Where Are Americans Moving Abroad? (Top 10 Places)
If you’re a US citizen thinking about moving abroad right now, you’re not alone. I’m Kristen, the author of Moving Abroad for Dummies, and I’ve been helping people move abroad for the last 20 years. So, let’s jump right in and count down the top 10 places that real people are moving to. Kicking off this list is the majority of people that I talk to, and these are people who are undecided on where they want to move. And I know this isn’t technically a place, but I really wanted to share this with you because everyone that I talk to is almost embarrassed that they haven’t picked a country to move to yet by the time they talk to me. And they feel like they’re all alone. You’re the only ones who struggle with making this decision. So, I want you to know that you’re not alone. And like probably 80 90% of the people I talk to are undecided in at least some way about where they want to move abroad. Now, typically you might have one or two regions in mind. For example, maybe you’re looking at a lot of different countries in Europe, or maybe you’re looking at a few countries in Latin America, but we also see people that are torn between different continents. We have someone right now who’s interested in moving to Portugal, but also her heart is kind of pulling her towards Thailand, Malaysia, over in Southeast Asia. So, my job and with my team is to help you choose the right destination for you that makes sense on paper, but also feels good in your heart. So, if that’s you, if you’ve been researching a 100 countries and you feel like you’re back at square one, don’t worry, you’re not alone. And chances are that you’re interested in moving to one of the next nine countries on this list. Ninth on our list is the UK. And despite the often gray weather and high costs compared to many other European countries, a lot of Americans are drawn here. I think first and foremost this is because of the familiarity and ties between the US and the UK. Of course, the United States has a long history with the British and so I think a lot of US citizens have family members and extended relatives that are from this part of the world. I know myself from doing a DNA test, I’m at least 25% Scottish and Irish. So we get a lot of people that want to kind of follow their ancestry to the UK and also because they feel a sense of familiarity with people who speak the same language that are culturally pretty similarly aligned. And so we get a lot of requests for moving to the UK, including Scotland. The issue with moving to the UK for US citizens who are voluntarily leaving the United States is that you’re limited here on your residency options. Now, with a US passport, you can stay up to 180 days per calendar year in the UK as a tourist. You want to go around, travel around, and just experience the country temporarily and kind of like an exploratory trip and see if you might want to move there in the future. But when it comes to moving there directly, the UK is one of the more stricter countries when it comes to letting in um migrants from other places. So, they don’t offer a digital nomad visa. They don’t offer a retirement visa. They’ve pretty much cancelled all of their investor visa options except for a really specific innovator visa that you can apply for if you qualify. The really the main options for going there are with a work permit or a study permit. So that won’t necessarily work for you if you’re retired, but maybe if you want to go back to school and genuinely learn something, then that that could be an option. A work permit as well. If if you don’t want to work anymore, then it’s not going to be a good option for you. or if you work remotely and you don’t want to have an in-person job. But if you do manage to get a job offer from a UK company, then that is a valid way to to get there. But job searches can take some time, so make sure you plan for that. In eighth place, we have Italy. A country that never goes out of style, but also never fails with its frustrating bureaucracy. Italy is one place that expats actually don’t like living. according to the Expat Insider Index, but it’s still a romantic place to think about moving. There’s a lot of reasons that people tell me why they want to move to Italy, and maybe you can relate to some of them. I mean, I get it. I’ve been there a few times, and it’s absolutely gorgeous. So, I think the the whole lifestyle of Italy is what makes it so appealing, especially for people who want to move there to retire, want to work remotely. It can be a really tough place to live if you’re going to get a work visa because the salaries can be lower than you’re used to and also a lot of foreign workers based in Italy do complain about the bureaucracy. But if you’re just going to, you know, enjoy Lechce Vita and uh live in Tuskanyany sipping wine and sitting at cafes, people watching, then it’s a good place to go. I think also if you like the the coastal areas, you’ve got such beautiful places to choose from. from places like Posatano, Sicily as well. So there’s a lot of diversity in places to live in Italy, especially when you’re comparing the north to the south, the central part of Italy to the coastline. No matter where you live, you’re not too far away from other places. So if you want to be up in the northern area, maybe in a midsized town like Verona, maybe a city like Bolognia, and you want to be kind of closer to the mountains, you can do that. You can actually live in the mountains. You can live in the Dolommites area. You can be in the center of all the action in the cosmopolitan city of Rome. Or you can live kind of like a more Mediterranean beachy lifestyle in the south of Italy. And uh Italy also offers quite a few different visa options if you want to move there. Because of the bureaucracy, they do have some of the more strict requirements when it comes to qualifying for these options. but you have a retirement visa in the form of the elective residence visa with pretty moderate income requirements. The key with this one is that it’s really for moving to Italy permanently. So, if you’re just thinking about trying it out and you’re not committed to living in Italy longterm, then this specific retiree permit is not the best one for you. You might want to look at some other countries that have more flexible options. But if you’re thinking