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Singapore has been named as the best place to live in for Asian expatriates for the 17th consecutive year, taking the number one spot globally, according to the latest rankings published by human resources consultancy ECA International.
The city-state scored highly in several categories, like housing, personal security as well as diversity in culture and language, said Lee Quane, ECA’s Regional Director for Asia.
“Solid infrastructure, decent medical facilities, low crime rates and health risks have contributed to Singapore maintaining its position at the top of the global ranking for quality of living for Asian assignees.”
However, a number of factors could drag down Singapore’s position in the rankings in future, namely health risks and air pollution.
“Singapore’s proximity to Indonesia means that the haze is a very clear and present danger here,” he noted. Given its location, the city-state is also at risk from tropical diseases endemic to this region.
Meanwhile, Adelaide, Sydney and Osaka are tied in second place. Brisbane and Wellington shared fifth spot while Nagoya and Perth are tied in seventh place. Completing the top ten are Canberra and Tokyo, while Hong Kong has moved up to 28th place in the global rankings.
Globally, the hardest locations to adapt to living and working in are the Afghan locations of Kandahar (275th) and Lashkar Gah (276th).
Updated annually, ECA’s study assesses the overall quality of living in over 460 locations worldwide based on a variety of factors. These include climate, availability of health services, housing and utilities, access to a social network and leisure facilities, infrastructure, personal safety, political tensions, as well as air quality.
Romesh Navaratnarajah, Senior Editor at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this or other stories email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
