What is the best country to live in 2026?

According to the WhereNext Global Relocation Index, Singapore ranks #1 with a composite score of 70/100 across cost of living, safety, healthcare, education, career, lifestyle, and infrastructure. Japan (#2, 67/100) and Switzerland (#3, 67/100) round out the top 3.

What is the cheapest country to live in according to the index?

The most affordable countries are India (~$1,100/mo), Cambodia (~$1,100/mo), Nepal (~$950/mo). The overall index weighs 6 other factors beyond cost.

Is the data free to use?

Yes. All WhereNext data is free to cite with attribution via JSON API or CSV download.

Annual Data Report

Best Countries to Live in 2026: 95 Ranked by Data (Free Index)

The most comprehensive quality of life index for people planning to relocate in 2026. 7 dimensions, 27 data sources, zero paywall.

Published 2026-04-02· Free with attribution · Updated annually

The WhereNext Quality of Life Index 2026 measures which countries offer the best overall living conditions for people considering a move abroad. We score 95 countries on cost of living, safety, healthcare quality, education, career opportunity, lifestyle appeal, and infrastructure — combining them into a single quality of life ranking that goes beyond GDP or subjective surveys.

Explore interactively with custom weights

Key Findings

The WhereNext 2026 Global Relocation Index ranks 95 countries across 7 dimensions using 27 institutional data sources. Singapore leads at 70/100, followed by Japan (67) and Switzerland (67). The global average composite score is 44/100, with European countries averaging 55/100.

Countries Analyzed

Across 6 regions

#1 Overall

Singapore

Score: 70/100

Data Sources

Institutional sources

Global Average

44/100

Median: 44/100

Top 10 Countries to Move to in 2026

The top 10 countries to move to in 2026 are Singapore, Japan, Switzerland, Denmark, Netherlands, and Ireland, Canada, Austria, Germany, Hong Kong — ranked by WhereNext's composite score across cost of living, safety, healthcare, education, career, lifestyle, and infrastructure from 27 institutional data sources.

Ranked by composite score across all 7 dimensions. Higher = better overall relocation fit.

🇸🇬 Singapore

Asia · ~$3,150/mo · Strength: Safety

70/100

💰 Cost of Living

🛡️ Safety

100

🏥 Healthcare

🎓 Education

100

💼 Career

100

🌴 Lifestyle

🌐 Infrastructure

100

Singapore stands out for being exceptionally safe, world-class healthcare, excellent infrastructure. Watch out for higher cost of living. At ~$3,150/month, it ranks #1 overall for relocation in 2026.

Also in Asia: 🇯🇵 Japan (67), 🇭🇰 Hong Kong (65)

🇯🇵 Japan

Asia · ~$2,650/mo · Strength: Healthcare

67/100

💰 Cost of Living

🛡️ Safety

🏥 Healthcare

100

🎓 Education

100

💼 Career

🌴 Lifestyle

🌐 Infrastructure

100

Japan stands out for being exceptionally safe, world-class healthcare, excellent infrastructure. Watch out for higher cost of living. At ~$2,650/month, it ranks #2 overall for relocation in 2026.

Also in Asia: 🇸🇬 Singapore (70), 🇭🇰 Hong Kong (65)

🇨🇭 Switzerland

Europe · ~$3,400/mo · Strength: Healthcare

67/100

💰 Cost of Living

🛡️ Safety

🏥 Healthcare

100

🎓 Education

💼 Career

100

🌴 Lifestyle

🌐 Infrastructure

100

Switzerland stands out for being exceptionally safe, world-class healthcare, excellent infrastructure. Watch out for higher cost of living. At ~$3,400/month, it ranks #3 overall for relocation in 2026.

Also in Europe: 🇩🇰 Denmark (66), 🇳🇱 Netherlands (66)

🇩🇰 Denmark

Europe · ~$3,050/mo · Strength: Safety

66/100

💰 Cost of Living

🛡️ Safety

100

🏥 Healthcare

100

🎓 Education

💼 Career

🌴 Lifestyle

🌐 Infrastructure

Denmark stands out for being exceptionally safe, world-class healthcare, excellent infrastructure. Watch out for higher cost of living. At ~$3,050/month, it ranks #4 overall for relocation in 2026.

Also in Europe: 🇨🇭 Switzerland (67), 🇳🇱 Netherlands (66)

🇳🇱 Netherlands

Europe · ~$2,750/mo · Strength: Career

66/100

💰 Cost of Living

🛡️ Safety

🏥 Healthcare

🎓 Education

💼 Career

100

🌴 Lifestyle

🌐 Infrastructure

Netherlands stands out for being exceptionally safe, world-class healthcare, excellent infrastructure. Watch out for higher cost of living. At ~$2,750/month, it ranks #5 overall for relocation in 2026.