of just retiring there permanently, living your golden years in Italy, and then from there traveling to some other European countries, then that could be a good one for you. They also offer a digital nomad visa, also a freelancer visa. The freelancer visa is limited, so it can be competitive to get. And the digital nomad visa, you really have to show a lot of proof of work history to be able to get that one. They also have a study permit if you’re serious about learning Italian and you’ve already taken some Italian classes. If you want to get a head start on that, you can check out my link to Rosetta Stone below this video. Not sponsored, but love that you can do it on the go on your phone, at your computer at home and and get a head start on that language before you actually get there. Because with the Italian study permit, you will need to uh show that you’ve learned some Italian when you go in for your consular appointment. Now, if you want to go to a different type of school, not to learn Italian, maybe you already speak it and you want to study something else, probably still need to know quite a bit of Italian anyway. So, it can’t hurt either way. There’s also an investor visa in Italy, which is one of the few European countries that still has an investor visa. So, if you want to shell out €250,000, a million euro, depending on the investment that you go for in government bonds, Italian company, and a startup, there’s a few different options there. That one’s more flexible. It can also be processed a bit faster. So Italy is a big one for the lifestyle, for the food and wine. They need more people as well. They want foreigners to come in. They want to boost the population in certain places. That’s why there’s some areas that have incentives for people to buy properties and renovate them. So if that’s what you see in your future, then you’re not alone because Italy is the eighth most popular place for my clients to go. [Music] The seventh most requested place from my relocation clients is Mexico. This is a great place for you if you want to be a short flight from the US so you can go back and forth to visit friends or family or perhaps even for medical care. Moving to Mexico is a very optimal choice if you want to be close to the US, lower your cost of living, and still be within striking distance to go back and visit without feeling like you’re inundated with all of the craziness that happens in the US every day. So, it’s like you’re right there looking from the outside in. And although Canada gets a lot of press about being the number one place that Americans want to move, especially for political reasons, it’s actually one of the least requested destinations on my list. So, realistically, many more people actually move to Mexico than the people who say, “Oh, I’m moving to Canada if so and so wins the election.” And people still do that, but much fewer a number of people compared to what you see in the Google searches online with like searches to Canada spiking a million%. At the end of the day, more people are moving to Mexico because more flexible residency options there. You’ve got a much lower cost of living and also the weather is better as well. So our clients are going with either the temporary residence permit or the permanent residence permit into Mexico and they’re living in a lot of different areas. I think Portoarta area has been really popular this year. Wajaka has been really popular. San Miguel diende, Lake Chapala area. Back in 10, 12 years ago, it was a lot more popular among my clients to go places on the beach, places like Pleel, Cararman, Cabo, San Lucas, Rosarto, where you can just go back and forth into San Diego whenever you want. But these days, people want to, I think, experience a more authentic type of lifestyle and be maybe not in the most touristy areas like Cancun, for example. But, um, we can help you move anywhere in Mexico and, you know, get a little more adventurous off the beaten path. I think a lot of people are drawn to Mexico for the location close to the US and also for the lower cost of living. If especially if you’re on a pension of around a,000 to $2,000 per month and your money is not going to go very far these days in the United States, then Mexico is a great option and also a place where you can really find an international community in addition to speaking with the local people. So again, I’ll link to Rosetta Stone below if you need to work on your Spanish because there’s definitely a lot of areas there where English is not spoken. In sixth place, we have my old stomping ground, Costa Rica. And like Mexico, it’s just a 3 to 5 hour flight to many US destinations. It has perfect weather and also a lot of diversity in places to live where you want to be at the beach or in the mountains of the Central Valley. and it has a very laid-back, slowpaced lifestyle. That’s right, I’m talking about the Pura Vita lifestyle. Ever since I’ve been in my 20s and old enough to know about retirement destinations for US retirees, Costa Rica has always been up there. It’s not the highest most popular place compared to other places that I’m personally helping people move to right now, but it is a place that’s always at the top of the list because you’ve got pretty advanced healthcare, you’ve got really good weather, you’ve got the close distance to the United States, and it does have that slowpaced lifestyle that a lot of people are looking for after working so hard for so many decades in their careers. So, they also offer a a digital nomad visa there now in Costa Rica. And actually, I would say it’s one of the best countries in the world to move to when it comes to different options, like visa options because they’re really embracing bringing in people from different countries. They’re flexible with people coming from Nicaragua, Venezuela, all over Latin America, and also for uh US and other international investors and retirees. You’ve got the Pensionado visa. You’ve got the Universista visa. You have, you know, you can invest in real estate there and and get residency. And you’ve also got the pretty new digital nomad visa. Costa Rica was one of the first countries to offer a digital nomad visa. And that’s a really flexible one there. They also have a really generous passport tourist visa that used to be 90 days. Now you can come in and out after 180 days of staying