Montreal Came 10th In An Expat City Ranking — Here's Where We Fell Short

Montreal is known for being a top spot when it comes to art, culture and entertainment. Now, the 514 has been recognized as one of the best cities in the world for newcomers.

Preply, a language learning app and e-learning platform, released its 2022 Global Expat Index and Montreal has ranked among the top 10 best places in the world for expats.

This British ranking system takes into account 11 different metrics, including the monthly cost of living, the average salary after tax, the rent cost of a one-bedroom apartment downtown, the internet speed, the number of attractions, the safety level as well as the number of hours necessary to learn the local language.

Our beautiful city has ranked alongside global metropolises like Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (top spot), Tbilisi, Georgia (second) and Lisbon, Portugal (third).

Overall, compared with Montreal, those metropolises offer a lower monthly cost of living for immigrants, more affordable rental costs and cheaper coworking spaces, as well as much more entertainment and attractions. Plus, Malay and Portuguese are supposedly picked up faster than French by foreigners.

On a good note, Montreal has the highest average monthly salary by far. It's also the only Canadian spot on the list of 20 cities.

Above us in the ranking, you'll also find Dubai, United Arab Emirates (fourth), Bangkok, Thailand (fifth) and Prague, Czechia (sixth) as well as three Spanish cities, namely Madrid, Barcelona, and Alicante.

With a score of 6.18 out of 10, Montreal is the tenth-best city in the world according to the index, ranking above places like Porto in Portugal, Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and Taipei in Taiwan.

According to the October 4 report, the global number of expats has grown by 5.8% every year since 2013.

If you moved to Montreal hoping to learn some French, you shouldn't be scared to make mistakes, wrote Tom Cox, a content marketer for Preply. Getting better at the official language "will help you feel more comfortable in your new home, can improve your career prospects, and will allow you to immerse yourself fully in the local culture," he wrote.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.