The Most Social Cities in the World (2026): Where Making Friends Is Easiest

The short answer

Quick answer: on 2026 survey data, the most social big cities are Mexico City, Bangkok, Madrid, Chicago, Tokyo and Melbourne. Each scores well on at least one sourced measure: how easy people find it to make friends, how welcome they feel, or how strongly locals feel part of a community.

"Social" is hard to measure, so we didn't invent a score. We used two surveys and quote their own numbers. Those numbers describe what people told the surveys; they are not a promise about your own first month.

How we picked these cities

We used two independent 2026 surveys and checked every figure on the original page on 5 November 2026:

• Time Out Index 2026: more than 24,000 city dwellers rated their own city, including community feel, friendliness and nightlife.
• InterNations Expat Insider 2026: 7,786 expats in 33 cities rated, among other things, how easy it is to make local friends and how welcome they feel.
• A city made this list only if a source gives it a strong social result. Cities without a whoin.app page are named but not linked.

Mexico City: where expats and locals actually mix

In the 2026 Expat Insider survey, Mexico City ranks 2nd overall and 2nd for Ease of Settling In. InterNations calls it the city "where expats and locals mix best": 35% of expats say their friends are mostly locals, more than double the 17% global average.

65% find it easy to make local friends (39% globally), 84% rate locals as friendly towards foreign residents, and 84% feel at home. Time Out's 2026 ranking also describes the city as ideal for making new friends. The catch, from the same survey, is safety and air quality: both are weak spots.

Bangkok: a city that feels like home

Time Out found that 67% of under-30s in Bangkok feel a sense of community, and 79% of locals say the city brings them joy. Expats agree: in the 2024 Expat Insider city ranking, 77% said they feel at home in Bangkok (58% globally).

Want a smaller version? Time Out reports that 76% of Chiang Mai residents feel a sense of belonging.

Madrid: welcoming, and out late

Time Out calls Madrid one of the most welcoming cities in its 2026 ranking, and 79% of locals rate its nightlife highly. Madrid also ranks 8th in the 2026 Expat Insider city ranking and 2nd for Quality of Life.

In southern Spain, Málaga ranks 3rd in the same expat ranking and is home to the happiest expats: 86% are happy with their life there.

Chicago: big-city belonging

Chicago has one of the warmest results among large US cities in the Time Out Index: 70% of residents feel a sense of belonging and 68% call the city welcoming. Neighbourhood life, festivals and lakefront summers are the usual way in.

Tokyo: a surprisingly positive crowd

Tokyo has a reputation for being reserved, but Time Out's 2026 data on young residents points the other way: 91% of Gen Z respondents in Tokyo say the city makes them happy, and 82% say people there seem positive. Clubs, classes and regular spots (the same bar, gym or café every week) are the easiest ways in.

Melbourne: the world's best city in 2026

Melbourne tops the whole Time Out 2026 ranking, and 77% of locals would recommend its nightlife. Laneway bars, live music and sport make it easy to keep meeting the same people again, which is how acquaintances turn into friends.

Also high on community: cities without a whoin page yet

Several of the strongest social results in the Time Out 2026 data come from cities whoin.app doesn't cover yet:

• Bath, UK: the highest community feel (86%) and the easiest place to make friends (76%).
• Naples: 83% feel community; 63% say it's easy to make friends.
• Ho Chi Minh City and Lagos: 75% say it's easy to make friends; Hanoi: 72%.
• Marrakech (82%) and Rio de Janeiro (79%): strong community feel.
• Medellín: 91% like their own neighbourhood.
• Ras Al Khaimah (UAE): 1st in Expat Insider 2026; 64% of expats find local friends easy to make.

Where making friends is harder

The same surveys show where it takes more effort. Treat these as a reason to plan, not to stay away:

• Berlin: last of 33 cities in Expat Insider 2026; only 28% of expats find it easy to make local friends. Yet 92% rate its culture and nightlife positively.
• Frankfurt: 57% of expats find it hard to make local friends.
• Zurich: last for Ease of Settling In in 2026.
• Auckland: in Time Out's data only 35% of locals say it's easy to make friends.

How to be social in any city

Surveys measure averages. What changes your own result is repetition: seeing the same people every week. Join one recurring thing (a run club, a language exchange or a class), say yes to the second invitation, and use tonight on whoin.app to see who's going out near you. Before meeting someone new, read our safe meeting guide.