Expatriates Name Nairobi as the Best City to Settle in Africa

Expatriates have named Nairobi as the best city to work in on the continent owing to the ease of settling and finding a house.

The Kenyan capital city was ranked number one in Africa and 12th out of 57 cities surveyed in the world, according to the Expat City Ranking 2021.

Nairobi jumped 50 places from last year when it was placed at position 62 out of 66 cities surveyed, beating other top African cities including Cape Town (41), Cairo (52), and Johannesburg (55). 

A total of 12,420 respondents in 57 cities were interviewed in the survey conducted by InterNations, a global network of expatriates. With more than four million members in 420 cities, InterNations is the largest community of expatriates in the world.

Kenya’s capital was ranked the fourth-best city on the ease of settling behind Malaga, Mexico City, and Kuala Lumpur based on the friendliness of residents, feeling welcomed and local language.

It was also ranked number six globally in the finance and housing index based on overall satisfaction with expats’ financial situation, disposable income and affordability, and ease of finding houses.

This year’s survey examined five areas of expatriate life namely; quality of urban towns, getting settled, work-life balance, finance, housing, and cost of living.