Originally Posted by 2tall4economy

Ah, fair point. To me, I have very different expectations for places to visit / tour than places to reside (segue into highjacking my own thread)

To reside somewhere I generally prefer modern things, global franchise stores, lots of restaurants, clean streets, safety, and high levels of service (on time trains, etc..).

To tour somewhere, I want lots of things to see and do, dramatic buildings and history, things you can't take in within a week.

I've generally not found somewhere I'd like to both tour and reside (perhaps USA excepted).

In my mind, for example (limiting this to just places I've lived or visited, not passing judgement on things I haven't experienced):

Asia
Korea, Hong Kong, Australia, Singapore - superior to live
Thailand, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Uzbekistan - superior to visit

Europe
Switzerland, UK - superior to live
France, Italy, Russia, Germany (probably because I like cars and Riesling though, other people may not share this sentiment) - superior to visit

North America
Manhattan, Detroit (I know I'm in the minority here; think luxury home for a few hundred $k) - superior to live
Canada, LA, Chicago, St. Louis, various bits of Florida - superior to visit

South America / Middle East
None - superior to live
Brazil, Egypt - superior to visit
Dubai, Venezuela, South Africa - neither


..of course, I have found that if my company throws enough compensation at me I'll live pretty much anywhere. Above is just what I prefer.