there. their economy is very tourism dependent and they’ve also offered a lot of different long-term residency options for people who uh want to move there. They also offer a lot of different perks of being able to, you know, bring in some homegoods or a car if you’re going to be moving there. So, you’ve got a lot going for you if you want to go to Costa Rica. And then you also have a real diversity in the places that you can live. You can get that quintessential like stunningly beautiful tropical beach lifestyle where you wake up to the sounds of howler monkeys in the trees and you walk outside and there’s flowers and hummingbirds and it’s just like it seems fake sometimes but it it’s a real place. It’s very tropical. You’ve got like 32 different microclimates all around the country. So you can choose to live in the more temperate places in the central valley and then from there you can drive or fly to a lot of different parts of the country if you want to go to the beach or you can do the opposite. You can choose to live in one of the more rural areas or one of the more developed areas on the beach where you’ve got to contend a bit more with the elements as far as the heat, the dust, the humidity. Make sure to get a dehumidifier if you’re going to be living pretty much anywhere in Costa Rica and then commute into San Jose or Liberia or some of the bigger towns to be able to go shopping or, you know, go to events, go to the movies, like certain things that you can’t do in Corkovado National Park, for example. The cost of living is one sticking point for living in Costa Rica, but I I have interviewed a lot of people who’ve moved there and they’re able to keep their cost below $2,000 per month. For me, it was around 2500 to 3,000 a month with a car. And there’s really no limit on how much you can spend in Costa Rica. If you want to have a really nice and luxurious lifestyle, if you can spend a lot of money there, but you can also save money there if you’re frugal and you shop at the markets. I have a lot of videos about living there since I live there as well. So, I will link to those below. In fifth place, we have somewhere that might surprise you. Over in Europe, the Netherlands is trending this year more than ever before, especially for US citizens. And the main reason for this is because the Netherlands is quite a safe country with a very large international English-speaking population. There’s also a path to live there permanently with visas such as the Dutch American Friendship Treaty or Daft visa. The Netherlands is a place that really was not popular among my relocation clients before the 2024 elections. And then we had a big surge in people wanting to go there. It’s a country with a very strong social safety net. So it attracts people who maybe voted on the other side of the aisle during 2024 elections, but they see reflected in the lifestyle and society of the Netherlands, a place that upholds a lot of the values that they have living in the US and that maybe aren’t as pronounced or developed in the the US culture and society right now. Things like universal health care, for example, but also higher taxes. The Netherlands is one of the higher taxed countries in Europe. Although Europe in general being more of a socialist area, does have higher taxes, but also you get a lot more for those taxes. So, we’ve seen people want to move to the Netherlands for the stability, the safety, the developed nature of the country and society. It’s a place where typically the trains are running on time. You’ve got a lot of different transportation options. You can bike anywhere in the country. You can take the tram. You’ve got Ubers, buses. I mean, you’ve kind of got everything. So, it makes it a really convenient place to live. And although the housing market can be really competitive and quite expensive once you have a place to live, your actual costs of living can be quite low when it comes to food, especially if you’re shopping at markets. I know a lot of people like to go to the market towards the end of the day where they can get a lot of deals with like bags of produce or a watermelon or something for only €1. So, things that we would pay five times more in the United States. And I know a lot of my Dutch friends keep a pretty moderate cost of living of around 2,000 euro a month or less in some cases up to maybe two to three,000 a month. But as a US citizen moving to the Netherlands, you want to definitely have some money saved in the bank because you’re going to need that proof of finances to be able to rent a property. Landlords are going to go for the safest bets. So, if you’ve got a lot of money in the bank and you can show that you’re going to be living there long term and you’re not just going to leave after a few months or you won’t be able to pay your rent, the laws are very like leaning towards the tenants in the Netherlands. So, landlords can be really cautious. So, you want to make sure that you’re going there with a plan, with a business plan if you’re going to be applying for the daft, have a good financial situation so that you can compete in the housing market. Once you do get a place to live there and you get really acclimated to the lifestyle, I don’t find the cost of living to be much higher than than other countries in Europe. The downside to moving here is that they don’t offer a retirement visa there. So for US citizens, you’ve got work permit, study permit, or the DAT visa. So if you’re not planning to start a business there or work there or study, then it’s not the best place to go. But you can always go to another country in Europe and then travel to the Netherlands if you’d like. Another downside, of course, is the weather. As much as I love the Netherlands, I never fully adapt to the rainy and cold and windy weather and the darkness as well in the winter. So, if that’s going to be an issue for you, then maybe you want to go somewhere like Spain, south of France, somewhere that’s a little bit sunnier and warmer. There are strong paths to being able to study and work in the Netherlands, and many Dutch companies also hire international employees. Another country known for its rainy and cloudy weather is Ireland. Ireland is a big hot spot for people who are looking for an English-speaking country. So, a lot of people who are interested in the UK are also interested in going to