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Budapest in the Expat City Ranking 2020
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InterNations, the world’s largest expat community with around 4 million members, publishes its Expat City Ranking 2020. It is based on the annual Expat Insider survey, which is one of the most extensive surveys about living and working abroad. This year, more than 15,000 expats participated in the survey.
In 2020, 66 cities around the globe are analyzed in the Expat City Ranking, offering in-depth information about five areas of expat life: Quality of Urban Living, Getting Settled, Urban Work Life, Finance & Housing, and Local Cost of Living. Taken together, the first four areas make up the Expat City Ranking, which reveals the best and worst cities for expats to live in.
As the data was collected in March 2020, just before COVID-19 turned into a global pandemic, one question, however, remains: Will these cities still come out on top in a post-COVID world?
Hungary
Hungary lands in the lower half of the Environment & Sustainability Ranking (35th out of 60 countries) ranking below average for most factors featured in the survey. It does best in the Quality of Environment subcategory (32nd): Expats rate the factor water and sanitation better than the global average (76% positive ratings vs. 72% globally). However, only three in four respondents (75%) like the natural environment in Hungary (vs. 82% globally), and less than half (49%) are satisfied with the air quality (vs. 62% globally).
Hungary places 34th in the Products & Utilities subcategory, with around four in seven expats (57%) expressing their satisfaction with the country’s waste management and recycling measures, which is also just below the global average (60%).
And there are also fewer expats who are happy with Hungary’s energy supply (57% vs. 62% globally) and the availability of green goods and services (59% vs. 63% globally).
Lastly, the country performs rather poorly in the Policies & People subcategory (38th): according to expats, the population does not seem to be very interested in environmental issues (33% vs. 30% globally). Moreover, the government does not appear to be supporting policies to protect the environment either, with only 36% of expats agreeing that they do (vs. 55% globally).
Budapest
Out of 66 cities in the Expat City Ranking 2020, Budapest comes in 43rd. The Hungarian capital receives its best results in the Local Cost of Living Index (7th): nearly three in five expats (58%) rate the cost of living positively (vs. 46% globally).
A Canadian survey respondent shares that “the cost of living is very affordable for the salary I earn.”
Ranking 43rd out of 66 cities in total, Budapest ends up well in the bottom half of the Expat City Ranking 2020. The Hungarian capital receives its best results in the Local Cost of Living Index (7th): nearly three in five expats (58%) rate the cost of living positively (vs. 46% globally). A Canadian survey respondent shares that “the cost of living is very affordable for the salary I earn.” The city also performs well in the Finance & Housing subcategory (21st), with about two-thirds of expats (66%) saying that it is easy to find housing in Budapest (vs. 55% globally), and 43% rating the affordability of housing positively (vs. 41% globally).
The Budapest Metro map is nice and simple to understand, unfortunately the same cannot be said of the bus and tram maps which resemble spaghetti. It would greatly help tourists (when they come back) and more recent residents if these could be simplified graphically. There must be some talented Graphic Designers who take inspiration from the great Harry Beck and Paul Garbutt.