Also in Europe: 🇨🇭 Switzerland (67), 🇩🇰 Denmark (66)

🇮🇪 Ireland

Europe · ~$2,950/mo · Strength: Safety

66/100

💰 Cost of Living

🛡️ Safety

100

🏥 Healthcare

🎓 Education

💼 Career

🌴 Lifestyle

🌐 Infrastructure

Ireland stands out for being exceptionally safe, world-class healthcare, excellent infrastructure. Watch out for higher cost of living. At ~$2,950/month, it ranks #6 overall for relocation in 2026.

Also in Europe: 🇨🇭 Switzerland (67), 🇩🇰 Denmark (66)

🇨🇦 Canada

Americas · ~$2,850/mo · Strength: Education

65/100

💰 Cost of Living

🛡️ Safety

🏥 Healthcare

🎓 Education

💼 Career

🌴 Lifestyle

🌐 Infrastructure

Canada stands out for being exceptionally safe, world-class healthcare, excellent infrastructure. Watch out for higher cost of living. At ~$2,850/month, it ranks #7 overall for relocation in 2026.

Also in Americas: 🇺🇸 United States (52), 🇺🇾 Uruguay (49)

🇦🇹 Austria

Europe · ~$2,850/mo · Strength: Safety

65/100

💰 Cost of Living

🛡️ Safety

100

🏥 Healthcare

🎓 Education

💼 Career

🌴 Lifestyle

🌐 Infrastructure

Austria stands out for being exceptionally safe, world-class healthcare, excellent infrastructure. Watch out for higher cost of living. At ~$2,850/month, it ranks #8 overall for relocation in 2026.

Also in Europe: 🇨🇭 Switzerland (67), 🇩🇰 Denmark (66)

🇩🇪 Germany

Europe · ~$2,650/mo · Strength: Career

65/100

💰 Cost of Living

🛡️ Safety

🏥 Healthcare

🎓 Education

💼 Career

100

🌴 Lifestyle

🌐 Infrastructure

Germany stands out for being exceptionally safe, world-class healthcare, excellent infrastructure. Watch out for higher cost of living. At ~$2,650/month, it ranks #9 overall for relocation in 2026.

Also in Europe: 🇨🇭 Switzerland (67), 🇩🇰 Denmark (66)

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

Asia · ~$3,300/mo · Strength: Education

65/100

💰 Cost of Living

🛡️ Safety

🏥 Healthcare

🎓 Education

100

💼 Career

100

🌴 Lifestyle

🌐 Infrastructure

100

Hong Kong stands out for being safe, world-class healthcare, excellent infrastructure. Watch out for higher cost of living. At ~$3,300/month, it ranks #10 overall for relocation in 2026.

Also in Asia: 🇸🇬 Singapore (70), 🇯🇵 Japan (67)

Best Countries by Category

WhereNext's 2026 index scores each country across 7 dimensions: cost of living, safety, healthcare, education, career opportunity, lifestyle, and infrastructure. The category leaders are Singapore for safety, Japan for healthcare, and India for affordability — each using different institutional data sources.

Top 5 countries in each dimension. Different priorities produce different winners.

💰 Best for Cost of Living

Lower cost = higher score. Based on World Bank PPP and national statistical data.

🛡️ Best for Safety

Global Peace Index, governance indicators, and homicide rates.

🏥 Best for Healthcare

UHC coverage, physician density, and life expectancy.

🎓 Best for Education

PISA scores, school life expectancy, and tertiary enrollment.

💼 Best for Career

Labor force participation, purchasing power, and business environment.

🌴 Best for Lifestyle

Climate comfort, English proficiency, and visa friendliness.

🌐 Best for Infrastructure

Transport quality, internet connectivity, and urban development.

Regional Comparison

Europe leads the 2026 Global Relocation Index with an average composite score of 55/100 across 37 countries. Europe has the highest regional average at 55/100, led by Switzerland (67/100). Asia covers 19 countries with an average of 37/100.

Region	Countries	Avg Score	Top Country	Top Score
Europe	37	55	🇨🇭 Switzerland	67
Middle East	8	45	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	59
Oceania	4	39	🇦🇺 Australia	63
Other	2	39	🇹🇷 Turkey	41
Asia	19	37	🇸🇬 Singapore	70
Americas	16	37	🇨🇦 Canada	65
Africa	9	26	🇲🇺 Mauritius	44

What This Means For You

Your ideal relocation destination depends on your priorities: budget-conscious expats should look at India (~$1,100/month), safety-focused families at Singapore (safety score 100/100), and career-driven professionals at Singapore (career score 100/100).

Different goals call for different regions. Here's how each region stacks up based on common relocation priorities.

Europe

37 countries analyzed, average score 55/100. 🇨🇭 Switzerland leads the region at 67/100.

Most affordable: 🇲🇩 Moldova (~$1,250/mo)

Safest: 🇩🇰 Denmark (safety: 100/100)

Middle East

8 countries analyzed, average score 45/100. 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates leads the region at 59/100.