Ireland. And also in the last couple years, my Irish friends have said it’s been a lot less rainy and cold and gray than the past. So I don’t know if that’s related to climate change, but um maybe the weather’s getting a little bit warmer than it was before, not as cold and gray and dreary. And you’ve got really beautiful green landscapes, nice countrysides, well-developed cities and infrastructure that make Ireland a really attractive place to live. Now the options to be able to live in Ireland are limited. They don’t have a digital nomad visa, but they do have a retirement visa in the form of the Stamp Zero permit. That is a path to permanent residency. Historically, it hasn’t been a really clear path to citizenship, but I have heard from some lawyers in Ireland that they have been able to um help their clients get citizenship on that path. So, we do have a lot of people that are actively interested in moving there with the Stamp Zero and also people who are looking to work for Irish companies. So like the Netherlands, Ireland’s economy is quite international. It’s a lot of English- speakaking people. You know, most people speak English in Ireland and they are open to hiring international workers. But on the flip side, that openness to the international market has put a lot of upward pressure on housing prices leading to a really similar housing crunch as Netherlands. So you know, they really need newer construction and there’s more demand than there is housing available. So that’s created a tricky scenario of locals needing housing as much as foreigners that are coming in to work. But it’s also helped the Irish economy grow a lot in the past few decades. So pros and cons, people, pros and cons. This housing crisis leads to the cost of living in Ireland being a lot higher when it comes to rent, which is typically, you know, a big portion of your income goes to paying rent. So, if you’re flexible and you don’t need to be in Dublin, then maybe you want to look at some of the smaller towns and villages around Ireland. Definitely a much more popular place for my clients in the last couple years. Although, once people realize the the limits to the residency options there, then sometimes they end up choosing another country, especially remote workers, since you aren’t really supposed to be working on that stamp zero. [Music] If you’re looking for somewhere with a slightly lower cost of living, well, 15% of our clients choose to move to Portugal, which is especially popular with retirees, digital nomads, and people with passive income. Portugal is kind of like the Costa Rica of Europe in the way that they have really made a specific effort to bring in international residents. They used to have a real estate golden visa. They still have different golden visa options there to buy residency through investment. They also have a D7 passive income visa that works really well for retirees who have at least around the equivalent of about $1,000 a month in passive income. They also have the D8 visa for digital nomads. They were one of the first countries to have a digital nomad visa. So, there’s a lot of different paths for people to be able to live in Portugal. I think that’s one of the main reasons why it’s been so popular. It’s one of the few European countries that has so many options for people of different ages and different types of jobs and different walks of life. Of course, you’ve also got the really nice weather there. It’s very sunny there, beautiful climate, very mild climate compared to other parts of Europe. And you’ve got the beaches, you’ve got the coastline, you’ve got the mountains, you’ve got just a really beautiful surroundings and a really big international community. So, it’s a place where if you want to learn Portuguese, then the locals are really friendly and and welcoming. If you also want to be able to, you know, run your business from there, go to meetups, go to tech conferences. You can meet a lot of people from different countries around the world, which is great for inspiration, creativity, business connections. You’ve got city life, you’ve got the beaches of the Algarve, you’ve got kind of the quieter pace of life up in the north. And uh my parents just got back from 2 weeks in Portugal. They really liked it. They went all over the place. I think we can show the map. My dad just sent me yesterday the list of all of the places that he went to in Portugal. And he said he hasn’t seen this specific itinerary anywhere online. So he thinks they’re the only ones that have done this specific route if you want to copy them. They went places like Kimbra, Ao, all over. I think they even went into Spain actually. On the downside, like Ireland, Portugal also suffers from a housing crisis. The government is is taking a lot of steps to be able to remedy that situation, but it’s still not as affordable as it was like, let’s say, 10 years ago. But then again, where, you know, which places are as affordable as they were 10 years ago? I don’t know. That being said, the tradeoff for the price of, you know, housing with the benefits of living in Portugal, a lot of people still choose to live there. Just make sure to plan ahead if you’re going to be moving there because the waiting times can be pretty long to be able to get an appointment with a consulate in the US. Also can be a bit long to approve those visas. So you definitely want to make sure you have all your paperwork in order and we can certainly help you with that by inquiring through my website. In second place we have France. And I mean what can I say? There’s a lot to love about France. From the beaches of Veritz to the fields of Provence to Paris’s cosmopolitan vibe. I think you know like Italy what really attracts people Americans especially to France is that beautiful life. This quality of life that is so important to the French people, culture, society. It’s certainly a place where you get the impression that it’s more of a work to live rather than live to work culture, which can be a refreshing opposite from the US rat race. And I I think that US citizens really, if you’ve ever been to France on vacation, you really can see that in the society. I’m not saying it’s perfect. France has plenty of problems. But for people that just want to live a nice lifestyle, that want to enjoy really good food, good wine, more relaxed pace, I mean, France