Nearly 8,000 people who have already moved abroad were asked a blunt question this year: is life in your new country actually working out?
Their answers produced a ranking that should give any American thinking about a move in later life serious pause. The country at the top is not the one that dominates retirement-planning conversations. And the United States? Foreigners who live there placed it a distant 20th.
What the Survey Actually Measured
InterNations has run its Expat Insider survey every year since 2014, and the 2026 edition draws on 7,786 expats representing 162 nationalities. Responses were collected between 1 February and 31 March 2026.
Participants scored up to 53 aspects of life abroad on a one-to-seven scale, covering both practical matters, such as whether government services are available online, and emotional ones, such as how friendly the locals are. Those scores feed five indices: Working Abroad, Personal Finance, Quality of Life, Expat Essentials and Ease of Settling In, combined with a general happiness question to produce the overall ranking.
A country needed at least 50 respondents to qualify, and 31 made the cut this year.
The Winner, for the Third Year Running
It is Panama. The Central American nation has topped the overall ranking three years in a row, leading both the Working Abroad and Personal Finance indices.
The money figures are striking. Nine in ten expats there say their disposable income covers a comfortable life, against a global average of 71%, and 69% rate the cost of living positively, compared with just 39% worldwide.
What should catch the attention of readers over 50 is who is already there. More than a third of respondents in Panama (37%) are retired, against 14% globally, and 18% say retirement was their main reason for moving.
Practicalities that trip people up elsewhere seem to go smoothly. Some 90% of expats say finding housing is easy, with not a single respondent disagreeing, and 82% describe getting a visa as easy. Overall, 87% are happy with their life there, compared with 70% globally.
The Top 10 at a Glance
The full top 10 runs Panama, Mexico, Thailand, the UAE, Brazil, Spain, Singapore, Portugal, Malaysia and Luxembourg.
| Rank | Country | Where it shines | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Panama | Finances, housing, visas | Weak car infrastructure |
| 2 | Mexico | Easiest place to make friends | Safety concerns |
| 3 | Thailand | Happiest expats, lowest costs | Banking, red tape, air quality |
| 4 | UAE | Best expat essentials and careers | Only 18th for personal finance |
| 5 | Brazil | High happiness | Not detailed in the findings |
| 6 | Spain | Best quality of life | Not in top five overall |
| 7 | Singapore | Quality of life | Very high cost of living |
| 8 | Portugal | Strong finances | Mid-table for settling in |
| 9 | Malaysia | Affordability | Not detailed in the findings |
| 10 | Luxembourg | Top salaries and job security | Very high cost of living |
What Could Go Wrong
Every country in the top 10 has a weak spot, and some of them matter a great deal more at 60 than at 30.
Panama: getting around. Infrastructure for cars ranked dead last of all 31 countries, with the urban environment also scoring poorly in 26th. For anyone relying on driving to reach a doctor or a supermarket, that is not a small detail.
Mexico: personal safety. Mexico came 25th for safety and security, with only 68% of expats rating their personal safety positively against 81% globally. More than a quarter (27%) said safety was among their biggest worries before they even moved, compared with 6% worldwide. Air quality (28th) and the urban environment (30th) also drag the country down.
The trade-off is real, though. Mexico was rated first in the world for culture and nightlife and for climate. For travelers who move abroad for the food, the markets and the street life, that matters.
Thailand: money, paperwork and politics. Opening a local bank account ranked last of all 31 countries, administrative services online ranked 30th, and 80% of expats find Thai difficult to learn.
The bigger concern for a long-term move may be stability. Expats feel personally safe, yet Thailand ranked 29th for political stability and 30th for freedom to express opinions openly. Only a third rate the air quality positively, against 65% globally.
The UAE: the war question. InterNations itself cautions that data collection straddled the outbreak of the US-Iran war, so results for the region only partially reflect its impact. Anyone weighing a move to the Gulf should treat this ranking as a snapshot from a different moment.
Singapore and Luxembourg: the bill. Both score well for quality of life but rank 30th and 29th respectively for cost of living. A fixed retirement income can shrink alarmingly fast in either.
The U.S. Sits at 20th
Belgium landed mid-table in 15th, with the United States close behind in 20th. It is worth being precise here: this reflects how foreign residents living in America rate it, not how Americans feel about their own country.
Some familiar names fared even worse. Canada came last of all 31 countries for personal finance, with no nation’s expats finding it harder to live comfortably on their income. The United Kingdom placed 28th overall, and its expats are among the least happy in the survey.
At the very bottom sits Norway. Almost three-quarters of expats there (72%) say making local friends is hard, and just 31% feel at home. Norway also ranked last for culinary variety and dining options. For a reader who travels for the table, that alone may settle it.
Why This Hits Differently After 50
The countries winning this survey are not just attracting remote workers. In Thailand, 40% of respondents are retired and 22% moved specifically to retire; in Mexico, 32% are retired.
That changes the stakes. A bad posting at 35 is an anecdote. A bad move at 65, with a house sold and a health plan left behind, can be very hard to undo.
Original Medicare generally does not cover care received outside the United States, which means private international health cover becomes a central cost rather than an optional extra. Thailand’s quality of medical care ranks 4th in the survey, but good care still has to be paid for.
Before Packing a Single Box
- Rent for a full season, including the least comfortable months, before buying anything.
- Price international health insurance at your current age and at the age you will be in ten years.
- Test the bureaucracy early: open a bank account and start the visa process before committing.
- Speak to a tax adviser, since U.S. citizens must keep filing U.S. returns wherever they live.
- Check the current U.S. State Department advisory for the country, and check it again before signing anything.
- Learn enough of the language to handle a pharmacy and a landlord.
A Note on the Numbers
This is a satisfaction survey, not a measure of migration. It shows how people who already live in each country feel, and it does not count how many Americans are moving there. Rankings rest on minimum samples of 50 respondents per country, and the Gulf results in particular predate much of the current conflict.
Source: InterNations Expat Insider 2026, survey of 7,786 expats conducted 1 February to 31 March 2026.
Amanda O’Brien is the creator and editor of The Boutique Adventurer. She has visited 80 countries and is a member of the British Guild of Travel Writers as well as the IFTWTA. She is passionate about wine had has just completed Level 3 of the WSET. Born in Australia, she lives in London.