Thinking about a more permanent change of scene? A new ranking of the best countries to live in has just dropped, and Europe owns it: six of the top 10 spots went to the continent, with tiny Monaco taking first place overall.
The Nomad Lifestyle Index, compiled by Nomad Capitalist, scored 63 destinations across five pillars: nature and climate, tax, residence and access, safety and freedom, and quality of life and infrastructure. Underneath those sit granular measures like air quality, extreme weather risk, routes to residency and citizenship, life expectancy, cost of living, broadband speed and the Global Peace Index. Each pillar is scored out of 100, then combined into an overall rating.
Monaco came out on top with 73.89 points, largely because it was the only country to earn a perfect 100 for quality of life and infrastructure, plus a strong safety score. Andorra followed just behind on 73.68 – it actually leads the entire index on safety and freedom and has the cleanest air of any European country in the ranking. What cost it the crown? Citizenship takes 20 years of residence, plus a language and history test.
The gap between the top three is remarkably slim. The United Arab Emirates took third on 73.15, meaning the leading trio were separated by just 0.74 points.
Elsewhere in Europe, Malta came fourth, praised for its strong passport and a five-year route to naturalisation, though tax and infrastructure scores held it back. Portugal, a digital nomad staple, landed fifth thanks to solid marks for safety, residency options and tax – but its nature score suffered from increasing exposure to extreme weather linked to climate change. Cyprus placed sixth with the second-best residence and access score and citizenship available after seven years, dragged down by quality-of-life and air quality ratings. Switzerland rounded out the list at number 10, performing well on safety and freedom.
The non-European entries are worth noting too: Singapore (7th), the Cayman Islands (8th) and New Zealand (9th) all made the cut, showing the index rewards a mix of stability, accessibility and liveability rather than any one region.
For holidaymakers, this list doubles as a shortlist for slow travel or a trial run abroad. Andorra offers mountain air and safety but demands patience for citizenship; Malta and Cyprus are faster naturalisation plays; Portugal remains the flexible favourite. Even if you're not relocating, the top performers – Monaco, Andorra, Switzerland – are easy to combine into a single Alpine-Mediterranean trip, and Malta and Cyprus make excellent off-season basecamps with year-round flight access.
The full top 10: Monaco (73.89), Andorra (73.68), United Arab Emirates (73.15), Malta (72.11), Portugal (70.09), Cyprus (68.42), Singapore (67.12), Cayman Islands (66.50), New Zealand (66.43) and Switzerland (65.44).