Most affordable: 🇯🇴 Jordan (~$1,750/mo)

Best healthcare: 🇮🇱 Israel (healthcare: 91/100)

Oceania

4 countries analyzed, average score 39/100. 🇦🇺 Australia leads the region at 63/100.

Most affordable: 🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea (~$1,550/mo)

Safest: 🇳🇿 New Zealand (safety: 100/100)

Other

2 countries analyzed, average score 39/100. 🇹🇷 Turkey leads the region at 41/100.

Most affordable: 🇬🇪 Georgia (~$1,400/mo)

Safest: 🇬🇪 Georgia (safety: 62/100)

Asia

19 countries analyzed, average score 37/100. 🇸🇬 Singapore leads the region at 70/100.

Most affordable: 🇮🇳 India (~$1,100/mo)

Best healthcare: 🇯🇵 Japan (healthcare: 100/100)

Americas

16 countries analyzed, average score 37/100. 🇨🇦 Canada leads the region at 65/100.

Most affordable: 🇬🇹 Guatemala (~$1,300/mo)

Africa

9 countries analyzed, average score 26/100. 🇲🇺 Mauritius leads the region at 44/100.

Most affordable: 🇳🇬 Nigeria (~$1,100/mo)

Full Ranking: All 95 Countries

The complete 2026 Global Relocation Index ranks all 95 countries from Singapore (#1, score 70/100) to Myanmar (#95, score 7/100). The median country scores 44/100. Free CSV and JSON downloads are available via the WhereNext open API.

Composite score is a weighted average across all 7 dimensions, adjusted by data confidence. Cost is inverted (higher = cheaper). All scores 0-100.

