“Best country to live in” is one of those rankings that looks objective until you ask who is doing the living. A retiree, a young family, a remote worker and a corporate transferee can experience the same country very differently.
The 2026 Expat Insider survey by InterNations is useful precisely because it is based on the experiences of people already living abroad. It is still a survey, not a universal verdict — but it gives a much better starting point than a recycled list of sunny destinations.
The top 10 destinations in the latest Expat Insider ranking
1 · Panama — the overall winner for the third consecutive year, helped by strong personal-finance, work and settling-in scores.
2 · Mexico — especially strong for feeling welcome and building a social life.
3 · Thailand — highly rated for happiness abroad, affordability and local friendliness.
4 · United Arab Emirates — a strong result for career-focused expats and practical “expat essentials,” though experiences vary sharply by salary and city.
5 · Brazil — social life and local warmth are major strengths, while safety and bureaucracy can be trade-offs.
6 · Spain — quality of life, climate and leisure remain big draws, even when salaries do not compete with northern Europe.
7 · Singapore — efficient and highly connected, but with a cost structure that can be punishing without the right compensation package.
8 · Portugal — still attractive for lifestyle and climate, while housing affordability has become a more serious question in popular cities.
9 · Malaysia — a combination of cost, food, infrastructure and regional connectivity keeps it appealing.
10 · Luxembourg — small, wealthy and internationally oriented, but not a low-cost choice.
A ranking is a filter, not a relocation plan
Work
Can you legally work there, and does your profession transfer? A place can rank brilliantly for retirees while being a poor fit for your industry.
Housing
Country-level averages hide city-level pain. Lisbon is not rural Portugal; Dubai is not Ras Al Khaimah; central Singapore is not a regional Malaysian city.
Healthcare
Check access, insurance requirements and the cost of private care before treating “good healthcare” as a simple yes/no category.
Residency
Visa rules change. A destination that looks easy in an expat survey may still require income tests, sponsorship, investment or employer paperwork.
Choose by your deal-breakers first
Instead of asking “Where should I move?”, write down the three things you cannot compromise on: school quality, tax treatment, walkability, weather, safety, career income, proximity to family, language or healthcare. Then use rankings to narrow the field.
The best expat country is personal
The 2026 survey gives Panama the crown, but the smarter move is to use the top 10 as a research shortlist. Visit before relocating, test the city you actually plan to live in, and verify residency, tax and healthcare rules with current official sources.