Your data-driven guide to life after the UK
Best Countries for Brits Moving Abroad 2026
Comprehensive rankings for British citizens 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
United Arab Emirates
Portugal
Slovenia
New Zealand
Hong Kong
Czechia
Netherlands
South Korea
Taiwan
Estonia
Canada
Poland
Ireland
Tools to Help You Decide
Cost of Living Calculator
Compare your UK expenses with destinations worldwide to see how far your pounds stretch.
Tax Comparison
Compare UK income tax with 95+ countries including PAYE rates, NICs, and local brackets.
Country Quiz
Answer 8 questions to get personalized country rankings based on your priorities and budget.
Visa Checker
Find visa pathways for UK passport holders — nomad visas, retirement visas, and residency options.
Tax Residency Checker
Are you still UK tax-resident, or resident in 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, Australia, Japan, Canada) — the rabies titer wait can add months.
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Ready to Find Your Perfect Country?
Take the 2-minute quiz to get personalized rankings based on your budget, citizenship, climate preference, and priorities.
Take the QuizMoving on a State Pension? Check which destinations pay it and which freeze annual increases in the pension abroad registry.
Quick answer
Compare all 95 destinations with UK-specific visa + remittance weighting at https://getwherenext.com/find — 2026 ranks + post-Brexit visa context.
Eligibility check · Spain
Would you qualify for Spain's visa from the UK?
Free, no signup — a deterministic check against the published threshold, with the named regulator beside the number.
Key facts
- #1: Malta 66.6/100 composite score · ~$2,050/mo living cost · top traits: strong infrastructure, great healthcare, visa available.
- #2: Singapore 66.3/100 · ~$2,250/mo living cost.
- #3: United Arab Emirates 65.2/100 · ~$2,150/mo living cost.
- Largest UK expat community: Australia ~1,300,000 Brits, trend: growing.
- 4.7M Brits live overseas top destinations by population: Australia, US, Canada, Spain, France — established communities for support and integration.
Retirement readiness — Singapore vs United Arab Emirates
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%).
Updated · 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🇦🇪United Arab Emirates8.0
- Healthcare access(?)🇸🇬Singapore9.0🇦🇪United Arab Emirates9.0
- Tax complexity(?)🇸🇬Singapore8.0🇦🇪United Arab Emirates10.0
- Safety(?)🇸🇬Singapore9.0🇦🇪United Arab Emirates9.0
- Climate(?)🇸🇬Singapore6.0🇦🇪United Arab Emirates4.0
- Language(?)🇸🇬Singapore9.0🇦🇪United Arab Emirates9.0
- Cost of living(?)🇸🇬Singapore2.0🇦🇪United Arab Emirates5.0
Composite (weighted mean)
🇸🇬Singapore6.9🇦🇪United Arab Emirates8.1
| Dimension | Weight | Singapore | United Arab Emirates | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visa ease | 20% | 4.0 | 8.0 | WhereNext corridor registry (visa pathway + claim confidence) |
| Healthcare access | 20% | 9.0 | 9.0 | WHO 2024 UHC service-coverage index + JCI accreditation directory |
| Tax complexity | 15% | 8.0 | 10.0 | US Treasury bilateral income-tax treaties index |
| Safety | 15% | 9.0 | 9.0 | IEP Global Peace Index 2025 |
| Climate | 10% | 6.0 | 4.0 | Köppen-Geiger climate classification + WHO air-quality database |
| Language | 10% | 9.0 | 9.0 | EF English Proficiency Index 2025 |
| Cost of living | 10% | 2.0 | 5.0 | Numbeo Cost of Living Index 2026-Q1 |
| Composite | 1.00 | 6.9 | 8.1 | 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).
Updated · 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 | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | $175-$325 | $500 | −$250 |
| Private ins./mo | 🇵🇹 Portugal | $56-$104 | $500 | −$420 |
| GP visit | 🇸🇬 Singapore | $55-$105 | $225 | −$145 |
| GP visit | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | $45-$90 | $225 | −$157 |
| GP visit | 🇵🇹 Portugal | $45-$90 | $225 | −$157 |
| Specialist visit | 🇸🇬 Singapore | $90-$175 | $375 | −$242 |
| Specialist visit | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | $75-$150 | $375 | −$262 |
| Specialist visit | 🇵🇹 Portugal | $75-$150 | $375 | −$262 |
| ER visit | 🇸🇬 Singapore | $420-$875 | $1.9K | −$1.2K |
| ER visit | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | $360-$750 | $1.9K | −$1.3K |
| ER visit | 🇵🇹 Portugal | $360-$750 | $1.9K | −$1.3K |
| Dental cleaning | 🇸🇬 Singapore | $35-$70 | $150 | −$97 |
| Dental cleaning | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | $30-$60 | $150 | −$105 |
| Dental cleaning | 🇵🇹 Portugal | $30-$60 | $150 | −$105 |
Where Brits Actually Live Abroad
An estimated 4.7 million British citizens live overseas. These are the top destinations by population, with trends showing where the community is growing fastest.
Australia
Growing~1,300,000 Brits
United States
Stable~700,000 Brits
Canada
Stable~600,000 Brits
Spain
Growing~380,000 Brits
France
Stable~350,000 Brits
Ireland
Growing~290,000 Brits
New Zealand
Growing~270,000 Brits
Germany
Growing~150,000 Brits
UAE
Growing~120,000 Brits
Portugal
Growing~60,000 Brits
Thailand
Growing~55,000 Brits
Cyprus
Stable~50,000 Brits
Essentials Brits Set Up First
Two recurring questions in every relocation case: how do I cover medical emergencies abroad, and how do I move money without losing 4% to bank fees? These are the defaults we'd pick first.
In-depth guides: top destinations for British expats
Complete relocation playbooks with visas, cost breakdowns, healthcare, taxes, and where to live for each top-ranked country.
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