).
- Quality of Life index: 53rd (dead last). People feel they don’t have leisure options, have poor available healthcare, and can’t express themselves and their opinions.
- Kuwait isn’t great for friendliness or making friends. Local friendliness: 52nd, making friends 51st, Culture and welcome 53rd. 36% have a hard time fitting into local culture (vs 18% globally). 37% are happy with their social life (vs 56% globally).
- Working Abroad Index: 48th. 30% feel they are not paid fairly (vs 19th globally) and 45% say that the work culture does not support flexibility (vs 18% globally)
Summarizing the numbers: Not a friendly place for either living or working with no bright spots except in availability of housing.
Note: I wonder though if it’s fair to compare Kuwait to Mexico, Spain or Panama. It’s a different kind of expat that goes to Kuwait – they don’t go there to retire, I’ll bet 99.9% go there for work (probably in the oil industry).
#52. Norway
61% of Expats say they’re happy in Norway (vs 72% globally)
Breaking it down:
- Personal Finance Index: 52nd. Norway is expensive. 37% of expats say their disposable income is not enough to have a comfortable life (vs 27% globally)
- Settling In Index: 48th. People are unfriendly towards foreign residents, expats have a hard time making friends…overall 37% do not feel at home in Norway (vs 20% globally)
- Quality of life index: 31st. Expats unhappy with unaffordability of public transport and opportunity to travel. It ranks last (53rd) for culinary variety and dining options and 51st for culture and nightlife. But they value the political stability, the high air quality and the natural environment.
- Working Abroad Index: 18th. Expats appreciate the high job security, the state of the economy but are negative on their personal career opportunities.
Summarizing the numbers: Expensive and unfriendly.
#51. Turkey
60% of Expats say they’re happy in Turkey (vs 72% globally)
Breaking it down:
- Working Abroad Index: 53rd (last). High working hours, lack of job security, lack of job opportunities. 24% are not happy with their work (vs 16% globally)
- Expat Essentials Index: 45th. Online internet restrictions, lack of high-speed internet…
- Quality of life index: 39th.
- Safety and security: 52nd
- Personal Finance Index: 34th. 44% of expats are satisfied with the general cost of living, the same as the global average, while less than half (48%) are satisfied with their financial situation (vs. 58% globally)
Summarizing the numbers: A lot of political and economic upheaval in the last few years behind these numbers.
Rounding out the Top 10 “Worst” places for Expats
#50 South Korea
#49 Germany
#48 South Africa
#47 Italy
#46 Malta
#45 New Zealand
#44 Japan
A few surprises above: Germany and Italy. Why so low in the rankings?
The Countries in Between
It’s just as interesting as seeing the countries that fall in between on this list of 53 countries
#20. Australia
#25. Greece
#27. Canada
#30. USA
#33. France
#43. UK
Full ranking below
A survey is not the perfect way of determining the Best and Worst places for Expats. There is no perfect calculator for that. But I think it’s quite telling how people feel about some of the countries they live in.
Thoughts on the above?
Related: Where to retire: Mexico…. or Spain?
Related: Expat Life: Comparing Spain VS Croatia
Related: Why this serial expat chose France
Pleased to see Malaysia ranked so highly. This year I enjoyed 2 weeks in KL and Penang. Their health system has a good reputation and is apparently not expensive compared to western costs. English is widely spoken, the cost of living is modest, and the wide range of great foods reflects the many immigrant communities there. Everything from huge modern shopping malls to wild jungle in one country.
You are right Peter – have heard many good things about the health system and infrastructure. People are nice, food is great…
Interesting list. I’m sad to see my country of birth, Kuwait, in that position 🙁 . It used to be a great under the radar place to work and live. The law doesn’t allow expats to retire there. My parents didn’t want to leave! The Iraq war changed all that, and my cousins and friends who chose to go back after the war do say that the expat experience for the very well paid and the not so well paid is different.
Hi Claudine! Didn’t realize you were born in Kuwait. I imagine a good country if you have lots of money, shitty if you don’t. Of course that applies anywhere…
Yup, we moved back to India when I was 10 years old and my parents were retiring 🙂 At the time they made better money than anything possible in India but not as much as those working directly in oil. My dad was in banking and my mom a school teacher at an Indian Catholic school – where I studied too. We had Indian and local Arab friends. It was the Brits that kept to themselves!
very interesting Frank! not sure what to say. I think cost and ability to work are probably the key overall factors. I lived in Japan for 2+ years so little surprised to see it so low. It’s not actually that expensive to live. but if youre teaching English like I was you really dont make much money. and the way youre tax has you needing to put money away each pay cycle to pay the bill at the end of the financial year. great post as always!
The surprising one for me is Malta. Malta has been very desirable in the past, especially for Brits. Portugal fell because the government changed the real estate residency program. Real estate in Portugal has become so expensive that locals could not buy or rent anywhere. That is why the program was changed.
Thanks John! Interesting, didn’t know that about Portugal….
Even 5 or so years ago (which is how I discovered you, when I spent a summer in Lisbon), I couldn’t believe the prices… small Lisbon flats were listed at half a million euros or more (but the cost of a long-term stay in a good neighborhood (by Príncipe Real) was reasonable at $65/night… that same AirBnB went up to $120 the following year!
Really, house values that high?? I’m surprised. Note as surprised by the cost of an Airbnb with all the tourists coming to Lisbon these days.
I remember when Lisbon was the forgotten European capital in the early 90’s when I went the first time…