The 3 Best Countries To Move To (From The US)
Leaving can be the best decision you make.
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Concerning Developments
More Americans are packing their passports than at any point in recent memory. Annual renunciations jumped from a few hundred cases before 2009 to more than 6.700 in 2020 and the number has stayed high ever since. A recent survey shows that almost half of U.S. expats are now thinking about giving up citizenship altogether.
Remote work is a big factor. Fully remote roles have climbed to thirteen percent of U.S. job postings and hybrid setups cover nearly a quarter of new openings in 2025.
When location stops deciding your work, the question goes from “Can I leave?” to “Where will life feel richer?”
I have spent the past decade living across five continents. This guide distills that experience into 3 practical choices. Clear visa rules, good tax treatment, and day‑to‑day comfort set these places apart.
Grab a coffee, sit back, and read which country fits it best.
Why Should You Trust What I Write?
I do more than read press releases. I test rules on the ground and turn them into clear steps my readers can use. Here is what backs up the advice that follows:
Weekly research. I track visa laws and tax updates across seventy‑five countries and update the data in my ClubCitizen App every week.
Hands‑on moves. I have lived many years abroad and gone through six residence permits myself, from tourist extensions to full long-term stay permits.
Reader feedback. I got my eye of what people think about when they are talking about wanting to move.
Use this experience as a shortcut, to save you some time.
What I Looked For
I ran each country through six clear checks to keep the process objective. The table below shows every filter and the reason it matters, so you can see exactly how the final 3 came together.
The 3 Countries I Would Recommend
After weighing more than 10 options, I kept just 3 countries in the final list.
I wanted to make sure I only include countries, that I have stayed in myself, for an extended period of time.
Together they cover three very different regions (Southern Europe, Southeast Asia, and the Gulf) and also quite different personas, that might decide on that option.
Pick the one you feel most aligned with.
1) Portugal
Crime rates are low, public transport is clean and on time, and you will pay café prices that vanished from the rest of Western Europe a decade ago.
The country has become a sanctuary for remote professionals, retirees, and solo adventurers who want Europe’s culture minus Europe’s grumpiness (I’m biased here, since I’m German).
How Far Does Your Dollar Go?
A one‑bedroom apartment in central Lisbon now starts around €800, closer to €700 in Porto and even less in smaller towns. Groceries and casual dining add roughly €300; a monthly metro pass runs €50–70. Add gym fees, co-working credits, healthcare and weekend activities, and most single expats spend between €1.900 and €2.500 a month for a comfortable life.
Two Visa Options
D8 Digital‑Nomad Visa: For people who earn remotely. Show an income equal to four times Portugal’s minimum wage (around €3.480 per month in 2025 after the minimum rises to €870). Apply at a Portuguese consulate, receive a four‑month entry visa, then swap it for a two‑year residence card that extends to five years and gives you citizenship at year six.
D7 Passive‑Income Visa: Better if your cash flow comes from rentals, dividends, or a pension. The income floor is lower (usually one Portuguese minimum wage per applicant) but you will need proof the money lands in your account regularly.
Whichever option you choose, Portugal gives you access to public healthcare and a simple route to permanent residency.
NHR 2.0 Update
Yes, the beloved NHR programme is changing to the “NHR 2.0.”
Most commentary fixates on what changed, but the headline remains:
Foreign‑source income stays exempt for ten years
… and qualifying Portuguese earnings have a flat 20 % rate. Only pensions (and anything routed through black‑listed jurisdictions) miss out.
In plain English: keep your U.S. clients, bank your dollars, and Portugal won’t ask for a thing. Just file a yearly return to prove the money came from abroad.
Where To Go
Lisbon has lots of tech meet‑ups, rooftop work sessions, and 300 days of sunshine. Porto is slower, has nice river views, and a bigger creative scene.
Surfers go south to the Algarve for warm winters. Each region has its own mix of community, but they all share Portugal’s friendly English‑speaking culture.
Is Portugal Your Fit?
You like: European health care, a path to an EU passport, mild winters, and an everyday cost of living that is moderate.
