196 countries ranked for expats on affordability, visa ease, and development. Unlike black-box indices, our scoring methodology is fully open.
Last updated: September 2026
Best Affordable + Easy-Visa Countries for Expats
Low cost of living paired with a straightforward visa process — the sweet spot for first-time movers and nomads.
Best Countries for Remote Workers on a Budget
Cheap monthly costs and easy entry — ideal if your income comes from a remote/foreign job.
Best Countries for Expats with Kids
Ranked on affordable family-of-four budgets, development level, and reasonable visa access.
Best Developed Countries for Expats
For movers prioritising infrastructure, healthcare, and earning potential over low cost.
| # | Country | Expat Score | Solo cost/mo | Visa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Armenia | 8.8 | $474 | Easy |
| 2 | Georgia | 8.7 | $570 | Easy |
| 3 | Laos | 8.7 | $380 | Easy |
| 4 | Maldives | 8.6 | $950 | Easy |
| 5 | Nauru | 8.6 | $380 | Easy |
| 6 | Cambodia | 8.5 | $474 | Easy |
| 7 | Guyana | 8.5 | $570 | Easy |
| 8 | Marshall Islands | 8.5 | $380 | Easy |
| 9 | Moldova | 8.5 | $380 | Easy |
| 10 | North Macedonia | 8.5 | $380 | Easy |
| 11 | Palau | 8.5 | $570 | Easy |
| 12 | Paraguay | 8.5 | $380 | Easy |
| 13 | Seychelles | 8.5 | $1,140 | Easy |
| 14 | Tuvalu | 8.5 | $284 | Easy |
| 15 | Albania | 8.4 | $474 | Easy |
| 16 | Argentina | 8.4 | $664 | Easy |
| 17 | Malaysia | 8.4 | $664 | Easy |
| 18 | Montenegro | 8.4 | $664 | Easy |
| 19 | Tonga | 8.4 | $380 | Easy |
| 20 | Uruguay | 8.4 | $854 | Easy |
| 21 | Bolivia | 8.3 | $380 | Easy |
| 22 | Colombia | 8.3 | $664 | Easy |
| 23 | Comoros | 8.3 | $190 | Easy |
| 24 | Dominica | 8.3 | $664 | Easy |
| 25 | Dominican Republic | 8.3 | $760 | Easy |
| 26 | Ecuador | 8.3 | $570 | Easy |
| 27 | Guatemala | 8.3 | $570 | Easy |
| 28 | Indonesia | 8.3 | $570 | Easy |
| 29 | Kiribati | 8.3 | $284 | Easy |
| 30 | Mexico | 8.3 | $720 | Easy |
| 31 | Micronesia | 8.3 | $380 | Easy |
| 32 | Mongolia | 8.3 | $474 | Easy |
| 33 | Namibia | 8.3 | $570 | Easy |
| 34 | Panama | 8.3 | $950 | Easy |
| 35 | Peru | 8.3 | $570 | Easy |
| 36 | Philippines | 8.3 | $474 | Easy |
| 37 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 8.3 | $760 | Easy |
| 38 | Samoa | 8.3 | $474 | Easy |
| 39 | Sao Tome and Principe | 8.3 | $380 | Easy |
| 40 | Sri Lanka | 8.3 | $474 | Easy |
| 41 | Suriname | 8.3 | $570 | Easy |
| 42 | Belize | 8.2 | $760 | Easy |
| 43 | Cape Verde | 8.2 | $570 | Easy |
| 44 | Costa Rica | 8.2 | $950 | Easy |
| 45 | East Timor | 8.2 | $380 | Easy |
| 46 | Egypt | 8.2 | $570 | Easy |
| 47 | El Salvador | 8.2 | $664 | Easy |
| 48 | Fiji | 8.2 | $664 | Easy |
| 49 | Honduras | 8.2 | $474 | Easy |
| 50 | Kyrgyzstan | 8.2 | $380 | Easy |
| 51 | Mauritius | 8.2 | $854 | Easy |
| 52 | Nepal | 8.2 | $284 | Easy |
| 53 | Nicaragua | 8.2 | $474 | Easy |
| 54 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 8.2 | $1,140 | Easy |
| 55 | Saint Lucia | 8.2 | $950 | Easy |
