Singapore tops quality of living index for expatriates in Asia
Singapore retained its top position as the city with the highest quality of living in Asia for expatriates according to an annual Mercer index. Globally, Singapore ranked 25th, after cities like Vienna – that topped the list for the 9th year running – and Amsterdam, which was ranked 12th in the Mercer Quality of Living survey. The findings are based on individual reports from each city that were largely analysed between September and November last year. The index is normally used to enable multinational companies and other organisations to compensate employees fairly when placing them on international assignments. Singapore’s quality of living and infrastructure have consistently outperformed the other cities in Asia, even though the index shows that other Asian cities have seen an “exponential increase in living standards” due to a “rapidly expanding middle class and more affluent populations”.