Europe’s Best Countries For Living Abroad In 2024, According To Expats

If moving to Europe has always been a dream, now could be the perfect time. More and more countries are launching digital nomad visas, including Italy and Türkiye, and workplaces continue to accept remote working arrangements.

That said, there are dozens of destinations to choose from and you need to make sure you find somewhere that suits your lifestyle, budget and interests. Here’s where the new Expat Insider survey by InterNations—a global networking and advice site for expats—may come in handy.

The platform has asked over 12,500 people living in 174 countries around the globe to rank everything from ease of making friends to career opportunities. Here are the best and worst European countries for expats at the moment, according to their results.

Only One European Countries Makes The Top 10 For Living Abroad

In the overall rankings, European countries didn’t perform at their best. Only one nation—Spain—made it into the top 10 in 4th place with 84% of expats saying they’re happy there (vs. 68% globally). The country is a top choice for those looking to relocate or spend an extended period of time abroad, as the climate, healthcare, and cost of living keep expats satisfied amid minor challenges.

Spain claims the top spot in the Quality of Life Index for the third year running, landing first in subcategory Leisure Options for its high quality culture and nightlife as well as opportunities for recreational sports.

Expats also love the sunshine—88% of respondents enjoy the climate and weather (vs. 58% globally). Spain also secures the 3rd spot for Healthcare. Expats praise both the quality (10th) and affordability (5th) of medical care, with the majority (81%) positively rating its availability (vs. 68% globally).

Reviews for Working Abroad in Spain are less glowing—the country ranks 27th, its worst result in an index. Expats are not particularly happy with their career opportunities (36th) or the local job market (41st).

Belgium Shoots Up The Rankings Thanks To Work-Life Balance

Jumping up 20 places in the ranking from last year, Belgium is now in 18th place in 2024. The country’s results in the Personal Finance Index hardly changed (25th to 23rd). But it leapt onto the podium for the 2024 Working Abroad Index from 21st to 3rd.

Expats have a more favorable view on their work–life balance (71% satisfied vs. 65% in 2023) and their personal career opportunities. Close to a quarter (24%) give the latter factor the best possible rating, compared to 18% of respondents in 2023. Belgium manages to improve in areas where the country already did well in the past, such as job security (8th in 2023 to 2nd).

The country sees further improvements in the Quality of Life Index (from 35th to 18th). For instance, over four in five respondents (81%) rate the availability of public transportation favorably, ten percentage points above the 2023 result (71%). And they’re more likely to highlight its affordability (72% vs. 64%). However, the weather (52nd) and personal safety concerns (44th) remain an issue in Belgium.

Türkiye Is The Worst Country For Working Abroad

Out of 53 countries in the Expat Insider 2024 survey, Türkiye ranks 52nd. Those considering Türkiye for their professional career will be disappointed as the country ranks last in the Working Abroad Index (53rd). About a third of respondents don’t believe that moving to Türkiye improved their career prospects, and even higher shares negatively rate their personal career opportunities (40%) and the local job market (45%)—compared to global averages of 25% and 31%, respectively.

Things don’t look much better for the Work Culture & Satisfaction (52nd), Work & Leisure (53rd), and Salary & Job Security (53rd) Subcategories. “There is a lot of bureaucracy and difficult government process for foreigners. The lack of available work visa and wages are a huge problem for expats living here,” says one Australian expat.

Türkiye remains in the bottom 10 for the Expat Essentials Index (51st). Expats find the Language subcategory to be the toughest hurdle, while Digital Life and Admin Topics (42nd) are other challenging aspects.

Türkiye crawls out of the bottom 10 with the Quality of Life Index (42nd). But the Safety & Security subcategory is back down in 52nd place. More than a third of expats feel like they can’t openly express themselves or their opinions (vs. 17% globally).

Better performing aspects include the Environment & Climate and Healthcare subcategories. The majority of expats appreciate the Mediterranean country’s climate & weather (75% vs. 58% globally).

When it comes to the Ease of Settling In Index, Türkiye ranks 40th. Although this is the best-performing index, it has dropped 13 places from the 27th spot in 2023. About a third of expats are unhappy with their social life and a similar share say locals are generally not friendly towards foreign residents.

Finland Falls Down The Rankings In 2024

Despite shining in the Environment & Climate (8th) and Digital Life (6th) subcategories, Finland’s rankings falter in the Ease of Settling In (50th), Working Abroad (46th), and Personal Finances (52nd) Indices. In just one year, the share of expats who are happy with their life there dropped from 78% to 51%.

Finland’s performance in the Personal Finance Index shows a 22-point drop to 52nd. With a relatively high cost of living, expats don’t rate their disposable household income as sufficient and are dissatisfied with their financial situation.

Only 38% of expats agree that finding housing is easy (vs. 45% globally) and language poses a significant hurdle, too: a whopping 83% of respondents find that learning the local language is difficult (vs. 40% globally). “Without speaking the local language, it’s not easy for daily life,” says one Vietnamese expat.

After a top-3 placement in 2023, Finland’s Quality of Life Index drops to an average 26th place in 2024. The standout subcategory is Environment & Climate, where Finland excels in 8th place.

The Healthcare Subcategory takes a nosedive from 17th place in 2023 to the 38th spot in 2024. Expats are particularly unhappy with the availability of medical care. The worst-performing factor in the index is climate & weather, with only 31% of expats rating it favorably (vs. 58% globally).

When it comes to Working Abroad (46th), the biggest upsets are the Work & Leisure (31st) and Work Culture & Satisfaction (27th) subcategories, both of which saw a drop from 1st and 3rd place in 2023, respectively. Only 47% of expats are satisfied with their job (vs. 60% globally). And while three in five at least rate the state of the Finnish economy favorably, 47% don’t agree that moving to Finland improved their career prospects (vs. 21% globally).