#	Country	Score	Cost	Safety	Health	Edu	Career	Life	Infra
1	🇸🇬 Singapore	70	7	100	98	100	100	75	100
2	🇯🇵 Japan	67	30	93	100	100	98	48	100
3	🇨🇭 Switzerland	67	0	98	100	86	100	66	100
4	🇩🇰 Denmark	66	10	100	100	84	89	77	93
5	🇳🇱 Netherlands	66	25	83	94	83	100	81	98
6	🇮🇪 Ireland	66	15	100	81	97	98	83	80
7	🇨🇦 Canada	65	20	95	83	98	94	78	85
8	🇦🇹 Austria	65	20	100	98	81	85	73	91
9	🇩🇪 Germany	65	28	88	98	78	100	72	85
10	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	65	0	67	96	100	100	76	100
11	🇰🇷 South Korea	64	27	76	94	100	91	62	100
12	🇫🇮 Finland	64	13	93	100	84	87	73	89
13	🇸🇪 Sweden	64	15	86	98	84	91	75	89
14	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	64	0	88	100	77	100	72	93
15	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	64	17	76	85	100	100	75	89
16	🇧🇪 Belgium	64	27	83	94	94	85	73	87
17	🇦🇺 Australia	63	18	81	83	95	91	87	83
18	🇳🇴 Norway	63	0	86	100	77	94	75	93
19	🇹🇼 Taiwan	63	42	76	94	100	85	59	87
20	🇵🇹 Portugal	62	37	100	83	84	70	82	74
21	🇳🇿 New Zealand	61	23	100	79	94	72	86	69
22	🇮🇸 Iceland	60	0	100	98	70	77	69	81
23	🇪🇸 Spain	60	43	76	89	86	74	73	81
24	🇪🇪 Estonia	60	45	81	77	94	83	69	76
25	🇸🇮 Slovenia	60	43	100	77	89	64	74	70
26	🇫🇷 France	60	22	69	96	77	87	64	91
27	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	59	22	88	79	56	85	72	96
28	🇨🇿 Czechia	58	40	95	79	77	77	64	72
29	🇲🇹 Malta	58	35	83	81	56	72	94	78
30	🇱🇹 Lithuania	57	57	81	68	88	68	65	78
31	🇱🇻 Latvia	55	55	79	64	84	64	65	78
32	🇲🇾 Malaysia	55	70	95	70	45	70	60	78
33	🇵🇱 Poland	55	47	79	53	88	74	65	78
34	🇮🇹 Italy	55	32	76	85	66	68	69	74
35	🇸🇰 Slovakia	54	53	86	66	83	62	63	63
36	🇨🇾 Cyprus	53	42	79	72	55	60	91	63
37	🇭🇺 Hungary	53	58	88	49	83	64	63	65
38	🇶🇦 Qatar	53	20	81	81	45	68	55	93
39	🇺🇸 United States	52	13	31	55	89	100	72	91
40	🇭🇷 Croatia	52	50	90	60	59	57	78	63
41	🇮🇱 Israel	50	17	0	91	73	98	76	81
42	🇺🇾 Uruguay	49	42	64	77	53	60	73	59
43	🇨🇱 Chile	48	48	64	68	48	66	71	61
44	🇧🇭 Bahrain	48	37	60	72	41	77	56	78
45	🇷🇴 Romania	47	70	81	47	52	62	64	50
46	🇬🇷 Greece	47	47	64	62	48	55	77	59
47	🇲🇺 Mauritius	44	70	76	51	41	38	80	48
48	🇷🇸 Serbia	44	75	69	51	56	43	63	48
49	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	44	78	81	43	47	47	62	46
50	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	44	57	67	64	39	51	61	52
51	🇰🇼 Kuwait	43	30	60	68	28	72	39	74
52	🇴🇲 Oman	43	47	69	64	30	55	45	67
53	🇹🇭 Thailand	42	73	31	66	36	64	60	59
54	🇹🇷 Turkey	41	75	14	64	52	51	59	67
55	🇲🇪 Montenegro	40	67	74	43	41	21	71	50
56	🇦🇷 Argentina	40	70	62	60	28	26	68	50
57	🇲🇰 North Macedonia	39	83	69	43	36	26	59	48
58	🇨🇳 China	38	67	26	64	80	64	34	85
59	🇵🇦 Panama	38	47	62	60	16	51	52	48
60	🇬🇪 Georgia	37	87	62	38	27	26	64	50
61	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	36	58	45	43	33	43	75	41
62	🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina	35	80	74	38	27	21	56	33
63	🇵🇪 Peru	35	83	48	43	34	30	62	33
64	🇯🇴 Jordan	34	70	50	55	23	26	52	44
65	🇦🇱 Albania	34	87	69	30	22	13	67	37
66	🇮🇩 Indonesia	33	90	55	38	17	51	40	31
67	🇻🇳 Vietnam	33	82	43	45	58	55	42	52
68	🇧🇷 Brazil	32	80	10	49	28	47	56	44
69	🇲🇽 Mexico	32	63	0	47	30	62	57	48
70	🇹🇳 Tunisia	32	90	57	43	16	13	56	33
71	🇲🇩 Moldova	31	93	57	26	36	9	51	37
72	🇿🇦 South Africa	31	75	21	38	31	47	74	56
73	🇲🇦 Morocco	30	87	52	30	14	21	56	37
74	🇵🇭 Philippines	30	92	45	21	13	43	59	26
75	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	30	63	31	55	30	47	37	63
76	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	28	80	52	34	6	21	53	30
77	🇮🇳 India	28	100	24	28	28	72	44	37
78	🇨🇴 Colombia	27	87	0	38	23	36	51	37
79	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	26	97	43	38	20	21	55	26
80	🇯🇲 Jamaica	26	67	38	30	25	17	71	37
81	🇪🇨 Ecuador	26	83	33	47	20	21	52	33
82	🇲🇳 Mongolia	25	87	50	21	22	4	35	37
83	🇪🇬 Egypt	22	97	17	34	13	30	43	37
84	🇫🇯 Fiji	22	73	52	21	23	0	65	11
85	🇷🇼 Rwanda	21	93	48	17	0	17	57	19
86	🇬🇭 Ghana	20	93	55	13	5	17	49	11
87	🇰🇪 Kenya	19	90	7	17	11	30	62	19
88	🇰🇭 Cambodia	18	100	48	4	2	9	43	22
89	🇳🇵 Nepal	17	100	57	9	0	0	42	0
90	🇬🇹 Guatemala	16	90	21	17	9	4	46	11
91	🇱🇦 Laos	14	100	48	0	0	0	31	0
92	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	13	100	29	0	0	17	30	4
93	🇳🇬 Nigeria	12	100	0	0	0	30	41	0
94	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	8	80	5	0	0	0	34	0
95	🇲🇲 Myanmar	7	100	0	0	0	0	21	0

Methodology

The WhereNext Global Relocation Index methodology scores 95 countries across 7 weighted dimensions — cost (weight 25), safety (60), healthcare (60), education (50), career (55), lifestyle (50), and infrastructure (55) — using 27 institutional data sources including the World Bank, WHO, OECD PISA, and Global Peace Index, with confidence-adjusted normalization.

The WhereNext Global Relocation Index is a multi-dimensional scoring system designed specifically for people considering international relocation. Unlike single-metric rankings (cost-only or safety-only), this index evaluates each country across 7 dimensions that matter most to expats, remote workers, retirees, and families planning a move abroad.

Scoring Dimensions

Cost of Living (weight: 25): Inverted cost index + World Bank PPP. Lower cost = higher score. Intentionally lower-weighted because “cheapest” rarely means “best.”
Safety (weight: 60): Global Peace Index, World Governance Indicators (political stability, rule of law), and UNODC homicide rates.
Healthcare (weight: 60): WHO Universal Health Coverage index, physician density per 10,000, and national life expectancy.
Education (weight: 50): OECD PISA scores (reading, math, science), UNESCO school life expectancy, and tertiary enrollment rates.
Career (weight: 55): ILO labor force participation, World Bank purchasing power index, and Doing Business indicators.
Lifestyle (weight: 50): Composite of climate comfort (35%), EF English Proficiency Index (30%), and visa friendliness (35%).
Infrastructure (weight: 55): ITU ICT Development Index, transport quality indicators, and urban connectivity scores.

