Best Countries for Gen Z to Move to in 2026: Affordable, Connected, and Visa-Friendly

A recent survey found that 63% of Gen Z Americans are actively considering moving abroad. That is not a fringe fantasy — it is the majority of an entire generation looking at the exit door. And the reasons are different from those driving older expats. Gen Z is not optimizing for retirement healthcare or pension-stretching. They want affordability on an entry-level salary, fast internet for remote work and content creation, a social scene that does not revolve around couples and kids, visa pathways that do not require a six-figure income, and cities where you can actually go out on a Tuesday without spending $80.

The classic expat rankings weigh factors like healthcare infrastructure and property markets — useful for retirees, largely irrelevant for a 24-year-old freelancer with a carry-on suitcase. This ranking is different. We evaluated countries specifically through the lens of what matters to 18-to-30-year-olds: cost of living on a modest income, internet speed, social life, young expat community, visa accessibility, and safety for solo travelers. No retirement math. No golden visa price tags. Just the countries where your twenties will go further.

What Gen Z Actually Prioritizes When Moving Abroad

Before diving into the ranking, it helps to understand the criteria. Through analysis of Reddit threads, nomad forums, and survey data, the same six priorities surface repeatedly for young adults considering a move abroad.

• Low cost of living: Not just “cheap compared to San Francisco” — genuinely affordable on $1,500 to $2,500 per month, including rent, food, transport, coworking, and going out. Most Gen Z movers do not have six-figure remote salaries. They have freelance gigs, entry-level remote jobs, or savings from service industry work.
• Fast, reliable internet: Remote work and content creation are non-negotiable. If you cannot hold a Zoom call or upload a video, the country is disqualified regardless of how cheap it is.
• Social scene and nightlife: Moving abroad in your twenties is partly about the experience. Bars, clubs, live music, street markets, and a culture that does not shut down at 9 PM matter.
• Young expat community: Making friends as an adult is hard enough without a language barrier. Countries with established young expat and digital nomad scenes dramatically reduce the loneliness factor.
• Visa accessibility: Working holiday visas, digital nomad visas, visa-free stays, and low-barrier residency permits. Most Gen Z movers cannot qualify for employer-sponsored work visas.
• Safety for solo travelers: Many Gen Z movers are going alone. Personal safety, particularly for women and LGBTQ+ travelers, is a baseline requirement.

Top 10 Countries for Gen Z in 2026

Each country receives a composite score out of 100 based on our weighted evaluation across all six Gen Z priority dimensions. Click any country to explore its full profile.

1. Portugal — The Gen Z Capital of Europe

Lisbon has quietly become the default landing spot for young Americans moving to Europe. The combination is hard to beat: the D8 digital nomad visa gives you legal residency with a path to EU permanent residency after five years. Rent in Lisbon runs EUR 600 to 900 for a studio, dropping significantly in Porto or Braga. Internet averages 155 Mbps thanks to heavy fiber investment. And the nightlife — from Bairro Alto’s bar crawl streets to LX Factory’s creative scene — is genuinely world-class without the London or Paris price tag. The young expat community is massive, with weekly meetups, coworking events, and a built-in social network that makes it easy to find your people within the first week.

See full Portugal profile and scores

2. Thailand — Maximum Life for Minimum Money

Thailand is the country that proves you do not need a big salary to live well abroad. Chiang Mai’s nomad scene has been running for over a decade and the infrastructure is fully mature: dozens of coworking spaces with 200+ Mbps internet, coliving houses, and a social calendar that never stops. The Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) grants 180-day stays with five-year validity. A comfortable lifestyle — private apartment, daily eating out, coworking membership, and regular nights out — runs $1,000 to $1,400 per month. Bangkok adds big-city energy, rooftop bars, and one of the best street food scenes on earth. The main tradeoff is timezone: 12 to 14 hours ahead of US business hours.

See full Thailand profile and scores

3. Mexico — The Path of Least Resistance

No visa needed for 180 days. Same time zones as the US. A two-hour flight from Texas. Mexico City has become the unofficial Brooklyn-abroad, packed with young remote workers, cheap coworking spaces, and a food scene that makes $3 street tacos feel like fine dining. Roma Norte and Condesa are the main hubs, but Oaxaca and Mérida offer slower-paced alternatives at even lower cost. Monthly expenses run $1,200 to $1,800 in CDMX. The social scene is effortless — mezcal bars, rooftop parties, and a community of young expats who showed up the same way you did.

