HCM City ranked 19th out of 86 cities globally for expats to live and work, according to one survey. (Photo courtesy of the city Department of Tourism)HCMCity (VNS/VNA) — HCM City ranked 19th out of 86 citiesglobally for expats to live and work, and was only surpassed in Asiaby Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, according to the Expat City Ranking2020 by InterNations.
In Asia, Singapore ranked fifth, Kuala Lumpur eighth, Shanghai 21st,Bangkok 30th, Tokyo 53th and Beijing 55th. Hong Kong, once ranked asone of Asia’s top cities to live and work, ranked 57th.
HCM City ranked high in the Cost of Living Index (4th) and the Finance& Housing Index (5th). Nearly three out of four expats (74 percent) ratedthe cost of living positively, which is 28 percentage points above the globalaverage (46 percent).
“Even though the overall cost of living has increased, it is stillaffordable,” said an expat from Australia. In fact, about two-thirds (67 percent)said their disposable household income was more than what they neededto cover expenses (compared to 51 percent globally).
In addition, housing is seen as affordable (63 percent compared to 41 percentglobally) and easy to find as well (88 percent compared to 55 percentglobally).
Expats said they were satisfied with their jobs in general (6th) andwere pleased with the status of the city’s economy (81 percent comparedto 63 percent globally) and their work-life-balance (72 percentcompared to 64 percent globally).
The city was praised for its people’s friendliness, with 79 percent ofexpats rating their attitude towards foreign residents as generally friendlyand sincere (compared to 66 percent globally).
On the downside, the city performed poorly in the Quality of Urban LivingIndex (55th). It ranked among the bottom 10 worldwide in theTransportation subcategory (60th), as fewer than one in four expats (24 percent)rated its public transportation infrastructure positively (compared to 66 percentglobally).
The city also received poor results in the Health & Environmentsubcategory (59th). Only 27 percent of expats said they were happy withthe city’s urban environment. According to one American expat, thesouthern metropolis is noisy and polluted, and there are few green spaces.
HCM City’s ranking dropped this year, after ranking third bestcity for expats to live and work globally last year.
InterNations, an expat network that publishes annual rankings on theworld’s best and worst countries, asked more than 15,000 expats to rank thebest cities in the world to live, work and make friends in 2020. Theyrepresent 173 nationalities living in 181 countries or territories./.
VNA
