World’s most welcoming cities for expats named (you might want to avoid Germany…)

And the good news for Britons is the best spot for a happy new life is just a few hours away.

Online expat community InterNations asked its members to judge how welcoming the city is and how easy it is to settle into the new culture, how friendly the locals are, and how easy it is to make friends.

The result was the Ease of Settling In Index, which ranked 53 cities.

Spain's cities led the charge with four destinations in the top 10, while five German cities featured in the bottom 10 of the table.

Ease of Settling In Index, top 10

To be included in the index, a city had to have a minimum of 50 respondents, with 53 cities meeting the requirements.

Malaga, Spain - the most welcoming place for expats

Malaga in southern Spain ticks all the boxes when it comes to settling in.

It ranked top for both culture and welcome, and finding friends. And came just below Mexico City for local friendliness.

Local residents are perceived as both friendly (84% positive ratings vs. 63% globally) and easy to make friends with (67% vs. 38%).

It is easy for foreigners to get used to Malaga's culture (78% vs. 59% globally) and about four in five said they feel at home and welcome in the city.

Expats feel they have a personal support network and are happy with their social life — Málaga ranks 1st for both factors.

Mexico City, Mexico - the friendliest locals

Mexico ranked second overall for the 'ease of settling in index', but pipped Malaga to top position for the friendliest locals.

According to 72% of expats — nearly twice the global average (38%) — it’s easy to make Mexican friends. In fact, 28% there say most of their friends are local residents (compared to 17% globally).

Least friendly cities for expats

Ease of Settling In Index, bottom 10

Munich, Germany - the worst place for an expat to settle

Munich ranks dead last (53rd) when it comes to the friendliness of the local population towards foreign residents. Almost half the respondents (46%) give this factor a negative rating (vs. 20% globally).

InterNations has carried out its survey over a number of years and says Munich has never performed well when it comes to expats.

Only 37% of respondents said they were happy with their social lives in Munich, and most expats say their friends are fellow expats (54% vs. 37% globally).

Hamburg, Germany - the least welcoming place for expats

While Munich is overall the least friendly place for expats, Hamburg ranked last when it came to respondents feeling welcome.

Almost half of respondents (44%) said they don't feel at home in the city, compared to 23% globally.

A lot of this was down to struggling to get used to the local culture, with Hamburg ranking 51st for this.

Only 42% found Hamburg's local population to be friendly - more than 20% lower than the global average.

Berlin, Germany - expats struggle to feel at home

As in Munich and Hamburg, expats struggle to feel at home and welcome in the German capital. Berlin ranks last for expats feeling at home, and third last for feeling welcome.

Despite its bustling nightlife and creative culture, Berlin ranks last in the Local Friendliness Subcategory (53rd), and 64% of respondents disagree with the statement that it’s easy to make local friends (vs. 41% globally).

InterNations said: "German cities set what must be a new record, though not a joyous one: half of the 10 worst cities regarding the Ease of Settling In can be found in Germany!

"None of the five do well in the different areas of the index. But what stands out in particular is their performance for making expats feel welcome: ranging from Cologne’s 49th rank to Hamburg’s last place, they’re the five worst-performing cities when it comes to this factor. Neighbouring country Switzerland is also overrepresented in the bottom 10."

Which cities are becoming friendlier towards expats?

Riyadh in Saudi Arabia has soared 10 spots to rank 12th in the index.

InterNations said: "Across all factors of the index, expats regard Saudi Arabia’s capital more favorably than they did in 2023. For instance, while in 2023 three in ten expats (30%) agreed completely that locals are friendly, this share is now at 41% in 2024. Riyadh’s biggest gains can be found in the Culture & Welcome Subcategory, though, where it rises from 30th place in 2023 to rank 14th."

Full rankings

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