ADVERTISEMENTIf you’re thinking of relocating as a family to another country, this research could help you choose your destination.
With rising living costs, an increasing number of families are looking to move to cheaper and more attractive places to live.
But moving to another country, particularly with children in tow, comes with a lot of challenges.
A new report by life insurance broker Reassured has compared European cities to find the most family-friendly destination.
The study analysed a range of living factors, including average monthly rents, the number of kids’ activities available and crime rates.
Here are the European cities that topped the list - and the ones that came in last.
Vienna is the most family-friendly city for expats
Vienna was found to be the best place for expats to raise a family.
The average monthly rent for a 3-bed property in the city was €1,560 making it one of the more affordable cities to reside in - €2,800 cheaper than Geneva, the most expensive.
The Austrian city also has excellent amenities for families including 44 parks and 148 kids’ activities.
Vienna also proved to be a safe place to live with a low crime rate of 28.3 out of 100.
Alongside Vienna, Austrian cities Salzburg and Innsbruck also made the top ten meaning Austria came out as the most family-friendly country overall.
Capital cities are the most exciting for children
For families who are always looking for something fun to do, capital cities may be the best option.
The Reassured report found Rome, London, Paris, Prague and Amsterdam had the most activities for kids.
Rome has an impressive 687 different options to choose from as well as 148 parks, the highest in the study.
Swiss cities are the safest to raise a family
Safety is one of the most important aspects when choosing a place to relocate as a family. Salzburg in Austria was found to have the lowest crime rate at 11.94 out of 100.
But Switzerland ranked the safest country overall, with half of the top safest cities being Swiss, including: Zug, Lugano, Lucerne, Bern, and Zurich.
Switzerland is the most expensive country for expat families
While Swiss cities might be safe, seven of them ended up in the bottom ten of the rankings due to the high cost of living.
Monthly rental for a 3-bed property costs €4,400 in Zurich and €4,330 in Zug while childcare costs around €2,900 for a month in both cities.
ADVERTISEMENTManchester is the least family-friendly city in the UK
Manchester ranked 9th lowest out of all the European cities and the worst in the UK for expat families.
While the cost of living isn’t particularly high - €2,060 for a 3-rental a month - it has one of the highest crime rates at 54.9 out of 100 and high pollution levels, according to the report.