Country index

Every country, compared

One row per destination: what it costs against the US, what people are paid there, what the top tax bracket is, how healthcare works, and how many residence routes a US citizen can actually use.

15countries with a full guide

12at least 2% cheaper to live in than the US average

32–100span of cost indexes, from Thailand to Ireland. Median 87

104residence routes documented, 6 countries with a remote-work permit

The 15 guides

Ordered by how many Americans search for the move. Each guide splits into cost of living, visas, tax and healthcare, and every figure on it links to the source it came from.

Canada

9% cheaper

Cheaper rent and free hospitals, but you need a job offer

1-bed rent: $1,433/mo
Net salary: $3,210/mo
Visas: 6

Ireland

Like the US

Unbeatable with an Irish grandparent or a Dublin offer

1-bed rent: $2,263/mo
Net salary: $4,059/mo
Visas: 8

Australia

Like the US

Best with an employer sponsor or a skilled occupation

1-bed rent: $1,675/mo
Net salary: $4,996/mo
Visas: 8

New Zealand

13% cheaper

Cheap healthcare and short commutes, for lower pay

1-bed rent: $1,112/mo
Net salary: $3,392/mo
Visas: 8

Portugal

37% cheaper

Best value in Western Europe if your income is in dollars

1-bed rent: $1,200/mo
Net salary: $2,077/mo
Visas: 8

Spain

30% cheaper

For remote workers and retirees who meet the income tests

1-bed rent: $1,390/mo
Net salary: $2,620/mo
Visas: 6

United Kingdom

8% cheaper

Fast settlement with a sponsor, nothing without one

1-bed rent: $2,370/mo
Net salary: $3,566/mo
Visas: 7

Italy

29% cheaper

Built for income that already arrives from somewhere else

1-bed rent: $1,200/mo
Net salary: $2,690/mo
Visas: 7

Japan

34.3% cheaper

Lower costs without lowering your standard of living

1-bed rent: $1,280/mo
Net salary: $1,985/mo
Visas: 6

Mexico

38% cheaper

Halve your costs, stay a short flight from home

1-bed rent: $765/mo
Net salary: $1,010/mo
Visas: 6

Germany

28.5% cheaper

A Blue Card entitlement, with a degree and an offer

1-bed rent: $645/mo
Net salary: $3,400/mo
Visas: 6

Netherlands

12% cheaper

Two routes almost nowhere else offers, including DAFT

1-bed rent: $1,640/mo
Net salary: $3,950/mo
Visas: 7

Norway

Like the US

High trust and stability, but only with a job offer

1-bed rent: $1,642/mo
Net salary: $4,912/mo
Visas: 6

Sweden

8% cheaper

Short weeks and free childcare, not take-home pay

1-bed rent: $1,206/mo
Net salary: $3,475/mo
Visas: 6

Thailand

67.7% cheaper

A third of US prices, if you never need to settle

1-bed rent: $475/mo
Net salary: $485/mo
Visas: 9

How to read the figures

Every index on this page is set against a United States national average of 100. A cost index of 72 means a comparable basket of consumer goods and rent costs about 28% less than it does in the US. It is a ratio between price levels on the review date, not a budget, and it says nothing about whether you can get a visa or what a job there would pay you.

The columns answer different questions and are worth reading in order. The cost index tells you whether a move is affordable on the income you already have. The rent-to-salary column tells you whether it is affordable on a local income, which is the harder question if you plan to take a local job. The visa columns tell you whether the question is live at all.

Shortlists, and the metric behind each

Every list below is computed from the same table further down. The metric is stated so you can check it against the row.

Lowest cost of living

Ranked by overall cost index, rent included. The dollar figure is what a $4,230 US lifestyle reprices to at local price levels.

Thailand$1,366index 32
Mexico$2,623index 62
Portugal$2,665index 63
Japan$2,779index 66
Spain$2,961index 70
Italy$3,003index 71

Where local pay stretches furthest

Average net salary divided by the local cost index against the US, so 120 means local pay buys about a fifth more at home than $4,230 does here.

Australia118$4,996/mo
Norway117$4,912/mo
Germany112$3,400/mo
Netherlands106$3,950/mo
Ireland96$4,059/mo
New Zealand92$3,392/mo

Countries running a digital nomad route

At least one permit in the dataset is aimed at remote workers paid from abroad. Holding one does not end your US filing obligation.

