From Comfort to Constant Struggle: Expat Finances in 2026

Southeast Asian and Latin American countries continue to be the places where paychecks go further, with a few European additions. But expats in North America and elsewhere in Europe are feeling the financial strain.

➡️You’re welcome to use these 2026 Expat Insider results. Please remember to credit InterNations as the source, and where possible, include a link to www.internations.org.

In this article:

Methodology
Outstanding Financial Well-Being in Panama (1st)
Thailand (2nd) Excels with Low Cost of Living
Mexico (3rd) Offers Good Value for Money
Financial Struggles in Canada (31st)
High Costs Take Their Toll in Norway (30th)
Feeling the Pinch in the UK (29th)
Trends in the Top 10
Trends in the Bottom 10
Further Reading

Full ranking of the Personal Finance Index 2026; details in description

Methodology

The Personal Finance Index is made up of three different factors which expats rated on a scale of one (very bad) to seven (very good): satisfaction with their financial situation; general cost of living; and whether a respondent’s disposable household income is enough to lead a comfortable life.

To be featured in the index, a minimum of 50 respondents per country is required. In 2026, 31 destinations made this threshold.

Outstanding Financial Well-Being in Panama (1st)

Panama ranks 1st out of 31 destinations in the 2026 Personal Finance Index — with great results across all factors of the index.

Nine in ten expats there (90%) say their disposable household income is enough to lead a comfortable life (vs. 71% globally). And over three-quarters (76%) are satisfied with their financial situation (vs. 55%), placing Panama 1st for both factors.

A lot of this is down to affordable living costs: close to seven in ten respondents (69%) rate the general cost of living positively (vs. 39% globally), ranking the country 2nd worldwide for this factor.

Opinion

I love the climate, food, and cost of living. (US American expat in Panama City)

Opinion

Money also plays a role in why expats relocate to Panama in the first place: about one in ten (10%) move there for financial reasons, over three times the global average (3%).

Thailand (2nd) Excels with Low Cost of Living

Second-placed Thailand continues the pattern: as in Panama (18%), a higher-than-average share of respondents (22%) moved to the country in order to retire (vs. 4%). In fact, four in ten expats (40%) there are retired, far above the global average (14%).

A low cost of living is then only advantageous — and Thailand is the most affordable place for expats worldwide. More than double the global average rate expenses positively (85% vs. 39% globally). And close to two in five (38%) give this factor the best possible rating (vs. 10% globally).

Consequently, more than three-quarters (78%) say their disposable income is enough to live comfortably (vs. 71% globally), and nearly two-thirds (64%) are satisfied with their financial situation (vs. 55%).

Next to retirees (22%), Thailand also attracts many expats seeking a better quality of life in general (19% vs. 9% globally).

Mexico (3rd) Offers Good Value for Money

Ranking 3rd out of 31 destinations, Mexico performs consistently well across all points of the Personal Finance Index.

Nearly three-quarters of expats (73%) are satisfied with their financial situation (vs. 55% globally), placing Mexico 2nd for this factor. And an even higher share (81%) agree that their disposable income is enough to live comfortably (vs. 71% globally).

The cost of living is a clear plus as well, even if results are not as outstanding as for Panama: 57% rate expenses positively (vs. 39% globally), ranking the country 5th.

Opinion

The cost of living is much lower here than in the US. (US American expat in Mexico City)

Opinion

Financial Struggles in Canada (31st)

For the third year in a row, Canada ranks last in the Personal Finance Index.

Only about half the expats (51%) say their disposable household income is enough to lead a comfortable life (vs. 71% globally), placing Canada last worldwide for this factor. An even lower share (40%) are satisfied with their financial situation (vs. 55%).

Opinion

The cost of life is excessive. Leisure activities (restaurants, cinemas, festivals, sports, even outdoor activities) are expensive. (Mexican expat in Ottawa)

Opinion

Close to two-thirds of expats in Canada (66%) rate expenses negatively (vs. 40% globally). Unsurprisingly, concerns about high living costs were already common before moving (32% vs. 21% globally).