Confidence Scoring

Each country receives a data-confidence score (0.50–0.92) based on source coverage and freshness. Countries with fewer data points receive a confidence penalty, pushing uncertain scores toward the middle of the distribution rather than artificially inflating or deflating them.

Limitations

No index captures the full complexity of relocation decisions. This ranking does not account for: personal language skills beyond English, specific profession demand by country, individual health conditions, family composition, political/cultural affinity, or the subjective “feel” of a place. Use our interactive explorer to customize weights for your priorities.

Data Sources

The WhereNext 2026 Global Relocation Index aggregates data from 27 institutional sources including the World Bank PPP Conversion Factors, WHO Universal Health Coverage index, OECD PISA scores, Global Peace Index (IEP), EF English Proficiency Index, ITU ICT Development Index, ILO Labour Statistics, and national statistics agencies from 95 countries.

All scores are derived from institutional data — no surveys, no opinions. Each source is publicly verifiable.

✓Global Peace Index (IEP) — Safety

✓PPP Conversion Factors (World Bank) — Cost

✓Cost of Living Research (WhereNext) — Cost

✓Universal Health Coverage (WHO) — Healthcare

✓PISA Scores (OECD) — Education

✓Human Development Index (UNDP) — Multiple

✓English Proficiency Index (EF) — Lifestyle

✓School Life Expectancy (UNESCO) — Education

✓Labour Statistics (ILO) — Career

✓ICT Development Index (ITU) — Infrastructure

✓Homicide Rates (UNODC) — Safety

✓Governance Indicators (World Bank) — Safety

✓World Economic Outlook (IMF) — Career

✓National Statistics (95) (Various) — Multiple

✓Exchange Rates (ECB) — Cost

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Detailed cost breakdown for all 95 countries

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In-depth guide for Americans

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Annual Data Report

Best Countries to Live in 2026: 95 Ranked by Data (Free Index)

The most comprehensive quality of life index for people planning to relocate in 2026. 7 dimensions, 27 data sources, zero paywall.

Published 2026-04-02· Free with attribution · Updated annually

Explore interactively with custom weights

Key Findings

Countries Analyzed

Across 6 regions

#1 Overall

Singapore

Score: 70/100

Data Sources

Institutional sources

Global Average

44/100

Median: 44/100

Top 10 Countries to Move to in 2026

Ranked by composite score across all 7 dimensions. Higher = better overall relocation fit.

🇸🇬 Singapore

Asia · ~$3,150/mo · Strength: Safety

70/100

💰 Cost of Living

🛡️ Safety

100

🏥 Healthcare

🎓 Education

100

💼 Career

100

🌴 Lifestyle

🌐 Infrastructure

100

Singapore stands out for being exceptionally safe, world-class healthcare, excellent infrastructure. Watch out for higher cost of living. At ~$3,150/month, it ranks #1 overall for relocation in 2026.

Also in Asia: 🇯🇵 Japan (67), 🇭🇰 Hong Kong (65)

🇯🇵 Japan

Asia · ~$2,650/mo · Strength: Healthcare

67/100

💰 Cost of Living

🛡️ Safety

🏥 Healthcare

100

🎓 Education

100

💼 Career

🌴 Lifestyle

🌐 Infrastructure

100

Japan stands out for being exceptionally safe, world-class healthcare, excellent infrastructure. Watch out for higher cost of living. At ~$2,650/month, it ranks #2 overall for relocation in 2026.

Also in Asia: 🇸🇬 Singapore (70), 🇭🇰 Hong Kong (65)

🇨🇭 Switzerland

Europe · ~$3,400/mo · Strength: Healthcare

67/100

💰 Cost of Living

🛡️ Safety

🏥 Healthcare

100

🎓 Education

💼 Career

100

🌴 Lifestyle

🌐 Infrastructure

100

Also in Europe: 🇩🇰 Denmark (66), 🇳🇱 Netherlands (66)

🇩🇰 Denmark

Europe · ~$3,050/mo · Strength: Safety

66/100

💰 Cost of Living

🛡️ Safety

100

🏥 Healthcare

100

🎓 Education

💼 Career

🌴 Lifestyle

🌐 Infrastructure

Denmark stands out for being exceptionally safe, world-class healthcare, excellent infrastructure. Watch out for higher cost of living. At ~$3,050/month, it ranks #4 overall for relocation in 2026.

