If you’re lucky enough to be a freelancer who isn’t tied down to any one location, and you’re a little tired of all of the drama happening in the U.S., you might want to consider a move to an exciting new city somewhere abroad. But, if you’re open to pretty much anywhere, how do you choose among the myriad of amazing options worldwide?
Well, according to a comprehensive new ranking on Quality of Living for expats, you should put Vienna at the top of your list.
[post_ads]Every year, Mercer, the world’s largest HR consulting firm, evaluates the living conditions for expats in 450 different cities, according to factors such as their crime levels, currency exchange regulations, personal freedoms, medical services, the number of international schools, the efficiency of public transportation, the cost of housing, the climate, and the number of fun things to do.
This year, for the 9th year in a row, Vienna topped the list. If you’ve had the privilege of going there, it’s not hard to see why either. It’s clean and it has loads of culture, fantastic food, and beautiful architecture. (Bonus: Everyone speaks perfect English.) Plus, there’s a huge expat scene there, and its placement in the middle of Europe make it super easy to whizz off to another country for the weekend.
If Vienna doesn’t appeal to you, Zurich made second place, followed by Auckland and Munich in joint third. If you’re looking for somewhere a little more exotic, Singapore ranks as the highest city in Asia (in 25th place), Montevideo (77th) in Latin America, and Dubai (74th) in the Middle East.
In Canada, Vancouver won the top spot (5th place), and San Francisco had the highest ranking in America (30th), which makes sense, since it’s also one of the 100 Happiest Cities in America.
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This year, Mercer provided a separate ranking for City Sanitation, which evaluated a city’s waste removal, air pollution, infectious diseases, and water quality. Honolulu topped the list, but Helsinki was in second place. The Finnish capital is a great option for anyone eyeing Scandinavia, given that Finland was recently voted the Happiest Country in the World for both natives and immigrants.
