When you think of moving abroad you will probably think of the big lights and the city with the likes of New York, London and Paris being at the top of many people’s lists.

However, for those looking to avoid the most obvious relocation choices, Remitly has looked at annual searches made in 98 countries for global cities.

Researchers excluded the most searched option and country capitals, to uncover the most underrated relocation capitals for 2024.

To do this, the experts analysed Google search volumes for the phrase ‘move to city’ for 98 countries around the world.

Capital cities and the most searched-for city for each country were found, to reveal popular alternative relocation choices for those looking to move abroad.

This is what they found:

The bustling Canadian seaport of Vancouver topped the list of the most popular alternative relocation capitals.

Vancouver beat countries including the UK, US, Australia and Japan having this as their alternative ‘move to’ destination of choice.

Proximity to the sun and sea is clearly also on migrants’ minds when researching a new place to call home as Barcelona, Miami, Dubai and Valencia follow to make up the top five.

Canadian cities also feature prominently in the list, with Toronto and Quebec ranking in joint seventh spot, being the alternative relocation to cities such as Jamaica and Saint Lucia, respectively.

Calgary ranks in ninth spot and Edmonton and Montreal rank in joint tenth position with one country having them as their alternative relocation destination of choice.

The top alternative relocation destinations of choice as well as the number of countries who want to move there:

1. Vancouver – 17

2. Barcelona – 12

3. Miami – 10

4= Dubai – 6

4= Valencia – 6

6. Utrecht – 5

7= Toronto – 4

7= Quebec – 4

9= Brisbane – 2

9= Calgary – 2

9= San Diego – 2

9= Osaka – 2

9= Sydney – 2

10= Cambridge, Charlotte, Colorado Springs, Dallas, Edmonton, Hamburg, Leeds, Malmo, Montreal, Aberdeen, Oxford, Rio de Janeiro, Bath, Tacoma, Toulon, Toulouse, Zurich – 1

Ollie Cassel, head of growth marketing at Remitly said: “Many people around the world look to move to a different country for a better job and earning prospects or an enhanced quality of life.

“However, the cost of living in popular relocation destinations such as London, New York and Paris is rising every year. This means many will be searching for alternative options, which offer migrants equally great prospects at a much more affordable price.

“While there are still some extremely popular cities on our list, it is really interesting to see cities such as Vancouver, Valencia and Utrecht come to the fore. With there being so many cities that offer great job prospects and high standards of living, the only difficulty is in selecting the one that suits you best.”