The key facts

  • The Nomad Lifestyle Index evaluated 63 destinations across five criteria: nature and climate, taxes, residency and accessibility, safety and freedoms, quality of life and infrastructure.
  • Top 3: Monaco (73.89), Andorra (73.68), UAE (73.15) — a gap of just 0.74 points.
  • Six of the ten best countries are in Europe; Monaco is the only country with a perfect 100 points for quality of life and infrastructure.

How the Ranking Was Compiled

The company Nomad Capitalist published the Nomad Lifestyle Index, which evaluates 63 destinations for living across five criteria: nature and climate, taxes, residency and accessibility, safety and freedoms, as well as quality of life and infrastructure. Within these categories, factors considered included, in particular, air quality, the risk of extreme weather events, pathways to legal residency and citizenship, Global Peace Index scores, life expectancy, cost of living, and broadband internet speed. Each country was given a score on a 100-point scale for each of the five indicators, after which an overall final result was calculated.

The Top Three

First place went to Monaco with a result of 73.89 points. It is the only country to receive a perfect 100 points on the quality of life and infrastructure criterion; in addition, it scored highly on the safety and freedoms indicator. Second place went to Andorra with 73.68 points: it leads on the safety and freedoms criterion and ranks fourth on the 'nature' indicator, having the cleanest air among all European countries included in the index. It fell short of first place due to the difficult path to citizenship: 20 years of residence and exams in language and history are required. Rounding out the top three are the United Arab Emirates with 73.15 points. Thus, the three leaders were separated by just 0.74 points.

European Countries in the Top 10

Malta took fourth place (72.11 points): it is noted for its 'strong' passport and the possibility of naturalization after five years, as well as a high score on the 'nature' criterion; however, its position was weakened by its tax regime and its score for quality of life and infrastructure. Fifth place went to Portugal (70.09) — a long-time favorite of digital nomads. It received good marks for safety and freedoms, conditions for obtaining residency, and taxes, but lost ground on the 'nature' indicator due to its exposure to extreme weather events linked to climate change. Cyprus ranked sixth (68.42), taking second place on the residency and accessibility criterion: the country has a strong passport and seven years until naturalization, but it was weakened by its scores for quality of life, infrastructure, and air quality. Closing out the top ten is Switzerland (65.44), which showed good results on the safety and freedoms criterion.

The Full Top 10

The top ten of the ranking consists of: 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; Switzerland — 65.44. Six of the ten spots on the list went to European countries.