A new global study has ranked Lisbon as the world’s most liveable city for expats, with the Portuguese capital scoring 88.49 out of 100. The ranking, by Global Citizen Solutions, assessed 35 cities across six continents using seven indicators including cost of living, safety, healthcare, air quality, English proficiency, ease of settling in, and mobility rights.
Amsterdam came second with 81.97, followed by Melbourne (81.79), Vienna, and Barcelona. Researchers noted that Lisbon and Barcelona offered “rare cross-profile versatility”, combining moderate costs, good healthcare, and high social accessibility, making them particularly popular with expats from the UK and US.
Safety and healthcare were given the highest weighting in the study, as they are considered crucial for long-term relocation. However, the report found that some cities with excellent infrastructure, such as Vienna and Copenhagen, scored lower on social integration, highlighting that affordability, social integration, and structural quality rarely coexist.
Lisbon is popular for its year-round sunshine and relatively affordable cost of living compared to other Western European capitals. Direct flights from the UK take around two-and-a-half hours, with airlines including British Airways, TAP Air Portugal, easyJet, and Ryanair serving the route.