High Costs Take Their Toll in Norway (30th)

Norway not only lands in the bottom 3 of the 2026 Personal Finance Index (30th) but also ranks last for the cost of living. Only 17% of respondents give a positive rating here (vs. 39% globally). In fact, concerns about high costs are widespread, with about four in ten expats mentioning they already worried about this before moving to Norway (41% vs. 21%).

While about two-thirds of expats (65%) say their income is enough to live comfortably (vs. 71% globally), overall satisfaction with their financial situation is far lower: just 39% rate it positively (vs. 55%), the worst result worldwide.

Finances aren’t the only thing expats in Norway struggle with, though: the country ranks last overall in the 2026 Expat Insider survey, with particularly bad results for the Quality of Life (30th) and Ease of Settling In (31st) as well.

Feeling the Pinch in the UK (29th)

Since 2022, the United Kingdom (29th) just can’t seem to escape the bottom 3 of the Personal Finance Index.

In 2026, two in five expats (40%) say their disposable income is not enough for a comfortable life (vs. 29% globally), placing the country near the bottom for this factor (30th). Financial satisfaction in general is similarly low, with just 45% giving positive ratings (vs. 55%).

Opinion

After Brexit, the UK economy is in serious trouble. The cost of living is way high and affordable housing is impossible. (US American expat in London)

Opinion

Over half the expats in the UK (53%) say their annual gross income is 50,000 USD or less (vs. 47% globally). This fact surely doesn’t help considering how cost of living is another weak point for the UK: only about one in five expats (21%) rate it positively (vs. 39% globally). Over a third (34%) also cited high costs as a concern before moving (vs. 21%).

Trends in the Top 10

Panama
Thailand
Mexico
Portugal
Malaysia
Brazil
Poland
Spain
South Africa
Belgium

Four of the top 10 countries are located in Europe (although none of them make it into the top 3): Portugal (4th), Poland (7th), Spain (8th), and Belgium (10th). With the exception of Belgium, they all perform well for the cost of living. The higher cost of living in Belgium, meanwhile, is at least partially offset by the respondents’ higher gross yearly income there.

Three countries are located in Latin America, with Brazil (6th) joining Panama (1st) and Mexico (3rd). All three were in the top 10 last year as well, and for each, the factors of the index rank in the top 10. With one exception: expats in Brazil are only moderately satisfied with how far their disposable income can get them (14th).

On the other side of the globe, two Southeast Asian countries also made it into the top 10: Thailand (2nd) and Malaysia (5th). Both stand out for their exceptional cost of living, ranking 1st and 3rd, respectively.

South Africa (9th) has made a big jump, going from the bottom half last year to spot 9 in 2026. Interestingly, people are still not satisfied with their financial situation (25th), but they are quite happy with the cost of living (7th).

Trends in the Bottom 10

Sweden
Germany
USA
Switzerland
Australia
Türkiye
Ireland
UK
Norway
Canada

Six of these countries were already in the bottom 10 last year. Only Switzerland, the US, Germany, and Sweden are new additions.

Likewise, six of the countries are located in Europe: Sweden (22nd), Germany (23rd), Switzerland (25th), Ireland (28th), the UK (29th), and Norway (30th). The cost of living is in the bottom 10 for four of these countries, with Germany (19th) and Sweden (16th) not far behind. Interestingly, a comparatively high share of expats in Ireland say that their disposable household income isn’t enough to lead a comfortable life (37% vs. 29% globally), but that doesn’t mean that they’re similarly dissatisfied with their financial situation (12th).

Canada (31st) and the US (24th) represent from North America. Both the cost of living and disposable household income being enough for a comfortable life score in the bottom 10. And indeed, the high cost of living was a pre-move concern for about a third of respondents in both countries (32% each vs. 21% globally).

However, expats in the US (19th) are much more satisfied with their financial situation than in Canada (30th). This is perhaps due to the considerably larger share of respondents with a high income: 27% earn 150,000+ USD per year in the US compared to only 10% in Canada.

Australia (26th) and Türkiye (27th) round out the bottom 10. Neither do well for any of the factors of this index, with Australia’s 21st place for the cost of living the “best” result.