How we check our data

Our rules for every fact

1. Sourced. Each fact links to its source; we prefer official sources (immigration offices, consulates, tax administrations, health systems, statistics offices, government gazettes).
2. Dated. Each block of facts shows when it was last checked, and has a review date: three months for visas and taxes, six months for costs and healthcare, a year for the rest.
3. Marked by how reliable the source is:
   • official: checked on the official site on the date shown.
   • reputable: consistent across reputable secondary sources (embassies of other countries, recognised organisations, established press).
   • estimate: our own estimate from several sources (typical for monthly budgets and insurance prices). Treat as an order of magnitude.
4. Complete or not shown. A country is published only when every topic (cost, visa, healthcare, tax, housing, settling steps) is filled and checked.

Where you come from matters

Visa options depend on your passport, and taxes and pensions depend on the country you live in now. We say which home countries each answer covers; where we don't have the detail yet, we give the general rule and point to the official source.

Estimates

Budgets and insurance prices are estimates built from official statistics, published price lists and cost-of-living surveys. They help you plan; they never replace a quote or an official decision.

How the tools work

The quick tools run in your browser on the same data as the country pages; nothing you type is stored or sent. They start from example answers picked at random, which you change; the result follows each change. They are simple on purpose, so you can check every step:

• Can I afford it? For the country and city you choose, we add up the sample monthly budget of the country page (rent, food, utilities, transport, health cover, leisure). The health line is scaled to your age with the private insurance prices we publish; a simple lifestyle takes 10% off food and leisure, a generous one adds 50% to leisure. Comfortable means your income is at least 25% above the budget; tight, between the budget and 25% above. Income tax, flights and buying a home are not included.
• Visa checker. For the country you choose, we compare your age, income and savings with each retirement or passive-income route: you "likely qualify" when you meet every published threshold, "close" within 15%. Amounts are converted at the exchange rates of our last data update; consulates use their own rates and may ask for more (dependants, insurance, documents). Routes without a fixed amount are shown as "no fixed amount". The steps and timeline come from the settling guide of the country page.
• Which country fits me? Each country starts at 50 out of 100 and gains or loses points for your budget (sample budget in its cheaper city compared with your income), visas (the visa checker above), climate, language, healthcare (English-speaking doctors, public system, pre-existing conditions), distance from family and the size of the expat community. Your top priority counts about twice as much (two and a half times for the expat community). The total is spread on a curve so that no country reaches 0 or 100, and every point shows up as a reason in the result. Distance from family is estimated from the great-circle distance between the main airport near your family and the main airport of the country (airport positions from OurAirports), at 800 km/h plus 30 minutes, for a direct flight; time differences follow daylight saving time.

Found an error?

Tell us via the contact address in the legal notice: corrections are our top priority.