really stands out as a great destination. It’s also very centrally located where any day you can take the train anywhere in France, you can go over to England, you can go to neighboring countries, you’ve got really affordable flights around Europe, and it’s a place that you can spend a lifetime exploring, just France. And you’ve got a lot of different options of places to live from the beaches, the Mediterranean, the center of of France. You’ve got the mountains and the Alps over there. Or you can, you know, choose a city like Tulus Leon and have like a more convenient type of lifestyle and then be able to travel to more rural areas whenever you’d like. I have a lot of really happy clients living in France. I’ve been there quite a few times myself. I definitely see myself living there in the future, definitely retiring there. And I’m I’m not alone because France is number two on our list today. And fortunately, France also offers a longstay visa that is pretty flexible. Whether you’re retired or have passive income or you’re working remotely, as long as you’re not serving French citizens through your business and your clients are are abroad, that can work for people and that can give you access to the local health care system, that can be a path to permanent residency there. So, it’s also despite the bureaucracy of France, it’s also one of the faster visas to process compared to some other countries. So, it’s been a big winner for my clients and it’s hard to not enjoy living in France. So, I think you can’t really go wrong there. The healthc care is also among the best in the world. So, people really love that. I think the hardest part about moving to France is deciding where to live. So, we’ve done a lot of research for our clients and figuring out all sorts of things from which breeds of dogs they can bring in to schools that their kids can go to, getting approval for homeschooling and in some cases and even down to the wind speeds and the topography, the elevation in certain areas because the weather can change so drastically around all the different areas of France. But I do have a video on the best places to live in France that I will link to below. On the downsides, no country is perfect and France is no exception. So the taxes are definitely a consideration for people moving to France. Although there are tax treaties and and credits that you can get between the US and France. The inheritance tax is also a sticking point. France has very specific inheritance rules and that can affect you if you, you know, live your whole life in the US and then retire in France. Those can definitely have an impact as well. and the culture. I think there’s two sides to the stories. A lot of people say that it can be hard to adapt to the French culture and really integrate with the community there. And other people say that that’s blown out of proportion and they’ve had an amazing experience and they’ve been very welcomed there. It’s definitely a country where learning the French language can really help you. So definitely keep that in mind if you’re going to be going there or if you have kids and you know putting them into French schools versus international schools where you can get classes in English. I think it’s definitely one of those countries as opposed to somewhere like the Netherlands where it’s really difficult to learn Dutch and you can get by with English. I think in France if you’re going to be living there long term, especially if you want to be getting citizenship there after 10 years, then it’s really critical to learn the language. And numero uno, my friends, is Spain. Spain is a number one choice for my US relocation clients this year due to a variety of reasons. I think it really has the whole package. It offers a retiree visa in the form of the non-lucrative visa. It also has a digital nomad visa. So, you’ve got a couple of different options for ways to live in Spain longterm. Also, a path to citizenship. You have amazing weather. In some cases, too hot. We’ve been getting some complaints of Spain being too hot, especially in Madrid and kind of the more interior parts of Spain, but like France, you have a lot of variety in places to live. Some of the most popular places are places like Malaga um on the coast of Del Soul, Seville, Valencia, Madrid. Also up in the northern part of Spain, San Sebastian area, Aarunia, people really like Spain. You’ve got great food. You’ve got really easy transportation. You can go skiing in the winter. You can go to the beach in the summer. You’ve got the islands, the Boleric Islands, and you’re also close to other countries in Europe with a lot of really lowcost budget flights. I think one thing that’s been holding my clients back this year has been the perception of foreigners in Spain. There’s been a lot of protests, anti-ourism protests in Spain. And so, they really don’t want to be part of the problem when it comes to the gentrification of certain areas, higher housing crisis. And my opinion on this is a bit I I explain more in another video that I have on are Americans ruining Portugal. And my perception is a little bit different than maybe you would find in the news media. Really, a lot of the tourism protests shouldn’t necessarily be directed at US citizens that are moving to Spain, but it’s more towards tourism in general, of which European countries citizens are the top tourism arrivals to these countries. So the top tourists to Spain are from the UK and France and Germany as well as to Portugal. You’ve got a lot of European tourists coming into Portugal raising the prices. So that’s really contributing. Regardless, some of my clients who have gone to Spain on exploratory trips have told me that they didn’t necessarily feel very welcomed in places like Seville, Valencia that are really popular places to go, Malaga as well. But Spain is a big country. You have a lot of areas to explore and I do have a lot of really happy clients living there. Some of whom I’m going to be visiting for upcoming videos on the channel. So, make sure to subscribe so that you don’t miss those. If you’d like help moving to any of the countries on this list or not on this list, you can reach out to my team and I at travelingwithchristen.com/relocation and watch these videos next for some of the best places to live in top countries on this list, including Spain and Portugal.
