In the Expat City Ranking 2022 by InterNations, Lisbon now ranks 4th Best City for Expats.
The Top 10 Best Cities for Expats are Valencia, Dubai, Mexico City, Lisbon, Madrid, Bangkok, Basel, Melbourne, Abu Dhabi and Singapore.
In the Environment and Climate segment, Lisbon ranks 3rd after Lausanne and Basel, while in the Culture and Welcome segment, Lisbon ranks 2nd.
Expats in Lisbon who have foreign-sourced income are among the happiest worldwide. It is among the best cities for quality of life, ease of settling in and personal finance, fields where only expats in Valencia are happier.
Lisbon ranks 5th in the Quality-of-Life Index since 98% of expats are happy with the climate and weather compared to 62% globally. In fact, 17% of expats moved to the Portuguese capital for a better quality of life, versus 7% globally. 87% of expats also highly appreciate the culture & nightlife and 94% enjoy the opportunities for recreational sports.
Another important factor for selecting Lisbon is the fact that nine out of ten expats feel safe there and they also find it easy to get around on foot or by bicycle. Lisbon also ranks 5th in the Ease of Settling-In Index, with particularly great results in the Local Friendliness segment where it ranks 4th and the Culture & Welcome segment where it ranks 2nd.
A US expat describes what he loves about Lisbon with enthusiasm: “I love the hospitable, patient, and easy-going Portuguese people. They are helpful, kind, and polite.” Indeed, most expats describe the local residents as being generally friendly. Expats also find it easy to get used to the local culture and are happy with their social life.
Another aspect that is taken into account before selecting a destination as an expat is Personal Finance, a segment where Lisbon ranks 5th due to the affordable cost of living. Since wages in Portugal are rather low compared to other Western countries, working locally is not what draws people to settle in Portugal. However, 72% of expats believe that their work-life balance is quite good.
The Iberian Peninsula is well represented in the Top 10 Best Cities for Expats index. At the bottom of the ranking is Johannesburg that ranks 50th, Frankfurt that ranks 49th and Paris that ranks 48th and these cities are thus considered to be the worst destinations for expats in 2022.
InterNations is an expat community of over 4.5 million members in 420 cities worldwide. The community is used as a source of information for people who live and work abroad and also provides opportunities for socializing.
Lisbon’s high ranking shows that it is a great place to come and live and it is in line with the Portuguese Government’s policy to attract more expats as well as digital nomads to come and join this new vibrant community.