Most expats live on Lagos Island, 10km southeast of the city. The island includes the Banana Island area on its eastern side, with some of the most expensive real estate in Africa. Housing in Lagos, which is typically a mix of apartments and houses, can be tough to come by. “One of the unique things about renting a home in Nigeria is that you usually have to pay your rent two to three years in advance. That is how strong the demand is,” Koyenikan explained.
Delhi, India
More than 400 languages are spoken throughout India, and the capital, Delhi, hears a huge mix of them, including Hindi, English, Urdu and Punjabi. “Everywhere you go in Delhi there are people from all walks of life, from different states, who speak different languages,” said Sayani Ghosh, originally from Kolkata, who now runs Peak DMC tours of the city. “This mingling has opened up opportunities to learn about other cultures and food habits.”
Despite its large population and crowded streets, Delhi also has a number of green spaces and parks where families congregate in the evening, and residents escape from the frantic pace of daily life.
South Delhi used to be the only expat-friendly area, but that has changed in recent years, Ghosh said, as expats moved into areas like Central Delhi and East Patel Nagar 6km to the northwest of downtown “Expats have become more daring, and stay where the real people and communities live, like smaller locations in South Delhi which weren’t popular even a few years ago.”
She recommended Humayunpur in South Delhi and Karol Bagh in Central Delhi, which put residents in the heart of the action with their vibrant shopping, dining and city markets. For those who prefer the gated community experience, she recommended Vasant Kunj in the mountain foothills southwest of downtown New Delhi; Greater Kailash in South Delhi which is popular among affluent families; and the residential, family-friendly Safdarjung Enclave, also in South Delhi. Almost everyone lives in apartments, and Ghosh said living in one makes it easy to meet neighbours from other cultures.
While English is the written and business language, it can be helpful to learn some Hindi and Punjabi, as they are the most widely spoken.
Los Angeles, United States
Sometimes called a “melting pot” for its assimilation of diverse immigrant cultures, the US has more than 300 languages spoken within its borders, with English, Spanish and Chinese being some of the most commonly spoken. The country’s most linguistically diverse city is Los Angeles, thanks to a large number of Spanish-speakers hailing from Mexico and Latin America, and a large East Asian immigrant population bringing a density of Chinese, Korean and Tagalog speakers.
“It is common to see people speaking two to three languages in LA, ranging from Swedish to Korean to French and so on,” said Chris Lu, general manager of Freddy Smalls Kitchen and Bar in west Los Angeles. “Our local culture takes from so many others that the lines become blurred between what might be distinctively LA and what might not be.”
In general, residents have a “laid-back hustle”, he said. “I have met some of the hardest working people, but even the most successful seem to make time for yoga or a hike.”
The LA area is huge, including all of Los Angeles County and some of Orange County. As such, neighbourhoods range from hipster up-and-coming to laid-back suburban.
“Santa Monica [located on the beach 15 miles to the west] and Pasadena [located 10 miles northeast] are two very nice cities in this metro for any budget,” said Thi Thi Ma, who immigrated from Vietnam in the 1980s and is now manager of the Best in Class Education Center in Koreatown. Lu agreed, noting that “these areas can be better spots for someone raising a family.”
“As housing demand increases, areas such as Culver City, West Hollywood and Mid-Wilshire are undergoing major transformations,” Ma said. “They are becoming gentrified, but street-friendly, family-oriented and convenient.”