Amsterdam is an easy city to live in day to day. I cycle 12 minutes to work, English works almost everywhere and my colleagues come from over 30 countries. Work life balance is excellent and nobody expects you to answer messages at night. Public transport is reliable, and trains to Rotterdam, Utrecht and even Paris are straightforward. The big problem is housing: a small studio costs me 1,650 euros, and the search took seven weeks. Health insurance is an extra monthly cost, and the weather is grey and windy for much of the year. With a professional salary it is a great place, but people on lower incomes struggle.
Excellent work life balance
English widely spoken
Severe housing shortage
High rents
Wanjiru Kamau·6 found this helpful
Housing
Private studio rental through agency, Amsterdam West· Amsterdam
My studio is modern, well insulated and 12 minutes by bike from work, so I am happy living here. The process through the agency was less pleasant. They required a gross income of three times the rent, an employer statement, pay slips and a copy of my passport. The deposit was two months' rent. Viewings were group viewings with ten or more people. Once I signed, the landlord has been responsive, fixing a leaking tap within two days. At 1,650 euros for 38 square metres, it is expensive, but this is the Amsterdam market.
Manchester has been a wonderful first home in the UK. People are chatty and warm, and I have never felt as anonymous as friends say they feel in London. Rents are much lower than the south: I pay 875 pounds for a one bedroom flat in Salford. There are several large hospital trusts, so there is plenty of choice for nurses and doctors. The trams make commuting easy, although buses can be unreliable at night. The Indian community is large, with temples, grocery shops in Rusholme and the Curry Mile, and big festival celebrations. Yes, it rains a lot, but you get used to it and the Peak District is only an hour away for weekend walks.
Brisbane is the right size: big enough for good jobs, small enough that you do not spend your life in traffic. For electricians there is a lot of work, especially in solar, new housing and infrastructure before the 2032 Olympics. The weather is warm most of the year and winters are mild and sunny. The Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast are about an hour away, so weekends are at the beach. Rents have risen a lot, and summer storms and humidity can be intense. Public transport is fine in the centre but you will probably need a car in the suburbs. Overall, I am very happy here.
I use Wise every month to send money from Singapore to South Africa. The exchange rate is the mid-market rate with a clear fee, so I know exactly what my family will receive. Most transfers arrive the same day. Compared with my bank's international transfer, I save about 2 to 3 percent each time. The multi-currency card is also useful when I travel around Asia, as I can hold baht, yen and ringgit. Verification when I first signed up took two days. It is not a replacement for a local bank account for salary and bills, but for international money it is my first choice.
McGill has given me a strong academic home for my master's and PhD. My department is collaborative, supervisors are accessible, and there is funding for conferences. Libraries and research facilities are excellent. International Student Services helped me with permit extensions and a housing dispute. The negatives are cost and bureaucracy. International tuition is high, and funding packages for PhD students barely cover living costs in a city where rent keeps rising. Some administrative processes are slow and split between offices. Montreal itself is a wonderful student city, and the mix of English and French is a bonus if you make the effort.
Chicago is a city of neighbourhoods, and for a Mexican chef it feels like home in many ways. Pilsen and Little Village have taquerías, panaderías and markets where I find everything I need. The restaurant scene is serious and ambitious. Rent is much cheaper than New York or San Francisco: we pay 1,750 dollars for a two bedroom. The lakefront in summer is beautiful, with free festivals almost every weekend. The winters are a real challenge, minus 20 with wind, and some neighbourhoods have safety problems, so ask locals where to live. The L trains are useful but some lines are slow and not always clean.
Strong Mexican community
Employer
NHS acute hospital trust, Greater Manchester· Manchester
My trust recruited me from India and supported me well. They paid my flight, visa, first month of accommodation and OSCE fee, and ran a structured OSCE preparation programme with mock exams. After registration I had a preceptor for six months. Training opportunities are genuine: I completed a wound care course for free. The challenge is staffing. Some shifts are very busy, and breaks get cut short. There is a repayment clause if you leave within two years, so read your contract. Colleagues and managers have been kind, and the trust has a strong international nurses network.
Kyoto University is famous in Japan for its independent spirit, and I feel it in my lab. Students are encouraged to follow their own questions, and my professor gives real freedom. Tuition for national universities is reasonable, and fee reductions are available for students with good grades and financial need. The international office runs orientation, Japanese classes and tutoring. Labs can be demanding, and many courses are in Japanese, so N2 or higher is very useful even in English programmes. Campus facilities are older than some private universities, but the research quality is outstanding.
I opened my N26 account on my second day in Berlin using my passport and visa, with video identification in the app. It took about 20 minutes, and my employer could pay my salary into it immediately. The app is in English and very clear, and spending notifications are instant. Transfers within the SEPA area are free and fast. The downsides: there are no branches, cash deposits are limited and cost a fee at partner shops, and customer support is chat-based and can be slow for complex issues. Some landlords and older companies still prefer a traditional bank. For the first months, it is excellent.
Lisbon gives you sunshine, the river, miradouros at sunset and a safe, relaxed daily life. For Brazilians, the language makes everything easier, although accents and vocabulary are different and some people switch to English when they hear us. The design and startup community is active, and coworking spaces are easy to find. But rents have risen far faster than local salaries, landlords ask for months of rent upfront and there is visible frustration about foreigners and tourist flats. Bureaucracy at AIMA can take months. I love living here, but I would tell anyone to look at Porto or smaller cities before deciding.
The Quebec government offers free French courses for immigrants, including international students in many cases. I took part-time evening classes for two years. Teachers were excellent and patient, classes were small, and my classmates came from Syria, Haiti, China, Mexico and many other places. Registration through the online portal was slow and I waited a few weeks for a place. Full-time students may qualify for financial support. Because of these courses, I can now talk with my neighbours, understand letters and feel much more at home in Montreal.
Wanjiru Kamau6 found this helpful
