HSBC Survey Reveals Best Expat Locations

by Carla Johnson, Investors Offshore.com

25 July 2008

HSBC Bank International Limited revealed on Friday that Singapore, the UAE and the US are the best locations to be an expat, according to findings of its Expat Explorer survey, the largest international survey of expats ever conducted.

Expat Existence, the first report in The Expat Explorer Series, ranked the top rated places to live based on expats' living standards, an expat's ability to earn and save, a country's popularity (longevity), and the level of luxury experienced.

The Expat Explorer Survey questioned 2,155 expatriates across four continents, examining the opportunities, challenges and difficulties that come with a life away from home.

This included how easy expats found it to integrate, how they viewed the changes in their lifestyle, and their children's experiences in a new country.

Paul Say, Head of Marketing and Communications at HSBC Bank International, commented:

"The global expat community is vast and living in foreign countries means expats don't often have the normal outlets to express their viewpoints. This survey has allowed us to delve into the lives of these expats on an unprecedented scale and reveal some fascinating trends into how life differs from country to country."

The UK (14th) and France (13th) were some of the lowest rated expat destinations in the survey, scoring low on their levels of luxury and accommodation.

Spain and China also rated poorly, ranking 12th and 11th respectively. Australia featured 10th in the survey, scoring highly on levels of luxury, ability to earn and save and accommodation, but scoring lowly for longevity.

Hong Kong-based expats have the highest salaries in the world, with almost half (49%) earning more than GBP100,000 p.a., with the highest-paying professions in finance and management. Despite the current economic climate, expats spend more whilst still being able to save.

More than half (52%) of expats spend more on food, 49% more on shopping and 45% more on socialising in their new country of residence and 58% also invest and save more in their resident country. Top countries for saving included India, the UAE and Singapore.

Almost three quarters (74%) of expats living in Singapore said the quality of their accommodation had improved since moving away from home, the highest amount recorded in the study. This was followed by expats living in the United States (61%) and Belgium (59%).

The UK was identified as the most expensive expat location for accommodation, with more than three quarters (85%) of expats living in the UK revealing that their living costs had increased.

Only one-fifth (19%) of respondents living in the UK stated that the quality of their accommodation had increased. India was the cheapest country, with only one-fifth (21%) of expats living in the country claiming that their costs of accommodation had increased.

Europe is a popular destination overall for its longevity - more than three quarters (82%) of expats now living in the Netherlands have been there for three or more years, followed by Germany (77%) and Spain (76%). Ireland and New Zealand have the greatest percentage of global travellers, with more than three quarters (80%) of respondents originally from both countries stating that they had been away from home for longer than three years.

"The Expat community is highly important to a number of different economies throughout the world and getting this kind of insight into their everyday lives is helping to shed more light on a highly diverse and far reaching range of individuals," Mr Say added, concluding:

"Overall, the Expat Explorer survey will deliver some unique insights into a range of facets of Expat life, with our next report looking at the subject of offspring and some of the issues Mums and Dads face as parents of expat children. Our third report, centred around Integration, will then focus on some of the challenges faced by expats as they move from place to place."

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