The 20 Best Countries for Americans To Move To, Based on Data
The 20 Best Countries for Americans To Move To, Based on Data
The Expatsi Test is an assessment tool for Americans who want to leave the United States. It asks the regions they’d like to move to, their budget, the kind of visa they might apply for (like retirement, digital nomad, or skilled worker) and their preferences for things like safety, healthcare, infrastructure, weather, geographical features, and personal freedoms, and reveals the top 10 countries that best meet their needs.
Based on 37,546 respondents in 2023, here are the top 20 countries for American emigrants.
20. Costa Rica
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Americans seek out Costa Rica for its pura vida — the simple life that’s hard to find in the United States. It’s ranked in the top half of countries for safety, healthcare, and infrastructure, and it boasts a full democracy (unlike the U.S.). Expats love its simple universal healthcare program and friendly visa programs, which offers options for retirees, digital nomads, students, and investors.
You can choose a variety of lifestyles in Costa Rica, from laid back beach bum to suburban city dweller, and there are a range of climates to match. It’s ranked highly for LGBTQ+ people, people of color, raising kids, and end of life care.
19. United Kingdom
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I guess Hamilton‘s King George was right when he sang, “You’ll be back.” Many people who take the Expatsi Test get the U.K. in their results for its highly ranked healthcare, safety, and infrastructure, its human rights, and most importantly, its official language.
It’s very challenging to move to the United Kingdom, especially since Brexit. You can go as a student, on a work visa if you have a job offer, or as an investor if you’ve got millions to spare. If your heart is set on the British Isles but you can’t make one of those options work, consider Ireland instead, which offers a retirement visa as well as citizenship by ancestry. Ireland’s status in the European Union means you can also apply for citizenship in an easier country and use it to move to Ireland.
18. Germany
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Germany has a lot to offer Americans, including a strong social safety net, better work-life balance, guaranteed health coverage, and free college for all. There are many choices of lifestyle available, from edgy Berlin to conservative Munich to urbane Hamburg, and many, many more.
Germany is one of the most highly ranked countries for women and for raising kids. Abortion and same-sex marriage are legal, and the country’s infrastructure is rated in the top 10%. Germany’s new jobseeker visa provisions allow you to move there while you look for employment. Most people in the country speak English, but many jobs still require German.
17. Denmark
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If there’s one thing that LEGO enthusiasts, cyclists, and foodies can all agree on, it’s Denmark. The Nordic country is also tops for quality of life, healthcare, safety, and infrastructure. Medical cannabis is legal, as are abortion, same-sex marriage, and gender self-determination. People live an average of 81-and-a-half years, four years longer than we do in the U.S.
16. Canada
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One of the easiest transitions an American emigrant can make is to join our neighbors to the north. The benefits of living in Canada can be huge, like universal healthcare and better resilience to climate change.
That said, they don’t make it easy to become a Canuck. The easiest path is to go as a student, find a job in STEM, or take advantage of their new digital nomad visa. If you don’t have loads to spend on housing, avoid Vancouver and Toronto. Opt instead for Winnipeg, Calgary, or Montreal.
15. Norway
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Chilly Norway ranks highly on every list that involves quality of life: best for women, best for people of color, best for raising kids, best for LGBTQ+ people, and best for end of life care. It’s in the top 10 happiest countries and one of the most prepared for climate change.
It can be difficult to make friends with reserved locals, but there are plenty of fellow foreigners to help break the ice.
14. Belgium
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One of the best things about Belgium is how easy it is to leave it. You can easily take the train to lunch in London, Paris, Amsterdam, Dusseldorf, or Luxembourg and be home by dinner.
The country is divided into three distinct regions that speak French, Dutch, or German, but all three are famous for one thing: carbs. If you like beer, fries, chocolate, or waffles, you’ll be in heaven here.
13. Sweden
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Pretty Sweden is a great country for tech workers who move there to work on apps, games, and mobile phone design. Young families choose Stockholm’s charming neighborhoods for their high quality of life.
There’s no digital nomad visa, so remote workers will have to leave after 90 days. If you’re willing to hit the books, a student visa is a more reliable way to live there for longer.
12. Mexico
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More Americans move to Mexico than to any other country, but most of those are the children of Mexican immigrants themselves. About 60,000 retirees call the country home, basking in the sun on 7,000 miles of coastline or rubbing elbows with other Americans in havens like San Miguel de Allende.
Some rights that Americans are losing are being solidified there, including abortion and same-sex marriage, and the country is set to elect its first female president in 2024, as both parties’ top candidates are women.
11. Slovenia
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We predict that Slovenia will be the next Portugal — a small European nation that’s become popular with immigrants for its high quality of life and exceptional rankings.
The small country borders more-popular Croatia and Italy, but has a lower cost of living, all while ranking in the top 10% of countries for both safety and healthcare. It’s rated highly for women and for raising kids.
10. Australia
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Australia is a perennial favorite of Americans who romanticize the rugged Outback and cuddly (looking) marsupials. Though it can be pricey to live there, especially in Sydney, you can save by choosing Adelaide, Hobart, or Darwin.
A bigger is the lack of available visas for emigrating Americans. There’s a working holiday visa for those under 30, a skilled work visa, a visa for students, and one for investors that comes at a steep price — a minimum of AU$1.5 million or more. If you don’t have that kind of scratch, the country’s in-demand jobs include nursing and skilled trades.
