The US is one of the worst places to live for expats, who in a new survey gave living in the states low scores for the cost of healthcare,...
The US is one of the worst places to live for expats, who in a new survey gave living in the states low scores for the cost of healthcare, living expenses and education.
The Expat Insider 2019 report also found that expats feel safer in other parts of the world more than they do in the US.
Ranking the latest information, the US placed 47 out of 64 nations for the second time in the annual report, according to InterNations, a global expat network with 3.6 million members that conducted the survey.
Ranking the latest information, the US placed 47 out of 64 nations for the second time in the annual report, according to InterNations, a global expat network with 3.6 million members that conducted the survey
The US ranked favorably with the quality of medical care and educational options, but not the costs. The report found 71 percent of expats think medical care in the US was not affordable, compared with 65 percent globally
Taiwan was ranked best, and Kuwait the worst.
More than 20,000 respondents representing 182 nationalities were polled about what life abroad was like for them.
The respondents said they had come from 187 countries or territories before moving to the destination countries in the report. To make the cut, nations ranked required at least 75 expats.
Respondents were asked to rate up to 48 factors, from quality of life, to education options to personal finance.
The US ranked favorably with the quality of medical care and educational options, but not the costs.
The report found 71 percent of expats think medical care in the US was not affordable, compared with 65 percent globally.
'I fear something major could happen, like a hospital stay, and I would need a loan to pay the bill,' said an Australian expat in the survey, reports Yahoo Finance.
Similarly, respondents were concerned about the costs of education.
The survey found 55 percent said they were not happy about the price of sending their children to private schools and colleges. The global average was 40 percent.
'If you have kids, their education will cost a fortune,' said a French expat who took the survey, reports Yahoo.
Another factor weighing down the US were expats concerned about money.
Even though one in three expats said they made more income in the US, the cost of covering daily expenses worried 29 percent. On a global scale, 23 percent were as worried.
About 45 percent also rated the local cost of living as a negative.
The respondents weren't happy about safety and security either.
The report found 69 percent felt safe in the US, compared with a global average of 81 percent. Less than 50 percent of the respondents said the political stability in the US was a positive.
The poll did find expats were happy with their 'Digital Life' options and resources in the US, which ranked 7 out of 64 in the category. The report credits high-speed internet connections, which were rated favorably by 90 percent of expats, compared with 75 percent globally.
Another 70 percent said they approved of the level of access to administrative and government services online, compared with 55 percent worldwide.
An example of a poor showing in the digital category was Indonesia, where 7 percent of expats said access to online government services was the worst.
“Access to the internet infrastructure is limited and challenging,” said a US expat living in a small town in Indonesia, which still ranked 29 out of 64 overall.
“It is a home away from home,” an expat from India living in Indonesia said. “The people here are very warm and friendly.”
The US, however, isn't getting the same glowing reviews.
The states get a -20 ranking on a 'Expat Promoter Score,' in the survey, which tells how likely an expat would recommend life in their host country to a friend or colleague on a scale of 0 (not at all) to 10 (extremely likely).
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