The ‘most liveable city for expats’ has been revealed. Photo: Getty Images.
An Australian woman who has lived in two of the top rated expat cities reveals the reality of what it’s really like living abroad.
It’s estimated around 300 million people across the world live outside their country of birth, while around one million of those are Australians.
Many move for work and travel opportunities – increasingly Australia’s housing crisis and cost of living is tipping Aussies to find financial freedom elsewhere.
Global Citizens Solutions, a leading residency and citizenship planning advisory firm, has released insights into the world’s most liveable cities for expats, ranking 35 cities across six continents.
The index evaluates cost of living, personal safety, air quality, healthcare quality, ease of settling in, English proficiency and enhanced mobility.
Lisbon in Portugal ranked as the top most liveable city for expats in 2026, followed by Amsterdam, Melbourne, Vienna and Singapore.
35-year-old marketing professional and mother of two, Liz Pal-Develter, has lived in two of the top-rated expat cities over the past eight years of her life.
She moved from her home city of Sydney to Singapore in 2018, then to Portugal in 2021.
“Portugal and Singapore couldn’t be more different,” she said.
Australian marketer Lizbeth Pal-Develter reveals what it’s like living in both Lisbon and Singapore as an Aussie expat from Sydney. Photo: Supplied.
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“Portugal is very relaxed, easy going and cost of living is low. In contrast, Singapore is all about business and modern efficiencies. Life is in full throttle professionally and socially.”
She particularly loved the expat community in Singapore and meeting like-minded people.
“They’ve become your family away from home. From being young professionals, to growing up, getting married, having kids and sometimes saying goodbye to friends moving back home, it’s been great to meet life long friends,” she added.
During Covid In 2021, Ms Pal-Develter and her husband were seeking a change from Singapore.
They decided to move to Lisbon, now ranked as ‘the world’s most liveable city’ for expats in 2026 according to Global Citizen Solutions.
“We chose Portugal for a ‘new adventure,’ as I had never lived in Europe before,” Ms Pal-Develter said.
“Portugal is very relaxed, easy going and the cost of living is low. We chose Portugal as it had great weather most of the year, taxes are lower for EU citizens and there was a movement of expats heading to Lisbon. We thought why not? If we hated it, we could just leave.”
Originally from Sydney, Ms Pal-Develter now lives in Singapore after living in Lisbon for three years.
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Lisbon was quiet and slow-paced, and also had an old-school charm the now 35-year-old loved. She loved long days at beach clubs with her kids, visiting wineries on the weekend and exploring “beautiful farm to table restaurants.”
After living there for three years, Ms Pal-Develter was craving a face-paced, busy city once again, so they decided to move back to Singapore where they still live today.
“Looking back, it was a special chapter, especially being in that ‘newborn bubble,’ so I’ll always have fond memories and be grateful for Portugal.”
Housing and cost-of-living: Lisbon versus Singapore
Ms Pal-Develter and her husband chose to rent to allow them to be flexible with their living location, as well as property taxes for expats were extremely expensive in Singapore.
Lisbon’s cost of living is a lot lower compared to Sydney or Singapore, but so were wages, according to Ms Pal-Develter.
For two people in Lisbon you could eat out cheaply for around 30 euros for two, or for a more elevated experience between 80-100 euros, while a three-bedroom apartment could range between $800,000- $3 million (€500k- €2 million).
Ms Pal-Develter lived in Lisbon from 2021-2024. Photo: Supplied.
Expats can purchase via a ‘Golden Visa’ program which offers residency through property investment of the Non-Habitual Resident tax regime,” she added.
“There is a mix of old apartments and heritage buildings, some renovated, some not. Similarly like Sydney, you can drive 30 minutes to one hour away and have a house with a swimming pool and garden. You can drive another hour and own a farm for the same price as an apartment in the city … but what would you do out there?”
Ms Pal-Develter and her family lived 20 mins from the centre of Lisbon and rented a four-bedroom house with a pool, it was €5000 a month, roughly $2,000 per week.
“We were on a single income back then and even that was considered steep,” she said.
“From a young-eyed professional to becoming a parent, the key themes of why we like living in Singapore is that it’s safe, domestic help is affordable, the expat community is welcoming and a two hour flight gets you to Bali or Bangkok for a quick holiday,” Ms Pal-Develter said.
Rent was the biggest expense in Singapore, and said she knew people that paid up to $20,000 per month for a four-bedroom apartment.
Views over Singapore. Photo: Supplied.
Eating out was also pricey, costing roughly $300-$400 for two people for two mains, two entrees, one dessert and a bottle of wine.
However, salaries were higher – she said the same role she did in Australia she would likely be paid about $50,000 less.
Salaries in Portugal compared to Singapore are wildly different.
The average monthly salary for full-time workers in Portugal is $1,773 (€1,091) after taxes, while in Singapore the wage average is $6,113 per month, according to international money transfer site Instarem.
Challenges of being an expat
In Singapore, she said cost of living was quite high, yet the professional culture took the most adjusting.
“There can be a certain rigidity to the workplace, compared to what you might be used to in Sydney. The safety is genuinely extraordinary, but it comes at the cost that you know Singapore’s rules are among the strictest in the world and enforced accordingly,” Ms Pal-Develter said.
“Expats are always at the mercy of their jobs here, if you lose your job you lose your visa and you have to leave the country. So if you have built a life here, you are extra pressured to work hard and keep it.
Whereas in Portugal, she found it harder to find a community and missed living in a cosmopolitan city. She also said you had to make an effort to learn Portuguese, despite many people speaking English.
After living in Singapore and Lisbon, she still loves Sydney living.
“Lisbon attracts an incredibly broad crowd and the expat community reflects that. I was looking for driven, ambitious, internationally-minded people and it just took longer than I had,” she said.
“On a lighter note, the cobblestones were my nemesis, my heels were essentially retired for three years.
Ms Pal-Develter and her family moved back to Singapore in 2025 and both her and her husband work in their respective industries. After living in Lisbon, Singapore and Sydney, her mantra was this, “make your money in Singapore or Sydney, then retire in Portugal.”
“Portugal is a great place to holiday, but not to live if you’re looking for a more cosmopolitan life,” she added.
“All in all, Sydney is still one day our end call. You can’t beat Sydney living.”
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