Affordable living, vibrant cultures and career opportunities are drawing expats to Asia – and many say they've never been happier.

In the 2025 International Expat Insider Survey, which asked more than 10,000 expats across 172 nationalities about their life abroad, personal finance was tightly tied to overall happiness. This priority gave one region a major boost: five of the world's top 10 expat destinations were in Asia – Thailand, Vietnam, China, Indonesia and Malaysia.

China made one of the index's largest gains this year, jumping from 19th place in 2024 to sixth overall, thanks to high scores for working life and overall quality of living. Malaysia cracked the top 10 for the first time, while Vietnam ranked fifth with top results in personal finance.

We spoke to expats in these three high-ranked counties to find out what makes life there so appealing and what challenges new arrivals should expect.

China's sixth place on the list came from high scores in personal finance and overall happiness, with particularly strong results in career prospects, salary and job security. Yet the expat experience varies widely by city.

"Shanghai is an amazing spot for expats," said Dutch expat and travel blogger Chris Oberman. "There are lots of international groups, bars, companies and spots where expats hang out. Beijing has a typical Chinese cultural charm, but the expat community in Beijing is much smaller."

Belgian expat Wouter Mayeur has lived in both Hong Kong and Shenzhen, with very different experiences in each. "Hong Kong is vibrant and busy and has many areas where you can shop until you drop, eat amazing food and find plenty of activities for young and old," he said. "Despite the political changes in the past few years, the city is still very convenient and is comfortable for expats," he said.

Located in south-eastern China, Shenzhen, meanwhile, is China's fast-growing "tech capital", known for its modern infrastructure and clean streets. Mayeur says there are plenty of work opportunities, and the transportation network makes it easy to get around. "If you prefer to commute by yourself, you can get an e-bike. Most major roads have separate spaces to ride on."

The top 10 countries for expats (2025)

1. Panama

2. Colombia

3. Mexico

4. Thailand

5. Vietnam

6. China

7. UAE

8. Indonesia

9. Spain

10. Malaysia

Convenience is a recurring theme, with expats across China raving about fast public transportation to efficient online shopping. "If you bought something that you want to return, just leave it at your doorstep outside and they will pick it up," said Oberman. "All these conveniences are huge time savers."

Even still, being flexible remains the key to happiness here. "Things move fast in China, whether it is at work (like the boss has changed his mind) or you've made an appointment with a plumber to fix your sink. He might just come the next day with a one-minute notice," said Oberman. Restaurants here come and go quickly as well, so it helps not to get overly attached.

Learning Mandarin also makes daily life easier. "If you can say in a restaurant, 'It tastes good', or to someone in your company, 'good job', you'll notice the wall between........

© BBC