Mumbai, India’s financial, commercial and entertainment capital, tops global rankings for expat salaries, according to a survey conducted by HSBC Bank International.
Foreigners moving to the subcontinent’s most populous city reported average annual earnings of $217,165. That’s more than double the global expat average of $99,903, according to HSBC’s Expat Explorer survey, which polled almost 28,000 expats from 159 locations in March and April last year.
Mumbai was also ahead of San Francisco, which emerged as the second most lucrative city for expats. Foreigners working in the Golden City can expect an average salary of $207,227.
“The financial and technology hubs of the U.S. and U.K. are the most attractive for ambitious expats eager to push their career to the next level,” Blackburn said.
Dublin, a tech center in Europe, also ranked in the top five for expat job opportunities, but was below the global average in expat salaries. Nonetheless, 61 percent of expats in the capital of the Republic of Ireland reported an improved work-life balance.
Zurich, home to banks including Credit Suisse Group AG and UBS Group AG and a tech hub for firms including Alphabet Inc., reported the third highest expat salaries, while Geneva, the base for some of the world’s biggest commodities traders including Trafigura Group and Mercuria Energy Group, was fifth.
Despite Switzerland’s notorious living costs the country’s high salaries and low personal tax rates saw 77 percent of expats in Zurich report that their disposable income had increased since moving.