Expats Building New Lives Abroad: Where People Find Home in 2026

BUILDING A LIFE ABROAD: WHERE EXPATS FIND HOME IN 2026

Ariel Barrionuevo stops by the ocean every morning. He walks through tropical gardens, listens to birds, and lets the Caribbean coast of Panama set the pace for his day. “It’s a simple ritual,” he said, “but it reminds me every day why I chose to live here.” Eight years after leaving Argentina for Isla Colón, he now directs La Coralina Island House hotel and describes the move not as a relocation but as a recalibration. “I arrived thinking I was moving to a beautiful destination. Looking back, I was really moving towards a different way of living, one that values time over speed, experiences over possessions and connection over constant activity.”

Panama has claimed the top position in the InterNations Expat Insider 2026 survey for the third consecutive year. The survey assessed 31 destinations across five dimensions: quality of life, ease of settling in, working conditions, personal finance, and practical essentials like housing and digital services. Among expats living in Panama, 87 percent report happiness with their lives abroad, against a global average of 70 percent. Ninety percent say finding accommodation is straightforward.

Reza Motalebpour, who moved to Panama City from Canada this year, points to the practical advantages for remote workers. Reliable internet, smooth banking within a dollarised economy, low utility bills, and modest property taxes combine to create genuine value, even for those who initially find the exchange rate steep. Weather disruptions and delayed deliveries do test residents, Barrionuevo acknowledges, yet he describes choosing a slower pace as a decision without regret. He encourages arrivals to visit Bluff Beach, buy fresh fruit from roadside stands, and spend afternoons watching surfers at Paunch Beach.

Mexico ranks second overall and first in the Ease of Settling In index, making it the most socially accessible destination in the survey. Seventy-three percent of residents say making local friends comes easily, compared to 39 percent globally, and twice the global average describe their social circles as predominantly local.

Kirsten Raccuia moved to Puerto Vallarta with her husband in 2022 and writes about the experience on her blog, Sand in My Curls. “I’ve made better friends abroad than I ever had in Chicago,” she said. Street tacos cost roughly a dollar. A recent emergency appendectomy and hospital stay came to less than 4,000 dollars, a figure she describes as virtually unimaginable in the United States. She recommends eating breakfast at local food markets and visiting the beach on Sundays when families gather. “Yes, it’s touristy, but it’s also what the locals do.”

One significant concern surfaces in the data. Mexico ranked 25th of 31 countries for safety and security, with 68 percent of expats rating personal safety positively, compared to 81 percent globally.

Thailand places third overall while recording the survey’s highest expat satisfaction rate at 86 percent and its best cost of living score, with 85 percent of residents rating it positively, more than double the global average.

Bethan Jeentipraphet, a British mother of two from Devon, moved to Bangkok with her Thai husband in 2024 intending to stay one year. Within two weeks, she knew she was staying. Her first street-food meal fed her family of four for the equivalent of about £1. She credits Thailand’s education system with transforming her son. “Respect is huge in Thai culture, and students here clearly have the utmost respect for education. He is a completely changed child.”

Aaron Henry, who relocated from Los Angeles 11 years ago, describes Bangkok as a city that modernised without losing itself. “It’s preserved the unique aspects of Thai culture while, especially over the last decade, exploding in terms of international cuisine, exceptional parks, art galleries and luxury malls.” He recommends the less-touristed walkable neighbourhoods of Ari and Phra Khanong for a more resident-level view of the city. Jeentipraphet adds that newcomers should respect local customs, from removing shoes before entering homes to standing during the national anthem, played publicly at 08:00 and 18:00 daily. “For expats willing to embrace Thai culture and embody the cultural norms, Thailand can be an extremely rewarding place to live.”

The United Arab Emirates ranks fourth, excelling in career prospects and expat essentials including visa processes and language accessibility. InterNations conducted its survey in February and March 2026, spanning periods before and after the US-Iran conflict outbreak, so results only partially capture its effects. Expats currently living there report that daily life has continued largely unchanged.

Michelle Sterling, an image consultant who divides her time between Dubai and the United States, currently prefers Dubai. “Day-to-day life in Dubai feels normal. For me, Dubai offers a lifestyle that feels safer, more comfortable and more affordable.” Nikita Oruganty moved from London to Dubai earlier this year for communications work and values the country’s continued openness to international residents. “While other countries are making it harder with immigration rules, the UAE has always welcomed expats.” Living abroad without family nearby sharpens that appreciation. “That sense of stability matters a lot when you are living abroad without your family nearby.”

To understand how residents actually live, Oruganty recommends riding the Metro during rush hour, walking through Bur Dubai and Deira, crossing Dubai Creek by abra (the traditional wooden ferry), and eating at small Indian, Filipino or Lebanese restaurants. “That is where you see the everyday version of Dubai, much more ordinary than its international image suggests.”

Sharon Mckernan, a British expat who has lived in Ras Al Khaimah for eight years, describes a quieter alternative to Dubai’s pace. “I enjoy the easy, down-to-earth pace of life. There’s no constant rushing, less traffic and generally less day-to-day hassles, which gives us more family time to enjoy by the pool, beach or explore the mountains here.” Healthcare has been fast and efficient, and friendships with people from around the world have come easily. She suggests watching sunset from Jebel Jais, the UAE’s highest mountain, or exploring Al Jazirah Al Hamra Heritage Village. “It offers a side to the UAE that is different and relatively unknown to most.”

Brazil enters the top five for the first time this year, scoring highly for happiness, ease of settling in, local friendliness and culture. Clint Manning moved from Barbados to São Paulo to build his business and found the social warmth immediately familiar. “You could meet someone for the first time on a Thursday and be at their home having churrasco by Saturday. Being from Barbados and having a similar lifestyle there, it felt very much like home, but on a significantly larger scale.”

Manning views limited English usage as an advantage rather than a barrier. “For someone truly interested in learning the language, it is a fantastic experience as you are forced to communicate in Portuguese out of necessity. I became fluent significantly faster than I would’ve if I had been trying to learn Danish or German in Denmark or Germany.” He recommends bars and padarias in Vila Madalena and Bela Vista, sushi in Liberdade (the city’s Japanese neighbourhood), and Ibirapuera Park, one of Latin America’s largest urban green spaces.

Chris Kohl, who lived in São Paulo for 12 years, returns to the same theme. “They were genuinely interested and curious in getting to know me and made me feel included from the beginning. Instead of making me feel like an outsider, Brazilians made me feel like I belonged.”

Across all five destinations, the pattern the 2026 survey keeps surfacing is less about infrastructure or income than about the texture of daily life: a morning walk, a cheap meal, a neighbour who becomes a friend. Whether that holds as more expats arrive and reshape the communities they join is the question these cities will spend the next few years answering.