As Covid lockdowns, political turmoil, and rising costs force foreigners away from Hong Kong, and rival Singapore sets the bar higher for foreign labor Young professionals seeking adventures and jobs in other countries are confronted with a decision. What will be the most cosmopolitan hotspots in the future that will attract an active international community that offers lucrative jobs and affordably luxurious lifestyles?
Countries ranging that range from Curacao to Cape Verde have rolled out digital nomad visas for web-based travelers, creating and keeping the world’s largest, most diverse group of people requires more than just a beach and wi-fi. In a world that is being transformed by the effects of invasion, infection, and the rise of inflation, a handful of cities are in a battle against the traditional order by attracting startups and companies to prove themselves as an international city. We speak to six people who have traveled all the way from Rio’s beaches, Rio, to the hub of technology in Bangalore taking the path that isn’t as well-traveled.
Kuala Lumpur:
Much snubbed by neighboring Singapore as a popular destination for ex-pats The Malaysian capital is now becoming attractive to international businesses due to its huge English population, its easy connection to flights throughout the region, and its relative cost-effectiveness. As of the year 2021, Malaysia came in first in a survey of more than 12,000 ex-pats conducted by InterNations which scored the top spot in terms of housing.
“It’s a country at the crossroads of so many civilizations: South-east Asian, Chinese, Middle-Eastern, Indian,” said Caroline Pujo, who moved to Kuala Lumpur with her husband and son, 10, in January after spending 15 years in Shanghai. “There is a lot of cultural and language variety, but there’s a real harmony in all that diversity.”
She pays about 3000 Ringgit ($682) per month for rent. She is an event consultant. She builds relationships across the globe with clients in countries such as China, India, and Australia. Additionally, she has secured an employment contract as a director of projects for an international business.
“In Shanghai, everything is so fast,” said Pujo 47 “I was a student who used to study very long hours and party all night. When I quit I realized that it was like taking drugs constantly. Things are now a little more well-balanced for me.”
There are things that can be frustrating – like an unreliable internet connection when you’re used to an urban area with the most advanced infrastructure however, the country’s tropical beaches and culture far outweigh the difficulties.
“Traveling the islands, swimming in pools, flying around the region. That’s what life is about.”
Lisbon:
One of the most ancient cities across Europe, Lisbon has reinvented itself as a hipster city and hosts events such as a regular Web Summit and offering a mixture of nightlife, culture, and warm weather that is within easy reach of Europe’s most beautiful beaches. The city was praised last year by the website for ex-pats Dispatches for being “arguably the most popular ex-pat destination in Europe at the moment,” Lisbon is experiencing a boom that’s witnessed property prices rise steadily because of the influx of wealthy foreigners buying homes in the capital city or on the country’s famed Algarve coast.
In August of last year, Allison Baxley and her family traded the brownstone that was 800 square feet situated in Brooklyn the property they were renting for $4300 per month to buy a three-bedroom home with a pool on the Portuguese coast at a mere half the cost, which she called “escaping the rat race.”
She claims Cascais is a chic beachside enclave on the coast, which is located near the Portuguese capital city and has been described as “a good landing spot for ex-pats,” with an international population and excellent schools.
“New York got so crazy in the pandemic: the politics, crime rates were escalating all over the country,” said Baxley 39. “My kids were starting in public school and I was worried about the kind of upbringing I was giving them.”
She is a freelance journalist, and her goal is to purchase a property in Portugal and lease it out.
“In New York, we rented forever. We could never afford to buy,” she told me. ” The prices here in Portugal are going up but they’re not astronomical like New York. “
Her family loves the lifestyle in Cascais which is where they are able to travel to central Lisbon within a half-hour or more every month to visit friends, address administrative problems, and go to museums and restaurants. She’s also been writing about the life they lead in Cascais on a blog she’s named Renovating Life.
“We just love it over here,” she told me. “In New York, you’re working so hard all week long. By the weekend you’re exhausted. Here I’m able to enjoy every single day.”
Dubai:
This desert-like state has been battling Hong Kong and Singapore for visitors from abroad for more than 10 years, with the impending pandemic as well as conflict in Europe having made the Emirate more famous. With the soaring tower of the Burj Khalifa, soaring above an array of futuristic structures, Dubai has invested billions to build a city that is the future.
Bernd Hanke, a partner in the fund based in London, relocated into the city during the pandemic in order to escape the restrictions as well as Covid precautions in Stuttgart which is where he had spent nine months. He joined an increasing number of professionals from the financial sector moving to the city that is growing its crypto and financial markets.
Hanke is a fan of waking awake to the green and lush golf course at the window of his Emirates Hills accommodation, and the cooler weather, despite the fact that the temperatures in summer outside of air-conditioned houses and malls can be as high as the temperature of 45 Celsius (113 Fahrenheit). A time zone that is similar to Europe allows Hanke to reach investors from the UK who are part of the $400-million equity investment fund.
“Dubai handled the pandemic very well and there was almost no lockdown,” said Hanke 48, who lives with his family living in London. Hanke is now considering whether to make the move permanent and invest in the property in Dubai.
