How to Make Friends in a New City

Moved for work or study? Where to meet people, how to turn acquaintances into friends, and how to use the internet to find your people faster.

Last updated October 10, 2026

The first months are the hardest

Moving to a new city for a job, a course or a fresh start is exciting, and then, a few weeks in, often quietly lonely. The novelty wears off, your evenings are empty, and the friends who used to be a short trip away are now voices on the phone. If that is where you are, it is completely normal, and it does get better.

Friendship in adulthood rarely happens by accident. It grows from seeing the same people repeatedly in a relaxed setting, and in a new city you have to build those settings yourself. The good news is that you only need a few of them, and every city has more than you would expect.

Before and just after you arrive

• Ask your network. Post that you are moving and ask whether anyone knows someone there. A friend of a friend is the easiest first coffee you will ever have.
• Search for newcomer groups. Many cities have groups and events specifically for people who have just moved, including expat, student and young professional groups. Everyone there is in the same position as you.
• Pick two or three regular activities in your first month. Do it early, before staying in becomes a habit.
• Learn your neighbourhood. Find the café, market, park and gym you will use often. Being a familiar face at a few places makes a city feel like home faster than anything else.

Where to actually meet people

The best places have two things in common: you see the same people each time, and there is something to do, so you are not forced to make conversation from nothing.

1. Sports and fitness clubs. Running clubs, five-a-side football, cricket nets, climbing walls and yoga studios all have regulars, and many have a post-session drink or breakfast.
2. Classes. Cooking, pottery, dance, improv, photography or a language course. Weekly classes with the same group are ideal because the friendship has time to grow.
3. Volunteering. Food banks, animal shelters, park clean-ups and community events attract kind people and give you a shared purpose to talk about.
4. Hobby and interest groups. Book clubs, board game nights, hiking groups, coding meetups and fan clubs. Local listings and community websites are the place to look.
5. Work. Say yes to lunches, after-work drinks and team events, at least for the first few months. Colleagues may not become close friends, but they know the city and often invite you to things.
6. Religious and cultural communities. If you are part of one, it can offer an instant welcome, and many run social events beyond services.
7. Language exchanges. Especially in big international cities, these mix locals and newcomers who all want to talk. See how to do a language exchange online to practise first.

Use the internet to find your people faster

Online tools are at their best when they lead to regular, real-world contact:

• Event and meetup sites list groups for almost every interest. Join a few and actually go.
• Local online communities such as city forums and neighbourhood groups are great for recommendations and occasionally for meet-ups.
• Friend-finding features on some social apps let you look for platonic friends nearby.
• One-to-one chat with people nearby. On StrangerYaar you can match by place, so you are more likely to chat with someone in or near your city. It is a low-pressure way to ask a local for tips, or simply to have someone to talk to on a quiet evening.

For more on building friendships online, read how to make friends online as an adult.

Turning acquaintances into friends

Meeting people is the first step. Most newcomers get stuck at the next one: lots of friendly faces, nobody to call on a Saturday. A few habits help bridge that gap.

1. Be the one who suggests a plan. "A few of us should grab food after this next week" or "Fancy checking out that market on Sunday?" Most people would like more friends but wait to be asked.
2. Make it specific and easy. A clear time and place gets a yes far more often than "we should hang out sometime".
3. Follow up. Get a number or a way to message, and use it within a few days while the connection is fresh.
4. Keep showing up. Repetition does the work. The fourth time you see someone at the same class, you are friends-in-progress.
5. Host something simple. A takeaway night, a board game evening or a picnic. Hosting turns separate acquaintances into a group.
6. Do not take silence personally. People are busy. If one invitation goes unanswered, try someone else or ask again another time.

Look after yourself while you settle in

• Keep in touch with old friends. A regular call with people who know you well keeps loneliness at bay while you build something new.
• Enjoy your own company. Explore the city alone: museums, walks, cafés. It helps you learn the place and gives you things to talk about.
• Give it time. Most people say a new city starts to feel like home after a few months, and properly so after a year or more.
• Ask for help if it gets heavy. If loneliness turns into low mood that will not lift, read our article on what to do when you feel lonely and consider talking to a doctor.

Staying safe when meeting new people

When you meet someone from the internet in person, meet in a busy public place, arrange your own transport, and tell a friend where you will be. Keep your home address private until you know someone well. Our guide to staying safe chatting with strangers covers the warning signs to look out for.

How StrangerYaar can help

StrangerYaar is a free, one-to-one text chat for adults aged 18 and over, with no account needed to start. You can match by interests, language or place, send voice notes and GIFs, and add people you click with as friends so you can keep talking. It will not replace the running club or the cooking class, but it can make the quiet evenings in a new city a little less quiet.

Common questions

Say hello to someone new

New in town? Start chatting on StrangerYaar, free and with no sign-up, and match with people near you.