A Full Read of the Best Countries for Expats 2026, Where Thailand 3rd Place Came From and Whether Millionaires Actually Move There

The best countries for expats in 2026, according to the InterNations Expat Insider survey, are led by Panama for a third consecutive year, followed by Mexico and Thailand. Thailand takes 3rd place out of the 31 countries with enough responses to be ranked, from a survey of close to 8,000 expats across 162 nationalities. Set this list of the best countries for expats against the 10 countries that actually drew the most millionaires, and only 3 names appear on both.

3 of the 10 Places Wealthy Expats Choose Are in Southeast Asia, and Thailand Sits Highest

The top 4, with the numbers that put each country where it is:

• 1. Panama
  First for a third year running, carried by personal finance and housing, with 37% of its respondents already retired against a global average of 14%.

• Headline numbers: 90% say their disposable income is enough for a comfortable life · 90% say housing is easy to find · 87% are happy with life there

• 2. Mexico
  First in the world for ease of settling in and second for career prospects, yet with one clear weak spot in personal safety.

• Headline numbers: 81% say their income is enough to live comfortably · 73% find it easy to make local friends · but only 68% rate personal safety positively

• 3. Thailand
  First in the world for cost of living and second in the Personal Finance Index, with 40% of its respondents already retired.

• Headline numbers: 91% feel personally safe · 85% rate the cost of living positively · 78% say household income covers a comfortable life

• 4. United Arab Emirates
  First in the world for career prospects, and one of the fastest destinations for paperwork and visa processing.

• Headline numbers: 80% say the move improved their career opportunities · 80% find the visa process easy

Places 5 to 10 run as follows:

• 5. Brazil

• 6. Spain

• 7. Singapore

• 8. Portugal

• 9. Malaysia

• 10. Luxembourg

Data from the InterNations Expat Insider 2026 survey, released in July 2026 · further detail in this Forbes report

Who Actually Scores These Countries, and Why Thai Nationals Do Not Vote in This One

The scoring comes from expats who have moved to each country, not from locals and not from a panel of judges. This year InterNations collected answers from close to 8,000 expats across 162 nationalities, then ranked only the countries with at least 50 respondents, leaving 31 in the table. Thailand score therefore reflects foreign residents living in Thailand, not Thai nationals who were already there.

The criteria are grouped into broad indices covering quality of life, ease of settling in, working abroad, personal finance and housing. The overall position is a weighted combination of those indices rather than a single score.

Thailand Takes 4 World First Places, and Not One of Them Is Safety

Thailand scores by category, set against the global average:

Figures from the Expat Insider 2026 survey · cells marked not published are values the source does not state, so no number has been added here.

So Where Does That 91% Safety Score Actually Rank?

Sixth in the world, which is strong but not first. Thailand 91% sits 10 points above the global average of 81%, while its other categories clear the average by far wider margins. Safety is a good score, yet it is not the reason Thailand reached 3rd place overall.

A 47-Point Gap Above the Global Average, and It Is Housing, Not Safety

Subtract the global average from Thailand score in each category and order the results by the widest gap, and the sequence runs like this. Housing costs lead at 47 points (79% against 32%), cost of living follows at 46 points (85% against 39%), local friendliness at 26 points (89% against 63%), the wish to stay permanently at 15 points (42% against 27%), and personal safety comes last at 10 points.

What sets Thailand apart in expat eyes, in other words, is what leaves the account each month rather than the safety figure that usually carries the headline. Those two leading gaps of 47 and 46 points are close to 5 times wider than the safety gap.

Calculated by the Luxe Addict team from Thailand scores against the global averages published in the Expat Insider 2026 survey, expressed in percentage points.

Do Millionaires Who Relocate Actually Move to These Same Countries?

Lay this list over the 10 countries with the largest net millionaire inflows of 2025 in the Henley Private Wealth Migration Report and only 3 names overlap: the UAE, Singapore and Portugal. The other 7 differ entirely. The UAE is the only country near the top of both, 4th in expat satisfaction and 1st for wealth migration with a net inflow of 9,800 millionaires. Thailand, 3rd on the satisfaction list, drew a net 450, close to 22 times fewer than the UAE. Where people are happiest and where the money relocates are, in short, still two different lists.

 
Reading This List to Choose a Destination, Watch the Gaps Rather Than the Rank

The Luxe Addict view is that an overall rank is an average of several indices, and an average always hides something. Panama, 2 places above Thailand, wins on money in hand and on simple paperwork: 90% say their disposable income is enough for a comfortable life against 78% in Thailand, and 82% call the visa process easy. Mexico meanwhile sits 2nd even though only 68% rate personal safety positively, below the global average of 81%.

The more useful approach is to pick the index that matches your own life first, then look at how far that country clears the global average in it. Anyone planning to move for work should read the working abroad index alongside the wealth migration table, while anyone thinking about a long stay should start with personal finance and housing.

If Thailand Scores This Well, What Do Expats There Still Complain About?

Air quality. The survey records that only a third of expats in Thailand rate it positively, making it the sharpest outlier against the rest of the country scores. For anyone weighing up a move, that belongs alongside the low cost of living and the easy housing rather than being left out of the picture.

Third in the World Is Good News, and the Survey Also Shows What People Looking at Thailand Are Really Looking At

What this year results make clear is that expats do not pick Thailand for safety first. They pick it because the same money goes considerably further, and 42% of them say they want to stay permanently, roughly 1.5 times the global average of 27%.

If this has started you thinking about a move, read Top 10 Countries Millionaires Are Moving To in 2025 and Golden Visa 2026 investment costs next to see what a given destination asks for.