Where next for British expats moving abroad?

It was recently reported in the Telegraph that more and more British expats are leaving Spain and either heading back home to 'blighty' or heading out to other parts of the world, with a reported 90,000 British expats making the move according to official figures.

So with fewer people now moving to Spain, where in the world are British expats moving to?

According to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, there are currently 1,101,021 British residents living in Australia, where British expats moving to Australia can expect to pay around £550,000 for a three-bed house in Sydney or a four-bed house with sea views in Perth. Australia is very popular amongst expats and has been regularly been voted in the top 5 countries in both the HSBC Expat Explorer Survey and the NatWest International Personal Banking quality of life survey.

In comparison, the estimated 56,000 British people living in Singapore may seem like a very small number but with an overall population of just 5,399,200, it is obvious that British expats have certainly taken a liking to the country. It was also voted 3rd overall in the HSBC Expat Explorer survey and 2nd in the whole world for raising children abroad. It is expected that more and more British people will be moving to Singapore in the next few years.

Often referred to as "the land of the free and home of the brave," America is also home to around 829,000 brave British expats who decided that moving to the USA was right for their career or just for a change of scenery, with many choosing to settle in Florida. In the "sunshine state" of Florida an up-market four-bedroom villa could be yours for £250,000. However, the average amount of holiday allowance is much lower than many countries, with some people only having up to 10 days for 'vacation' a year.

For the 100,000 British expats braving the 36C August heat and moving to Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates, life could be much worse. The UAE often ranks very highly in expat satisfaction surveys and has a well-balanced cost of living vs. expected wage ratio. It is also estimated that around 83.5% of people living in the UAE are not locals, reducing the risk of expats feeling like outsiders.

With a very welcoming attitude to expats, Canada is home to around 609,000 Brits and is expected to welcome in another 15,000 immigrants over the next 9-12 months. It is not hard to see why so many British expats are moving to Canada - the cost of living is relatively low, with an average three-bed bungalow with five acres of land costing around £100,000 and an average restaurant meal costing around £8-£19. Due to the government's enthusiasm for employing immigrants, finding a job when you move there is not too difficult.