Where To Go? Our New Country Criteria

We are leaving the United States. This is how we’ll decide where to live next.

A bit of helpful background information:

• Mr. Scribbles and I have visited many places, but we never lived in another country.
• The idea of moving abroad is exciting and mildly terrifying for us.
• My default anxiety setting is a six out of ten.
• We are both over-thinkers who fall victim to analysis-paralysis.

So, how in the heck did we select and actually move to another country?!

To aid in our decision-making process, we came up with a list of criteria and did a lot of research. 

One source of inspiration we found was the Traveling with Kristin YouTube channel. Kristin shared her experience of living abroad and, in one video, referenced the 2021 Expat Insider report.

You know I LOVE data, so I took the country rankings from their 2021 report and made a spreadsheet 🤓

Below is the 2021 Expat Insider Report data for a few countries. Note that low scores mean a higher rating, and higher scores mean a lower rating.

The three countries in red text are our top contenders and each rank highly overall on the Expat Insider’s Quality of Life rating.

Note where the United States lands in the overall Quality of Life rating: 44.

The survey gave us a starting point, but we had our own criteria. So I played with the rankings in a spreadsheet. The figures below are my comparison, not an official InterNations score or a scientific prediction of how happy we’d be.

The above was not at all surprising to us. I didn’t think we could go “wrong” with any of the three. For another pass, I considered language, exchange rates, our tax situation and proximity to the US. Australia won on English but lost hardcore on proximity. I was concerned about what Spain would mean for our investments and taxes, which helped knock it out of the running for us. That was our household’s assessment, not a claim that Spain has the “worst” taxes for everyone. See, there’s no “perfect” place.

Of those three countries, Australia was the only one we’d visited at that stage, and we LOVED IT! We loved it so much that we spoke with an immigration attorney about a possible route. That conversation helped us understand that loving a place and having a workable way to live there are separate parts of the research.

Data is great, but below is more detail on how we interpret our criteria:

• Diversity and Acceptance – How diverse is the population? How accepting is the community of different backgrounds? Diversity can take many shapes including gender, race/ethnicity, disability, LGBTQIA+, age, immigrants vs locals, etc. Ultimately, we want our kids to grow up around lots of different types of people in a community that accepts and celebrates that diversity. 
• Safety – Wherever you go, crime is going to happen. I’m just asking for fewer mass shootings and hate crimes. M’kay?!
• Infrastructure – With two small children and needing to continue to work for the next few years, we need some basic infrastructure like electricity, reliable and fast internet, and roads. While I feel confident that this will be easy to check off, I don’t want to neglect it either.
• Healthcare – We have kids. I’m a bit of a worrier. Hence, I need us to have access to quality, affordable healthcare. What’s funny is that outside of the US, this is easier than you’d think.
• Education – We have kids and I’m not built to be a homeschool teacher. Whether it’s local, private, or international we need options to educate our boys.
• Cost of Living – Moving abroad is part of our larger FIRE journey. So we need to be intentional about not exceeding our annual spending targets. Thankfully, we live in one of the most expensive places in the US so most places will be less expensive.
• Access to other places or activities that interest us – With two kids, I want to have access to a variety of fun places and things we’d enjoy doing together as a family. 
• Community – It will make or break your move. In addition to the above, we assessed the willingness of the immigrant community to connect and support each other. There was a clear winner in this category. Read our scouting-trip story for the conversations and encounters that shaped that impression.

Use the rankings to ask better questions

A survey reflects the experiences of its respondents. It can help you build a shortlist, but your neighborhood, budget, healthcare and school needs deserve their own research. Compare our old chart with InterNations’ 2026 quality-of-life findings, rather than treating a 2021 ranking as a current score.

For what we learned after arriving, read what I wish I’d known and get my free moving checklist. If you’d like to talk through your own priorities, book a €95 / 60-minute Portugal call.