In my last post, I asked the question, Why Would Anyone Want to Leave the US? One recurring expat theme revolves around “quality of life.” This is mostly subjective, and something you might perceive as positive which adds to your quality of life, might be a negative to me.
One example might be the proximity of bars and clubs. If you regularly enjoy the city’s nightlife, like to meet your friends or make new friends at clubs and dance until dawn, being close to such a great source of entertainment can contribute a lot to your quality of life. But it’s not a scene I enjoy, and I’d just as soon be far away from it.
On the other hand, living in a place where I can do a lot of walking as I go about my daily business – to the store, the post office, coffee shop – greatly enhances my quality of life. You might prefer to live someplace very different.
I would like to live where the pace is slow. I just heard about a young man who. unlike me, moved back to his native Hong Kong because the pace of life in Orlando, FL was not fast enough for him.
Some issues are important to most of us. Low crime, safe food and drinking water, a stable government, cost of living, affordable and accessible health care and quality education for our kids are universally appealing.
Some of these are quantified and published in quality of life indexes. These can be helpful, but ultimately, quality of life is very subjective.
The Global Development Research Center has an extensive list of quality of life attributes, which is well worth a look. They define quality of life as “the product of the interplay among social, health, economic and environmental conditions which affect human and social development.”
Some quality of life hot buttons change over time. Twenty-five years ago, access to good schools was one of my highest priorities. Now that my youngest has finished high school, it’s not even on my list. My three most important quality of life attributes right now are climate (I need sunshine and warm temperatures!), cost of living (so I can retire) and friends.
I’d love to hear what your quality of life hot buttons are. You can share them by clicking on the comment link below.