New ZealandVisitor Visa with remote work permitted
PortugalD8 remote work visa (digital nomad)
SpainVisado y autorizacion de residencia por teletrabajo de caracter internacional (digital nomad visa)
ItalyDigital Nomad and Remote Worker Visa
JapanDigital Nomad (Designated Activities No. 53)
ThailandDestination Thailand Visa (DTV)

Universal public healthcare

Classified as a universal public system. Access is rarely immediate for new arrivals, so the private premium is what matters in year one.

Canadaprivate cover ~$95/mo
New Zealandprivate cover ~$95/mo
Portugalprivate cover ~$75/mo
Spainprivate cover ~$90/mo
United Kingdomprivate cover ~$112/mo
Italyprivate cover ~$200/mo

2 more in the full table →

All 15 countries, side by side

Listed alphabetically. The United States row is the baseline every index is measured against. For the healthcare column it sits on the private side of the scale: Employer-sponsored single coverage averaged about $777 a month in total premium, most of it paid by the employer, before deductibles and out-of-pocket costs.

Rent and salary figures are monthly and in US dollars. The cost index covers consumer prices including rent, against a US national average of 100. Rent / local salary is a city-centre one-bedroom as a share of the average local net salary.
Country	Cost index	Rent, centre	Net salary	Rent / pay	Top tax	Healthcare	Visas	Nomad
United States baseline	100	$1,700	$4,230	40%	37%	Mainly private	—	—
Australia	100like the US	$1,675	$4,996	34%	45%	Mixed public and private	8	No
Canada	919% cheaper	$1,433	$3,210	45%	53.5%	Universal public system	6	No
Germany	7228.5% cheaper	$645	$3,400	19%	47.5%	Social health insurance	6	No
Ireland	100like the US	$2,263	$4,059	56%	52%	Mixed public and private	8	No
Italy	7129% cheaper	$1,200	$2,690	45%	43%	Universal public system	7	Yes
Japan	6634.3% cheaper	$1,280	$1,985	64%	55.9%	Social health insurance	6	Yes
Mexico	6238% cheaper	$765	$1,010	76%	35%	Mixed public and private	6	No
Netherlands	8812% cheaper	$1,640	$3,950	42%	49.5%	Social health insurance	7	No
New Zealand	8713% cheaper	$1,112	$3,392	33%	39%	Universal public system	8	Yes
Norway	99like the US	$1,642	$4,912	33%	47.4%	Universal public system	6	No
Portugal	6337% cheaper	$1,200	$2,077	58%	48%	Universal public system	8	Yes
Spain	7030% cheaper	$1,390	$2,620	53%	47%	Universal public system	6	Yes
Sweden	928% cheaper	$1,206	$3,475	35%	52.4%	Universal public system	6	No
Thailand	3267.7% cheaper	$475	$485	98%	35%	Mixed public and private	9	Yes
United Kingdom	928% cheaper	$2,370	$3,566	66%	45%	Universal public system	7	No

What this table does not tell you

These are national averages. Capital city rents in most of these countries run well above the national line, and the rent column is a one-bedroom in a city centre, which is the most volatile figure on the page.
The tax column is the top marginal rate, not your bill. It excludes social contributions, regional surcharges, wealth and property taxes, and it says nothing about the US return you still have to file every year as a citizen.
Average net salary is an all-occupation national average. It describes the local labour market, not an offer you would receive, and it is irrelevant if you keep a US employer and are paid in dollars.
Everything is converted to US dollars at market rates on the review date. A 10% currency move shifts every dollar column on this page without a single local price changing.
Visa routes counts documented routes open to US citizens, not every category in that country's immigration law. A high count means options, not an easy approval.

Tax rates, healthcare classifications and visa routes here are a summary built for comparison. None of it is immigration, tax or medical advice. Before you act on any of it, open the country guide and check the figure against the official government source linked next to it.

The same figures by region

Medians rather than averages, so one very expensive or very cheap country does not carry the row. Regions with a single country in the dataset show that country's own figures.

