Thailand tops HSBC expat lifestyle survey
27 November 2010
Expat Experience is the second of three reports from the 2010 Expat Explorer survey. The report explores expats' experiences of setting up in their new country of residence, integrating into local society as well as their quality of life in comparison to where they used to live.
Key Findings
- Thailand comes out on top for lifestyle
- Canada slips to second place but still ranks high for expat lifestyle
- Countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Russia that score high for finances perform badly on quality of life rankings
- UK scores poorly for quality of life, but great for entertainment
- Brazil, Russia, India, China and the Middle East are the most difficult locations to set up in
- Emotive worries top the list of expat concerns - especially female expats
- Europeans prove to be the least friendly to expats, especially The Netherlands
Expats decide to move abroad for a number of reasons, but looking to improve finances and lifestyle are amongst the most important. This year's report highlights that expats will, more often than not, have to decide which of these are most important to them prior to relocating. We've found that countries rarely provide the best of both worlds in terms of financial prospects and lifestyle improvements and so it is important for expats to assess what they are hoping to achieve from their move before relocating.
One of the major criteria was 'quality of life' for which expats rated accommodation, food/diet, entertainment, healthcare, work life balance, social life, commute to work, opportunities for sports and travel. In addition, they rated the relative ease in which they were able to do the following in their new country of residence:
- Organise schools for their children
- Set up finances, healthcare, utilities
- Finding accommodation
- Learn the local language
- Getting used to local food, weather, work culture
- Making friends
- Travelling around locally
- Fitting in to the new culture/lifestyle
Countries that score well on the quality of life rankings are very popular with those wanting to retire abroad. A high proportion of expats based in Spain, France, South Africa, Thailand and Canada are retirees, with many having moved specifically to the country to retire. While scoring well on quality of life overall, these countries scored particularly well on food, local diet and healthcare, which could explain why many expats decide these countries offer the ideal location to spend their golden years.
Lisa Wood, Head of Customer Propositions at HSBC Bank International.