According to an independent survey carried out by the InterNations website, Málaga came second only to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.
The independent international survey highlighted Malaga's strengths as a city to live and work in for foreigners. The poll of users of the InterNations website, a digital community for expatriates with around four million members in 420 cities worldwide, awarded Malaga second place in the world, just behind Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.
Malaga ranked second in a ranking that evaluated the best cities for foreigners to live and work in.
According to an independent survey carried out by the InterNations website, Málaga came second only to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.
The independent international survey highlighted Malaga's strengths as a city to live and work in for foreigners. The poll of users of the InterNations website, a digital community for expatriates with around four million members in 420 cities worldwide, awarded Malaga second place in the world, just behind Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.
Both the company responsible for the study and the Malaga City Council (through its Tourism Councillor Rosa Sánchez) have assured SUR that the survey is based solely on the responses of the participants (about 12,000 of them) and is not an advertising or sponsorship exercise paid for by any institution.
The survey, which was conducted earlier this year, asked InterNations community members about their satisfaction with the quality of life (which included a healthy living environment and good digital infrastructure); ease of settling in (language barriers, acceptance from locals); personal issues (e.g. access to healthcare); and employment situation (job security, stable local economy, etc.).
Attractive for professionals
The study highlighted that Malaga in particular attracts professionals looking for a 'higher quality of life'. Malaga ranked first in the friends and socialisation section of the survey, with 69% of expatriates saying that it was easy for them to start a new social life (the average is 48%) and 78% saying they were satisfied with their social life.
Cost of living
The Costa del Sol capital also scored highly on cost of living, finances and housing. 82% of expats felt that their income was sufficient or excessive to cover living expenses.
Malaga was also above average when it came to quality of life and topped the list when it came to weather and leisure: around 80% of respondents said they loved the city's climate and 86% appreciated the leisure activities on offer.
Climate
"I love the climate, the beautiful nature and the rich cultural life," commented one worker of Icelandic origin. Malaga was also identified in the study as a safe city, with a good medical and health system and affordability.
On the other hand, the city's biggest weakness was employment. Malaga is not considered a good choice for expatriates who want to pursue a professional career: 28% were not satisfied with their job and 55% perceived job opportunities at the local level negatively. However, the survey highlighted that 33% of respondents had moved to Malaga for a better quality of life rather than to improve their job.
Best and worst cities
After Malaga, the ten best cities in the world are Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Sydney (Australia); Singapore; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Prague (Czech Republic); Mexico City; Basel (Switzerland) and Madrid. At the other end of the scale are the cities that are least valued by their compatriots: Rome, Milan, Istanbul, Moscow, Maastricht, Paris, Tokyo, Cairo, New York and Johannesburg.
The InterNations community has 4.2 million members in 420 cities around the world and is the largest global community and resource for people who live and work in countries other than their country of origin. The platform offers services for sharing experiences and socializing "online" and face-to-face, with approximately 6,000 monthly activities that help connect expatriates with each other.