Also in Europe: 🇨🇭 Switzerland (67), 🇳🇱 Netherlands (66)

🇳🇱 Netherlands

Europe · ~$2,750/mo · Strength: Career

66/100

💰 Cost of Living

🛡️ Safety

🏥 Healthcare

🎓 Education

💼 Career

100

🌴 Lifestyle

🌐 Infrastructure

Also in Europe: 🇨🇭 Switzerland (67), 🇩🇰 Denmark (66)

🇮🇪 Ireland

Europe · ~$2,950/mo · Strength: Safety

66/100

💰 Cost of Living

🛡️ Safety

100

🏥 Healthcare

🎓 Education

💼 Career

🌴 Lifestyle

🌐 Infrastructure

Ireland stands out for being exceptionally safe, world-class healthcare, excellent infrastructure. Watch out for higher cost of living. At ~$2,950/month, it ranks #6 overall for relocation in 2026.

Also in Europe: 🇨🇭 Switzerland (67), 🇩🇰 Denmark (66)

🇨🇦 Canada

Americas · ~$2,850/mo · Strength: Education

65/100

💰 Cost of Living

🛡️ Safety

🏥 Healthcare

🎓 Education

💼 Career

🌴 Lifestyle

🌐 Infrastructure

Canada stands out for being exceptionally safe, world-class healthcare, excellent infrastructure. Watch out for higher cost of living. At ~$2,850/month, it ranks #7 overall for relocation in 2026.

Also in Americas: 🇺🇸 United States (52), 🇺🇾 Uruguay (49)

🇦🇹 Austria

Europe · ~$2,850/mo · Strength: Safety

65/100

💰 Cost of Living

🛡️ Safety

100

🏥 Healthcare

🎓 Education

💼 Career

🌴 Lifestyle

🌐 Infrastructure

Austria stands out for being exceptionally safe, world-class healthcare, excellent infrastructure. Watch out for higher cost of living. At ~$2,850/month, it ranks #8 overall for relocation in 2026.

Also in Europe: 🇨🇭 Switzerland (67), 🇩🇰 Denmark (66)

🇩🇪 Germany

Europe · ~$2,650/mo · Strength: Career

65/100

💰 Cost of Living

🛡️ Safety

🏥 Healthcare

🎓 Education

💼 Career

100

🌴 Lifestyle

🌐 Infrastructure

Germany stands out for being exceptionally safe, world-class healthcare, excellent infrastructure. Watch out for higher cost of living. At ~$2,650/month, it ranks #9 overall for relocation in 2026.

Also in Europe: 🇨🇭 Switzerland (67), 🇩🇰 Denmark (66)

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

Asia · ~$3,300/mo · Strength: Education

65/100

💰 Cost of Living

🛡️ Safety

🏥 Healthcare

🎓 Education

100

💼 Career

100

🌴 Lifestyle

🌐 Infrastructure

100

Hong Kong stands out for being safe, world-class healthcare, excellent infrastructure. Watch out for higher cost of living. At ~$3,300/month, it ranks #10 overall for relocation in 2026.

Also in Asia: 🇸🇬 Singapore (70), 🇯🇵 Japan (67)

Best Countries by Category

Top 5 countries in each dimension. Different priorities produce different winners.

💰 Best for Cost of Living

Lower cost = higher score. Based on World Bank PPP and national statistical data.

🛡️ Best for Safety

Global Peace Index, governance indicators, and homicide rates.

🏥 Best for Healthcare

UHC coverage, physician density, and life expectancy.

🎓 Best for Education

PISA scores, school life expectancy, and tertiary enrollment.

💼 Best for Career

Labor force participation, purchasing power, and business environment.

🌴 Best for Lifestyle

Climate comfort, English proficiency, and visa friendliness.

🌐 Best for Infrastructure

Transport quality, internet connectivity, and urban development.

Regional Comparison

Region	Countries	Avg Score	Top Country	Top Score
Europe	37	55	🇨🇭 Switzerland	67
Middle East	8	45	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	59
Oceania	4	39	🇦🇺 Australia	63
Other	2	39	🇹🇷 Turkey	41
Asia	19	37	🇸🇬 Singapore	70
Americas	16	37	🇨🇦 Canada	65
Africa	9	26	🇲🇺 Mauritius	44

What This Means For You

Different goals call for different regions. Here's how each region stacks up based on common relocation priorities.

Europe

37 countries analyzed, average score 55/100. 🇨🇭 Switzerland leads the region at 67/100.

Most affordable: 🇲🇩 Moldova (~$1,250/mo)

Safest: 🇩🇰 Denmark (safety: 100/100)

Middle East

8 countries analyzed, average score 45/100. 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates leads the region at 59/100.

Most affordable: 🇯🇴 Jordan (~$1,750/mo)

Best healthcare: 🇮🇱 Israel (healthcare: 91/100)

Oceania

4 countries analyzed, average score 39/100. 🇦🇺 Australia leads the region at 63/100.

Most affordable: 🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea (~$1,550/mo)

Safest: 🇳🇿 New Zealand (safety: 100/100)

Other

2 countries analyzed, average score 39/100. 🇹🇷 Turkey leads the region at 41/100.

