Two years. Twenty countries. Two suitcases that got progressively heavier and one laptop that somehow survived it all. When you move that fast, you stop romanticizing travel and start paying close attention to what actually makes a place livable. Not just pretty for Instagram. Actually livable.
Globally, an estimated 40 million people are living as digital nomads by 2025, roughly doubling from around 20 million just a few years prior. So yes, I am far from alone in this adventure. The difference is that most people pick one or two spots and settle. I didn’t. I wanted to stress-test every theory. Let’s dive in.
—
The Big Picture: Why Where You Live Actually Matters More Than You Think
Most people assume any place will do as long as you have Wi-Fi and a coffee shop. That’s just not true. The wrong country doesn’t just inconvenience you. It can drain your energy, wreck your finances, and make you feel profoundly alone in ways you never expected.
Digital nomads choose their destinations based on a mix of cost of living, internet quality, visa options, weather, safety, and lifestyle appeal. Honestly, that list barely scratches the surface. What it doesn’t capture is the social texture of a place. How easy is it to make real friends? Does bureaucracy make you want to cry? Can you actually afford to exist on a realistic income?
The Expat Insider 2025 survey by InterNations reveals the best and worst destinations for living and working abroad. InterNations, the world’s largest expat community with more than 5.7 million members, has published the latest results of its annual Expat Insider survey, conducted since 2014. This year, with more than 10,000 respondents representing 172 nationalities, it provides insights into expat life in 46 countries around the world. That data, combined with lived experience, is what this article is built on.
—
Best Place #1: Portugal – The One That Keeps Winning for Good Reason
There is a reason everyone still talks about Portugal. I know it sounds cliché at this point, but stick with me, because the reality is more nuanced than the hype suggests.
As of 2024, over 2,600 visas have been issued to digital nomads moving to Portugal. American digital nomads have received the most visas, followed by Brazilian and British remote workers. The most popular destinations are Lisbon, Madeira, and Porto. The infrastructure around supporting nomads here is genuinely impressive. Lisbon is recognised as the most convenient city for digital nomads worldwide, offering the most developed infrastructure in the country, vibrant cultural life, accessible Wi-Fi almost anywhere, and plenty of coworking spaces to choose from.
In 2025, a single person can expect to spend between €1,200 and €1,800 per month in major cities such as Lisbon or Porto, including rent and basic living expenses. That’s still remarkably competitive compared to London or Paris. Housing has risen in price, but day-to-day costs such as food, transport, and healthcare are still among the most affordable in Western Europe. One caveat though: because of the effect of tourism and mass immigration on property prices and the arrival of digital nomads in the tens of thousands, public opinion stands largely against them, constantly regarding them as scapegoats for the capital’s unprecedented housing crisis. Go here. Love it. Just be respectful about it.
—
Best Place #2: Panama – The Expat Crown Jewel Nobody Talks About Enough
Here’s the thing. Panama doesn’t get the romantic press that Bali or Lisbon gets, but the data keeps pointing to it as one of the absolute best places on earth to actually live.
After securing an impressive 3rd place in 2023, Panama was crowned the best country overall for expats in 2024. An impressive 82% of expats report being happy with their life in Panama, significantly higher than the global average of 68%. Financial satisfaction is also high among expats in Panama, with 74% expressing contentment with their financial situation, 20 percentage points above the global average of 54%.
Coming in at number one on the list of best countries for expats is Panama. With a warm climate and excellent infrastructure compared to other Central American countries, Panama is an attractive place to live for retirees, digital nomads and families. I think the biggest surprise for most people is how modern Panama City actually feels. It’s not the dense jungle you imagine. It’s a proper metropolitan hub with excellent healthcare access and a surprisingly easy visa process. 88% of expats feel their disposable income is sufficient or more than sufficient for a comfortable life, compared to 70% globally. Those numbers don’t lie.
—
Best Place #3: Thailand – The Classic That Refuses to Retire
You can call Chiang Mai a cliché all you want. I did too, until I spent three months there and understood exactly why it dominates every single nomad list year after year.
The quintessential digital nomad location, Thailand remains a favourite destination with beautiful beaches and cultural richness, combined with a very low cost of living. The Thai government has strategically positioned itself as a digital nomad friendly destination. As of June 2024, Reuters reported significant visa improvements, including extended digital nomad visa options with multiple entry permissions and stays up to 180 days per entry. These changes create unprecedented flexibility for long-term remote workers.
