Singapore, the UAE and the US are the best locations to be an expat, according to findings of HSBC’s Expat Explorer survey, the largest international survey of expats ever conducted.

 

HSBC questioned 2,155 expatriates across four continents, examining the opportunities, challenges and difficulties that come with a life away from home. The UK (14th) and France (13th) were some of the lowest rated expat destinations in the survey, scoring low on their levels of luxury and accommodation. Spain and China also rated poorly, ranking 12th and 11th, respectively.

Australia featured 10th in the survey, scoring highly on levels of luxury, ability to earn and save, and accommodation, but scoring lowly for longevity.

Earn and Save
Hong Kong-based expats have the highest salaries in the world, with almost half (49%) earning more than £100,000 p.a., with the highest paying professions in finance and management. Despite the current economic climate, expats spend more whilst still being able to save. More than half (52%) of expats spend more on food, 49% more on shopping and 45% more on socialising in their new country of residence, and 58% invest and save more. Top countries for saving also included India, the UAE and Singapore.

Accommodation
Almost three quarters (74%) of expats living in Singapore said the quality of their accommodation had improved since moving away from home, the highest amount recorded in the study. This was followed by expats living in the US (61%) and Belgium (59%). The UK was identified as the most expensive expat location for accommodation, with more than three quarters (85%) of expats revealing that their living costs had increased. India was the cheapest country, with only one-fifth (21%) of expats living in the country claiming that their costs of accommodation had increased.

Longevity
Europe is a popular destination overall for its longevity – more than three quarters (82%) of expats now living in the Netherlands have been there for three or more years, followed by Germany (77%) and Spain (76%). Ireland and New Zealand have the greatest percentage of global travellers, with more than three quarters (80%) of respondents originally from both countries stating that they had been away from home for longer than three years.

Luxury
The report also investigates whether expats’ lifestyles are more luxurious than the lives they left behind. Countries were rated on a number of categories including access to private healthcare, access to more than one property, ability to own a pool and to employ staff (such as cleaners). Across the 11 categories of perceived luxuries, on average expats reported an increase in eight of these factors, with employing staff ranked as the highest increase. The UAE was the most luxurious destination, with expats enjoying increases in 10 of the 11 categories, followed by Singapore and India. The UK was ranked the least luxurious with decreases recorded in nine of the 11 luxuries.