Want to leave the U.S.? You’re not alone. I collected data from 128 of my relocation clients, and these are the top 10 places they’re (really) moving to this year. Whether you’re retiring abroad, becoming a digital nomad, or just looking for a “Plan B” for you and your family, this list will give you insight into the most popular destinations for U.S. expats (and why people are choosing them). Resources Mentioned → Rosetta Stone Language Discount: https://partners.rosettastone.com/travelingwithkristin-aff
→ Moving Abroad For Dummies Book: https://amzn.to/4eTs9T2
→ Get Moving Abroad Support: https://www.travelingwithkristin.com/relocation
Related Videos:
Chapters:
00:00 Start
00:15 10th – Undecided
1:30 9th – UK
3:40 8th – Italy
7:51 7th – Mexico
10:23 6th – Costa Rica
14:17 5th – Netherlands
18:02 4th – Ireland
20:35 3rd – Portugal
23:38 2nd – France
27:54 1st – Spain
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
👱🏻♀️ About: Kristin Wilson is the author of Digital Nomads For Dummies and Moving Abroad For Dummies. She’s the creator and host of the top-rated Traveling with Kristin Podcast and YouTube channel. She’s traveled to more than 60 countries and has been helping people move overseas since 2005.
❤️ Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/travelingwithkristin
📸 Follow on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TWKinstagram
🎙 Subscribe to the podcast: https://bit.ly/twkpodcast
💌 Stay in touch with my weekly travel newsletter: https://bit.ly/twktravel
PS: This video is for entertainment purposes only and is not consulting or advice. Video descriptions may contain affiliate or refer-a-friend links for products I use and recommend. Thanks for supporting the channel!
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
#americans #movingabroad #leavingamerica
47 Comments
I just realized that this is one of my longer videos, but it's worth it! 😊 I hope this video gives you a lot of valuable information about the top places US citizens are moving to right now (based on real people that I've personally helped).
Very informative video. Thanks so much for sharing. We are looking at a lot of places to retire and it's overwhelming when you consider all of the places in the world.
I’m making to the US.
Have you ever covered Armenia?
I am from the USA but have lived and worked in Europe full-time since 1992. Mostly in Eastern Europe. I think that your clients might want to expand their pool of prospect countries in Europe. I currently live in Cyprus.
Be careful with the reliability of the Expat Insider mentioned at 3:55. Their rankings cannot be taken seriously. Four Arab nations in the top 20, including Saudi Arabia! Did they ask any women? And in their 2022 survey "Quality of life": Russia was better than UK, USA and Italy. What a joke.
very stupid to move from America to an even worse continent like Europe
Norhing new. Lots of people havw been thinking about leaving for the last 4 years.
Thanks very much for this, appreciate your hard work. I was wondering about Vienna, Austria – good place to live and work, or retire?
My wife told me we could move to France if I learn French. I am super motivated.
I was in full on cringe mode checking the comments, fully expecting the usual "if you want to leave the US, leave now" BS. So glad the comments are largely positive.
Odd that you say Expats don't like living in Italy when its 37 out of 190 countries and 4 places higher than the UK the first country on the list. Most of the countries on the list are only 10 or so places higher, and Costa Rica doesn't even appear in the top 49.
