Which is the best place in the world to live and work in ?

[right on]

Now, that really is an interesting quest ion. Coming from a person who have lived half of my life in The UK and the other half in Thailand, and now about to start a new life in Singapore.... I would say I have grabbed abit of both for the Cultural differences that is.
I guess being in UK made me feel more 'independent' enough about how I express my attitude towards centain things, which somehow in certain Asian countries these ideas will seem very outrages and obsurd. I enjoyed the Fields and the cows and getting the odd hay fever once in a while.. I also had a very decent time in London.. although the cost of living is just way too high but I guess for a Londoner if you have the money to spend you'll sure get a brilliant time a mixture of things very cosmopolitan. I see the UK to be the Hub of creativities and innovation, education is what I find to be most satisfying.
On the other hand, asia has more of the Cultural side to offer, I guess for me I find this as a topic of a deep delicacy and originality, the people seem to be more involved with the roots and origins. Saying that, sometimes I find the people adapting to the changing culture slower than the general westerners, it takes more time to break their 'bond' of traditions etc, which could be rather frustrating, but I guess that's what keeps them so tightly connected to their countries.
So all in all, I guess you are going to have to select what you want from these qualities of living the world has to offer. If it was me, I'd ship my girls to UK for education purposes only and I myself would live somewhere in a place where nothing has to be perfect but good enough to offer me a good quality of life... Chiang mai maybe? seems to be a good place to start of with, you get the Summer sun in may-june, the tropical thunder in august-september, and a nice cool breeze from October - January... nice....

[humptyhump]

beaches are crap though

[UK?]

The education system in the UK is CRAP! to say the least, O'Levels and A'levels, what a load of junk! 17% in maths is a grade C, and you only need to write your name on the paper to get that!  

[Oouch]

Beaches are good for rioter (Sydney beach), oil spill, tsunami

[right-handed annie]

Don't go to Britain!!!

And that's coming from a Brit.  
High taxes and way too much crime.

I thought New Zealand might be nice - although I've never been.

Have to agree with US San Fran Bay Area - loved it!!

I like Italy too though - near Florence.

Or maybe somewhere in Spain....?

Oh sod it, I don't know.  

[Not Too Bad]

Best US place to live?  Too many choices.  That's what is so awesome about the US.  It is so big and built up everywhere that there are so many cool places to live. North, South, East and West - PLenty of diversity and a place for everyone.

Regarding Americans liking Brits.  One of the few natinalities that don't crap on us incessantly. We kicked their butt for independance but since then we have been great mates.  They appreciate it when the continentals periodically start a war and we come over to help out. I won't say we save their ass because the Brits are awesome fighters.

OK, I'll say it. Unlike the French who sh!t on us all the time even though we continually bail their ass out.

Aussie's like us too.  They have been great friends over the years. My take is that most other countries are jealous and everyone likes to have a go at the guys on top.  It's human nature. I don't lose sleep over it.

However - When you visit the US no matter what nationality the "average" American will treat you well and be nice to you. We like to be liked. Many Yanks are not worldly but that is as much about having a very complex domestic situation and a huge diverse country at home as it is about education.  

And face it - Everyone in the world looks at the US as a way to increase their quality of life if they could only migrate there.

Oh and if you think that foreingers can't do well look at the median incomes by race. Asians rock in the US and immigration makes the US stronger.

Race and origin of householder
White - 48,554
Non-Hispanic - 50,784
Black - 30,858
Asian and Pacific Islander - 61,094
Hispanic origin - 35,967

Oh - Best place to live in the USA is not San Francisco, it's San Diego!

[Love London]

Love London, great culture, house prices too high and so is the crime. No other capital city for me has what London has. The crime makes it a shame!

[crimewatch]

can i just ask, what crimes the above posters were victims of in London/UK? i must have been lucky, i had no problems.

[crimewatch]

PS - i agree about the very high cost of living in London.

Saturday expenses:
Football tickets: 50 pounds+
Dinner out: 100 pounds with alcohol (per person)
Show: 50 pounds + per person
Bar: 5 pounds per drink+
Taxi: 10 pounds minimum (and that's just travelling within the west end area.)

Living somewere with a soul and an almost tangible vibrancy: Priceless

[Norf Londoner]

I love living in Singapore but  reading  all  this is making me VERY homesick.  I feel much more comfortable when people slag off London.  PLEASE stop pointing out the good things about London!

[Alsonorflondoner]

oh my gosh now I am homesick too. Holloway Road kebabs are not to be beaten....

[-]

"As with most things,Im sure the survey is west-centric. Western demands for a better quality of life are TOTALLY different from an Asian's.
We lived in London for many years and expenditure patterns of Westerners vs Asians say it all- Asians go for big apartments, city centre locations ( ie They like the buzz) whereas the latter prefer suburban or bucolic bliss. Asians spend on domestic help and kids education... westerners more on outside entertainment ( bars/restaurants, holidays). This may be a generalization but generally holds true.

Based on that, no Asian would vote for Ireland as providing the best quality of life
"

Dontagree, who appointed you as the global spokesperson for an imaginary group called "Asians"?

I didn't even realise that a few billion people from a multitude of countries could be stereotyped in such a simplistic manner!

Or are you saying people from india, China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Phillippines, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Thailand, Myanmar and Hong Kong all think the same way?

[Dontagree]

Well, when people refer to 'westerners', those are stereotypes as well... as in what do Americans, Europeans, Brits have in common...but there is a thread that does run in common. Despite their difference there is a cultural unity on several counts which an Asian would find difficult to fathom.

So, are you Asian or Western? ... and where were you brought up?

[agree with dontagree]

So if Asians have nothing in  common with each other, why does  the  media keep talking  about 'Asian values'?

[NorCal Native]

San Diego?
* boring
* filled with racists
* overwhelmed by immigrants
* LA South
* Not particularly beautiful
* overrated beaches
* Gang problems

Nothing beats Northern California. Home to high tech, rich and proud diversity, great universities, expressions of personal freedom, and amazing environmental gems.