See full Mexico profile and scores

4. Colombia — The $780/Month Nomad Visa

Medellín is the digital nomad capital of Latin America, and Colombia’s digital nomad visa has the lowest income requirement on this list — roughly $780 per month. That is attainable on freelance income or a part-time remote job. El Poblado and Laureles are packed with coworking spaces, salsa clubs, and young internationals. The weather in Medellín sits at a perfect 22 degrees Celsius year-round. Monthly costs run $1,000 to $1,500 for a very comfortable life. The salsa and reggaeton scene is unmatched, and the timezone aligns perfectly with US East Coast hours.

See full Colombia profile and scores

5. South Korea — K-Culture and Gigabit Internet

South Korea has the fastest internet on earth — averaging over 200 Mbps with near-universal fiber coverage. Seoul is a megacity that runs on technology, K-pop, and an electrifying nightlife scene centered on Hongdae and Gangnam. For Americans under 30, South Korea offers a working holiday visa (H-1) that grants 18 months of legal work rights — one of only six countries to offer WHVs to US passport holders. Monthly costs run $1,800 to $2,500 in Seoul, higher than Southeast Asia but competitive with most European capitals. The K-culture pull is real: language exchanges, temple stays, and a food scene that turns every meal into an event.

See full South Korea profile and scores

6. Spain — Nightlife Capital with a Nomad Visa

Spain’s digital nomad visa grants up to five years of legal residency with a 24% flat tax rate. Barcelona and Madrid offer some of the best nightlife in Europe — clubs that do not open until midnight and a culture where dinner at 10 PM is considered early. Outside the big cities, costs drop dramatically: Valencia, Malaga, and the Canary Islands offer a full Gen Z lifestyle for EUR 1,200 to 1,600 per month. Internet averages 180 Mbps nationwide. Schengen access means weekend trips to Paris, Berlin, or Amsterdam with no border checks.

See full Spain profile and scores

7. Vietnam — The $800/Month Lifestyle

Vietnam is the budget king of this list. Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi offer a full urban lifestyle — apartment, street food meals, motorbike rental, and regular nights out — for $800 to $1,200 per month. The population is overwhelmingly young (median age 31), which translates to a vibrant social scene, bustling night markets, and rooftop bars that go late. Da Nang has emerged as a coastal nomad hub with solid coworking infrastructure. Internet speeds average 80 Mbps in major cities. The food alone is worth the flight — phở, bánh mì, and bún chả for under $2 a meal.

See full Vietnam profile and scores

8. Georgia — Zero Visa Hassle, 1% Tax

Georgia lets citizens of 95 countries stay for up to 365 days with no visa at all. No applications, no fees, no income proof. Just arrive. On top of that, the country offers a 1% tax rate for freelancers earning under a threshold — making it one of the most tax-friendly destinations on earth. Tbilisi has a surprisingly vibrant techno scene (Bassiani is world-famous), excellent wine culture, and a cost of living that bottoms out at $800 to $1,200 per month. The expat community is smaller but tight-knit and deeply international. Internet averages 70 Mbps and climbing.

See full Georgia profile and scores

9. Indonesia (Bali) — The Surf-and-Cowork Dream

Canggu is the epicenter of the surf-and-laptop lifestyle, and the ecosystem is fully built out: world-class coworking spaces like Dojo Bali, beach clubs, yoga studios, and a social scene that revolves around sunset sessions and Saturday night parties. The B211A visa grants 60 days (extendable to 180), and Indonesia’s newer digital nomad visa offers up to five years. Monthly costs run $1,200 to $1,800 in Bali. The tradeoffs: internet outside coworking spaces can be inconsistent (averaging 45 Mbps nationally), and the timezone puts you far from US hours. But for the lifestyle-first crowd, Bali remains magnetic.

