DON’T MISS
IamExpat Job BoardIamExpat HousingIamExpat Webinars
Newsletters
EXPAT INFO
CAREER
HOUSING
EDUCATION
LIFESTYLE
EXPAT SERVICES
NEWS & ARTICLES
Home
Expat Info
Swiss news & articles
Bern named the best city in the world for European expats by ECA International
Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy

Bern named the best city in the world for European expats by ECA International

Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy
or
follow us for regular updates:



Related Stories

Which Swiss city is the best connected to essential services?Which Swiss city is the best connected to essential services?
How does quality of life compare between the 9 largest Swiss cities?How does quality of life compare between the 9 largest Swiss cities?
Swiss cities fall further down ranking of expat destinationsSwiss cities fall further down ranking of expat destinations
Which Swiss cities offer the highest salaries?Which Swiss cities offer the highest salaries?
Which Swiss city has the worst traffic?Which Swiss city has the worst traffic?
Zurich named the best city on Earth for quality of life by MercerZurich named the best city on Earth for quality of life by Mercer
Which Swiss cities are home to the most English speakers?Which Swiss cities are home to the most English speakers?
Which Swiss cities have the youngest (and oldest) residents?Which Swiss cities have the youngest (and oldest) residents?
For expats of all colours, shapes and sizes

Explore
Expat infoCareerHousingEducationLifestyleExpat servicesNews & articles
About us
IamExpat MediaAdvertisePost a jobContact usSitemap
More IamExpat
IamExpat Job BoardIamExpat HousingWebinarsNewsletters
Privacy
Terms of usePrivacy policyCookiesAvoiding scams

Never miss a thing!Sign up for expat events, news & offers, delivered once a week.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy


© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
Feb 15, 2024
Jan de Boer

Editor at IamExpat Media

Jan studied History at the University of York and Broadcast Journalism at the University of Sheffield. Though born in York, Jan has lived most of his life in Zurich and has worked as a journalist, writer and editor since 2016. While he has plunged head-first back into life in Switzerland since returning to the country in 2020, he still enjoys a taste of home at pub quizzes and karaoke nights.Read more

The latest ranking by ECA International has rated three Swiss cities among the 10 most liveable in the world for European expats, with Bern taking first place for the third year in a row. Cities in the alpine nation were given high praise for their clean air and quality services and facilities.

Location Ratings Report 2024

To create the index, ECA International analysed 500 locations around the world, to see which offers the highest quality of life to European expats and internationals. Using a range of data sets, the company rated each location by its healthcare services, housing and utilities, expat community, leisure facilities, infrastructure (roads and public transport), personal safety and air quality. 

The company said that it hoped the ranking would inform Europeans about which locations are the easiest and best to move to worldwide - even though all of the top 10 for 2024 are in Europe.

Bern the top destination for expats from Europe

For 2024, Bern retained its crown as the best city in the world for expats from Europe, the third time in a row that the de facto capital of Switzerland has won the ECA accolade. A mixture of Swiss, Scandinavian and Dutch cities rounded out the top 10 - Geneva was in joint third and Basel took joint eighth.

Writing in the report, ECA International senior location ratings analyst Neil Ashman noted that “with top facilities, minimal air pollution and low crime rates, Bern is a very attractive city for expatriates and their families.” The federal city was joined on the podium by Eindhoven in second and Stavanger and Geneva in joint third.

Housing shortages the main issue facing the best cities for expats

ECA International noted that the ongoing shortage of housing across many of the top expat destinations led to falling scores in the ranking. Luxembourg, Düsseldorf and Dublin have all fallen in the ranking or left the top 10 entirely in recent years due to housing crises. 

This is perhaps a warning sign for cities in the alpine nation, with a recent report from the Federal Statistical Office revealing that Switzerland will be short of 50.000 homes by 2030. The situation has become so critical that the government has been forced to produce an action plan to try and solve the housing shortage.

However, these shifts pale in comparison to cities in the lower echelons, with the ECA noting that, perhaps unsurprisingly, “major crises” such as war, violent uprisings and protests are having had major impacts on some cities, many of which were improving their scores until the uprisings began. These include Moscow (146th in 2018 to 189th today), Kyiv (137th in 2010 to 218th today), Hong Kong (105th in 2019 to 110th today) and Yangon (203rd in 2018 to 222nd today).

10 best cities in the world for European internationals

In all, here are the 10 best cities for European internationals in 2024:

  • 1. Bern, Switzerland
  • 2. Eindhoven, the Netherlands
  • =3. Stavanger, Norway
  • =3. Geneva, Switzerland 
  • =5. Copenhagen, Denmark
  • =5. Rotterdam, the Netherlands 
  • =5. The Hague, the Netherlands
  • =8. Gothenburg, Sweden 
  • =8. Amsterdam, the Netherlands
  • =10. Dublin, Ireland
  • =10. Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

For more information, check out the official press release.

By Jan de Boer