Hi, Kristin, how are you doing? Are you in Europe now? I hope you're in a safe place. Thanks for this relocation advice. I minored in Geography in College. I'd like to put in my 2 cents worth. Some of these Countries might look good on paper but people need to take into consideration Climate and weather. My #1 recommendation for a stable Country for budget minded Americans is Spain. Italy, Croatia and Albania have Earthquakes. Albania, Macedonia and Greece has crime. And hotter than hell in Summer. Enough for now. Good luck, everyone.
Thanks again Kristen, for an honest and thorough listing.
My son lives in Rotterdam and housing is very tight. Very difficult to find. The country is great otherwise.
"The Master's Voice Prophecy Blog
"OCT/26-27/ PROVOCATION"'For Whosoever shall call upon the name of the LORD shall be saved'
Romans 10 13 AMEIN ✝️🤍✨🙏
France 💓🇫🇷
We do not need us maga shit in Europe stay Home we are full no houses for eu people
The UK is not strict. If you go on a boat from France you get a 5 star hotel, free phone, free car, free housing, free food. Better trestment than most cistisens. Also you can have a macete in your pocket and your excuse for doing so will be culture.
The UK has sadly had to become a lot stricter with immigration due to the events going on. And the way it’s displayed in the media.
it is probably a good idea, to talk to a professional, before deciding, where to move. It is a huge commitment, you better make that an educated joice and not just rely on gut feeling or move somewhere, because your grand, grand grandfather came from there.
Make sure you don't end up in one of the fracture zone (crush zones) which the American Century intends to create forever wars in.
Forever war.
This is divide-and-rule.
Forever lies, forever narrative spinning, forever crises, forever wars, are all a part of a wider strategy: divide-and-rule.
The War on Drugs is NOT about drugs. This ongoing FOREVER WAR as narrative invention, termed War on Drugs (1960s) isn't tragedy or mistakes or anything else but deliberate, and paid for by a variety of money-funded institutions, state or private, but both patriotically inclined. It isn't about "protecting poor Americans" (foundation for this argument: see how Portugal ended its very own "war on drugs" with a variety of means which were not only CHEAPER in the long run, but do NOT have a geopolitical angle to it, as "meddling in other countries"). The War on Drugs, is sobre todo, VERY PROFITABLE for some, and very unfortunate not only for citizens INSIDE the USA, but also outside the USA, which steered/manages/moderates this forever war. A racket, in a looong long list of "rackets" (see War is a Racket/Smedley-Butler).
This is divide-and-rule on and over Latin America.
Same as the Vietnam War was NOT about "getting attacked in the Golf of Tonkin" or had anything to do with the narrative of "stopping communism," but the effort to create an unsinkable aircraft carrier (forward operating base) on China's border (admitted by McNamara).
This was divide-and-rule on and over SE Asia, aimed at China.
Same as the 2003 invasion of Iraq was NOT about "WMDs" or "Saddam responsible for 911" but about eternal imperialist DIVIDE-AND-RULE (divide-and destroy a region/scorched earth) in West Asia and just the first of the "7 countries in 5 years"-forever war YOU HAVE PAID FOR, for 100 years.
This is divide-and-rule on and over West Asia.
Same as "Remember the Alamo" was not about "helping poor freedom fighters", but about creating lebensraum for European settler colonists following in the wake of wars and landgrabs.
This was divide-and-rule on and over Mexico.
Same as "Remember the Maine" was not about those "nasty Spanish with the BLACK LEGEND written for them" (see footnote 1) which had to be taught a lesson, but about laying down the stepping stones to the Far East, and China, and implementing imperialist goals which incl. the Caribbean Islands taken by force, Central American forever wars since the same time (around 1900), and the Pacific colonial ventures (like Hawaii, once independent but annexed), Cuba, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Guam, etc. They are still obsessed with Chy-naaah, and still obsessed with boxing it in? (see Footnote 2)
This was divide-and-rule on and over the Spanish Empire.
They want a weak Chy-naaah (Trump quote), just like 100 and 200 years ago, carved up into franchises ("Century of Humiliation") which leads to resistance, which is then painted in the darkest of colours the "writers of history" can get away with…
The BLACK LEGEND.
The concept of the "Yellow Peril" simply never died.
When you try to "escape" the effects of imperialism, make sure you don't jump from the frying pan into the fire…
Hi Kristin – do you have any suggestions for countries who provide good senior care (affordable and/or the elderly are treated well and highly respected)? I am not senior yet, but if making a big move to another country, i want this to be my final move….
Could a "tourist" retiree in Ireland or the UK get by with visa runs between Northern Ireland and the Republic? I understand that visa runs are popular in southeast Asia but wonder if it could work in Europe.