See full Indonesia profile and scores

10. Czech Republic — Europe’s Best-Value Nightlife

Prague consistently ranks among the best nightlife cities in Europe, and it does so at a fraction of the cost of London, Berlin, or Amsterdam. Beer costs under $2, rent runs EUR 500 to 800 for a studio in the center, and the city is gorgeous in a way that never gets old. As an EU member in the Schengen zone, Prague gives you borderless access to 26 European countries. Monthly costs run EUR 1,300 to 1,800. Internet averages 100 Mbps. The expat community is large and young, drawn by the same value proposition that has made Prague a backpacker and student favorite for decades — except now the backpackers have laptops and remote jobs.

See full Czech Republic profile and scores

Working Holiday Visas: The Easiest Legal Path for Young Americans

If you are under 30 (or 35 in some cases) and hold a US passport, a working holiday visa is the single easiest way to live and work abroad legally. Unlike digital nomad visas, WHVs let you take local jobs — bartending, ski instruction, farm work, office temping — with no remote income required. The catch is that only six countries currently offer WHVs to Americans:

• Australia — 12 months, extendable to 3 years with regional work
• New Zealand — 12 months, ages 18–30
• Ireland — 12 months, ages 18–30
• South Korea — 18 months, ages 18–30
• Singapore — 6 months, ages 18–25
• Canada — 12–24 months via IEC, limited slots

These programs have annual quotas that fill up fast. Apply early. For a complete breakdown of requirements, costs, and application steps, see our complete working holiday visa guide for Americans.

Budget Reality Check: What It Actually Costs

Instagram makes living abroad look like a permanent vacation. The reality is more nuanced. Here are honest monthly budget ranges that cover rent, food, transport, a coworking membership, and going out once or twice a week. These are not survival budgets — they reflect a comfortable Gen Z lifestyle.

• Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Bali): $800–$1,200/mo
• Latin America (Mexico, Colombia): $1,200–$1,800/mo
• Southern Europe (Portugal, Spain, Czech Republic): $1,500–$2,500/mo
• East Asia (South Korea): $2,000–$3,000/mo
• Caucasus (Georgia): $800–$1,200/mo

These numbers assume you are renting your own studio or one-bedroom, not sharing a hostel dorm. Coliving can bring costs down 20 to 30 percent. Cooking at home instead of eating out every meal saves another 15 to 20 percent. The biggest variable is nightlife — going out in Bangkok costs a fraction of going out in Barcelona. Factor that into your destination choice if your social budget matters.

How to Actually Do It: 5 Practical Steps

Knowing the best countries is the easy part. Actually making the move requires a plan. Here is the practical playbook that separates people who talk about moving abroad from people who actually do it.

1. Save 6 months of expenses. Your target country’s expenses, not US expenses. If you are heading to Thailand, that is roughly $6,000 to $8,000. For Portugal, more like $10,000 to $15,000. This is your runway to find your footing without financial panic.
2. Secure remote income or plan to teach English. A freelance skill (writing, design, development, marketing) or a remote job is the gold standard. If you do not have one yet, TEFL certification opens doors in almost every country on this list. It takes 4 to 8 weeks and costs $200 to $500.
3. Start with a 3-month trial. Most countries on this list allow 90 to 180 day stays on a tourist visa. Use that window to test the city before committing to a nomad visa or long-term lease. You will know within 6 weeks whether a place fits.
4. Join online communities before you arrive. Facebook groups, Reddit communities, Discord servers, and Slack channels for expats in your target city. Arrive with 3 to 5 people to meet in your first week. This single step eliminates the worst part of moving abroad: the initial loneliness.
5. Do not sign a 12-month lease on day 1. Book a month of temporary housing (Airbnb, hostel, coliving space) and explore neighborhoods before committing. The neighborhood that looks best on Instagram is rarely the neighborhood you actually want to live in.

Find Your Country

The best country for your twenties depends on what you are optimizing for. If you want maximum value, head to Southeast Asia or Georgia. If you need US timezone overlap, Mexico and Colombia are unbeatable. If you want a long-term base in Europe with a path to residency, Portugal and Spain are the moves. And if the working holiday visa route appeals to you, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand offer once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that expire when you turn 30.

Not sure where to start? Take our personalized country quiz to get matched based on your priorities, or browse all 95 countries in our database. You can also check your passport’s visa-free access to see which countries are already open to you without any paperwork at all.