Best countries to move abroad with a family

About this page

Ranked on family monthly costs, school fees, safety, healthcare and how welcoming the country is.

Last updated: October 26, 2026

A family budget behaves differently from a single one, so this tab ranks on family costs rather than individual spending. It combines the monthly cost for a family excluding rent, the cost of international primary school or preschool, safety, healthcare and a friendliness measure drawn from the country record.

A country needs both a family cost and at least one school figure to be ranked, because school fees decide the budget more often than rent does. The headline shows the family cost and the school figure the ranking used.

Fees are published estimates and vary by city and curriculum. Confirm admission rules, waiting lists and visa conditions for dependants before you commit to a city.

Countries at travel advisory level 3 or 4 are not ranked here.

Read the full method

Families ranking

1

Tuvalu

9.3out of 10

Family est. $1,300/mo · intl primary school $4,000/yr

Safety index 82.

  • English widely spoken
  • Low cost
2

Kiribati

9.3out of 10

Family est. $911/mo · intl primary school $5,678/yr

Safety index 96.

  • Low cost
3

Bhutan

8.7out of 10

Family est. $1,379/mo · intl primary school $617/yr

Safety index 70.

  • Low cost
4

Marshall Islands

8.1out of 10

Family est. $1,532/mo · intl primary school $3,570/yr

Safety index 77.

  • English widely spoken
  • Path to residency
5

Georgia

7.9out of 10

Family est. $2,122/mo · intl primary school $5,170/yr

Safety index 73.

  • Path to residency
6

India

7.8out of 10

Family est. $1,059/mo · intl primary school $1,750/yr

Safety index 56.

  • Large expat community
  • Low cost
7

Sri Lanka

7.8out of 10

Family est. $1,711/mo · intl primary school $597/yr

Safety index 58.

  • English widely spoken
  • Low cost
  • Retirement visa
8

Eritrea

7.7out of 10

Family est. $840/mo · intl primary school $2,600/yr

Safety index 74.

  • Low cost
9

Kosovo

7.6out of 10

Family est. $1,884/mo · intl primary school $2,558/yr

Safety index 59.

  • Low cost
10

Thailand

7.5out of 10

Family est. $2,203/mo · intl primary school $12,603/yr

Safety index 64.

  • Large expat community
  • Retirement visa
11

Mauritius

7.5out of 10

Family est. $2,167/mo · intl primary school $4,330/yr

Safety index 62.

  • English widely spoken
  • Clean air
  • Path to residency
12

Philippines

7.5out of 10

Family est. $1,854/mo · intl primary school $5,820/yr

Safety index 57.

  • English widely spoken
  • Large expat community
  • Path to residency
13

Taiwan

7.4out of 10

Family est. $2,926/mo · intl primary school $14,981/yr

Safety index 83.

  • Path to residency
14

Samoa

7.3out of 10

Family est. $1,583/mo · intl primary school $5,500/yr

Safety index 58.

  • English widely spoken
  • Low cost
15

Maldives

7.3out of 10

Family est. $2,862/mo · intl primary school $3,078/yr

Safety index 64.

  • English widely spoken
16

Japan

7.2out of 10

Family est. $3,000/mo · intl primary school $11,980/yr

Safety index 78.

  • Large expat community
  • Clean air
17

San Marino

7.2out of 10

Family est. $2,600/mo · intl primary school $15,000/yr

Safety index 78.

  • Retirement visa
18

Andorra

7.1out of 10

Family est. $3,190/mo · intl primary school $16,102/yr

Safety index 87.

  • Clean air
  • Retirement visa
19

Portugal

7.1out of 10

Family est. $2,805/mo · intl primary school $12,159/yr

Safety index 67.

  • English widely spoken
  • Large expat community
  • Path to residency
20

Estonia

7.1out of 10

Family est. $3,528/mo · intl primary school $10,876/yr

Safety index 77.

  • English widely spoken
  • Clean air
  • Path to residency
21

Czechia

7.1out of 10

Family est. $3,020/mo · intl primary school $12,994/yr

Safety index 73.

  • English widely spoken
  • Path to residency
22

Lithuania

7.0out of 10

Family est. $3,032/mo · intl primary school $10,026/yr

Safety index 67.

  • English widely spoken
  • Path to residency
23

Finland

7.0out of 10

Family est. $4,005/mo · intl primary school $10,934/yr

Safety index 74.

  • English widely spoken
  • Clean air
  • Path to residency
24

Netherlands

7.0out of 10

Family est. $4,209/mo · intl primary school $9,287/yr

Safety index 72.

  • English widely spoken
  • Large expat community
  • Path to residency
25

Brunei

7.0out of 10

Family est. $3,024/mo · intl primary school $10,907/yr

Safety index 78.

  • English widely spoken
26

Indonesia

7.0out of 10

Family est. $1,529/mo · intl primary school $5,454/yr

Safety index 54.

  • Large expat community
  • Path to residency
  • Low cost
27

China

6.9out of 10

Family est. $1,855/mo · intl primary school $19,198/yr

Safety index 77.

  • Large expat community
  • Path to residency
  • Low cost
28

Croatia

6.9out of 10

Family est. $3,131/mo · intl primary school $9,897/yr

Safety index 75.

  • English widely spoken
  • Path to residency
29

Denmark

6.9out of 10

Family est. $4,588/mo · intl primary school $6,665/yr

Safety index 73.

  • English widely spoken
  • Clean air
  • Path to residency
30

Paraguay

6.9out of 10

Family est. $2,033/mo · intl primary school $4,688/yr

Safety index 48.

  • Path to residency
  • Retirement visa

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