Macau is the "spiciest" city for romance in Asia – Singapore and Hong Kong land rock bottom

Modern dating is hard – anybody who's ever downloaded a dating app or tried to chat up a stranger at the bar can tell you that. But is the scene really as dry as it seems? The latest results from our Valentine's Day survey suggest that some cities in Asia are better built for romance than others. 

Time Out surveyed 18,500 residents of cities all over the world to find out how often they go out on dates, flirt, and have sex. Incredibly, Macau tops the global list for how often people get freaky, averaging 9 times a month – that's sex about twice a week. Good for them, the rest of us totally aren’t jealous.

Across Asia, though, Macau is seeing some competition. While Macau tops the list across all categories: frequency of going on dates, having night outs that might lead to romance, having sex, and even just seeing attractive people and flirting in general, other cities are establishing themselves as romance hubs.

For example, if you’re looking for eye candy, Manila is the place to be – it ranks just under Macau at a 10.7 monthly average frequency, compared to Macau’s 11. It’s also the runner-up for most flirting, at 6.61 times a month, maybe boosted by the number of hotties to hit on. If you’re more inclined to a city where your conversations are more likely to turn into face-to-face dates, take a dip into the dating pool in Beijing, where date nights take place about 7 nights a month for the average person.

Want to meet someone on a night out? Try Bangkok, where the average person has 7 nights out a month that might lead to romance. Think making eye contact with the love of your life across the bar, or seeing a sweaty cutie at your local evening run club. Coincidentally (or not), Bangkok also has the second-most sex in Asia. Again, congratulations to them; we’re so not seething with jealousy.

Interestingly, cities with higher incomes and higher standards of living tend to have worse love lives. We’re dubbing this the high-income dry spell. Cities in Japan, especially Kyoto and Tokyo, have the lowest frequency of sex; it’s hard not to imagine this might be part of their ageing population problem. Meanwhile, Hong Kong has the lowest frequency of monthly flirtations. Weird, we thought they had the sexiest accents in Asia. 

Singapore clocks just 1.88 nights out per month, with the potential to end in something more, placing it rock bottom in the region. To be fair, nightlife in the Lion City has gotten seriously expensive – but it just means you'll have to find more affordable and wholesome ways to socialise. And Seoul, poor Seoul, is the city outside of Japan where you’re least likely to spot a total babe on the street. Not everyone looks like a K-Pop star, we guess.

Here is Asia's Spice meter, according to our survey results:

• Extra Hot: Macau, Manila – loads of hotties and plenty of high-stakes flirting
• Spicy: Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur – hit the bar and get chatty, because these cities know how to have some fun
• Medium: Taipei, Beijing – there’s the potential for a healthy social life with some eye candy around, if nothing else
• Mild: Singapore, Shanghai – your social and love life might be somewhat compromised, but at least you’ll spot some lookers on the street
• Plain: Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul – it's a romantic deep-freeze, but these are fun places to be single and free

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