Singapore Is The Top Destination For Expats With Kids, China Is Cheapest

Tara Loader Wilkinson

7 December 2011

Singapore is the top destination for expatriates, particularly those with children in tow, according to an online survey by HSBC.

The survey, conducted on the HSBC Expat Explorer website, compiled the views of more than 3,500 expats in 31 countries. On the basis of three criteria: economics, experience and raising children abroad, Singapore ranked top of the list, followed by Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, Mexico and Australia.

The survey said that Singapore ticked the most boxes for expatriates mainly because of the country’s low tax regime, which meant disposable income is much higher.

Other factors cited were Singapore's efficient transportation network and quality education for their children, with schools that they could easily fit into as well, although the majority said Singapore childcare was extremely expensive.

Taking out the "raising children abroad" criteria, Thailand and Saudi Arabia narrowly came out on top with a score of 0.52, followed by Singapore (0.51), Egypt, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Mexico and Japan.

China

China was found the most cost-effective place for childcare. Expats here are more likely (22 per cent) to have seen the cost of raising children decrease, and at the same time are more likely to have seen an improvement in the quality of childcare (56 per cent compared to 48 per cent on average). What is more, 40 per cent of China based expats believe that the cost of childcare has not changed much since they relocated.

As well as seeing an increase in the quality of childcare, without the inflated costs, expats living in China (50 per cent) are more likely to think their children benefit from a better level of social integration than average (45 per cent) which may point to an all-round positive environment for expat children in China.

The lower cost of raising children in China may play a role in the country's strong performance in the Expat Economics league table where expats have more disposable income (14th) than countries with higher costs for raising children such as the USA (17th) and the UK (24th).

South-East Asia

Four South-East Asian countries ranked in the top 10 list. One of the main reasons why this region did so well in the first two criteria is that expats enjoy a more luxurious lifestyle due to the generally lower cost of living in the region.

"Expats in developing countries such as South Africa, Thailand and the Philippines are much more likely to have more luxuries since relocating from their home country," HSBC said in its report.

"The main luxuries that expats in these countries benefit from compared to their home country are: domestic staff, swimming pools, owning their property or owning more than one property."