KL, Georgetown Among Top 10 Best Locations In Asia For Asian Expats.

Georgetown, (pic) the capital city of the Malaysian state of Penang, has moved up in the list of best locations in Asia for Asian expatriates, a latest survey shows.

The city, ranked 12th five years ago, is now ranked 10th in the Location Ranking Survey conducted by ECA International, a leading knowledge and solutions provider for international human resource professionals.

The Malaysian capital city of Kuala Lumpur is in ninth position, down from seventh five years ago.

Undertaken annually, the survey compares living standards in 254 locations globally according to categories including climate, air quality, health services, housing and utilities, isolation, social network and leisure facilities, infrastructure, personal safety and political tensions.

Overall scores are used by ECA member companies to establish allowances which compensate expatriate staff for the difficulties of living in their assignment location.

Singapore retains its leading position in the ranking, followed by Kobe in second place. Two other cities in Japan, Tokyo and Osaka, are in joint third position, followed by Hong Kong (5th), Macau (6th), Taipei (7th) and Bangkok (8th).

Karachi, Pyongyang, Islamabad, Dhaka and Dili are the locations in Asia which afford foreigners the least favourable quality of living, ECA International said.

"Excellent infrastructure and facilities, coupled with its cosmopolitan make-up, low crime rate, socio-political stability and favourable climate make Singapore a very favourable location for foreigners, and justify its top spot in the rankings," said Lee Quane, General Manager, ECA International Hong Kong.

Singapore also retained its number one position in the top 10 best locations in the world for Asian expatriates, followed by Sydney and Melbourne in second and third respectively.

Other cities in the top 10 best locations in the world for Asian expatriates are Kobe (4th), Canberra (5th), Vancouver and Copenhagen (joint 6th), Wellington (8th) and Amsterdam (9th) while Osaka, Tokyo, Brussels, Bonn, Dublin, Basel and Geneva are in joint 10th. (Bernama)
Images:
1) Georgetown.
2) Kuala Lumpur