9. Luxembourg
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Tiny Luxembourg might not be the first (or 50th) country on your bucket list, but maybe it should be. The country has some of the best healthcare on earth and lots of financial benefits like high wages and tax breaks, despite not being as expensive as some neighboring countries (ahem, Switzerland).
8. Croatia
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Croatia is known for its stunning landscapes, confounding language, warm people, and low cost of living. The Balkan state is ideally situated between Italy and Greece to provide endless breathtaking views and Mediterranean cuisine. It’s ranked in the top quarter of countries for safety, healthcare, and infrastructure, and there’s still time to find an affordable coastal lifestyle — outside of tourist havens in Split and Dubrovnik.
7. Netherlands
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The Netherlands is one of the most popular countries for young workers and families who are thinking of leaving the U.S. The art, architecture, and culture, especially in cosmopolitan Amsterdam, are always a draw. Retirees prefer to live farther out in single-story homes rather than walk-up canal houses.
One of the best ways to get to the Netherlands is via the DAFT visa for self-employed people. Under this visa, you can be employed in almost any way. You’ll need to keep €4,500 in a local bank acount and be able to support yourself.
6. Austria
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Austria has some of the best credentials of any country on this list. Home to Vienna, the EIU’s most livable city, it also features dozens of gorgeous Alpine towns, and it’s a quick train ride to other European jewels like Milan, Munich, Prague, and Budapest.
Austria put out a beacon this year for foreign workers; it’s facing shortages in finance, tech, trades, and medical jobs, among others. You can learn more and apply for a visa on their website.
5. France
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More Americans moved to France in 2022 than any other country in the E.U. It’s not hard to understand why. Lovers of wine, food, music, art, history, and culture have always looked to Paris, Provence, the Loire Valley, and the many wine regions of France for their fix. Don’t overlook the other side of France — the people who are continually fighting for liberté, égalité, and fraternité.
France receives the most tourists each year by far — more than twice as many as second-place Mexico. If you want to live there, it’s easiest to go as a student or a retiree. Unsurprisingly, there are also visa options for innovators and artists.
4. Greece
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Lush Greece has much to offer emigrating Americans seeking the laid-back Mediterranean life. They enjoy mild weather year-round and a lower cost of living than other EU countries and that help them embrace family and simple pleasures.
Digital nomads can use the easy, flexible application process to work in paradise, but it’s also a top destination for students and retirees, who may both be on tight budgets.
3. Switzerland
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Switzerland is a popular result on the Expatsi Test because people are interested in what it has to offer — top-notch safety, healthcare, and infrastructure, breathtaking landscapes, cosmopolitan cities, and lots of English-speaking citizens. Unfortunately, some of those people may have champagne tastes on a beer budget — Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries on earth.
If you can swing the price tag, you’ll enjoy a high quality of life, if a bit sleepy. The Swiss are early-to-bed, early-to-rise. If you need a dose of excitement, take a train to Paris, Milan, or Berlin.
2. Spain
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Spain is our second-most recommended destination for American expats, and it has a lot to offer young families, digital nomads, retirees, and students. It’s safe and affordable, with high-quality universal healthcare and a welcoming location for women, LGBTQ+ people, and people of color.
You can get residency by buying property for €550,000 or showing retirement or remote work income, and if you’re from Puerto Rico, you can also apply for citizenship after just two years. Spanish speakers can also work on getting a local job in Spain. Thankfully, 41 million Americans already speak the language.
1. Portugal
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No great surprise that Portugal is ranked first of all the countries Expatsi recommends. With its world-class capital, stunning beaches, laid back lifestyle, and excellent visa programs, Portugal has been popular with Americans for years now.
That said, rumors of us invading the small nation are exaggerated — Americans make up only 1% of all Portugal immigrants and only .01% of the population. The country has eliminated its Golden Visa program to curb a housing shortage, but there are still many ways to make it to Portugal for the delicious food and wine, warm people, and incredible culture.
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Jen is the co-founder of Expatsi, a company that helps Americans move abroad. She created the Expatsi Test, an assessment that recommends countries for aspiring emigrants based on lifestyle data. Jen has an MBA from Emory University with concentrations in marketing and innovation. She's written for BusinessWeek, Health, Cooking Light, and Southern Living. Prior to Expatsi, she created Freshfully and Bottle & Bone—two businesses in the local food space—and spoke at TEDx on being brave. She's moving to Mexico in 2024, along with her husband and co-founder Brett, pitbull mix Squiggy, and three rotten cats. How can she help you move abroad?
Jen is the co-founder of Expatsi, a company that helps Americans move abroad. She created the Expatsi Test, an assessment that recommends countries for aspiring emigrants based on lifestyle data. Jen has an MBA from Emory University with concentrations in marketing and innovation. She's written for BusinessWeek, Health, Cooking Light, and Southern Living. Prior to Expatsi, she created Freshfully and Bottle & Bone—two businesses in the local food space—and spoke at TEDx on being brave. She's moving to Mexico in 2024, along with her husband and co-founder Brett, pitbull mix Squiggy, and three rotten cats. How can she help you move abroad?