Survey Names the Best European Cities for Expats
Travel Far and Wide, a site devoted to uncovering the best international destinations both known and unknown, recently released a list of the 20 best cities in Europe for expatriates. The site’s so-called “European Expat Index” investigated 50 popular global destinations to determine which were the most suitable for those looking to start a new life on different shores.
To obtain their results, Travel Far and Wide examined several key relocation factors. These included average monthly salary and rent in each location, as well as respective safety, walkability, and nightlife options. The results display a vast array of European cities, but perhaps surprisingly, Switzerland dominated the list with five entries. Lausanne, Bern, Basel, and Zürich all rank in the top 10, while Geneva landed at number 15.
Coming in just after Switzerland is Germany, which boasts four cities on the list. Munich and Stuttgart landed in the top 10, while Berlin and Frankfurt came in at number 12 and 18, respectively. Spain also claimed two entries, with Barcelona and Madrid back to back at 16 and 17.
Finland’s capital of Helsinki, meanwhile, claimed the top spot. The survey was a bit late to break this particular news. According to Statistics Finland, the number of immigrations into the country reached record numbers in 2022. 49,998 people are estimated to have relocated to Finland last year, representing an increase of 14,000–21,000 from the previous two years. Of late, Helsinki’s population has been steadily increasing, rising by 33,000 since 2019, per Macrotrends.
You can find the top 10 best European cities for expats below, and view the full results here.
Helsinki, Finland
Lausanne, Switzerland
Bern, Switzerland
Prague, Czechia
Munich, Germany
Copenhagen, Denmark
Stuttgart, Germany
Vienna, Austria
Basel, Switzerland
Zürich, Switzerland
