Retiring abroad
Tell the Test your age range, your monthly budget and that you have a pension or Social Security, and the countries with retirement visas you could use move up your list.
Retirement visas by country →The Expatsi Test · Free · About five minutes
What country should I move to? Take the free quiz.
Answer 25 questions about your budget, your visa options, the climate you want and what you will not give up. The Expatsi Test ranks more than 100 countries against your answers and shows you where you would fit, and how you would get there.
- ✓ Built for Americans moving abroad, not a personality quiz
- ✓ Visa options count toward every country’s score
- ✓ 400,000 people have taken it
Built by Jen Barnett, Expatsi’s co-founder, who made the move herself and now lives in Merida, Mexico.
The Expatsi TestQuestion 1 of 25
Why do you want to move abroad?
Select all that apply - this helps us personalize your recommendations
Pick at least one to keep going.
As featured in
How the quiz works
Three steps from “where should I live?” to a shortlist
- 1Answer 25 questions
Your budget, your timeline, who is coming, the climate you want and the things you will not give up. About five minutes.
- 2We score 100+ countries
Every country in our data is scored against your answers on the same factors, then ranked.
- 3See your matches
Your top countries, why each one fits, the visa path to look at first and a checklist of what to do next.
What the quiz weighs
Which country suits me? The factors behind every match
Every country is scored on the same factors. These are the weights the Test gives each one, so you can see exactly what moves a country up your list.
- Where in the world25%
- The regions you would consider, how far from the US you are willing to go and the time zone your work or family needs.
- Your budget12%
- What you can spend on housing and on everything else each month, against what it actually costs to live there.
- Your visa options12%
- Remote income, savings, a pension, a skill, a business or a grandparent with citizenship. Countries where you have a realistic route move up.
- Healthcare and safety6% each
- Whether you want a public system or private care, how good it needs to be, and the level of safety you need to feel at home.
- Climate, language and infrastructure6% each
- Tropical, Mediterranean, eternal spring or four seasons; the languages you speak or would learn; the roads, internet and transit you expect.
- Your values and your people6% + 1%
- Free speech, LGBTQ+ rights, abortion access, religious freedom and more, plus the communities you want around you.
What you get back
Your countries ranked, with the visa beside each one
Your results rank every country by how well it fits you, explain the factors that put each one where it is, and name the visa path we would look at first.
Then you get a checklist for the first stage of your move, so the list turns into a plan.
What Americans match with
The countries quiz takers match with most
Of the 57,935 Americans who took the Expatsi Test from November 2025 to April 2026, 37.1% got Portugal as their first match. These are the most common first matches.
#1 most commonPortugalMoving to Portugal →37.1%
#2 most commonEcuadorMoving to Ecuador →12.3%
#3 most commonUruguayMoving to Uruguay →11%
#4 most commonSpainMoving to Spain →9.8%
#5 most commonNew ZealandMoving to New Zealand →5.4%
#6 most commonNetherlandsMoving to Netherlands →3.4%
Source: The Expatsi Report, Spring 2026. Share of unique quiz takers whose single best match was each country. Your list depends on your own answers.
How we score countries
The quiz started as a spreadsheet on a cabin table
My husband Brett and I scored every country on earth against weather, healthcare, human rights and how far we would be from the people we love. That spreadsheet became the Expatsi Test.
Today each country carries data on cost of living, visa routes, healthcare, safety, climate, infrastructure, languages and rights. Your answers set what you need, each country gets a score for each factor, and the weights above combine them into one match score. Where you want to be counts most, then your budget and your visa options.
A match is a starting point for research, not a verdict. The best next step is to read the guide for your top country, then talk to someone who lives there.
Jen Barnett, co-founder of Expatsi
About Expatsi
Should I move abroad?
Not sure you should move at all?
Plenty of people who take the Test have not decided yet. In our Spring 2026 report, the largest single group said they were just exploring. Seeing where you would actually fit, and what it would take to get there, is usually what turns a vague idea into a yes or a no.
Nothing commits you. The Test is free, it takes five minutes, and you can read the guide to moving abroad before you decide anything.
Where should I live abroad?
The quiz for your situation
The same 25 questions, weighted by what you tell it.
Working remotely
Remote income opens digital nomad and income-based visas. Add your time zone limit and the Test keeps your workday workable.
Digital nomad visas →
Moving with kids
Say who is coming with you and the Test weighs safety, healthcare and the communities of families already there.
How to move abroad, step by step →
LGBTQ+ movers
Pick LGBTQ+ rights as a value and the LGBTQ+ community as your people, and countries are scored on legal protections and acceptance.
The Pride 2026 report →400,000tests taken
151,000people in the fam
60scouting trips a year
10countries we travel to
The Expatsi fam
People who were standing exactly where you are
My husband and I are on your site almost every day as we work up the courage. The way you've structured everything makes something overwhelming a lot more doable.
You hold out a realistic process, along with the resources to make it happen, and encouragement. Your grounded information is very valuable.
As much as your own life has changed and improved, you are helping others see the potential for such improvements in their own lives.
Questions
Questions about the what-country-should-I-move-to quiz
What country should I move to?
It depends on four things more than anything else: where in the world you would be happy, what you can spend each month, which visas you can actually get, and what you will not give up, like healthcare, safety or your rights. The Expatsi Test weighs all of them and ranks more than 100 countries for you. Among the 57,935 Americans who took it from November 2025 to April 2026, Portugal was the most common first match, followed by Ecuador, Uruguay and Spain.
Is the Expatsi Test free?
Yes. It is free and there is no card. It takes about five minutes, and you get your ranked countries, the likely visa path for each one and a checklist of what to do first.
How long does the quiz take?
About five minutes. There are 25 questions, most of them one tap, about your budget, your timeline, who is coming with you, the climate you want and what matters most to you.
Does the quiz consider whether I can get a visa?
Yes. One question asks which resources and qualifications you have, such as remote income, savings, a pension, a job skill, a business or a grandparent with citizenship. Visa options make up 12% of every country’s score, so the countries where you have a realistic route move up your list.
Which countries does the quiz include?
More than 100 countries across every region, from Portugal, Spain and Mexico to Uruguay, New Zealand and the Philippines. Every one is scored on the same factors, using our data on cost of living, visas, healthcare, safety, climate and rights.
Is this a quiz about which US city to live in?
No. The Expatsi Test is for Americans thinking about moving to another country. It ranks countries, not US cities or states.
Does the quiz work if I am retiring abroad?
Yes. Tell it your age range, your monthly budget and that you have a pension, Social Security or other passive income, and countries with retirement visas you could use rank higher. Many Americans qualify for residency on Social Security alone.
Can I retake the quiz?
Yes, as often as you like. Your answers change as your plans do, and your latest results are the ones your account uses.
What happens after I take the Test?
You get a free account with your ranked countries, the whole first stage of your move and Jen’s free webinar. We do not call you. If you want to talk to a person, you can book thirty minutes with Jen at no cost.
More on the move itself: how to move abroad, retirement visas and who is leaving the US and why.
Gogo comes tooHe has been to more countries than most people we know, and he still can’t read a visa requirement.
Find out where you could go
Five minutes, no cost, and more than 100 countries ranked against your own answers, with the visa path for each one.
Free. 400,000 people have taken it.