Lisbon is the world’s fourth best city for expats

After having fallen 15 places last year, Lisbon has climbed back into the top 5 of the best cities for expatriates in a ranking made by InterNations. The Portuguese capital is in 4th place, among the best cities, concerning the quality of life, ease of adaptation and personal finances. Career prospects, however, are seen by foreigners in a negative light.

In the Expat City Ranking 2022, Lisbon rose 14 places to 4th position in a list of 50 cities. Lisbon ranks fifth in three indexes: quality of life, personal finance and ease of settling in. Lisbon is among the last 15 cities in the Working Abroad index.

Some 28% of the foreigners who came to the city consider that moving to Lisbon has not improved their career prospects (compared to 18% globally). In addition, more than a quarter of expats in Lisbon feel that, based on industry, qualifications and role, they are not paid fairly for their work (compared to 20% globally).

Despite this, and thanks to the sub-category assessing work and leisure, Lisbon ranks 36th in this specific labour index. Cities that stand out in this field are Copenhagen, which is in the lead, Dublin, New York and Dubai.

Dubai ended up integrating the podium of the general ranking, headed by Valencia. After the city of the Emirates, the top three finishes with Mexico City. While Valencia and Mexico City stand out in the personal finance indicators, Dubai and the Spanish city enjoy a high quality of life, according to the expatriates surveyed.

At the bottom of the ranking is Johannesburg (50th) in South Africa, the German city of Frankfurt am Main (49th) and the French capital Paris (48th) as the worst destinations in 2022 for expats.