Major cities like Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket offer robust internet connections, numerous coworking spaces, and a thriving international community of digital professionals. The combination of affordable living, reliable connectivity, and welcoming culture makes Thailand an ideal destination. Thailand excels with its low cost of living, friendly locals, and exceptional work-life balance ranked first globally in that category. Consequently, the vast majority of expats report happiness with their life in Thailand, well above the global average of 68%. It’s hard to argue with that.
—
Best Place #4: Colombia – The One That Genuinely Surprised Me
I’ll be honest. Colombia was not on my original itinerary. A friend pushed me to give Medellín a try and I ended up staying longer than almost anywhere else on this journey.
The top three positions in the 2025 Expat Insider ranking are occupied by the Latin American countries Panama, Colombia, and Mexico. Their commonality is a friendly and welcoming culture, with no shortage of a social life, as indicated by a stellar Ease of Settling In Index: all its underlying subcategories and factors rank in the top 5. Colombia’s rise from a difficult past to a genuine nomad hub is one of the more remarkable stories in travel today. Colombia is among the best countries for expats in 2025 due to its vibrant culture, affordable housing, and welcoming atmosphere. The cost of living is lower than in many Western countries, allowing expats to enjoy a high standard of living. With a diverse landscape ranging from lush mountains to beautiful beaches, Colombia offers a mix of urban excitement in cities like Bogotá and Medellín, as well as a laid-back rural lifestyle.
It’s hard to say for sure whether the good energy in Medellín is cultural or climate-driven, but either way, it hits differently. The city has transformed itself into one of the most innovative urban environments in all of Latin America. People are warm in a way that feels genuine rather than performative, and that matters enormously when you’re living somewhere alone.
—
Best Place #5: Indonesia (Bali) – Still the Icon, Still Earning It
Bali feels almost too obvious to include. I resisted it for six months of my trip and then went anyway. It earns every mention it gets, even if Instagram has warped how people picture it.
Indonesia rebounded impressively in 2024, securing the 3rd spot out of 53 expat destinations. Despite some areas needing improvement, Indonesia excels with its low cost of living, friendly locals ranked 2nd globally, and exceptional work-life balance ranked 1st globally. Consequently, the vast majority of expats report happiness with their life in Indonesia, well above the global average of 68%.
Whether you choose Bali or Jakarta, Indonesia has plenty of coworking spaces filled with expats from every corner of the world. The country also ranked third in the Expat Insider 2024 survey thanks to the ease of settling in it offers. For the third consecutive year, Indonesia ranks in the top 10 of the Personal Finance Index. Thanks to low living costs, the vast majority of expats find their disposable income sufficient or more than sufficient for a comfortable life. Think of Bali as a comfortable test run for nomadic life. It’s a place where the community practically builds itself around you.
—
Country to Avoid #1: Kuwait – Dead Last, Year After Year
Right, now for the honest part. These placements might surprise you. They’re not about danger or extreme poverty. They’re about what the daily lived experience actually feels like as a foreigner.
Kuwait is the worst country for expatriates to live and work in among 53 destinations, according to a recent report. Kuwait ranks last in InterNations’ Expat Insider ranking, following a trend of very poor performances across the past 10 years of the survey. The country ranks last globally for quality of life, and expats are especially unhappy with their leisure options.
More than one in three expats find it hard to get used to the local culture, and only 37% are happy with their social life in Kuwait, compared to 56% globally. Kuwait also does not escape the bottom 10 in the working abroad index. The country’s hot climate and limited public transportation options make it difficult for many expats to adapt. Kuwait also struggles with insufficient healthcare services and issues in local bureaucracy, where red tape often complicates everyday tasks. This is not a place designed with newcomers in mind, and the data has been clear on that for a full decade.
—
Country to Avoid #2: Germany – Beautiful Country, Brutal Experience
Germany feels like a betrayal to put on this list. It’s efficient. It’s orderly. The beer is exceptional. Yet the data on what it actually feels like to live there as a foreigner is genuinely alarming.
Of the 10 years that the Expat Insider Survey has been running, Germany saw its worst ranking in 2024, particularly in the area of Expat Essentials. Expats’ assessment of digital life in Germany made it the worst country for digital infrastructure. Expats say Germany is a difficult culture to settle into, ranking it 51st out of 53 countries. Expats express frustration at slow bureaucracy and how the lack of digitalisation makes everything from visa applications to opening a bank account an exercise in patience. Expats lament how hard it is to make friends in Germany, and many say they’re not happy with their social life.