You do not mind: Slower pace, learning basic Portuguese phrases, and the occasional Atlantic rain shower in winter.
Pack a good jacket for January rain and an appetite for pastéis de nata (my favourite dish there).
And if you want to learn more about Portugal, I highly recommend you follow Kimberly (Expat on a budget)
2) Thailand
Thailand has been the unofficial world capital of digital nomads for twenty years.
With all their new visa programs, staying legal for long has become easier than ever.
How Far Does Your Dollar Go?
Rent: a modern one‑bedroom condo in Chiang Mai’s Nimman district averages $550, while the same‑size place in central Bangkok is around $1.150.
Food & coffee: budget $250 to $300 for food (local and western).
Transport & phone: BTS/MRT pass plus 5G SIM totals about $60 a month.
Extras (gym, massages, island trips): set aside $350 to $400.
Most single expats spend between $1.400 and $1.900 a month, Bangkok at the top of that range, Chiang Mai at the lower end, and the islands somewhere in the middle.
Two Visa Options
Destination Thailand Visa (DTV)
The brand‑new digital‑nomad pass. Valid five years, multiple entry, and you can stay 180 days per arrival (extendable once per entry at immigration). Requirements: Proof of remote earnings and a bank balance of THB 500.000 (around US $14 k). Fee: €350 at the consulate.Long‑Term Resident Visa (LTR)
For high earners: Ten‑year validity, flat 17 % tax on Thailand‑sourced salary, and work‑permit privileges. You will need US $80.000+ in annual income (or substantial assets) to qualify, so most remote workers stick to the DTV.
What About Taxes?
Thailand taxes what you bring in during the same calendar year. Keep your U.S. earnings offshore until January, and they stay untaxed locally.
Where To Land
Bangkok: Asia’s co-working capital, good connections, and a food scene that ranges from great street food to Michelin stars.
Chiang Mai: Calm, mountain air, and the largest nomad meet‑ups in Asia. And a cycling heaven!
Phuket & Samui or Koh Phangan: Easy island life with gyms, cafés, and quick hops to coral reefs.
Is Thailand Your Fit?
You like: Year‑round heat, low daily costs, and a global community that gathers for everything from Muay Thai classes to island trips, to roof top bat visits (or in the case of Chiang Mai, extended cycling tours in Northern Thailand).
You do not mind: Tropical downpours, visa runs if you outstay the 180‑day window, and learning to navigate bureaucracy (always with a smile).
3) United Arab Emirates
In Dubai, the first thing you notice is, how fast everything works.
E‑gates stamp your passport in seconds, the driverless Metro brings you into the city, and the SIM card you bought at the airport works right away.
Everyone knows the UAE for (lack of) taxes, but the convenience is also there.
How Far Does Your Dollar Go?
Rent (1‑bed condo): AED 4.900 to AED 8.000 (around $1.340 to $2.100), depending on whether you want to live in a central area, or if you are ok with living a bit further towards the desert.
Food & Coffee: I would calculate $800 for a balanced mix of supermarket groceries and the occasional brunches. I checked Numbeo’s numbers here, but I can say from personal experience, they are too low.
Transport & Phone: $150 for an unlimited Metro pass and a 5G SIM with enough data for a month.
Extras (private health plan, gym, beach clubs, desert trips): $800+ (not gonna lie, Dubai is not cheap).
Most solo expats report a monthly total of $3.800 to $5.000 for a comfortable life.
This would be the priciest option of the three. However, wages in the UAE can also be quite high, depending if and when you can land a job in the GCC market.
Two visa lanes
Virtual Working Programme
One‑year residence, self‑sponsored, renewable. Show proof of $5.000 in monthly income (salary or business revenue), plus global health insurance. Application fee: $287.Free‑Zone Company
The licence costs AED 20.000 per year and can be bundled with a residence visa (extra fee). Read more about the company opening procedure here:
Taxes?
Personal income, dividends, and capital gains are at 0 % for individuals.
U.S. citizens still file a federal return, but with the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion plus Dubai’s business‑expense write‑offs, many get their effective rate well below what they paid back home.
