Navid MoazzezNavid Moazzez

The Easiest Countries to Move To

Explore the easiest countries to move to: open visas for remote workers, retirees and people with their own income, with cost and safety.

Navid Moazzezby Navid Moazzez·Updated 2 Okt 2026·3 min read·

Ranked by open visas that don't need a local job: remote work and freelancer visas, then retirement and passive income visas, from official immigration sources.

Central America

Panama

45% of US prices · Territorial · 5 years to citizenship

Open the Panama guideNavid is a resident here
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PanamaCentral America · Video: K · Pexels
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The countries

Your passport
198 countries

How it sorts: each thing you pick scores every country from 0 to 1 (live for less: the World Bank's price level against the US; lower tax: no income tax or a territorial system first, then remittance, then a worldwide system by its top rate; easy residency: open nomad, freelancer, passive income or retirement visas; fast citizenship: fewer years to naturalize, less if dual citizenship isn't allowed; start a company: a low corporate tax; fast internet: M-Lab's median download, from 5 Mbps (empty) to 150 Mbps (full) on a log scale; safe: the US travel advice, with Levels 1 and 2 both counting as everyday travel; visa-free on my passport: your passport's rule for the country), and the countries sort by the average. With nothing picked, it's a balance of cost, tax, residency and safety.

Prices: the World Bank's purchasing power conversion factor over the exchange rate (WDI, CC BY 4.0). Tax: the territorial tax map's classification and each country's rates. Citizenship and residency: official immigration sources in the visa finders' tables. Safety: the US State Department's advisories, read 2026-09-29. Internet: M-Lab's open speed tests over the last 12 months. Videos and photos from Pexels, Coverr, Pixabay and Wikimedia Commons, credited on each country.

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Which countries let you move without a job offer?

Ranked by open visas that don't need a local job: remote work and freelancer visas, then retirement and passive income visas, from official immigration sources.

In this guide, I'll show you:

  • The top 15 countries, and why each ranks where it does
  • How the ranking works
  • More ways to compare countries

Open any country for its full guide, with visas for your passport, tax and costs.

key_takeaways.mdTL;DR

Key takeaways

Thailand: 2 remote work visas, a retirement or passive income visa, about 31% of US prices.
Argentina: a remote work visa, a retirement or passive income visa, about 46% of US prices.
Ecuador: a remote work visa, a retirement or passive income visa, about 42% of US prices.
Only countries whose US travel advice is Level 1 or 2 make the list.
Change the goals or pick your passport, and all 198 countries re-sort.

Easiest Countries to Move To: the ranking

  1. Thailand – 2 remote work visas, a retirement or passive income visa, about 31% of US prices
  2. Argentina – a remote work visa, a retirement or passive income visa, about 46% of US prices
  3. Ecuador – a remote work visa, a retirement or passive income visa, about 42% of US prices
  4. Panama – a remote work visa, a retirement or passive income visa, about 45% of US prices
  5. Greece – a remote work visa, a retirement or passive income visa, about 60% of US prices
  6. Portugal – a remote work visa, a retirement or passive income visa, about 60% of US prices
  7. Spain – a remote work visa, a retirement or passive income visa, about 64% of US prices
  8. Bulgaria – a remote work visa, about 23% of US prices
  9. Sri Lanka – a remote work visa, about 27% of US prices
  10. Indonesia – a remote work visa, about 29% of US prices
  11. Malaysia – a remote work visa, about 32% of US prices
  12. Kazakhstan – a remote work visa, about 33% of US prices
  13. Philippines – a retirement or passive income visa, about 33% of US prices
  14. Kenya – a remote work visa, about 34% of US prices
  15. Mauritius – a remote work visa, about 39% of US prices

How the ranking works

How it sorts: each thing you pick scores every country from 0 to 1 (live for less: the World Bank's price level against the US; lower tax: no income tax or a territorial system first, then remittance, then a worldwide system by its top rate; easy residency: open nomad, freelancer, passive income or retirement visas; fast citizenship: fewer years to naturalize, less if dual citizenship isn't allowed; start a company: a low corporate tax; fast internet: M-Lab's median download, from 5 Mbps (empty) to 150 Mbps (full) on a log scale; safe: the US travel advice, with Levels 1 and 2 both counting as everyday travel; visa-free on my passport: your passport's rule for the country), and the countries sort by the average. With nothing picked, it's a balance of cost, tax, residency and safety.

More ways to compare countries

Easiest countries to move to FAQs

Questions about it? Here's what to know.

The countries at the top of the list have 2 or more open visas that don't need a local job offer.

Which one is easiest for you depends on your passport and income; pick yours in the finder.

Yes, with a remote work, freelancer, passive income or retirement visa.

Each asks for a minimum income; the country pages list them.

I've lived in Cambodia, Colombia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Norway, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela and Vietnam.

I'm a permanent resident of Panama, my home base.

Navid Moazzez

AI business strategist & AI OS builder

Navid Moazzez helps creators and founders master AI and build their own AI Operating System (AI OS) to automate their business and life.

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