| 56 | Solomon Islands | 8.2 | $474 | Easy |
| 57 | Thailand | 8.2 | $700 | Easy |
| 58 | Vanuatu | 8.2 | $570 | Easy |
| 59 | Vietnam | 8.2 | $570 | Easy |
| 60 | Brunei | 8.1 | $760 | Moderate |
| 61 | Bulgaria | 8.1 | $570 | Moderate |
| 62 | Gambia | 8.1 | $284 | Easy |
| 63 | Grenada | 8.1 | $950 | Easy |
| 64 | Kazakhstan | 8.1 | $570 | Moderate |
| 65 | Kenya | 8.1 | $570 | Easy |
| 66 | Romania | 8.1 | $570 | Moderate |
| 67 | Taiwan | 8.1 | $760 | Moderate |
| 68 | Uganda | 8.1 | $380 | Easy |
| 69 | Zambia | 8.1 | $474 | Easy |
| 70 | Antigua and Barbuda | 8 | $1,330 | Easy |
| 71 | Bahrain | 8 | $950 | Moderate |
| 72 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 8 | $474 | Moderate |
| 73 | Brazil | 8 | $664 | Moderate |
| 74 | Chile | 8 | $760 | Moderate |
| 75 | Croatia | 8 | $854 | Moderate |
| 76 | Eswatini | 8 | $380 | Moderate |
| 77 | Kosovo | 8 | $380 | Moderate |
| 78 | Madagascar | 8 | $284 | Easy |
| 79 | Malawi | 8 | $284 | Easy |
| 80 | Rwanda | 8 | $474 | Easy |
| 81 | Serbia | 8 | $570 | Moderate |
| 82 | Tanzania | 8 | $570 | Easy |
| 83 | Trinidad and Tobago | 8 | $760 | Moderate |
| 84 | Turkey | 8 | $570 | Moderate |
| 85 | Azerbaijan | 7.9 | $570 | Moderate |
| 86 | Bangladesh | 7.9 | $380 | Moderate |
| 87 | Botswana | 7.9 | $664 | Moderate |
| 88 | Cyprus | 7.9 | $1,044 | Moderate |
| 89 | Tunisia | 7.9 | $474 | Moderate |
| 90 | Andorra | 7.8 | $1,330 | Moderate |
| 91 | Benin | 7.8 | $284 | Moderate |
| 92 | Djibouti | 7.8 | $570 | Moderate |
| 93 | Guinea-Bissau | 7.8 | $228 | Moderate |
| 94 | Jamaica | 7.8 | $760 | Moderate |
| 95 | Jordan | 7.8 | $570 | Moderate |
| 96 | Lebanon | 7.8 | $570 | Moderate |
| 97 | Lesotho | 7.8 | $284 | Moderate |
| 98 | Morocco | 7.8 | $570 | Moderate |
| 99 | Tajikistan | 7.8 | $284 | Moderate |
| 100 | Uzbekistan | 7.8 | $380 | Moderate |
| 101 | Estonia | 7.7 | $854 | Moderate |
| 102 | Ethiopia | 7.7 | $380 | Moderate |
| 103 | Ghana | 7.7 | $570 | Moderate |
| 104 | Greece | 7.7 | $760 | Moderate |
| 105 | Hungary | 7.7 | $664 | Moderate |
| 106 | Latvia | 7.7 | $760 | Moderate |
| 107 | Lithuania | 7.7 | $760 | Moderate |
| 108 | Senegal | 7.7 | $474 | Moderate |
| 109 | Slovakia | 7.7 | $760 | Moderate |
| 110 | Slovenia | 7.7 | $854 | Moderate |
| 111 | Togo | 7.7 | $284 | Moderate |
| 112 | Czech Republic | 7.6 | $950 | Moderate |
| 113 | Kuwait | 7.6 | $950 | Moderate |
| 114 | Mozambique | 7.6 | $380 | Moderate |
| 115 | Oman | 7.6 | $854 | Moderate |
| 116 | Poland | 7.6 | $760 | Moderate |
| 117 | San Marino | 7.6 | $1,140 | Moderate |
| 118 | Spain | 7.6 | $1,000 | Moderate |
| 119 | Ukraine | 7.6 | $474 | Moderate |
| 120 | Bahamas | 7.5 | $1,710 | Moderate |
| 121 | Barbados | 7.5 | $1,520 | Moderate |
| 122 | Cameroon | 7.5 | $284 | Moderate |
| 123 | Gabon | 7.5 | $664 | Moderate |
| 124 | Malta | 7.5 | $1,140 | Moderate |
| 125 | Mauritania | 7.5 | $284 | Moderate |
| 126 | Portugal | 7.5 | $1,050 | Moderate |
| 127 | Qatar | 7.5 | $1,330 | Moderate |
