Zurich, Basel and Geneva have plummeted down the list of the best cities in the world for expats, according to the latest study from InterNations. All three Swiss cities were praised for the quality of life they offer residents, but were condemned for high rental costs and how hard it is for expats to make friends and socialise.

The best and worst cities for expats in 2024

Every year, alongside its ranking of nations as a whole, InterNations analyses which cities around the world are best for internationals. For 2024, 53 cities around the world were rated by 12.543 expats from 175 different nationalities. 56 different aspects of life were ranked, which were all fed into five categories:

• Quality of life: Travel and transit, environment and climate, leisure options, healthcare, safety and security.
• Ease of settling in: Local friendliness, ease in finding friends, culture.
• Working abroad: Career prospects, salary and job security, work and leisure balance, work culture and satisfaction.
• Personal finance
• Expat essentials: Digital life, administration topics, housing, language

To calculate each city’s score, ratings in each category were averaged together and added to participants’ responses to the question: “All things considered, how happy are you with your life abroad in general?” Unlike other rankings which focus more on tangible data, the study offers an insight into the lived reality for expats who reside in each city.

Spanish cities claim top spots in expat ranking

Like 2023, the top spots for 2024 were taken by cities in Spain. Valencia overtook Málaga to place first, with Alicante rounding out the podium places. Though the cities performed poorly when it came to the local job market, all three placed at or near the top for quality of life and personal finance - bear in mind that the study was conducted before the devastating floods that hit the region in October and November 2024.

The remainder of the top spots were occupied by an eclectic mix of cities, with Panama City, Mexico City and Bangkok all featuring in the top 10. One of the biggest winners in 2024 has to be the United Arab Emirates, as Ras Al Khaimah (6th), Abu Dhabi (9th) and Dubai (10th) all scored highly.

Zurich, Basel and Geneva rated poorly as expat destinations

This year, you have to look even further down the order to find any cities in Switzerland. Zurich for example went from 16th place in 2023 to a dismal 31st out of 53 in 2024, meaning no Swiss city is rated above average. Having returned to the ranking, Basel ranked down in 34th, while Geneva has gone from 30th to 35th.

So why are Swiss cities not tugging at the heartstrings like they used to? Starting with the positives, Zurich, Basel and Geneva scored well to average when it came to the quality of life on offer. The natural environment and the quality of public services were particular sources of praise, though expats don’t seem to rate the diversity of restaurants on offer.

Living in Switzerland remains a balance of high salaries and living costs

When it came to working in Switzerland, the ranking threw the balance of high salaries, high quality of life, and high living costs into sharp relief. While more than a quarter of expats living in the cities (40 percent in Zurich) reported earning a salary of 150.000 US dollars a year or more, up to three-quarters said that everyday essentials are too expensive.

“If you can afford the cost of living, it’s a country that works well, is safe, and is beautiful,” one British expat in Geneva told InterNations. Residents also praised how easy it is to interact with the local council when going through registration.

Zurich rated worst in the world for making local friends

However, once again the ease of settling in category is the permanent millstone around the necks of Zurich, Basel and Geneva. Basel placed bottom of the ranking when it came to social life, while Zurich took last for getting used to local culture and making local friends. 

In fact, 58 percent of expats in Basel, 61 percent in Geneva and 65 percent in Zurich say they are mostly friends with other expats. What’s more, only 26 percent of those in Basel and 16 percent in Zurich found that learning German was easy.

Housing affordability remains a challenge for Swiss cities

Finally, expats in Zurich and Geneva were among the most likely in the world to say that rental homes are equal parts unaffordable and hard to find. With Switzerland experiencing the worst housing shortage ever, these conclusions are unavoidable.

Nevertheless, the three Swiss cities are a far way from the bottom of the ranking, with Vancouver placing bottom thanks to a mixture of a poor job market and bad social, cultural and nightlife offerings. Five German cities also found themselves in the bottom 10, mainly due to bureaucracy, lack of support for learning German and declining quality of life. 

Best and worst cities for internationals

In all, here are the 10 best expat cities of 2024, according to InterNations:

1. Valencia, Spain
2. Málaga, Spain
3. Alicante, Spain
4. Panama City, Panama
5. Mexico City, Mexico
6. Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates
7. Madrid, Spain
8. Bangkok, Thailand
9. Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
10. Dubai, United Arab Emirates

By contrast, here are the worst expat cities:

1. Vancouver, Canada
2. Hamburg, Germany
3. Toronto, Canada
4. Munich, Germany
5. Istanbul, Turkey
6. Cologne, Germany
7. Milan, Italy
8. Berlin, Germany
9. Frankfurt, Germany
10. Rome, Italy

For more information, and to see which other cities made the ranking, check out the official website.