Beautiful Spanish city with a 'lively atmosphere' is easiest place for UK expats to settle in

The study looked at 49 cities across the world to gather its results and Malaga was found to be the most welcoming for expats.

Some 88 per cent of expats in the city rated the friendliness of locals positively.

Easiest cities for expats to settle

1. Malaga

2. Alicante

3. Mexico City

4. Nairobi

5. Athens

6. Valencia

7. Muscat

8. Madrid

9. Ras Al Khaimah

10. Bangkok

An impressive 59 per cent of expats gave Malaga the highest rating for friendliness, nearly double the average given to cities in the study.

An expat commented: "The people in Malaga are very kind so it’s easy to engage in cultural activities.”

Cities in Spain also did well in areas where expats felt at home and happy.

Expats were happiest in Malaga, followed by Alicante and Valencia.

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Speaking on Malaga, Spain Info commented: "We take the combination of culture and the sea and add a lively atmosphere, numerous tapas served in bars, cutting-edge neighbourhoods like Soho, areas like the port that have transformed and become more modern and monuments with centuries of history.

"The result of this is a city full of passion that anyone would want to explore. Because if everyone says that Malaga is prettier than ever then it must be true."

An expat living in Spain shared advice for anyone looking to move there.

He explained they "must" know the language before moving to help them fit in more quickly.