Regional Overview

Standards of living continue to improve in parts of the Asia-Pacific region. Singapore has become increasingly attractive for expatriates, with its stable political environment, public service provisions and recreational facilities. New Zealand and Australia also offer high standards of living.

Seoul, South Korea, is another Asian city that is becoming increasingly attractive for expatriates. Its quality of living improved in 2012 (moving the city up five slots in our ranking) due to an ongoing investment in infrastructure and public services and technology.

Conversely, political turmoil and economic instability continue to plague cities in Central and South Asia, such as Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei; Islamabad, Pakistan; and Dushanbe,  Tajikistan.

Since the end of the decades-long conflict in Sri Lanka, safety levels in Colombo have improved somewhat. Although major security problems remain, the quality of living has crept upward thanks to greater stability, moving the city up four positions in our ranking.

Other cities in the Asia-Pacific region that have witnessed positive developments in their political environments in 2012 are Bangkok, Thailand, and Yangon, Myanmar. But both of them – and Yangon in particular – continue to present significant security risks for locals and expatriates.

 Listen to Mercer's Tom Farmer (English), Cathy Liu (Chinese), Masashi Watanabe (Japanese) and Grace Cha (Korean) discuss the 2012 Quality of Living rankings for cities in Asia-Pacific.