S’pore Retains Top Spot As the Most Livable City for East Asian Expatriates

By
Megan
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While our little red dot may have fallen from grace in the eyes of even the most patriotic of Singaporeans when bubble tea stores had to close during the Circuit Breaker period, East Asian expatriates continue to hold Singapore high in regard in terms of livability. 

Yes, even with a deadly pandemic washing up on the shores of Singapore, we have managed to cling onto our coveted position as most livable city for the 15th year in a row, no less.

If that isn’t a laudable achievement, I don’t know what else is (PISA-topping 15-year-olds aside). 

S’pore Retains Top Spot As the Most Livable City for East Asian Expatriates

The study was conducted by ECA International, which assessed the quality of life for expatriates in more than 490 locations globally. Needless to say, the way different regions handled the COVID-19 pandemic had to be taken into consideration as well; this played a huge role in determining the rankings. 

According to ECA International’s regional director of Asia, Mr Lee Quane, Singapore emerged top of the pack due to four main reasons: high-quality infrastructure, low levels of environmental pollution, extensive expatriate networks and a considerably less harsh lockdown compared to other countries around the world.

Yes, while the Circuit Breaker promised fines (and in more severe cases, imprisonment) for those who simply couldn’t keep off the streets, other countries in the region used far more heavy-handed tactics of violence and threat of execution to keep people at home.  

Assessing the Competition

Honourable mentions include New Zealand and Japan, with the city of Wellington in second place, and not two, but three Japanese cities tied for third place (Nagoya, Osaka and Tokyo), as well as Yokohama in sixth place.

Taipei, coming in at 46th place, has made it back into the top 50 most livable locations, due to their ability to maintain COVID-19 cases at rather low levels, hence doing away with the need to impose stringent measures and harsh lockdowns. (It is critical to note that they’re also home to the internationally acclaimed Taiwan milk tea.)

Hong Kong has achieved a huge jump in rankings, going from 93rd place to 58th, in no small part due to the improved political situation, fewer protests and lowered crime rates.

Interestingly enough, despite all the chaos that ensued in the US in the eventful year of 2020, rankings had generally improved, with 8 cities climbing to the top 50 most livable locations—apparently due to the fact that a certain US president did not impose strict measures to clamp down on COVID-19, maintaining individual freedoms (and establishing a steady path to herd immunity). Conversely, European cities saw a decline in rankings due to particularly firm measures to curb the spread of the virus. 

Upon Closer Inspection 

As we all know, Singapore is a fine city (certainly in more ways than one). We have all learned from our Social Studies textbooks that our country’s low crime rates, clean streets, etc etc have made it an extremely attractive place for expatriates to settle down in. Our standard of living has even been described as “notoriously high”. (Sentosa Cove residents may beg to differ, having had to endure foul odours, rotting carcasses and disturbingly discoloured waters—how mortifying). 

Unfortunately, this high quality of life naturally comes with an equally high price tag. There’s no denying that Singapore has succeeded greatly in creating a conducive environment for expats, but it has to be remembered that for some, life certainly isn’t a bed of roses (or in this case, orchids, with all due respect to Vanda Miss Joaquim).

The pandemic has hit everyone hard and expats living in Singapore have not been spared, especially with regards to job opportunities.

This Ricemedia article details the difficulties faced by expats from other regions outside of East Asia during a time when the Singapore government is focused on helping citizens tide through the COVID-19 crisis, with companies opening job opportunities only to Singaporeans and PRs. 

For more information on the respective rankings (and for all statistics geeks out there), click here.

Featured Image: August Phunitiphat / Shutterstock.com

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Megan
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