Expat quality of life: Vienna named best city for expats to live


March 04, 2016
 

Vienna performed best in the survey, beating 229 other cities in the study which examined social and economic conditions, health, education, housing and the environment in each city.

The survey assesses quality of living conditions to help employers compensate expat employees when placing them on international assignments, and to assess how safe it is to send their employees to a given city.

“Ensuring that the needs of expatriates and their families are met wherever work takes them is an essential part of talent retention and recruitment strategies for most multinationals,” said Slagin Parakatil, Principal at Mercer.Managing safety and health issues is of utmost importance, especially for employees who relocate with a family. Our surveys enable companies to take adequate precautions for them."

Mr Parakatil added: “Other elements that add to safety costs in the host location are obtaining suitable and well secured accommodations; having an in-house comprehensive expatriate security programme and providing access to reputable professional evacuation services and medical support firms, and finally, providing security training and guarded office premises.”  
  1. Vienna, Austria
  2. Zurich, Switzerland
  3. Auckland, New Zealand
  4. Munich, Germany
  5. Vancouver, Canada
  6. Dusseldorf, Germany
  7. Frankfurt, Germany
  8. Geneva, Switzerland
  9. Copenhagen, Denmark
  10. Sydney, Australia

At the other end of the spectrum developing and war torn cities are in the bottom of the rankings.

  1. Conakry, Guinea
  2. Kinshasa, D R Congo
  3. Brazzaville, Congo
  4. Damascus, Syria
  5. N’Djamena, Chad
  6. Khartoum, Sudan
  7. Port-au-Prince, Haiti
  8. Sana’a, Yemen
  9. Bangui, Central African Republic
  10. Baghdad, Iraq

If you are an employer and would like more information on international health insurance plans for employees, please visit:
→ Corporate Group Scheme International Health Insurance

For an individual international health insurance quote, please visit:
→ International Health Insurance

Source: Mercer