11 Countries where Expats Earn The Most Money

If you’re short on money and looking for some better opportunities, seek no further from here, as we present you countries where expats earn the most money. You know how they say: “Money turns the world around”. It is always good to have more than less of it. Obviously, this depends on who you ask, but the majority will tell you this is the ultimate truth. Only modern Robinson Crusoe will disagree.

The simpler and far easier times when people relied on trading goods for goods have long gone, buried, forgotten. Now, you can’t even walk out across your doorstep without needing money for something. You can sit in your house for the entire year, doing nothing, and still you will need it. Food, electricity, rent, heat, water – all requires money.

Things get complicated even more when there are others who depend on your ability to make money and provide a safety environment. Of course, we talk about family, children especially. That’s why we have also compiled a list of best countries for expats to raise children, so that you can sync your money hunt with the benefits for your children.

To find out the countries that could make you a richer person than you were before; we consulted HSBC’s survey aimed to expats. Survey covered many elements of people’s lives, personal finance being one of them. Included in personal finances were: personal savings, wage growth and disposable income. These three elements gave us a good picture of the money making possibilities and formed our list of countries where expats earn the most money. 

11. Vietnam

If you thought Vietnam is a poor Asian country, you are in for a surprise. People in Vietnam have respectable disposable incomes and savings. The only thing that spoils the whole economic image is slow wage growth and shaky job security.

10. China

People in China work a lot, but it also pays off. This shouldn’t come odd, taking into consideration that China is one of the top countries when it comes to the number of billionaires. Of course, it isn’t all great, since people in China tend to neglect their personal life and concentrate on the job.

9. Kuwait

When it comes to all of our three elements that we used to form our list, Kuwait is among the top 10 in all of them. One thing that represents the bad side of making money in Kuwait is that you will have smaller chances of progressing in your career.

8. United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates were always filled with opportunities to earn money. It’s most populous emirate, Dubai, is growing rapidly in the recent years, and it has become a destination you have to visit. The UAE gives great job opportunities to expats and is among the top 5 countries when it comes to wage growth.

7. Singapore

Singapore is the best country for expats if you take all elements (counted in the Survey) in consideration. Hence, it is only natural for Singapore to climb high when it comes to countries where expats earn the most money. Even though local economics in Singapore is excellent, there is a similar problem that China has. Work plays an important role in lives of Singapore’s residents, and in that climate there is just too little time left for personal life.

6. Switzerland

If you like financial stimulation and that keeps you motivated, Switzerland is the perfect country for you. Switzerland is on the second place in the whole world when it comes to wage growth. That means you should consider taking a smaller paycheck in the beginning, since it will grow rapidly.

5. Hong Kong

The opportunities to work and earn a lot of money are high in Hong Kong, that’s for sure. Furthermore, if you consider yourself an entrepreneur, don’t think twice – pack your bags and head to Hong Kong, because it is the best country in the world for entrepreneurship.

4. Bahrain

People who read our previous articles on the similar topics, will ask themselves: “Is there anything that Bahrain doesn’t do well?” Bahrain is something like a paradise for expats. Residents of Bahrain have large amounts of disposable incomes in their hands, and the best thing is that you will have enough time to concentrate on your private life as well.

3. Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is known as a gender-discrimination country, where women are not allowed to drive and much more, but you can’t argue one thing – there is a significant money flow there. Also, residents of Saudi Arabia like to think ahead, and they have large sums of money on their savings accounts.

2. Oman

As you may have noticed, countries from Arabian Peninsula dominate this list. One of the reasons for that is large findings of oil that allow large incomes in these countries. Oman is no different. Although there is a slower wage growth rate than in some other countries, residents of Oman are ranked first when it comes to their savings.

1. Qatar

One more oil rich country and we are at the end of our list of countries where expats earn the most money. The message is clear. If you want to earn tons of money, Qatar is a destination to be. Wage growth rate is faster in Qatar then anywhere in the world, and residents have the largest amount of disposable incomes. Our recommendation stands only if you are interested in money and don’t care about other elements like culture and integration, where Qatar, unfortunately, ranks really low.