London Offers Expats Great Career Prospects
- Improved Career Opportunities but Shaky Job Security
- High Living Costs Remain a Concern
- Pubs to Take Your Mind off Unaffordable Healthcare
- Visa and Housing Woes
- More Difficult to Get Settled Compared to the Average
- Further Reading
London ranks 40th out of 53 cities in the 2024 Expat City Ranking. Out of the five indices, only one appears in the bottom 10: Personal Finance (51st). However, others aren’t far behind. Quality of Life is in 43rd place, are Healthcare (47th) and the Environment & Climate (47th) are sore issues. Working Abroad (30th) is a mixed bag, with great career opportunities (7th) despite a weak local economy (47th). Overall, expats rank their happiness with their life in London in 41st place.
Improved Career Opportunities but Shaky Job Security
To start off with the comparatively good news, the Working Abroad Index is London’s best-performing index in 30th place. The star subcategory is Career Prospects (8th). Almost three in four expats (74%) agree that moving to London improved their career prospects (vs. 56% globally). And over two-thirds (69%) are happy with their personal career opportunities (vs. 53%). Both these factors are ranked 7th, while the local job market is in a decent 16th place.
But once expats have secured a job, their Salary & Job Security (44th) isn’t too promising. They don’t agree that they’re paid fairly for their work (46th), and 41% rate the state of the economy negatively (vs. 19% globally). Work & Leisure isn’t much to write home about, either, in 35th place.
“It’s very difficult to find a good paying job and balance my social life.” – Ghanian expat
Work Culture & Satisfaction is above average in 17th place at least, buoyed by a top 10 placement for whether the local business culture supports flexibility (10th): 72% of expats say yes (vs. 56% globally). Overall job satisfaction is in 26th place.
High Living Costs Remain a Concern
On to the bad news: London performs poorly in the Personal Finance Index (51st). All three of its underlying factors are in the bottom 10. In fact, about half of respondents (49%) cited high cost of living as one of their biggest concerns before relocating to London, and with good reason — 70% rate the general cost of living negatively (vs. 39% globally).
Close to half of expats (46%) share that their disposable household income isn’t enough to lead a comfortable life (vs. 30% globally). It’s not surprising that 39% are dissatisfied with their financial situation (vs. 26%).
Good Food to Take Your Mind off Unaffordable Healthcare
So does all this money spent on living expenses come with a good quality of life? Unfortunately not, as the Quality of Life Index (43rd) narrowly escapes the bottom 10. The most concerning subcategories for expats in London are Healthcare (47th) and Environment & Climate (47th). Safety & Security (43rd) is circling the bottom 10, while Travel & Transit (39th) is firmly below average.
“The country seems to be poorly run, with an inefficient and expensive National Health Service (NHS). The privatized rail companies are constantly on strike; the air and river are polluted; and since Brexit, the economic outlook is not as good as other European countries.” – Austrian expat
A quarter of expats rate the availability of healthcare negatively (25% vs. 16% globally), with a higher share dissatisfied with its quality (36% vs. 17%), ranking these factors 48th and 50th, respectively. Affordability and getting equal access to healthcare services fare slightly better — both are in 37th place.
When it comes to the environment, around double the global average are dissatisfied with the air quality (37% vs. 19%), climate & weather (43% vs. 21%), and natural environment (12% vs. 7%). A similar trend can be seen for personal safety (20% negative responses vs. 8%).
Of the index’s five subcategories, only Leisure Options is decent in 18th place. Well over eight in ten expats appreciate the culture & nightlife (86% vs. 66% globally) as well as the culinary variety & dining options (85% vs. 73%).
Visa & Housing Woes in the Capital
The Expat Essentials Index places 34th. Although three of its four subcategories receive average to above average results — Language (20th), Admin Topics (22nd), and Digital Life (27th) — the overall ranking is dragged down by Housing (40th).
Cited by 32% of respondents, London’s housing market was the third most pressing concern before relocating (vs. 19% globally), after high living costs (49%) and the climate & weather (38%). Indeed, about three in four expats (76%) find housing unaffordable (vs. 47% globally). And it’s not easy to find either: 50% say as much (vs. 34%).
Though before looking for housing, expats may find that it’s difficult to get a visa to move to London in the first place, with 34% rating this factor negatively (vs. 26%).
Expats can at least look forward to paying without cash (7th) and decent online availability of admin/government services (21st). Dealing with the local bureaucracy/authorities (21st) and opening a bank account (27th) aren’t too much of a headache, either.
More Difficult to Get Settled Compared to the Average
The Ease of Settling In (32nd) in London is another mediocre offering. Across all individual factors of the index’s subcategories — save one — respondents were more likely to give negative ratings compared to the global average, ranking Local Friendliness, Finding Friends, and Culture & Welcome in 37th, 31st, and 26th place, respectively.
While the difference in percentage points isn’t extreme, it highlights a trend. For example, 32% of respondents don’t agree that they have a personal support network in London (vs. 27% globally), and 43% find that making local friends is difficult (vs. 41%).
Again, a higher share of expats than the global average find that locals are not friendly in general (27% vs. 19%) nor towards foreign residents (27% vs. 20%). Perhaps as a consequence, a similar share (23%) don’t feel welcome in London (vs. 17%).
The silver lining is that it’s relatively easier to get used to the local culture compared to the global average (66% positive answers vs. 59%). This could be related to the city’s cosmopolitan nature.
“I love the variety and diversity of people and cultures ... You can be who you want to be. Everyone fits in.” – Belgian expat