Where To Live
Dubai Marina & JLT: Walkable waterfront, beach mornings, co-working towers. This is where I stayed while I was living there, and I would definitely go and live there again.
Downtown / DIFC: High‑rise apartments a stroll from the Burj Khalifa and top‑tier restaurants. Busy, and pricey.
Abu Dhabi (60 min drive): Lower rents, more families, less crowded and less busy.
Is The UAE Your Fit?
You crave: Less paperwork, high degree of safety, zero personal taxes, and great airport connections.
You do not mind: Summer heat up to 45 °C, higher housing costs than Portugal or Thailand, and being mindful of local etiquette around dress and alcohol (less so in Dubai).
Personal Note: Pack linen shirts (and a credit card for collecting airlines miles).
Where Should You Go?
If you just want to try life abroad for a few months, Portugal is the easiest.
Americans get ninety days in the Schengen Area on arrival, and you can also explore other options in the EU. Thailand also works well. The Destination Thailand Visa lets you stay up to 180 days each visit. Daily costs are low, so you can go and explore different options within the country, and make up your mind where you want to stay longer. Dubai is the most expensive. You can get the one‑year Virtual Working Programme quickly if you earn at least five thousand dollars a month, but rent and weekend spending add up fast.
If a second passport or permanent base is your aim, Portugal stands out (again).
The D8 path leads to permanent residency after five years, and citizenship in year six, while the new NHR 2.0 rules let most foreign income stay tax‑free during that wait. Thailand gives you a solid five‑year window through the Destination Thailand Visa, but the country has no clear road to citizenship for most remote workers. It is a good option if you want a long Asian chapter without a passport goal (and the Thai passport is also not that great).
In the Emirates you can renew residence indefinitely, enjoy zero personal tax, and run a worldwide business, but naturalising is not on the table (there are maybe a handful of cases, where this happened, and most of them are through connection, not official routes).
For families, Portugal offers public schools that follow European standards, plenty of private options, and healthcare that is both good and reasonably priced. Thailand has international schools in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, though check the quality of the school thoroughly. Families with very young children or flexible budgets usually fit best. The Emirates has top tier hospitals and a dense network of international schools that match US or UK curricula. The trade‑off here is, you guessed it, cost. Tuition and larger homes can rival US prices, so Dubai suits families who value safety and quality over a tight budget.
From Idea To Execution
Here the steps in would take.
Pick your Destination.
Re‑read the profiles and circle the country that matches your budget, climate taste, and tax priorities. A clear choice is the groundwork for every step that follows.Check your Passport.
Make sure it has at least 12 month of validity and two empty pages.Collect Proof of Income and Funds.
Portugal: Bank statements or payslips that add up to €3.480 per month.
Thailand: Evidence of remote work plus THB 500.000 in your account.
UAE: Six months of statements showing at least $5.000 each month (not required in case you open a company).Just Visit.
Before filing any visa, live in your target city for four weeks on a tourist stamp. Test co-working spaces, vibe, people, food, everything. If the place still feels right after that trial, move on to paperwork.File The Visa Application.
Follow the consulates checklist line by line. I also wrote about some application processes in detail, if you have any deeper questions, just DM me.Buy Global Health Insurance.
All three visas require proof of coverage. Pick an international plan that covers outpatient visits, emergencies, and medical evacuation. This is a very important step.Plan your U.S. Tax Stance.
Set up a call with a cross‑border CPA. Ask how the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion, housing deduction, or foreign tax credits will interact with your new base. Pick someone you trust.Set your Departure Date.
Tell your bank, credit‑card companies, and any state tax agency that you are going abroad. Put travel alerts on cards, switch to two‑factor authentication apps, and add a virtual mailbox.
That’s how I would do it.
Those are not the only suitable countries to move to from the US, but if I had to pick 3, those would be it.
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Thanks for reading and see you soon! ❤️
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Oh and for #3 in Portugal the D7 requires proof of just $1000 a month and you can legally work on the D7. Sorry to blow up your comments!!
& Australia 😊