Most affordable: 🇬🇪 Georgia (~$1,400/mo)

Safest: 🇬🇪 Georgia (safety: 62/100)

Asia

19 countries analyzed, average score 37/100. 🇸🇬 Singapore leads the region at 70/100.

Most affordable: 🇮🇳 India (~$1,100/mo)

Best healthcare: 🇯🇵 Japan (healthcare: 100/100)

Americas

16 countries analyzed, average score 37/100. 🇨🇦 Canada leads the region at 65/100.

Most affordable: 🇬🇹 Guatemala (~$1,300/mo)

Africa

9 countries analyzed, average score 26/100. 🇲🇺 Mauritius leads the region at 44/100.

Most affordable: 🇳🇬 Nigeria (~$1,100/mo)

Full Ranking: All 95 Countries

Composite score is a weighted average across all 7 dimensions, adjusted by data confidence. Cost is inverted (higher = cheaper). All scores 0-100.

#	Country	Score	Cost	Safety	Health	Edu	Career	Life	Infra
1	🇸🇬 Singapore	70	7	100	98	100	100	75	100
2	🇯🇵 Japan	67	30	93	100	100	98	48	100
3	🇨🇭 Switzerland	67	0	98	100	86	100	66	100
4	🇩🇰 Denmark	66	10	100	100	84	89	77	93
5	🇳🇱 Netherlands	66	25	83	94	83	100	81	98
6	🇮🇪 Ireland	66	15	100	81	97	98	83	80
7	🇨🇦 Canada	65	20	95	83	98	94	78	85
8	🇦🇹 Austria	65	20	100	98	81	85	73	91
9	🇩🇪 Germany	65	28	88	98	78	100	72	85
10	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	65	0	67	96	100	100	76	100
11	🇰🇷 South Korea	64	27	76	94	100	91	62	100
12	🇫🇮 Finland	64	13	93	100	84	87	73	89
13	🇸🇪 Sweden	64	15	86	98	84	91	75	89
14	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	64	0	88	100	77	100	72	93
15	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	64	17	76	85	100	100	75	89
16	🇧🇪 Belgium	64	27	83	94	94	85	73	87
17	🇦🇺 Australia	63	18	81	83	95	91	87	83
18	🇳🇴 Norway	63	0	86	100	77	94	75	93
19	🇹🇼 Taiwan	63	42	76	94	100	85	59	87
20	🇵🇹 Portugal	62	37	100	83	84	70	82	74
21	🇳🇿 New Zealand	61	23	100	79	94	72	86	69
22	🇮🇸 Iceland	60	0	100	98	70	77	69	81
23	🇪🇸 Spain	60	43	76	89	86	74	73	81
24	🇪🇪 Estonia	60	45	81	77	94	83	69	76
25	🇸🇮 Slovenia	60	43	100	77	89	64	74	70
26	🇫🇷 France	60	22	69	96	77	87	64	91
27	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	59	22	88	79	56	85	72	96
28	🇨🇿 Czechia	58	40	95	79	77	77	64	72
29	🇲🇹 Malta	58	35	83	81	56	72	94	78
30	🇱🇹 Lithuania	57	57	81	68	88	68	65	78
31	🇱🇻 Latvia	55	55	79	64	84	64	65	78
32	🇲🇾 Malaysia	55	70	95	70	45	70	60	78
33	🇵🇱 Poland	55	47	79	53	88	74	65	78
34	🇮🇹 Italy	55	32	76	85	66	68	69	74
35	🇸🇰 Slovakia	54	53	86	66	83	62	63	63
36	🇨🇾 Cyprus	53	42	79	72	55	60	91	63
37	🇭🇺 Hungary	53	58	88	49	83	64	63	65
38	🇶🇦 Qatar	53	20	81	81	45	68	55	93
39	🇺🇸 United States	52	13	31	55	89	100	72	91
40	🇭🇷 Croatia	52	50	90	60	59	57	78	63
41	🇮🇱 Israel	50	17	0	91	73	98	76	81
42	🇺🇾 Uruguay	49	42	64	77	53	60	73	59
43	🇨🇱 Chile	48	48	64	68	48	66	71	61
44	🇧🇭 Bahrain	48	37	60	72	41	77	56	78
45	🇷🇴 Romania	47	70	81	47	52	62	64	50
46	🇬🇷 Greece	47	47	64	62	48	55	77	59
47	🇲🇺 Mauritius	44	70	76	51	41	38	80	48
48	🇷🇸 Serbia	44	75	69	51	56	43	63	48
49	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	44	78	81	43	47	47	62	46
50	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	44	57	67	64	39	51	61	52
51	🇰🇼 Kuwait	43	30	60	68	28	72	39	74
52	🇴🇲 Oman	43	47	69	64	30	55	45	67
53	🇹🇭 Thailand	42	73	31	66	36	64	60	59
54	🇹🇷 Turkey	41	75	14	64	52	51	59	67
55	🇲🇪 Montenegro	40	67	74	43	41	21	71	50
56	🇦🇷 Argentina	40	70	62	60	28	26	68	50
57	🇲🇰 North Macedonia	39	83	69	43	36	26	59	48
58	🇨🇳 China	38	67	26	64	80	64	34	85
59	🇵🇦 Panama	38	47	62	60	16	51	52	48
60	🇬🇪 Georgia	37	87	62	38	27	26	64	50
61	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	36	58	45	43	33	43	75	41
62	🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina	35	80	74	38	27	21	56	33
63	🇵🇪 Peru	35	83	48	43	34	30	62	33
64	🇯🇴 Jordan	34	70	50	55	23	26	52	44
65	🇦🇱 Albania	34	87	69	30	22	13	67	37
66	🇮🇩 Indonesia	33	90	55	38	17	51	40	31
67	🇻🇳 Vietnam	33	82	43	45	58	55	42	52
68	🇧🇷 Brazil	32	80	10	49	28	47	56	44
69	🇲🇽 Mexico	32	63	0	47	30	62	57	48
70	🇹🇳 Tunisia	32	90	57	43	16	13	56	33
71	🇲🇩 Moldova	31	93	57	26	36	9	51	37
72	🇿🇦 South Africa	31	75	21	38	31	47	74	56
73	🇲🇦 Morocco	30	87	52	30	14	21	56	37
74	🇵🇭 Philippines	30	92	45	21	13	43	59	26
75	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	30	63	31	55	30	47	37	63
76	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	28	80	52	34	6	21	53	30
77	🇮🇳 India	28	100	24	28	28	72	44	37
78	🇨🇴 Colombia	27	87	0	38	23	36	51	37
79	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	26	97	43	38	20	21	55	26
80	🇯🇲 Jamaica	26	67	38	30	25	17	71	37
81	🇪🇨 Ecuador	26	83	33	47	20	21	52	33
82	🇲🇳 Mongolia	25	87	50	21	22	4	35	37
83	🇪🇬 Egypt	22	97	17	34	13	30	43	37
84	🇫🇯 Fiji	22	73	52	21	23	0	65	11
85	🇷🇼 Rwanda	21	93	48	17	0	17	57	19
86	🇬🇭 Ghana	20	93	55	13	5	17	49	11
87	🇰🇪 Kenya	19	90	7	17	11	30	62	19
88	🇰🇭 Cambodia	18	100	48	4	2	9	43	22
89	🇳🇵 Nepal	17	100	57	9	0	0	42	0
90	🇬🇹 Guatemala	16	90	21	17	9	4	46	11
91	🇱🇦 Laos	14	100	48	0	0	0	31	0
92	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	13	100	29	0	0	17	30	4
93	🇳🇬 Nigeria	12	100	0	0	0	30	41	0
94	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	8	80	5	0	0	0	34	0
95	🇲🇲 Myanmar	7	100	0	0	0	0	21	0

