Zug, 05.12.2019

City of Zug particularly popular with expats

The Expat City Ranking published on 3 December, which is based on a study of more than 20,000 respondents, states that the quality of life in Zug is rated as being better than any other city in the world. Expats rated life in 82 cities worldwide, which resulted in a ranking of the most suitable cities for a move abroad in 2020. The study provides a detailed analysis of quality of life, acclimatisation and the working life in the city, as well as finances, housing and the cost of living.

The ranking is headed by four Asian cities. Taiwan's capital, Taipei, is in the lead, followed by Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) and Singapore. The city of Zug is ranked 8th - between Barcelona and The Hague:

With regard to local traffic, environmental quality and personal safety, the city of Zug performs extremely well in the ranking.

The survey reveals that not a single expat interviewed in Zug is dissatisfied with the local traffic, the environmental quality or personal safety. The majority of expats are satisfied with both the available offer and the quality of medical care. Zug is also the only city in Switzerland to appear in the top 10 in the "Working in the city" index: with position 5. Nearly seven out of ten respondents in Zug are satisfied with their work-life balance and working hours.

Expats even give Zug the first place worldwide for the local economy (91 percent positive ratings versus 66 percent worldwide). The city is at a mediocre 44th place when it comes to secure jobs, however. Almost a quarter of the expats find jobs in Zug insecure. There are also poor grades for acclimatisation: the Kolinstadt occupies the 58th place here. Thirty-five percent of respondents say they find it hard to get used to local culture, while 31% of the expats consider the population of Zug to be unfriendly towards foreign citizens.

The Expat City Ranking is part of the annual Expat Insider Study of Munich-based company InterNations - which claims to be the largest community in the world for people living and working abroad. Results have only been collected for Zug since 2018, as the sample size of 50 participants was previously unavailable. The city still ranked as 23rd out of 72 cities last year, and has therefore gained 15 places in the Expat City Ranking 2019. Mayor Karl Kobelt is pleased about the good ranking:

"It's the overall package that makes the city so attractive to both expats and Swiss."

This would not only include interesting jobs in many industries and a moderate tax burden, but also benefits such as pleasant residential and recreational areas, good educational facilities, the wide range of shopping, culture and sport facilities, security and the transport infrastructure, and proximity to Zurich Airport.

Natalie Albrecht, Managing Director of the expat platform Zug4You, agrees: "Zug is a centrally located, manageable metropolis with a variety of innovations and modern visions, and which lives out and celebrates its values and traditions."

A total of seven Swiss cities are represented in the Expat City Ranking 2019: Zug (8th place) and Basel (10th place) are well ahead of Lausanne (36), Bern (38), Zurich (41), Lugano (53) and Geneva (69). All seven cities are among the top 20 globally when it comes to quality of life, however. The rankings also show that expats have problems settling in here, however: Zurich and Bern are among the worst rated cities in the world in this regard.

According to the latest study, Kuwait City is at the bottom of the list (rank 82), followed by Rome, Milan, Lagos (Nigeria), Paris, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Lima and New York City.

Coming soon on www.zugerzeitung.ch: What measures Zug has implemented for expats.