Ras Al Khaimah has been ranked among the best global cities for expatriates to live and work, based on easy administration, affordable housing and ease of settling in, according to a report by global network InterNations.
The city ranked sixth on the index of 53 destinations, followed by Abu Dhabi in ninth position and Dubai in 10th place, InterNations said in its annual Expat City Ranking 2024 report.
Spanish cities dominated the top places in the index, with Valencia topping the global ranking, and Malaga and Alicante in second and third place.
Rounding off the top 10 were Panama City, Mexico City, Madrid and Bangkok.
Some of the worst cities for expatriates include Vancouver, Hamburg, Toronto, Munich, Istanbul, Cologne and Milan.
InterNations polled 12,543 people in 175 nations and territories, asking questions based on five categories: quality of life, ease of settling in, working abroad, personal finance and an expatriate essentials index, which covers digital life, administration topics, housing and language.
“Ras Al Khaimah, Abu Dhabi and Dubai occupy the top 3 of the expat essentials index, thanks to easy administration, comparatively affordable housing, and more. And they perform pretty well when it comes to working abroad, with only Abu Dhabi missing out on the top 10 of the index, ranking 12th,” InterNations said.
“However, that’s where the similarities end: while Ras Al Khaimah stands out for great personal finances (ranking eighth globally), Abu Dhabi and Dubai offer the better quality of life (ranking seventh and eighth globally, respectively).”
The UAE, the Arab world’s second-largest economy, has introduced several economic, legal and social reforms in recent years to strengthen its business environment, increase foreign direct investment, attract skilled workers and provide incentives to companies to set up or expand their operations.
In 2019, amendments were introduced to the Golden Visa initiative to simplify the eligibility criteria and expand the categories of beneficiaries. The 10-year visa is granted to investors, entrepreneurs and skilled professionals who earn a monthly salary of more than Dh30,000 ($8,167), as well as exceptional talent, scientists and professionals, outstanding students and graduates, property investors, humanitarian pioneers and front-line workers.
A green visa provides a five-year residency for skilled employees without the need for a sponsor or employer.
The UAE also introduced a one-year digital nomad visa in March 2021 that allows people to live in the Emirates while continuing to work for employers in their home countries. Dubai also offers a five-year retirement visa for potential residents older than 55.
The Emirates was ranked the 10th-best destination for expatriates to live and work, based on the high quality of life it offers and job opportunities, according to a July report by InterNations.
Ras Al Khaimah ranked as the world's top city for expatriates to get started abroad and second globally for affordable housing, with 72 per cent of respondents polled by InterNations saying it’s easy to find housing compared to 45 per cent globally.
The emirate also ranked second for working abroad, in addition to ranking fifth globally for ease of settling in, the survey found. the main benefits the study showed were the ease of living without speaking the local language and accessing government services online.
However, it ranked 28th globally for quality of life. “A few things still need ironing out when it comes to travel and transit and leisure options. Despite having excellent infrastructure for cars, less than half of expats there are happy with the availability of public transportation,” the report said.
Abu Dhabi and Dubai ranked first and second globally, for the subcategories of admin topics and language.
The cities scored well in terms of obtaining a visa, opening a bank account and the availability of government services. They are also the easiest places in the world for expatriates to get by without speaking the local language, according to InterNations.
The study revealed that 80 per cent of expats said it’s easy to obtain a visa to move to Abu Dhabi (versus 53 per cent globally) and 83 per cent can live there without speaking Arabic (compared to 48 per cent globally).
Abu Dhabi also ranked seventh among global cities for quality of life, the InterNations survey found.
The UAE’s capital city ranked first globally for car infrastructure, while expats also praised the availability of healthcare and the ease of getting high-speed internet access at home, according to InterNations.
Dubai was ranked eighth globally for quality of life, according to InterNations. Most expats praised the availability and quality of healthcare centres in the city, which also ranked eighth globally for culinary and dining options and 10th for culture and nightlife.
The emirate also ranked ninth globally in the working abroad subindex, the survey found.
Muscat ranked fifth, Jeddah sixth, Doha eighth, and Riyadh 10th on the Expat Essentials index.
Top 10 global cities for expatriates to live and work in 2024
- Valencia
- Malaga
- Alicante
- Panama City
- Mexico City
- Ras Al Khaimah
- Madrid
- Bangkok
- Abu Dhabi
- Dubai
