Lisbon ranks 4th out of 50 in the Expat City Ranking 2022 and is one of the cities where expats are happiest with their life abroad (86% happy vs. 71% globally). Only expats in Valencia are even happier. It is also one of the best-rated cities in the Quality of Life Index (5th). Almost all expats (98%) are happy with the climate & weather (vs. 62% globally), ranking the city first in this regard. In fact, 17% moved to the Portuguese capital for a better quality of life (vs. 7% globally), and they are not disappointed. “Everything is great here — the climate, the people, the food, and the nature,” says an Indian expat. Expats also highly appreciate the culture & nightlife (87% happy vs. 67% globally) and the opportunities for recreational sports (94% vs. 81% globally). On top of that, more than nine out of ten feel safe in Lisbon (94% vs. 81% globally) and find it easy to get around on foot and by bicycle (93% vs. 77% globally).
Lisbon also ranks fifth in the Ease of Settling In Index, with particularly great results in the Local Friendliness (4th) and Culture & Welcome (2nd) Subcategories. “I love the hospitable, patient, and easy-going Portuguese people. They are helpful, kind, and polite,” says a US American expat. In fact, expats describe the local residents as generally friendly (82% vs. 66% globally), find it easy to get used to the local culture (81% vs. 62% globally), and are happy with their social life (69% vs. 59% globally). Lastly, Lisbon also lands in fifth place in the Personal Finance Index, mainly due to expats’ high satisfaction with the cost of living (69% happy vs. 45% globally). However, just 71% say that their disposable household income is enough or more than enough to lead a comfortable life, about the same as the global average (72%).
This might be related to the fact that 27% of expats in Lisbon feel that based on industry, qualifications, and role, they are not paid fairly for their work (vs. 20% globally). “Wages in general are very poor in Portugal,” says an Irish expat. Since they also rate the state of the local economy negatively (25% vs. 17% globally), the city only ranks 44th in the Salary & Job Security Subcategory. What is more, 28% find that moving to Lisbon has not improved their career prospects (vs. 18% globally). For this factor, the city ranks second to last worldwide, only ahead of Valencia (50th). However, thanks to the Work & Leisure Subcategory (9th), Lisbon still ranks 36th in the Working Abroad Index overall. More than seven in ten (72%) rate their work-life balance positively (vs. 62% globally).
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Lisbon ranks 4th out of 50 in the Expat City Ranking 2022 and is one of the cities where expats are happiest with their life abroad (86% happy vs. 71% globally). Only expats in Valencia are even happier. It is also one of the best-rated cities in the Quality of Life Index (5th). Almost all expats (98%) are happy with the climate & weather (vs. 62% globally), ranking the city first in this regard. In fact, 17% moved to the Portuguese capital for a better quality of life (vs. 7% globally), and they are not disappointed. “Everything is great here — the climate, the people, the food, and the nature,” says an Indian expat. Expats also highly appreciate the culture & nightlife (87% happy vs. 67% globally) and the opportunities for recreational sports (94% vs. 81% globally). On top of that, more than nine out of ten feel safe in Lisbon (94% vs. 81% globally) and find it easy to get around on foot and by bicycle (93% vs. 77% globally).
Lisbon also ranks fifth in the Ease of Settling In Index, with particularly great results in the Local Friendliness (4th) and Culture & Welcome (2nd) Subcategories. “I love the hospitable, patient, and easy-going Portuguese people. They are helpful, kind, and polite,” says a US American expat. In fact, expats describe the local residents as generally friendly (82% vs. 66% globally), find it easy to get used to the local culture (81% vs. 62% globally), and are happy with their social life (69% vs. 59% globally). Lastly, Lisbon also lands in fifth place in the Personal Finance Index, mainly due to expats’ high satisfaction with the cost of living (69% happy vs. 45% globally). However, just 71% say that their disposable household income is enough or more than enough to lead a comfortable life, about the same as the global average (72%).
This might be related to the fact that 27% of expats in Lisbon feel that based on industry, qualifications, and role, they are not paid fairly for their work (vs. 20% globally). “Wages in general are very poor in Portugal,” says an Irish expat. Since they also rate the state of the local economy negatively (25% vs. 17% globally), the city only ranks 44th in the Salary & Job Security Subcategory. What is more, 28% find that moving to Lisbon has not improved their career prospects (vs. 18% globally). For this factor, the city ranks second to last worldwide, only ahead of Valencia (50th). However, thanks to the Work & Leisure Subcategory (9th), Lisbon still ranks 36th in the Working Abroad Index overall. More than seven in ten (72%) rate their work-life balance positively (vs. 62% globally).
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