The Top 10: Which Countries are Best for Women Expats?

I think that women's preferences are so diverse that creating a list of the best & worst countries for female expats can be difficult.  But there are a few factors that can give us real insight into where some good bets might be and where you should definitely think twice before going.

INCOME

According to UNDP, there are many countries where women earn less than 50% of men's income, including Benin, Bangladesh, Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea, Togo, Eritrea, Cape Verde and Yemen. It is important to understand that when you are living in a culture where it is accepted that women make significantly less money than men for the same job it can be more difficult to secure a well-paying job or negotiate for raises one you have secured a job. 

SAFETY

Clearly the situation is not good for women when there are high rates of domestic violence and rape (often a common weapon in war), such as in Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Sudan, Guatemala, Pakistan, or Somalia. As as expat women, given a choice, you would likely not want to be in a place where violence was so rampant. 

LEGAL RIGHTS

And of course there are places like Saudi Arabia where women have fewer rights - for example, you are not allowed to drive or engage with men publicly - which have significant impact on one's lifestyle and may not make an ideal location.

TOP 10

According to an UNDP report, when you take into account things like life expectancy, education, healthcare and standard of living, some of the best places to live as a woman are: 

1. Iceland
2. Norway
3. Australia
4. Canada
5. Ireland
6. Sweden
7. Switzerland
8. Japan
9. Netherlands
10. France  

CROSS CHECKING OTHER LIFESTYLE RANKING LISTS

If we compare this list with Gallup Research's list of countries with the highest "happiness scores"  as reported in the article, "The World's Happiest Countries" we see there is some overlap (in bold): 

1. Denmark
2. Finland
3. Norway
4. Sweden
5. Netherlands
6. Costa Rica
7. New Zealand
8. Canada
9. Israel
10. Australia
11. Switzerland

We can compare these lists with the top 10 list of best places to live in the world according to the Mercer's Quality of Living 2010 Report - we also see overlap (in bold):

1. Vienna, Austria
2. Zurich, Switzerland
3. Geneva, Switzerland
4. Vancouver, Canada
5. Auckland, New Zealand
6. Dusseldorf, Germany
7. Frankfurt, Germany
8. Munich, Germany
9. Bern, Switzerland
10. Sydney, Australia

We can then cross check this list with that of the top 50 most expensive cities to live in per Mercer's Cost of Living 2010 report, also reported on in the article, "The World's Most Expensive Cities for Expats". 

You then see that the cost of living in the major cities of the countries where these overlaps exist are some of the highest:

• #6 - Geneva, Switzerland
• #8 - Zurich, Switzerland
• #22 - Bern, Switzerland
• #24 - Sydney, Australia
• #33 - Melbourne, Australia
• #35 - Amsterdam, Netherlands

You might expect that a higher quality of life would likely cost more, but it seems not so much in the case of Norway, Canada and Sweden.

There are of course numerous lists you can use to evaluate your location choices.  I recommend using Mercer's reports most often as they are most commonly used by employers to assess salary levels and benefits to their expatriate employees.

MAKING THE CHOICE

Looking at all of these factors is important in making the right choice for your next home. But the end of the day, we need to create a metric using our cultural values and lifestyle and work preferences and measure each possibility against it.  An ideal country for one woman could be a wrong choice for another. 

I do this with everyone of my clients - taking the time to do your homework and make the right choice is essential to building a successful personal and professional life abroad.

 

EXPAT SUCCESS TIP: If you are a woman considering moving abroad, do your homework. Find out about the current statistics on women's earning power, safety and legal rights before making your decision. But most importantly, be sure that your values and desired lifestyle are aligned with what your potential new home has to offer. 

Comments

[amir]

your blog is verygood

[hlawrence]

I have been very intrigued and perplexed by this and other articles. For more than 15 years, I have longed to move from NYC and live abroad, particularly in the UK or some quaint European city. Your article makes it almost a pick and choose situation. But am I missing something? As a US citizen, I cannot just pick one of those cities on your list and move there! US citizens are only allowed 90 days on a tourist entry, and the only way to live abroad from my understanding is to be granted a work visa. Retiring may be another issue. But for me now, I am shut down from moving because I have no job offer. European / UK companies have a tremendously difficult time to obtain visas, and don't want to undertake the costs and legal processes involved. So,your article omits the #1 issue - how to legally move to a country that you mentioned.
I'd like to know after all of these years of longing to be there.

[Pascale]

How strange is it to see that France is at the 10th place and Paris never mentioned...
But there are a lot of US citizens working and retiring!

[Ann-Christin]

Great information! I like how you've cross-checked the various lists.

I would say though, that "happy" countries such as Sweden and Norway -- while maybe not as expensive as some places on the list -- still have a much higher cost of living than what many women considering an expat life are used to. That's why it's so important to research and be realistic about cost relative to your current location. Housing, clothing, cars, etc. are VERY expensive in Scandinavia compared to Texas, for example. Instead of 7% sales tax, there's 25%. Cars can have over 100% tax.

Even when you've planned for the differences in cost, you may still get "sticker shock" now and then as an expat and long for a shopping trip "back home."

Of course, in the right place and with the right attitude, an expat experience is priceless, right?

[Sophie]

This is an excellent read. I think it is really a must to know and study which country is suited for every individual... That way there is no such thing as failure travel or fulfilling travel. We have a wide range of choices and I believe nothing goes wrong if we read information such as this.

[Olga Kovshanova, MBA, MA]

Very interesting and useful--Thanks!

Most pertinent are the links contained here in to various rating studies and "... most importantly, be sure that your values and desired lifestyle are aligned with what your potential new home has to offer."

For me, France, Paris, is still tops. But, now wondering after living in the tropics for 2+ years weather I will ever be happy again with COLD winters?

[Kim]

I find it very interesting that places like Play del Carmen, Mexico are not listed...I personally live her as a single working woman...and have tons of either expat working women or retired women as friends...some of their main considerations for living in Mexico were and are:
#1 the cost of living
#2 the safety(hold onto your hats for this one...because it is quite the contrary to what one hears & sees on the US/Canadian news...at least in this amazing area!)
#3 the Health care is amazing
and those are just the top three....
This is my take on my last 5 years here in the Riviera Maya Mexico!