Methodology

Scoring Dimensions

Cost of Living (weight: 25): Inverted cost index + World Bank PPP. Lower cost = higher score. Intentionally lower-weighted because “cheapest” rarely means “best.”
Safety (weight: 60): Global Peace Index, World Governance Indicators (political stability, rule of law), and UNODC homicide rates.
Healthcare (weight: 60): WHO Universal Health Coverage index, physician density per 10,000, and national life expectancy.
Education (weight: 50): OECD PISA scores (reading, math, science), UNESCO school life expectancy, and tertiary enrollment rates.
Career (weight: 55): ILO labor force participation, World Bank purchasing power index, and Doing Business indicators.
Lifestyle (weight: 50): Composite of climate comfort (35%), EF English Proficiency Index (30%), and visa friendliness (35%).
Infrastructure (weight: 55): ITU ICT Development Index, transport quality indicators, and urban connectivity scores.

Confidence Scoring

Limitations

Data Sources

All scores are derived from institutional data — no surveys, no opinions. Each source is publicly verifiable.

✓Global Peace Index (IEP) — Safety

✓PPP Conversion Factors (World Bank) — Cost

✓Cost of Living Research (WhereNext) — Cost

✓Universal Health Coverage (WHO) — Healthcare

✓PISA Scores (OECD) — Education

✓Human Development Index (UNDP) — Multiple

✓English Proficiency Index (EF) — Lifestyle

✓School Life Expectancy (UNESCO) — Education

✓Labour Statistics (ILO) — Career

✓ICT Development Index (ITU) — Infrastructure

✓Homicide Rates (UNODC) — Safety

✓Governance Indicators (World Bank) — Safety

✓World Economic Outlook (IMF) — Career

✓National Statistics (95) (Various) — Multiple

✓Exchange Rates (ECB) — Cost

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