Feature photo by nick.butcher. Photo above by Montrasio International.
A diverse list of great cities for those looking to make a new life elsewhere in the world.
Top expat destinations are a matter of taste. Some seek the bustle and anonymity of a metropolis; others prefer a quiet life near the beach or in the mountains. Here are a few top picks for a range of international lifestyles.
Best Small City: Ljubljana, Slovenia
The days have passed when tiny Slovenia was the best value in Central Europe.
Slovenes have now exchanged the Tolar for the mighty Euro. But for expats looking for work, that also means wages are paid in the world’s dominant currency.
According to Carys Owen, veteran ESL teacher and 10-year Ljubljana resident, 15 Euros is now the average cost for an hour-long English lesson. The polyglot Slovenes have a ravenous appetite for language acquisition, so a native English speaker can still make a decent living while enjoying Ljubljana’s high quality of life.
Sometimes referred to as little Prague, Ljubljana boasts a striking integration of traditional and modernist architecture.
Photo by Scott Ingram.
The old town winds around both banks of the Ljubljanica River, where sidewalk cafés are always crowded on a sunny day. The marketplace along the river has excellent local produce and artisan products.
The expat bars, loaded with EasyJet tourists on Friday and Saturday nights, provide quiet refuge during the week to meet up with the other teachers and contractors living and working in town.
If the city isn’t enough of a draw in its own right, its location at the foot of the Julian Alps and an hour and a half drive from the Adriatic Sea means you can go skiing in the morning and sailing in the afternoon.
Best Surf and Sand: Dahab, Egypt
Photo by nick.butcher.
Dahab’s days as the sleepy fishing village of backpacker lore may be numbered as the growth of resort tourism on the Red Sea shores continues. For expats looking to stay awhile, however, this is not all bad news.
The resorts have brought increased demand for experienced scuba instructors to work some of the most spectacular dive sites in the world. But Dahab is not a resort town.
Cheap accommodation is still plentiful along the turquoise waterfront, and the slow pace of Bedouin life pervades. If the pace gets too slow, the Sinai is well positioned for excursions to Mt. Sinai, the wonders of ancient Egypt, and the rose city of Petra in Jordan.
Best Hot New City: Shanghai, China
Where to experience the next great expat city?
Those with an eye to the future might consider Shanghai. With the inexorable rise of the Chinese economy, Shanghai is a good bet to become the financial capital of the 21st century.
Shanghai’s dynamism can be seen in the layering of the futuristic skyline, colonial facades, and the teeming, gritty street life. This energy is percolating down to Moganshan Road’s gallery and warehouse studio scene, regarded as the epicenter of contemporary Chinese art.
Photo by seto_supraenergy.
The only mainland Chinese city to crack the top 100 of the Mercer livable cities index, Shanghai already provides a good mixture of affordability, opportunity, nightlife, and culture.
Unlike Buenos Aires, work is not difficult to come by in Shanghai. ESL teachers are in demand, and entrepreneurial spirits can take advantage of Shanghai’s ranking as the best place to do business in China.
Perhaps in time, Shanghai’s tapestry of contrast will inspire the next great expat novel.
Best Adrenaline High: San Gil, Colombia
Photo by Maria Alejandra
Just a few years ago, travel through Colombia’s guerilla plagued countryside to remote San Gil would have been an adventure in its own right.
With the government now firmly in control of the surrounding region, adventure seekers can seek out more conventional forms of adrenaline highs.
Fortunately, San Gil has a little of everything: three whitewater rivers for rafting, kayaking, and canoeing, rappelling, caving, bungee jumping, paragliding, and horse back riding. When time comes to slow the pace, the verdant hills around San Gil offer weeks of excellent hiking.
What distinguishes San Gil from other adventure destinations is that when people find they want to stay awhile, they do. The region is not just a draw for thrill seekers. Immaculate colonial towns nearby provide refuge for writers and painters from around the world.
Photo by Yeraze
Best Big City: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Choosing a great expat metropolis is a matter of timing.
We’ve all heard about the glories of 1920s Paris and 1930s Berlin, in large part due to the nexus of expatriate artists and writers active in those flourishing scenes.
Buenos Aires, the reigning expat metropolis, is very much the right place at the right time.
Long one of the most sophisticated and charming cities of the world, hordes of Europeans and Americans are now capitalizing on the peso collapse that has made the Argentine capital a tremendous value.
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For a wealth of information about living overseas, check out one of Matador’s favorite websites, Transitions Abroad.
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23 Comments... join the discussion!
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So true, I lived there for 4 months and loved the city. But after a few months, I just had to get out. I wouldn’t want to stay there for longer than a month at this point.
