Greece Among Top 10 Countries Where Sun Lovers Should Move to

Greece is among the top countries where sun lovers should move to, according to the annual Expat Insider survey, InterNations, the world’s largest network for people who live and work abroad.

Based on the insights of more than 14,000 expats from over 191 countries, the survey shows that the weather seems to be play a crucial role in expat’s choice of destination: almost seven out of ten (67 percent) say the climate in their new home was a factor to consider before moving abroad. This means that people are just as likely to think about the weather as they do about the costs of living and general living standards when contemplating their new home (67 percent and 70 percent, respectively).

Malta ranks first on the list of the top 10 most promising destinations for sun lovers and is followed by Costa Rica, Cyprus, Morocco, Spain and Portugal. Greece ranks seventh on the list of countries where sun lovers should move to and is followed by Uganda, Ecuador and Brazil.

Sunny destinations influence the quality of life but also work

A better climate is one of the things Finnish expats moving abroad were looking forward to the most, as nearly seven out of ten (66%) considered it a potential benefit before to relocating — 20 percentage points more than the global average (46%). Other nationalities feeling this way are the Irish (64%), the British (63%), and Russians (62%), whose countries of origin can all be found among the worst countries to move to for the weather.

However, a sunny climate is not everything, as Cyprus, Greece, Portugal, and Brazil are great for relaxing in the sun, but rank among the ten worst countries for working abroad.

“Greece: where finances remain an issue”

According to InterNations, Greece shows that nice weather is not the only thing that counts when moving abroad, as even though 81 percent of expats considered the climate a potential benefit, the country is not very popular among expats in general.

“The country in the Balkans does especially poor in terms of working abroad and personal finance: only a quarter of respondents are generally satisfied with their financial situation, in contrast to 64 percent globally,” InterNations said.

Moreover, 45 percent worry about their job security in Greece, which is more than twice the global average (22 percent).

The survey also noted that Greece also is not a great choice for families, as only 15 percent of expat parents in Greece find the education options numerous and easy to get, and not one respondent agrees completely with this statement.

Countries to Avoid If You Are Looking for the Sun
Besides Kazakhstan and Russia, the bottom ten destinations for sunseekers are all located in Europe: it comes to no surprise that the United Kingdom and Ireland are leading the list of countries to avoid on the search for the sun by a large margin (13 percentage points), with six out of ten expats now living there having considered the weather as a potential disadvantage before moving.