Reviews of cities, countries, employers and services abroad

Destination

Tokyo· Tokyo

Tokyo after 18 months: calm, safe and easier than I feared

I moved to Tokyo for a design job and expected the paperwork to be painful. The ward office took one visit, my bank account opened within a week, and trains made a car pointless. Rent in the centre is high, so I live two stops outside the Yamanote line and pay much less. The hardest part was making friends outside work, which improved once I joined a weekend cycling group.

Maya Lindqvist12 hours ago1

Destination

London· London

World-class museums, high prices and changeable weather

I spent eight days in London as a visitor. The free museums are extraordinary: I could have spent a week in the British Museum alone. Getting around was easy with contactless payment and daily caps on the Tube and buses. Parks like Hampstead Heath and Regent's Park are a real highlight. But London is expensive, even compared with US cities. My hotel near King's Cross was 145 pounds a night, and meals in tourist areas were overpriced and average. The Tube was hot and crowded in July. I enjoyed it, but I preferred Edinburgh and Manchester for atmosphere and value.

Free world-class museums

Easy contactless transport

Destination

Toronto· Toronto

Welcoming and diverse, but housing costs are painful

Toronto is one of the most diverse cities in the world, and as a Filipina I never feel out of place. There are Filipino stores, churches and restaurants in Bathurst and Wilson, and people from every country on my bus. Healthcare through OHIP has been good for me. The problem is money. Rent takes more than a third of my salary and I only have a room. Groceries have become expensive too. Winter is long, but the city keeps working and I bought good boots. If you have a job that pays well, Toronto is a great place to build a life. If you are on a lower wage, be ready to share housing and to budget carefully.

Very diverse and welcoming

Strong community networks

Destination

Kyoto· Kyoto

The best city in Japan for students

Kyoto is calm, beautiful and full of universities, so students are everywhere and the city is built for us. I cycle to class along the Kamo River every morning. Rent is lower than Tokyo: my student apartment is 38,000 yen a month. Temples and gardens are free or cheap on weekdays, and Osaka is only 30 minutes by train when I want a bigger city or job fairs. The downsides are the tourist crowds in central areas, humid summers and cold, damp winters in old buildings. Part-time jobs are easy to find if you speak some Japanese. For a student, I cannot imagine a better place.

Affordable for students

Destination

Berlin· Berlin

Creative, affordable by Western European standards, but the admin will test you

I have lived in Berlin for five years and it still surprises me. The tech scene is huge and English works at most startups, so getting a first job is realistic without fluent German. Public transport is excellent and the Deutschlandticket makes it cheap. Parks and lakes are everywhere in summer. The downsides are real, though. Finding a flat is brutal, appointments at the Bürgeramt and Ausländerbehörde can take weeks, and winter is long and grey from November to March. Service can feel blunt until you learn that it is rarely personal. There is a big African community, and I found church, football and good jollof within six months. Overall a great city for curious people who are patient with paperwork.

Large English-friendly tech job market

Destination

Singapore· Singapore

Safe, efficient and delicious, but not cheap

Singapore works. Transport, government services, banking and healthcare are all efficient, and it is the safest place I have lived. Hawker food is cheap and excellent, and Changi Airport makes weekend trips around Asia easy. Taxes are low, so savings grow quickly on a professional salary. The costs are rent, alcohol, cars and international schools. A room in a condo is around 2,000 dollars and a family can spend a fortune on school fees. The heat and humidity never stop. Social life takes effort because many expats leave after a few years, but clubs and running groups help a lot.

Extremely safe

Efficient public services

Destination

Melbourne· Melbourne

A brilliant city for families

We moved to Melbourne with two children and have not regretted it once. Our suburb, Coburg, has a great state primary school, parks on every corner and a strong community feel. The trams and trains cover most of the inner suburbs, and the city has excellent libraries, playgrounds and free events. Coffee and food culture are as good as everyone says. Healthcare through Medicare has been straightforward. The negatives: rents are high and the rental market is competitive, grocery prices are higher than the UK, and the weather really does change four times a day. Being far from family in the UK is the hardest part.

Family friendly suburbs

Destination

Amsterdam· Amsterdam

Compact, international and easy to live in, if you can find a home

Amsterdam is an easy city to live in day to day. I cycle 12 minutes to work, English works almost everywhere and my colleagues come from over 30 countries. Work life balance is excellent and nobody expects you to answer messages at night. Public transport is reliable, and trains to Rotterdam, Utrecht and even Paris are straightforward. The big problem is housing: a small studio costs me 1,650 euros, and the search took seven weeks. Health insurance is an extra monthly cost, and the weather is grey and windy for much of the year. With a professional salary it is a great place, but people on lower incomes struggle.

Excellent work life balance

Destination

Manchester· Manchester

Friendly, affordable and full of opportunity for healthcare workers

Manchester has been a wonderful first home in the UK. People are chatty and warm, and I have never felt as anonymous as friends say they feel in London. Rents are much lower than the south: I pay 875 pounds for a one bedroom flat in Salford. There are several large hospital trusts, so there is plenty of choice for nurses and doctors. The trams make commuting easy, although buses can be unreliable at night. The Indian community is large, with temples, grocery shops in Rusholme and the Curry Mile, and big festival celebrations. Yes, it rains a lot, but you get used to it and the Peak District is only an hour away for weekend walks.

Destination

Brisbane· Brisbane

Sunshine, work for tradespeople and a relaxed pace

Brisbane is the right size: big enough for good jobs, small enough that you do not spend your life in traffic. For electricians there is a lot of work, especially in solar, new housing and infrastructure before the 2032 Olympics. The weather is warm most of the year and winters are mild and sunny. The Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast are about an hour away, so weekends are at the beach. Rents have risen a lot, and summer storms and humidity can be intense. Public transport is fine in the centre but you will probably need a car in the suburbs. Overall, I am very happy here.

Plenty of trades work

Destination

Chicago· Chicago

Great food city with real neighbourhoods and brutal winters

Chicago is a city of neighbourhoods, and for a Mexican chef it feels like home in many ways. Pilsen and Little Village have taquerías, panaderías and markets where I find everything I need. The restaurant scene is serious and ambitious. Rent is much cheaper than New York or San Francisco: we pay 1,750 dollars for a two bedroom. The lakefront in summer is beautiful, with free festivals almost every weekend. The winters are a real challenge, minus 20 with wind, and some neighbourhoods have safety problems, so ask locals where to live. The L trains are useful but some lines are slow and not always clean.

Strong Mexican community

Destination

Lisbon· Lisbon

Beautiful and safe, with a housing crisis you cannot ignore

Lisbon gives you sunshine, the river, miradouros at sunset and a safe, relaxed daily life. For Brazilians, the language makes everything easier, although accents and vocabulary are different and some people switch to English when they hear us. The design and startup community is active, and coworking spaces are easy to find. But rents have risen far faster than local salaries, landlords ask for months of rent upfront and there is visible frustration about foreigners and tourist flats. Bureaucracy at AIMA can take months. I love living here, but I would tell anyone to look at Porto or smaller cities before deciding.

Safe and relaxed

Great climate