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Well I know it is 2009 now, but favorite place I ever lived overseas was Tokyo. So much to do, but don’t go if you hate crowds.
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I am living in dahab since 16 years… it truly is a superb place to live! Don’t consider, though, if you don’t like goats
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I am interested in moving to dahab. I have been working in Los Angeles for 6 years making films, I am willing to try out anything. What is the work situation there? can you give me some insight on living there? thanks in advance
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Hi Tom
to find work in dahab you’ll best be a diver or windsurfer…. you can then upgrade to instructor and start horking (no problems with visas, taxes, etc – very uncomplicated!). The more languages you speak the better! You wont get rich here but have great lifestyle instead! ↵ -
the euro is not the world’s dominant currency…that honor still goes to the dollar, my friend…
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The US dollar dominant currency? ja, ja
It might be more common to find it. But dominant?↵ -
In “the quest for liveability” I explore the obsession of finding the best place to live. While a small sample, this article reveals one very important aspect of this quest: there is a different “best place” that suits every lifestyle. Be certain you understand the essence of a place before you commit to it.
http://global-culture.org/the-quest-for-liveability/
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Well, Americans can keep thinking that their dollar is dominant, the rest of the world knows that it is just the most common currency, not the most reliable one.
What about the best place to live… I lived in China for a while and changed a few places there. I loved being in Shen Zhen the most. Much more than in Shanghai. Shen Zhen has Chinese prices (cheaper than in Hong Kong) but it offers nearly as much as Hong Kong in terms of food and much more in terms of entertainment.
Hong Kong is near by – can be reached in no time and can serve as a starting point for cheap travelling through Asia. For ESL teachers Shen Zhen is interesting because they get better pay than anywhere else in China (if they want to work in schools).↵ -
By the way, about the first comment: for this matter it is hard to breath anywhere in Asia – don’t go there if you are sensitive to environmental issues. My husband could not live in China. I have never noticed that it was polluted. I guess, you have to be healthy in a first place if you want to go there.
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I agree with Buenos Aires; I only spent two months there, but I didn’t want to leave. I look forward to the day I go back. not just to visit to but once again live and enjoy the city.
stay adventurous,
Craig
@StayAdvenutrous↵ -
My partner and I came here (Shanghai) with the intention of staying for a year. That was 4 years ago! It truly is an amazing city. It has something for everyone.
@ Turner: Sure there are the occasional “bad-air days” but on the whole “blue-sky days” outnumber these by far.
And then there is the rest of this vast and mysterious country with her kind, generous, gentle people on your doorstep! We’ve travelled a lot in the past four years and have barely scratched the surface. Every destination and experience has been magical and the warmth of the local Chinese people all over the country lingers in our hearts.
Try it! If not as a living option, at least as a destination to experience!
If you’d like some tips on the Shanghai we know and love which includes a lot of out of the way backstreets, untouched (so far) by the huge modernisation drive please feel free to contact us. We’d be glad to share our knowledge and if we are free perhaps we could take you out and show you a place or two…
Cheers!
MauroIf you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home. ~James Michener
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Damn-makes me want to move to Buenos Aires tomorrow!
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You should all try Hellas.
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I unfortunately did not find Greece as idyllic as I’d hoped…
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You are right. I like Buenos Aires. It is a great, atractive, educated and not so cheap city to live in.
With over 100 museums, parks everywhere, theatre, music, people from any continent, pleasant climate, Buenos Aires is a nice place. I would prefer a decreased dog population and better educated dog walkers and owners but it is alright.
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Yep, Berlin in the 1930s sure was a great place to be! Especially if you were Jewish!
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Good point, DD, that should have read: Berlin before the Nazi’s came to power.
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Wow, the first two surprised me. Good to know! I personally love Buenos Aires and studied abroad there one semester. Haven’t been back sense, but I’d liek to try to actually live and work there one day. If not, maybe a super extended vacation.
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I’ve been wanting to check out Ljubljana for years now and now I’m even more curious!
Thanks!
Kathryn@Travelfusion↵ -
Great post! I have been in Ljubljana and Buenos Aires, both of them amazing! I can remember the stone winged lions in the bridge! Like a fairy tale place. Buenos Aires in the other side, full of culture, history and the best steaks!!
I would like to suggest one more city, Playa del Carmen in the Riviera Maya in Mexico, its so peaceful and surrounded by natural wonders! A great place to live!↵ -
Hi there – excellent post!!! Im about to take off for a 5 month trip and all this talk is making me want to literally not come back for a few years! Theres too much to see!!! Just wondering if you have, or anyone knows of any helpful posts about working overseas [special visas [i won't be working in the US]? teaching english? that mango picking gig you got???]??? Thanks!
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