Do you dream about living full-time outside the United States? The best countries to work abroad are affordable, safe and offer job opportunities for foreigners (or at least reliable WiFi for virtual entrepreneurs). Here are 10 international destinations where you can unpack, get to work, and stay a while.
What’s Ahead:
New Zealand
Pros:
- Work culture supports work-life balance.
- Locals are extremely friendly.
- It’s often ranked best place in the world to raise a family.
Cons:
- It’s far away.
- Internet speeds are slower than most developed countries.
Singapore
Pros:
- Strict fines for littering make it one of the cleanest places in the world.
- The crime rate is one of the lowest in the world.
- Ranked first in the world for ease of doing business by the World Bank.
- English is an official language.
Cons:
- It’s expensive. Even simple apartments in the city can be very costly.
- Polls find the citizens to be “the least positive” in the world.
Switzerland
Pros:
- Great for outdoor adventures.
- Taxes are low.
- Even as a foreigner, you can go to college for next to nothing.
- Extremely high quality of life rankings from Mercer.
- Chocolate. Chocolate everywhere.
Cons:
- The housing market is tight, with many areas running a vacancy rate between 0.2%–0.8%.
- Shops close for two hours at lunchtime.
- The Swiss don’t love foreigners.
China
Pros:
- It’s easy to get a job as an English teacher, and the benefits are great.
- Expats can make a lot of money working for multinational corporations tapping into the Chinese market.
- The low cost of living makes it easy to pay down debt or save for the future.
Cons:
- Air pollution in industrial cities makes China a poor choice for raising children.
- As a foreigner, you’re going to get stared at a lot.
- The Internet is subject to heavy censorship.
Hong Kong
Pros:
- Take advantage of some of the best healthcare in the world.
- As a multicultural haven, foreigners are more likely to feel at home.
- Public transportation is superb.
- There’s tons to do.
Cons:
- Cost of living is very high.
- Work culture often demands long hours.
India
Pros:
- Every dollar goes a lot farther.
- English is one of the many official languages.
- IT, media, film, banking, and engineering fields are growing, along with job prospects.
Cons:
- If you wait to find a job until after you move there, expect to make about 25% less than you would back home.
- Adapting to the culture can be challenging.
Ecuador
Pros:
- Enjoy spring-like weather year round.
- Health care is inexpensive.
- It’s easy for a couple to live on about $1,600 a month.
Cons:
- Electronics cost a lot more because of steep tariffs.
- For women, living in a Latin American country can mean dealing with constant harassment.
Thailand
Pros:
- Low cost of living.
- Access to stunning scenery.
- Excellent food.
- It’s a great place to teach English.
Cons:
- Locals tend to hate confrontation, which can lead to passive-aggressive behavior.
- Two-tier pricing means that, if you’re not careful, you pay more as a foreigner.
Belize
Pros:
- It’s possible to live on $1,500 a month.
- The US dollar is accepted as currency at most businesses.
- As a former British colony, the locals speak English.
Cons:
- Visitors will probably encounter government corruption.
- Bugs.
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Image credits: Via Flickr: New Zealand (Chris Gin), India (MalayalaM), Thailand (ak_phuong), Belize (stokes rx), U.K. (Geof Wilson), Switzerland (Uwe Häntsch), China (jo.sau), Hong Kong (Mr. Wang), Ecuador (MunicipioPinas), Singapore (Shahzeb Ihsan).