Germany never fares well when internationals speak their minds in the InterNations Expat Insider survey each year, but in 2024, new lows have been reached. The federal republic has been named the worst country for digital life, administration, housing, and languages. I spent nearly two months here. The infrastructure for locals works. The infrastructure for newcomers, especially non-German speakers, is genuinely exhausting in a way that wears you down slowly.
—
Country to Avoid #3: Norway – Stunning, Expensive, and Quietly Isolating
Norway is one of those countries that looks perfect on paper and then consistently breaks expat hearts in practice. It’s not dangerous. It’s not poor. It’s something more subtle, and in some ways harder to deal with.
While the three Nordic countries offer a great Environment and Climate ranking in the top 10, expats struggle with the ease of settling in, placing firmly in the bottom 10. Once in Norway, less than half of expats feel at home, and 40% find the locals unfriendly. The country ranks 52nd for cultural integration.
Norway moved from 52nd place in 2023 to 48th in 2024 in the InterNations survey of worst places for expats. The quality of life in Norway is top-notch, with a strong work-life balance and excellent digital services. However, renting a one-bedroom apartment remains expensive, averaging around $1,082 a month. Norway also ranks poorly in terms of ease of settling in, largely because of its cold climate, which can make it difficult for expats to adjust. A gorgeous country to visit. A tough country to call home.
—
Country to Avoid #4: Turkey – Opportunity Buried Under Instability
Turkey is a genuinely fascinating country. Istanbul might be one of the most architecturally stunning cities I have ever visited. Yet living there is a fundamentally different experience from visiting it, and the gap between the two is wider here than almost anywhere.
In the Expat Insider 2024 survey, Turkey was ranked as the second worst place for expats to move to. Turkey ranks among the worst places for expats at 52nd place. InterNations rates the country last regarding working abroad due to limited career opportunities, a lack of job security, and unfavorable working hours. The language barrier is another significant issue, as Turkish is considered a moderately difficult language to learn.
South Korea, Türkiye, and Kuwait make up the bottom 3 in the 2025 Expat Insider rankings. Expats are in particular agreement that working in these countries is tough, with all three ranking in the bottom 10 of the Working Abroad Index. The appeal of Turkey is real. The frustrations are just as real, and for a nomad trying to stay focused and productive, the instability becomes a serious daily distraction.
—
Country to Avoid #5: The United Kingdom – A Country That Makes You Feel Like a Guest Paying Premium
This one stings a little, given how many people dream of living in London. The UK has genuine appeal. But the data on what expats actually experience there is surprisingly grim, and the cost reality hits hard very fast.
Expats in the UK struggle with their personal finances as well as housing and medical costs. Expats there struggle with their Personal Finance ranked 45th, as well as housing ranked 41st and medical costs ranked 44th. For a country with the global prestige of the UK, those numbers are sobering. Housing in particular has become almost absurdly expensive in any city worth living in.
More than half of the bottom 10 in the 2025 Expat Insider survey is occupied by European countries, including the United Kingdom ranked 41st. Only one European country made it into the top 10 of the 2025 ranking, while six took spots in the bottom 10. Let’s be real: the UK still has culture, history, and world-class universities. But if your goal is freedom, financial breathing room, and a genuine feeling of belonging somewhere new, it’s one of the harder places to build that life from scratch in 2026.
—
What Two Years of Country-Hopping Actually Teaches You
After all of it, one thing became unavoidably clear. The best places to disappear are not the most famous or the most photogenic. They’re the places where the friction of daily life is low, the people are genuinely open, and your money creates real freedom rather than just barely covering the basics.
When it comes to more long-term settling, expats and digital nomads who plan to extend their stay seem to have a different set of requirements. As the Expat Insider 2024 report suggests, the ideal destinations for expats offer a relatively low cost of living and ease of settling in. These are the precise reasons that catapulted Panama, Mexico, and Indonesia to the top of the list of best expat destinations.
The worst places, meanwhile, tend to share a different pattern: social walls that are hard to penetrate, bureaucratic systems that fight you at every turn, and a cost of living that swallows any sense of financial freedom whole. None of that is obvious from a two-week vacation. You need time. You need to try to open a bank account, find a flat, and have a bad week somewhere before you really know it.
Twenty countries in two years left me with one conclusion: choosing where you live is one of the most powerful decisions you will ever make. Most people outsource it entirely to circumstance. You don’t have to. What would your list look like – and does any of this match what you expected?