Posted on November 29, 2009 by by Valeri

According to HSBC Bank International, Canada is the best expat location for quality of lifestyle, followed by Australia and Thailand.

“Countries such as Canada and Australia, are where expats are really enjoying not only an increased quality of life but are also finding it easy to fit in to their new communities.”

Alan Smith, Head of International Wealth Management, HSBC Bank International said this second report revealed fascinating insights into expats’ priorities, particularly when financial gain is taken out of the equation.

“We have seen that there is a distinct trade-off between income and overall quality of life, as many of the top performers in our first report, which examined the best places to make and save money, have scored towards the bottom of this report’s league table.”

The report was based on:

• Expats rated accommodation, food, entertainment, transport, clothing, household goods, utilities, healthcare, education / childcare, working hours, family life, social life, commute to work, health and hobbies.

They also rated how easy it was to do the following in their new country of residence:

• Organise schools for their children
• Set up finances; healthcare; utilities
• Find somewhere to live
• Learn the local language
• Make expat friends; making local friends; whether or not they joined local community groups

The reports also ranks Canada, Thailand and the US as the top countries for better quality of accommodation, with 68%, 63% and 61% respectively claiming that their homes are better now.

The report also shows that Expats Under 35s are homesick the most, on average, expats return home at least once a year with three-quarters (74%) saying that they make an annual trip home.

Expats living in Brazil are the most likely to go home at least once a year, with almost all (94%) doing so. This contrasts with expats living in Australia, where a significantly lower number (43%) of expats living there go home at least once a year.

The report also shows that Canada is one of the easiest places to make friends and join communities. Asia emerged as the place to go for making friends in general, with Thailand ranking as the easiest country overall to make friends in, followed by Vietnam, Hong Kong and Malaysia.

And when it comes to fall in love one in five expats have found love overseas, with Thailand being the most likely place to fall in love followed by Germany and Brazil.

I should mention that the report scores the UK poorly for quality of life.

The top ten expat locations for quality of life are:

• Canada
• Australia
• Thailand
• Singapor
• Bahran
• South Africa
• France
• United States
• Spain
• Hong Kong

Find out more about it at HSBC Expat report

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