According to a recent Airbnb report, 38 per cent of people declare that they would rather abandon their current position than return to a stationary mode of work. Interestingly, as many as one in three respondents indicated that they are planning to move to another city and to work remotely.

In the meantime, the expats community InterNations released a ranking of the best and worst cities to live in. The Polish capital Warsaw ranks 37th in this classification ahead of European capitals such as Berlin, London and even Stockholm. 

However, this result needs to be put into perspective. Firstly, the ranking contains only 57 countries, which means that the Polish capital is not even positioned in the “best half”. Secondly, the majority of respondents had a negative opinion regarding Warsaw in matters such as communication (difficulty to learn Polish, lack of knowledge of à foreign language by locals,…) and the perceived unfriendliness of the people. As a result, less than half of the respondents feel at home in Warsaw. Thirdly, expats in Warsaw expressed their mistrust regarding local political stability and healthcare.

Nevertheless, Warsaw is well assessed in terms of professional opportunities, career development, as well as for the cost of living and subsistence. Furthermore, the Polish capital is generally praised by expats for the feeling of safety it provides as well as its cleanliness. 

As TVN24 reports, over 12.000 people from 174 different nationalities and living outside their home country took part in the poll. In order to assess the overall quality of life, respondents were asked to evaluate many different aspects criteria such as food and housing prices, ease of establishing relationships, friendly environment, leisure activities, safety and health care availability. 

The five cities ranked the highest in the list are Kuala Lumpur, Malaga, Dubai, Sydney and Singapore. 

Author: Sébastien Meuwissen

Photo: Unsplash