The past three years were somewhat of a catalyst for people to finally pick up their lives and try something new. Canadian expats moved to cities like Lisbon, Bogota and Bangkok long-term. While others (like me) found themselves taking short-term trips, choosing to work remotely from a new city. No matter what, it’s not easy moving abroad, let alone deciding where.
So while many found their way to sunny shores, other would-be expats continue to struggle with what makes sense for them. A recent 2022 expat report by InterNations’ reveals the best and worst countries to move to, and some may shock you.
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Topping the list was the port city of Valencia in Spain. A gorgeous seaside city with low crime, bustling streets and near-perfect weather. As the list continues, most of the top favourites are found in warmer regions of the world, except for Basel in Switzerland.
The bottom end of the list leads with Johannesburg in South Africa, followed by a few major European cities. However, most notable was the inclusion of Vancouver as the eighth worst city for expats. We’re all familiar with Vancouver’s high rent costs, gas prices and inflation on food. But we never thought our beautiful west coast city would rank so low. Toronto ended up at the middle of the pack, ranked 19th best/worst, depending on your POV.
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Here’s a list of the best cities:
- Valencia, Spain
- Dubai, UAE
- Mexico City, Mexico
- Lisbon, Portugal
- Madrid, Spain
And here are the cities that rank the lowest for expats, according to InterNations’ study.
- Johannesburg, South Africa
- Frankfurt, Germany
- Paris, France
- Istanbul, Turkey
- Hong Kong, China
Do you want to learn more about the expat report? For more information, click here.