Median values across the 15 countries covered, ordered by cost index.
Region	Countries	Median cost index	Median 1-bed rent	Median net salary	Median top tax rate	With a nomad visa
Southeast Asia	1	32	$475	$485	35%	1
East Asia	1	66	$1,280	$1,985	55.9%	1
Southern Europe	3	70	$1,200	$2,620	47%	3
North America	2	77	$1,099	$2,110	44.3%	0
Western Europe	3	88	$1,640	$3,950	49.5%	0
Northern Europe	3	92	$1,642	$3,566	47.4%	0
Oceania	2	94	$1,394	$4,194	42%	1
United States baseline	—	100	$1,700	$4,230	37%	—

Which residence routes exist, and where

Counted across the 104 routes documented in the dataset. A route "leads to permanent residence" when time on it counts towards a settlement application, which is the distinction that decides whether a move is temporary or not.

Route categories by how many of the 15 countries publish at least one, most common first.
Route type	Countries	Leads to PR in	Where to start reading
Work	15	15	Canada Ireland Australia New Zealand+11 more
Family	13	13	Canada Australia New Zealand Portugal+9 more
Study	13	1	Canada Ireland Australia Portugal+9 more
Visitor	10	0	Canada Ireland Australia New Zealand+6 more
Investment	7	6	Ireland New Zealand Portugal the UK+3 more
Digital nomad	6	3	New Zealand Portugal Spain Italy+2 more
Other	6	3	Ireland Australia New Zealand Spain+2 more
Retirement	6	4	Ireland Portugal Spain Italy+2 more
Ancestry	2	2	Ireland Italy

Route categories are our classification of each country's own published permits, kept for comparison across countries. They are not immigration advice and they do not replace the official guidance, which each country guide links directly.

Put your own number through it

The table is averages. This is your take-home pay against each country's price level.

Your monthly take-home pay

After tax, in US dollarsMoving to

Compared against the US national averageInclude rent in the comparison

—

Enter your income to see the comparison.

Same lifestyle costs you—

Monthly difference—

1-bed rent, city centre—

1-bed rent, outside centre—

Category price levels, US average = 100
Category	Index	vs US

A ratio, not a budget: it scales your income by the country's overall consumer price level against the US average. Your actual costs depend on the city and how you live. Rent figures are national market averages for a one-bedroom apartment.

Straight to one question

Each country guide splits into 4 deeper pages. Each list below is ranked on the metric that topic turns on, so the four lists are not four copies of the same order.

Cost of living

Category-by-category price levels, rent and a worked monthly budget.

Lowest overall cost index first

Visas & residency

Every route a US citizen can actually use, with costs and official links.

Most documented residence routes first

Thailand9 routes
Australia8 routes
Ireland8 routes
New Zealand8 routes
Portugal8 routes
Italy7 routes
the Netherlands7 routes
the UK7 routes

Taxes

Residency triggers, the US filing obligation, treaties and FEIE.

Lowest top personal income tax rate first

Healthcare

How the system works, what foreigners can access, what cover costs.

Cheapest typical private cover first

Sweden$58/mo
Norway$60/mo
Portugal$75/mo
Spain$90/mo
Canada$95/mo
New Zealand$95/mo
the UK$112/mo
Australia$130/mo

Head to head with the US

The comparison pages take one country and the United States and run the same figures line by line: rent, groceries, transport, salary, tax and healthcare.

US vs Canadaindex 91
US vs Irelandindex 100
US vs Australiaindex 100
US vs New Zealandindex 87
US vs Portugalindex 63
US vs Spainindex 70
US vs the UKindex 92
US vs Italyindex 71
US vs Japanindex 66
US vs Mexicoindex 62
US vs Germanyindex 72
US vs the Netherlandsindex 88
US vs Norwayindex 99
US vs Swedenindex 92
US vs Thailandindex 32

All country comparisons →Cost of living calculator →How this data is built →

Who compiled this

Nathan Brooks · Editor, Your New Country

Nathan builds and maintains the Your New Country dataset, reconciling figures from the OECD, Eurostat, the World Bank and national statistics offices, and reading each country’s immigration and tax guidance at the source before it is published.

Reads each country’s immigration, tax and health guidance in the original official source rather than in secondary coverage
Reconciles every published figure against OECD, Eurostat, World Bank and national statistics releases on a quarterly cycle
Publishes the derivation and the access date beside each number, and marks estimates as estimates

Data reviewed September 4, 2026 ·methodology