April 30, 2025, 1:07 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
How comfortable one feels in a different city largely depends on how friendly the residents are. The organization Internations surveyed thousands of expatriates, asking them, among other things, how welcome they feel in their new hometown. A city in Europe ranks first.
Internations is an international expat portal. It serves as a network for people around the world, some of whom are looking for a new home country, while others share experiences from their own relocations. For the 2024 report, the organization surveyed more than 12,500 so-called expats worldwide about their experiences. Among other things, the survey addressed where locals are most welcoming to newcomers and how easy or difficult it is to settle in. This resulted in a ranking of the friendliest and unfriendliest cities in the world from the perspective of expats. The unfriendliest city is in Germany.
The respondents specifically indicated whether they found a personal support network in their new home, whether they are satisfied with their social life, and how easy it is to make friends with locals.
Overview
The Friendliest City in the World
The Spanish city of Málaga ranks first. According to the report, locals are perceived as both friendly (84 percent positive ratings compared to 63 percent worldwide) and easy to approach (67 percent compared to 38 percent). Accordingly, many expats agree that they have a personal support network and are satisfied with their social life — Málaga ranks first in both aspects.
Adapting to the local culture is also easy (78 percent compared to 59 percent worldwide). About four out of five expats feel at home in Málaga (84 percent compared to 58 percent) and welcome (80 percent compared to 63 percent). A full 61 percent gave the highest possible rating — more than twice the global average (28 percent). “What do I enjoy about living here? The weather and climate, travel opportunities, and the friendly environment and people,” Internations quotes a newcomer from Belarus.
Mexico City and Alicante in Spain take the second and third spots in the ranking of the friendliest cities worldwide. Notably, four Spanish cities are in the top ten.
The Best City in the World for Expats in 2024 Is in Europe
This Is the Best Country in the World for Expats
The 25 Friendliest Countries in the World
The Unfriendliest City in the World is in Germany
From the perspective of the surveyed expats, Germany unfortunately does not shine in terms of friendliness — in fact, quite the opposite. Four German cities—Munich, Hamburg, Berlin, and Frankfurt — are at the bottom of the list of friendliest cities for expats.
For Munich in particular, the last place in the 2024 index is “a new low,” as Internations writes. More than two out of five expats find it difficult to adapt to the local culture. They feel neither welcome nor at home. Munich ranks last in terms of the friendliness of locals toward expats, with nearly half of the respondents rating this aspect negatively.
When it comes to friendships, most expats in Munich reported that their friends are also expats. Nearly two-thirds find it difficult to make local friends, and only 37 percent are satisfied with their social life. “It is difficult to establish any social contact with locals,” laments an expat from Italy, according to the report.
An Overview of the Friendliest and Unfriendliest Cities for Expats
- Málaga, Spain
- Mexico City, Mexico
- Alicante, Spain
- Valencia, Spain
- Ras Al Khaimah, UAE
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Madrid, Spain
- Panama City, Panama
- Nairobi, Kenya
- Muscat, Oman
- Dubai, UAE
- Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Melbourne, Australia
- Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Doha, Qatar
- Auckland, New Zealand
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Dublin, Ireland
- Sydney, Australia
- Lisbon, Portugal
- Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- New York, USA
- Brussels, Belgium
- Barcelona, Spain
- Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Singapore, Singapore
- Rome, Italy
- Warsaw, Poland
- Tokyo, Japan
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- The Hague, Netherlands
- London, United Kingdom
- Istanbul, Turkey
- Milan, Italy
- Geneva, Switzerland
- Toronto, Canada
- Budapest, Hungary
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
- Paris, France
- Düsseldorf, Germany
- Vienna, Austria
- Prague, Czech Republic
- Vancouver, Canada
- Stockholm, Sweden
- Oslo, Norway
- Basel, Switzerland
- Cologne, Germany
- Zurich, Switzerland
- Frankfurt, Germany
- Berlin, Germany
- Hamburg, Germany
- Munich, Germany