Part of this is your definition of "expat". For me "expat" = person who gets sent by company and set up by that company in a foreign country. Most of those types get a sweet deal. The company pays their rent and usually tries to give them something close to what they'd have in their native country which could easily cost way more than they could afford on their own. Plus, since the company is paying it means an instant 20-30% raise since they no longer have to pay rent.

An example would be someone sent to HK, Tokyo, Singapore, maybe Shanghai. I have less experience with Shanghai but just looking at the services available it looks like there's an "expat" crowd. Simply search for "apartments in ____" If you find several websites advertising expensive apartments for expats then that city is probably a place with lots of them.

Me, I've never been an "expat" by the definition above.

In any case, if you can get a company in your local country to send you you'll often not have much trouble. They'll take care of the visas and immigration issues. You won't be expected to speak the language. You'll likely get paid more than you would if you went on your own which can be a big deal.

You might also consider a country that speaks the same language. Their cultures are still different. England has a very different culture than the USA. So does Singapore. I'm going to guess so do Australia and New Zealand. Might not be as different as China or India but still different.