“I would quite like to be in Dubai even for the longer run,” the man declared. “I have to make up my mind on that. “
Bengaluru:
Bengaluru which is also Bangalore as it’s known by many ex-pats and locals has grown into one of the fastest-growing tech centers, home to thousands of software and startup companies, fuelled by money from technology giants around the world and blue-chip foreign investors, such as Sequoia Capital and Goldman Sachs. Venture capital is flooding through the Southern Indian city more quickly than it does to London as well as San Francisco by one estimate and is expected to reach $7.2 billion by 2020, up from $1.3 billion in 2016. With the growing number of ex-pats has come international schools along with bars and bistros serving anything from craft beers to pork ribs.
Innovation centers are popping up around the globe, “and I see Bangalore as a growing hub according to Joseph Kim, 49, who quit his home in the San Francisco Bay Area last year to open an online gaming studio in Bangalore, an Indian city. “People are getting increasingly disenchanted with Silicon Valley, its politics and crime, as well as the poor quality of the education system,” an array of things he believes is causing the “mass migration” from Silicon Valley, the US Silicon Valley, the place in which he worked for the majority of his time.
In the wake of attending a game event held in India at the end of 2020 Kim was joined by two of the co-founders in forming Lila Games Pvt. in the bustling Indiranagar neighborhood in eastern Bengaluru after gaining the backing of Sequoia.
“We considered Finland, Latin America, and Canada before settling on Bangalore,” said Kim who is an engineer at UC Berkeley with an MBA from UCLA Anderson. “People here are hungry to learn.”
But, as with other cities in the subcontinent, Bengaluru can be a challenge for people who are used to cities of the Western world. Kim’s family and wife reside in Santa Clara where he visits the family once every quarter.
“Many things in Bangalore seem unfinished, including the roads and buildings, and everyone seems in a rush to get to the next thing,” he stated. “But this is the first occasion in a long time I feel as if I’m contributing to something meaningful.”
Mexico City:
A sprawling urban area with a population of more than 22 million, Mexico City may seem to be a non-sense candidate to be an expat-friendly paradise but the capital city with the longest history in the Americas is quickly becoming a focal point of startups and entrepreneurs across Latin America. Mexico was ranked first in InterNations 2022’s Expat Insider list of the top nations to live in. The high-altitude capital has a host of tourists from around the world. Combining the past seven centuries along with some of the most innovative policies – Mexico was the first city in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriages. The capital city is also home to some of the most lively dining scenes throughout the Americas.
Brian Requarth, CEO of the startup-building platform Latitud and Latitud, relocated his entire family to the Mexican capital’s trendy Polanco neighborhood. “It’s kind of the Beverly Hills of Mexico City,” Requarth said. “It’s quite fancy but it’s very safe.” From a small village situated in Sonoma County, north of San Francisco, the family’s most significant cultural shock was the enormity of the city.
“In my tiny town in California, my kids go to public school. It’s very small,” said he explained. When they went to their new campus located in Mexico City it was a somewhat shocking experience, he added. “It’s massive, twenty times bigger than the school they go to now, and there’s a Starbucks! It feels like a college campus instead of a little neighborhood school.”
Requarth 41, who is a technologist, has seen an increase in interest in his Latin American tech sector, there are many startups popping up within Mexico City, which benefits because of its proximity to the US technology sector.
“There’s an incredible level of talent and ambition in Latin America that didn’t exist before,” Requarth stated. “There are more people thinking of solving bigger problems through technology. I’ll be very productive here.”
Rio de Janeiro:
The city was awash in glamour for the bulk of the 20th century this former city capital of the Portuguese empire has a famous backdrop of trees-covered mountains that surround one of the world’s most stunning natural harbors. The city was hit by its decline in the 90s which was followed by the financial hub Sao Paulo, the laid-back style and famed beaches of Rio retain appeal to foreigners who are moving to South America’s biggest economy.
“I’m amazed how many foreigners I find working here,” said Marie Alasseur, 31, who manages B2B operations for Brazilian real estate platform Loft.
In the month since she completed a language course in the city of coast in Salvador at the end of 2009 31-year-old woman from Paris claims she’s received “a call to Brazil.” After a short stint living in Hong Kong and employment with Uber in Sao Paulo, Mexico, and London, Alasseur and her Brazilian boyfriend had been considering making the move to Spain or Portugal and made the decision at the beginning of 2020, before the pandemic swept across the rest across the globe and they decided to go to Rio.
“I feel at home,” she told. “There’s a European soul here – it’s a Brazilian Paris. “
Through an old Uber coworker, Alasseur snagged a role at Loft and is able to split her hours between her house at the office of the company, as well as Ipanema ex-pat hangout Aussie Coffee, which serves flat whites, as well as freshly baked banana bread. In keeping with Rio’s relaxed attitude, she is found spending a portion of her day meditating or walking along the beach. She also finds occasional time for pottery classes.
“When you work at a startup there’s no limit to how much you can work,” she added. “I like the balance I have now. I learned to slow down last year and enjoy what I have. “
