Your data-driven guide to life beyond Australia
Best Countries for Australians Moving Abroad 2026
Comprehensive rankings for Australians considering a move abroad. We score 95 countries across cost of living, healthcare quality, safety, visa access, and quality of life — powered by institutional public-domain datasets.
Top 15 Countries
Ranked using persona-optimized weights across 7 dimensions. Scores reflect institutional public-domain datasets.
Malta
Singapore
Portugal
Slovenia
New Zealand
Hong Kong
United Arab Emirates
Netherlands
Czechia
Taiwan
South Korea
Canada
Ireland
Estonia
Australia
Tools to Help You Decide
Cost of Living Calculator
Compare your Australian expenses with destinations worldwide to see how far your AUD stretches.
Tax Comparison
Compare Australian tax rates with 95+ countries including Medicare levy equivalents.
Country Quiz
Answer 8 questions to get personalized country rankings based on your priorities and budget.
Climate Finder
Filter 380 cities worldwide by temperature, sunshine, and rainfall to find your perfect climate.
Tax Residency Checker
Are you a tax resident of your new country? The 183-day rule for 8 countries, authority-cited. Not tax advice.
Moving With a Pet
The pet-import timeline + how far ahead to start (EU, UK, Japan, Canada) — the rabies titer wait can add months.
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Ready to Find Your Perfect Country?
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The top 3 destinations for Australians moving abroad in 2026 are Malta (score 67.3/100), Singapore (66.5), and Portugal (64.1). Rankings weight cost of living, healthcare, safety, lifestyle, and visa access for Australian passport holders. Estimated monthly living cost in the #1 destination is around $2,050/mo for a single person. Malta is preferred for strong infrastructure and great healthcare.
Compare all 95 destinations with Australian visa + superannuation context at https://getwherenext.com/find?source=au — 2026 ranks + Australian non-resident tax context.
Eligibility check · Portugal
Would you qualify for Portugal's visa from Australia?
Free, no signup — a deterministic check against the published threshold, with the named regulator beside the number.
Key facts
- #1: Malta 67.3/100 composite score · ~$2,050/mo living cost · top traits: strong infrastructure, great healthcare, visa available.
- #2: Singapore 66.5/100 · ~$2,250/mo living cost.
- #3: Portugal 64.1/100 · ~$2,000/mo living cost.
- Largest Australian expat community: United Kingdom ~160,000 Australians, trend: stable.
- 620K Australians live overseas top destinations by population: UK, NZ, US, Hong Kong, Singapore — Commonwealth ties shape easier visa pathways.
Retirement readiness — Singapore vs Portugal
Seven dimensions scored 0-10 from primary-source data. Composite = weighted mean (visa 20% · healthcare 20% · tax 15% · safety 15% · climate 10% · language 10% · cost 10%).
Verified · WhereNext corridor registry (visa pathway + claim confidence) · WHO 2024 UHC service-coverage index + JCI accreditation directory · US Treasury bilateral income-tax treaties index · IEP Global Peace Index 2025 · Köppen-Geiger climate classification + WHO air-quality database · EF English Proficiency Index 2025 · Numbeo Cost of Living Index 2026-Q1
- Visa ease(?)🇸🇬Singapore4.0🇵🇹Portugal8.0
- Healthcare access(?)🇸🇬Singapore9.0🇵🇹Portugal8.0
- Tax complexity(?)🇸🇬Singapore8.0🇵🇹Portugal6.0
- Safety(?)🇸🇬Singapore9.0🇵🇹Portugal9.0
- Climate(?)🇸🇬Singapore6.0🇵🇹Portugal8.0
- Language(?)🇸🇬Singapore9.0🇵🇹Portugal8.0
- Cost of living(?)🇸🇬Singapore2.0🇵🇹Portugal7.0
Composite (weighted mean)
🇸🇬Singapore6.9🇵🇹Portugal7.7
| Dimension | Weight | Singapore | Portugal | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visa ease | 20% | 4.0 | 8.0 | WhereNext corridor registry (visa pathway + claim confidence) |
| Healthcare access | 20% | 9.0 | 8.0 | WHO 2024 UHC service-coverage index + JCI accreditation directory |
| Tax complexity | 15% | 8.0 | 6.0 | US Treasury bilateral income-tax treaties index |
| Safety | 15% | 9.0 | 9.0 | IEP Global Peace Index 2025 |
| Climate | 10% | 6.0 | 8.0 | Köppen-Geiger climate classification + WHO air-quality database |
| Language | 10% | 9.0 | 8.0 | EF English Proficiency Index 2025 |
| Cost of living | 10% | 2.0 | 7.0 | Numbeo Cost of Living Index 2026-Q1 |
| Composite | 1.00 | 6.9 | 7.7 | Weighted mean (see weights column) |
Healthcare costs — top destinations vs US baseline
Five common line items. Grey bar = US median; primary-green = destination median; amber appears only when the destination is MORE expensive than the US (rare for healthcare).
Verified · WhereNext healthcare-cost dataset
Private ins./mo
GP visit
Specialist visit
ER visit
Dental cleaning
| Line item | Country | Local range | US median | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private ins./mo | 🇸🇬 Singapore | $210-$390 | $500 | −$200 |
| Private ins./mo | 🇵🇹 Portugal | $56-$104 | $500 | −$420 |
| Private ins./mo | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | $105-$195 | $500 | −$350 |
| GP visit | 🇸🇬 Singapore | $55-$105 | $225 | −$145 |
| GP visit | 🇵🇹 Portugal | $45-$90 | $225 | −$157 |
| GP visit | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | $20-$35 | $225 | −$197 |
| Specialist visit | 🇸🇬 Singapore | $90-$175 | $375 | −$242 |
| Specialist visit | 🇵🇹 Portugal | $75-$150 | $375 | −$262 |
| Specialist visit | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | $30-$60 | $375 | −$330 |
| ER visit | 🇸🇬 Singapore | $420-$875 | $1.9K | −$1.2K |
| ER visit | 🇵🇹 Portugal | $360-$750 | $1.9K | −$1.3K |
| ER visit | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | $145-$300 | $1.9K | −$1.6K |
| Dental cleaning | 🇸🇬 Singapore | $35-$70 | $150 | −$97 |
| Dental cleaning | 🇵🇹 Portugal | $30-$60 | $150 | −$105 |
| Dental cleaning | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | $10-$25 | $150 | −$132 |
Where Australians Actually Live Abroad
An estimated 620,000 Australians live overseas. These are the top destinations by population, with trends showing where the community is growing fastest.
United Kingdom
Stable~160,000 Australians
New Zealand
Stable~130,000 Australians
United States
Stable~100,000 Australians
Singapore
Growing~55,000 Australians
UAE
Growing~30,000 Australians
Canada
Growing~28,000 Australians
Japan
Stable~14,000 Australians
Thailand
Growing~25,000 Australians
Indonesia
Growing~20,000 Australians
Portugal
Growing~10,000 Australians
In-depth guides: top destinations for Australians abroad
Complete relocation playbooks with visas, cost breakdowns, healthcare, taxes, and where to live for each top-ranked country.
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