Joburg the worst place to live and work, expats say

Jozi is unaffordable and unsafe, based on expatriate ratings of the 50 best cities in the 2022 InterNations Expat City Ranking

Joburg is at the bottom of the 50-strong list of the best places for expatriates to live and work, according to the 2022 InterNations Expat City Ranking.

The city, which respondents described as unaffordable and unsafe, sits just below Germany’s Frankfurt and the French capital Paris, which both scored poorly when it came to affordable housing.

Three different cities on three separate continents are at the top of the list.

Spain’s Valencia topped the ranking — with respondents raving about quality of life, public transport and sporting opportunities — followed by Dubai, which was lauded for the welcome it gives new arrivals. Mexico City was placed third for its affordability.

Miami was the highest-ranking North American city on the list, in 12th place, with New York clocking in at number 16 and Toronto in 19th position. In the UK, London limped in at 40th place.

In Asia, Bangkok came in sixth thanks to its low cost of living, Melbourne’s work-life balance earned it eighth spot, and Singapore rounded out the top 10. 

InterNations collected information from 11,970 expats living in 181 countries or territories. Fifty cities met the sample size requirement of at least 50 participants per destination.

Here’s the top 10 in full — with a brief description by InterNations of each city’s major polling features:

1. Valencia, Spain: liveable, friendly and affordable
2. Dubai, UAE: great for work and leisure
3. Mexico City, Mexico: friendly and affordable, but unsafe
4. Lisbon, Portugal: amazing climate and quality of life, mediocre work options
5. Madrid, Spain: great leisure activities, a welcoming culture
6. Bangkok, Thailand: expats feel at home despite safety concerns
7. Basel, Switzerland: expats satisfied with finances, jobs, quality of life
8. Melbourne, Australia: an easy city to get used to
9. Abu Dhabi, UAE: excellent health care, worry-free bureaucracy
10. Singapore: easy administration, satisfying finances, improved career prospects

The bottom 10:

1. Rome, Italy: expats feel at home despite low quality of life
2. Tokyo, Japan: hard to navigate but quality of life high
3. Vancouver, Canada: housing unaffordable and local residents not so friendly
4. Milan, Italy: troubling financial situation, difficult working life
5. Hamburg, Germany: expats unhappiest here, have hardest time making friends
6. Hong Kong, China: frustrating environmental and work-life factors
7. Istanbul, Turkey: the worst city for working abroad
8. Paris, France: a top destination for culture and cuisine — if you can afford it
9. Frankfurt, Germany: struggle with digitisation, administration and language
10. Johannesburg: the world’s worst expat destination

Retrieved from BusinessLive – ALEX MILLSON