Another major concern in regard to choosing a new country is cost of living. I did a simple search for cost comparison between nations, and came up with the WorldData site. The cost of living index is based on costs versus purchasing power. There are 115 entries with Bermuda being the most expensive place to live and Egypt being the least expensive.

The United States vs Our Six Remaining Candidates

So where does United States sit in our cost of living comparison according to World Data? The United States is 13th on the list with a cost of living index of 100. The site is set up that all countries are compared to the United States. Unsurprisingly, all of our candidate countries have a lower cost of living.

• Italy - 35th with a cost of living index of 72.7. A bit less than 3/4ths of the U.S.

• Spain - 41st with a cost of living index of 67.7.

• Costa Rica - 44th with a cost of living index of 65.5 so about 2/3rds of the cost of the U.S.

• Portugal - 45th with a cost of living index of 64.4, right there with Costa Rica

• Albania - 59th with a cost of living index of 48.8 - essentially half the cost of living in the U.S.

• Panama appears to have been left off their list. Although there is lots of information about Panama elsewhere on the site. If I were to guess after reading the economic data about Panama available on the site, I think it would sit between Portugal and Albania.

  And that’s been our process. Again, cost of living index did not eliminate any of our candidates.

  The Basic System

  You can utilize this basic system of analysis - safety, healthcare, and cost of living - to evaluate any country. I shared our preferences. but many are interested in Southeast Asia. For example, Thailand comes up frequently in any expat discussion of possible places in which to relocate.

  Next up winnowing down our choices.

Politics Expat Life Leaving the USA Just Life