You don't know if the weather changes in Ireland is due to climate change, but everybody else knows that it is.
Okay France has always been a bit attractive for Uk, but what is going on to be this high even with USA ?
I always thiught that americans did go more in Germany and Netherlands
Check your credit card portal. Rosetta Stone and babel are usually half off for a year. Duolingo no discounts but get 4-10x points for a year subscription.
You are missing one of the most popular country for expats…Panama
While well meaning I'm sure, Kristin's vision is hopelessly out of step with today's realty in Portugal. The current sentiment towards immigrants is very hostile and getting worse daily.
Visit Portugal all you can; on the surface it's great. But if you are thinking about relocating here, por favor, watch some not so 'rah-rah' videos to see what's under the surface.
Are you single??? Asking for a….nevermind I’m asking for myself
The UK? Starmer's Muslim & WEF nightmare?
I have sort of have a tall order. At 66 the most important criteria are good hospital/ medical intervention, good weather almost year round, nice golf courses with reasonable rates for locals. Any suggestions are welcome.
Why would anybody want to go to the u?K , it is overrun with immigrants and the citizens there are treated like illegals , crazy
I’ll bet if you arrived to the UK in a rubber boat, and a Nigerian passport; you could stay as long as you want.
I had enough and took off for better pastures during the orange ones first regime. I immigrated south and it was the best decision I ever made.. I live like a king here
I thought about moving out of the USA because of the extremely evil man in the White House, but it's terribly expensive.
Spaniards are absolutely sick and tired of tourists as well as foreign expats.
Depending on the country most of the time life gets worse for the locals when they let americans in. Housing and food become expensive they have to deal wit the antisocial arrogant attitude not to mention the racism. They basically export same mindset that made their country unlivable.
Australia and New Zealand – English speaking..
I moved from Brazil to California in the 90s. I love the USA but am not sure living in America is sustainable in the long run as the country keeps declining at an accelerated pace. Moving back to Brazil is not a great option for me because IMO, Brazil is not in great shape at all and many of the issues we have in the US are also present in Brazil. I am trying to figure out what's next. The EU is in turmoil and places like Australia/NZ which I love are also expensive and becoming authoritarian. It is hard to find a great place where it is safe, welcoming to foreigners, and cheap.
Why shouldn’t they leave? No one wants them to be here.
You complain about the cost of living in the US. There are plenty of affordable desirable locations , states like Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana etc and much less expensive than your pricy Miami, eg. Ocala, Gainesville, Pensacola, Inverness, Palatka, etc. I think you suffer a little from TDS. (based on several of your videos). To leave on a positive note, your videos are entertaining and provide very useful information. Keep up the good work.
My grandparents are from piedmont italy
Da Nang?
HUGE..ideas..
I don’t know why this video came across my feed but here’s my 0.02€ worth. I am an expat of 30 years living in Spain. I find it amazing that someone can present a “where to move” video in the same vein as “where do I vacation” without regard to the huge culture, language and lifestyle changes involved. This isn’t a freakin “Disneyland or Hawaii” decision here.
What bothers me most about the video is the astonishing one sided and near sighted mindset that you can just show up to another country without a functional command of the language or culture. It took me a few years before the “cambio el chip” and settling in to all the lifestyle nuances and such, and that was WAY before the anti American/anti immigration movement the country (and region) is currently experiencing.
Rich Americans and other nationalities (the Chinese, Russians, Arab states, etc.) and bs capitalistic entities such as private equity have been buying up housing and real estate by the boatload especially here in Spain and Portugal (but in other Western European countries as well) creating a HUGE housing crisis for the local population in terms of affordability and availability. This in turn is creating a huge anti foreigner backlash which over the last 5-8 years or so has become quite palpable. Now to see videos of where to send the American refugees without one iota of preparation or concern for the local populations is not only unsettling, it’s downright criminal IMHO.
Unless you are willing to speak the language and interact with the locals as a European and NOT an American, unless you are willing to discard the American attitude and not complain about taxes, local municipal bureaucracies or the fact that no, you can’t go to the supermarket at 7:00 pm on Sunday, unless you’re willing to keep your head down and stow that “I’m an American and therefore I’m exceptional” attitude (btw, you’re not) forevermore, then really you’re better off just staying put where you are, imploding democracy and all.
I left the US and moved to mexico in 2009. I sold my beach house in 2016 as the narco mess made it complicated. Italy is a no go. I was in Portugal for 3 months and determined that the rising costs, the government, and the process was too much of a mess. I moved to Thailand. Great people, good food, great medical care and low costs.