How do expats rate NZ?

Almost three-quarters of expats surveyed in NZ said their quality of life had improved since moving here.

New Zealand is the second-best place in the world for expats, behind Singapore, according to a global survey.

HSBC's annual Expat Explorer, which canvassed close to 27,000 expats in 190 countries, found this country came close to the Asian city state in most areas.

However, Singapore edged ahead of New Zealand in the category covering career prospects and earnings.

This country was ranked 41st in the survey for personal finances, while Singapore came eighth on that measure.

Singapore-based expats earn roughly US$139,000 ($191,105) a year on average, which is around 43 per cent above the global average.

The report didn't disclose the average annual salary of NZ-based expats.

Singapore ranked second on the career prospects scale, behind Hong Kong, while New Zealand came 18th.

When it comes to quality of life, however, New Zealand rated much better than Singapore.

The majority of expat respondents in New Zealand said they had moved to this country to improve their quality of life, compared with 32 per cent of expats globally.

And almost three-quarters of expats in New Zealand reported that they've achieved that goal, beating the global average of 52 per cent.

Around 67 per cent of expats in New Zealand own property here and nearly 78 per cent say they are integrating well with this country's culture.

Practical issues are easy to address in New Zealand as well, according to the survey.

Over 73 per cent of respondents reported that organising finances was easy upon arrival.

Almost 70 per cent who set up health care arrangements also said they had found that process straightforward.

New Zealand came fourth in the family category and eighth in education.

Top 10 Expat Destinations

(1) Singapore
(2) New Zealand
(3) Canada
(4) Czech Republic
(5) Switzerland
(6) Norway
(7) Austria
(8) Sweden
(9) Bahrain
(10) Germany

Source: HSBC Expat Explorer