| 128 | Republic of the Congo | 7.5 | $380 | Moderate |
| 129 | Burkina Faso | 7.4 | $228 | Moderate |
| 130 | Guinea | 7.4 | $284 | Moderate |
| 131 | Haiti | 7.4 | $380 | Moderate |
| 132 | India | 7.4 | $455 | Moderate |
| 133 | South Africa | 7.4 | $760 | Moderate |
| 134 | Zimbabwe | 7.4 | $380 | Moderate |
| 135 | Belarus | 7.3 | $474 | Hard |
| 136 | Burundi | 7.3 | $190 | Moderate |
| 137 | Cote d'Ivoire | 7.3 | $570 | Moderate |
| 138 | Italy | 7.3 | $920 | Hard |
| 139 | Myanmar | 7.3 | $380 | Moderate |
| 140 | Niger | 7.3 | $228 | Moderate |
| 141 | Nigeria | 7.3 | $570 | Moderate |
| 142 | Bhutan | 7.2 | $380 | Hard |
| 143 | Germany | 7.2 | $1,175 | Hard |
| 144 | Iceland | 7.2 | $1,710 | Moderate |
| 145 | Israel | 7.2 | $570 | Hard |
| 146 | Liberia | 7.2 | $380 | Moderate |
| 147 | Papua New Guinea | 7.2 | $760 | Moderate |
| 148 | Saudi Arabia | 7.2 | $950 | Hard |
| 149 | South Korea | 7.2 | $1,000 | Hard |
| 150 | United Arab Emirates | 7.2 | $1,600 | Moderate |
| 151 | Algeria | 7.1 | $474 | Hard |
| 152 | Equatorial Guinea | 7.1 | $664 | Hard |
| 153 | Finland | 7.1 | $1,234 | Hard |
| 154 | France | 7.1 | $1,260 | Hard |
| 155 | Sierra Leone | 7.1 | $380 | Moderate |
| 156 | Venezuela | 7.1 | $380 | Hard |
| 157 | Austria | 7 | $1,330 | Hard |
| 158 | Belgium | 7 | $1,424 | Hard |
| 159 | Sweden | 7 | $1,424 | Hard |
| 160 | Chad | 6.9 | $228 | Hard |
| 161 | Cuba | 6.9 | $474 | Hard |
| 162 | Ireland | 6.9 | $1,770 | Hard |
| 163 | Mali | 6.9 | $284 | Hard |
| 164 | Netherlands | 6.9 | $1,580 | Hard |
| 165 | Russia | 6.9 | $570 | Hard |
| 166 | Angola | 6.8 | $760 | Hard |
| 167 | Iraq | 6.8 | $474 | Hard |
| 168 | Pakistan | 6.8 | $570 | Hard |
| 169 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 6.7 | $570 | Hard |
| 170 | Hong Kong | 6.7 | $2,280 | Moderate |
| 171 | Japan | 6.7 | $1,090 | Hard |
| 172 | Luxembourg | 6.7 | $2,090 | Hard |
| 173 | New Zealand | 6.6 | $1,380 | Hard |
| 174 | Turkmenistan | 6.6 | $380 | Very hard |
| 175 | Canada | 6.5 | $1,600 | Hard |
| 176 | Central African Republic | 6.5 | $190 | Hard |
| 177 | China | 6.5 | $570 | Very hard |
| 178 | Iran | 6.5 | $284 | Very hard |
| 179 | Libya | 6.5 | $380 | Very hard |
| 180 | Singapore | 6.5 | $2,130 | Hard |
| 181 | Sudan | 6.5 | $284 | Hard |
| 182 | Denmark | 6.4 | $1,710 | Hard |
| 183 | Norway | 6.4 | $1,900 | Hard |
| 184 | Palestine | 6.4 | $380 | Very hard |
| 185 | Australia | 6.3 | $1,840 | Hard |
| 186 | Eritrea | 6.2 | $190 | Very hard |
| 187 | Liechtenstein | 6.1 | $2,280 | Hard |
| 188 | South Sudan | 6 | $380 | Very hard |
| 189 | United Kingdom | 6 | $1,650 | Very hard |
| 190 | Yemen | 5.8 | $190 | Very hard |
| 191 | Syria | 5.7 | $190 | Very hard |
| 192 | Somalia | 5.6 | $380 | Very hard |
| 193 | Switzerland | 5.5 | $2,550 | Very hard |
| 194 | Afghanistan | 5.4 | $570 | Very hard |
| 195 | United States | 5.4 | $2,100 | Very hard |
| 196 | Monaco | 3.7 | $5,700 | Hard |
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