Not one, not two or three, but four Dutch cities have made it into the top 15 most liveable locations for EU expats, according to an annual ranking by ECA international.

2020 most liveable locations

The Hague, Amsterdam, Eindhoven and Rotterdam all made it into the top 15 most liveable locations for EU expats. To arrive at such a list of locations, ECA International looked at the quality of expat living conditions in over 490 locations across the world and came to an assessment regarding the level of difficulty an expat would experience in adapting to the new location.

The ranking assessed locations according to the following factors: climate, housing and utilities, availability of health services, political tensions, access to a social network and leisure facilities, personal safety, isolation, infrastructure and air quality. The Netherlands and Switzerland are the only two countries with four cities making it into the top 20.

The Netherlands scores highly

The highest scoring Dutch city on the ranking was The Hague, taking joint 3rd place with Geneva, Switzerland. Eindhoven came in 5th, going up one place compared to last year. Amsterdam actually fell one place to take 7th this year and Rotterdam stayed in the same place as last year, namely 12th. Up in joint first place are Copenhagen, Denmark and Bern, Switzerland, ranking highly due to their clean air, low crime rate and good facilities.

According to ECA analyst Neil Ashman, “Northern European cities, in places such as Scandinavia, the Netherlands and Switzerland, have consistently scored well for expat liveability. Excellent transport links, a high standard of healthcare and long-term political stability mean that overseas workers from elsewhere in Europe can adapt to these locations with ease.”

The best places to live for EU expats

The top 20 most liveable places for EU expats are as follows:

1. Copenhagen, Denmark
1. Bern, Switzerland
3. The Hague, Netherlands
3. Geneva, Switzerland
5. Eindhoven, Netherlands
5. Stavanger, Norway
7. Amsterdam, Netherlands
7. Basel, Switzerland
9. Dublin, Irish Republic
9. Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
9. Gothenburg, Sweden
12. Aarhus, Denmark
12. Rotterdam, Netherlands
14. Zurich, Switzerland
15. Bonn, Germany
15. Munich, Germany
17. Vienna, Austria
17. Hamburg, Germany
19. Stockholm, Sweden
19. Edinburgh, United Kingdom

For more information, please see the ECA International website.