In the ranking, Bangkok, Thailand, is the best city in Asia, ranks 6th on the list, and Singapore ranks 10th. Hong Kong ranks five from the bottom and is ranked the lowest in Asia.
According to the report, Hong Kong has created safety and security challenges for ex-pats. More than half (56 percent) of the ex-pats interviewed thought that they could not express themselves and their opinions openly in Hong Kong.
Political stability in Hong Kong is also ranked at the bottom; nearly two-thirds of the ex-pats (65 percent) were unsatisfied, which is four times higher than the global average level (15 percent).
Regarding personal finances, over two-thirds (68 percent) of the ex-pats in Hong Kong were unhappy with the cost of living (globally, 35 percent).
“The cost of living is too high, especially housing,” said a German ex-pat. This was agreed upon by most of the ex-pats.
Eighty-nine percent of the ex-pats thought the house prices were unbearable in Hong Kong. However, on the positive side, 66 percent replied that it was easy to find accommodation in Hong Kong.
Besides, the working hours of ex-pats in Hong Kong were longer than the ex-pats in other cities. The average weekly working hours were 44.4, compared with 40.2 hours globally. The working hours in Hong Kong rank in the bottom three (50th).
The survey collected comments from 11,970 ex-pats living in 181 countries and regions, consolidating 50 Best and Worst Expat Cities for living and working. The five reference index are quality of life, ease of settling in, working aboard, personal finances, and ex-pat essentials (digital life, accommodation, and languages).
