r/expat

Hello! I’m currently considering my options for moving overseas. I’m already living outside my home country, but lately I’ve been feeling like I desperately need a change of scenery and a completely different environment.

Since English is the only language I speak fluently besides my mother tongue, I’ve narrowed down my options to countries where I could realistically get by with English. I’ve also lived in the US before and absolutely loved it, and I’d honestly love to go back — but as an immigrant, the visa/immigration situation makes it a much less straightforward option.

I work in the creative industry, so I’m not exactly in a high-paying field, which is also something I need to consider. But beyond salary, I’m really looking for a place where **day-to-day life feels exciting and inspiring**.

I love walking around a city, exploring different neighbourhoods, stumbling across cafés/restaurants/shops, going to exhibitions, being around interesting people, hop on a train for a short trip nearby etc. Basically, I want somewhere where I can walk out of my apartment and actually feel like there’s a life happening around me. I’m an introvert but I keep myself busy and exploring😅

Weather isn’t a huge factor for me — I can handle cold/rain/etc. I just really don’t do tropical weather, so that rules out some places.

So, long story short, I’d love to hear from people actually living in the countries I’ve listed below.

How do you find:
**Day-to-day lifestyle & social life**
**Cost of living vs. local salaries**
**Job opportunities, especially in creative/design fields**
**How easy/difficult it is to integrate as a foreigner**
**City life, culture, things to do**
**Work-life balance**
**Housing**
And most importantly, **how happy are you actually living there?**

Please feel free to be brutally honest — I’m much more interested in the raw, unglamorous reality than the usual “this country is amazing!” expat content.
Would love to hear both the good **and** the bad. What surprised you after actually moving there? What do you wish you’d known beforehand?
Thanks! 🙏

I am going to just bite the bullet and ask what is likely a super silly (/maybe controversial?) question: if I want to begin researching the details of moving from Canada (Newfoundland) to somewhere in Europe, what countries and/or cities are relatively affordable and have good public healthcare?

I am very early days in even considering this, so I am just looking for a jumping point. I know everywhere has its problems, but I just need to know that maybe there are options out there somewhere for me to live a life that feels half meaningful. If I can't afford to live in Newfoundland, I won't be able to afford living anywhere else in Canada, that's for sure 😅

Just some facts about me:

- 31F

- Has pets

-Prefers cool/cold weather over the heat (pale af)

-Craving a better work-life balance & a healthcare system that works (& a house but I'm cool renting since everywhere seems to be having a housing crisis)

Thanks in advance 💛

I graduate in about a year. I am double majoring, one of which is International Studies, but once I graduate I plan to immediately leave the US. I have never been outside of the States, unless counting Canada lol. But I know that other countries don't necessarily want another American coming into town. I just want to get some thoughts and advice from a more experienced community than I.

TL;DR- What is the best thing for a new college graduate from the US to do to get out of the US permanently? (Working visa, digital nomad visa, etc.) Which countries are best in quality of life (happiness, affordability, public transportation, etc.)

I have time before I graduate to visit such places on volunteer trips or travel abroad, so the more options + details the better! Again sorry if this is badly worded, can you tell I don't really know what I'm talking about lol. TIA!!

I moved from Ireland to Chicago a few years ago, and America has been both more impressive and more difficult than I expected.

Salaries are higher, there is more choice, and it feels possible to reinvent yourself. But life also seems less secure. Healthcare, housing and stability depend heavily on maintaining a good income. Losing a job can quickly affect everything.

America can also feel strangely isolating. People are friendly, but building lasting friendships and community seems harder. Chicago has millions of people, yet it can sometimes feel quieter and more disconnected than Dublin.

I do not regret moving, but I am not sure life here is automatically better. It feels bigger and more intense, with greater rewards but less room for things to go wrong.

Has anyone else who moved here felt the same?

Muž, ja i dvoipogodišnje dete planiramo da se preselimo u Irsku ili Nemačku. E sad. U Irskoj (Athlone) imamo smeštaj obezbeđen i tu rešavamo ogromno pitanje ali nemamo vizu niti hrvatske papire pa je bez poslodavca faktički nemoguće tamo otići legalno, međutim, u Nemačku je lakše otići na onu "kartu šansi" uz dovoljnu sumu novca na računu bla bla, ali bi nas to koštalo razdvojenosti što je okej kad gledaš dugoročno. Plus nemamo smeštaj u DE.

I sad ne znam šta da radim, ko magarac u magli sam.

Je l ima neko iskustva sa našim npr poslodavcima u Irskoj ili Nemačkoj ili da mi da neki savet.

Moram da napomenem da je dete sa 100% invaliditetom i zdravstvo u Irskoj nam se čini podobnije i organizovanije

Is there anyone among you who says that their life changed after learning English, that they gained better opportunities, or that they found a partner from abroad?

I (39m) moved from Asia to Europe several years ago. I did it mainly for two things: work-life balance and opportunities to travel.

Now I've got what I originally wanted - a job that pays well (by local standards) and opportunities to travel abroad. I also got a GF who loves me.

Despite all that, I often find myself dissatisfied with my current life. I got irritated by garbage and graffiti on the streets, men peeing outdoors even in front of women and kids (guess where I live), grumpy waiters at a restaurant, etc.

I often wonder whether my life would have been better if I had moved somewhere else. Maybe I would have had a better job, had more savings, lived among more polite and respectful people, etc. By staying where I live, maybe I'm wasting my opportunities and potential as a professional (I work in IT, btw).

Perhaps I'm experiencing the "grass is greener on the other side" syndrome. Moving abroad is a trade-off. By moving from Country A to Country B, you'll be free from Country A's problems, but you'll face Country B's problems. My logical brain understands that, but my emotional brain keeps telling me that grass could be greener somewhere else.

("Then, just move somewhere." Maybe that's what you're thinking. Moving abroad isn't an easy option for me because of my GF. She doesn't want to leave for anywhere. So, moving abroad means a break up. I'm torn.)

I want to hear about other expats' experiences. Have you ever experienced the “grass is greener” syndrome as an expat? If so, how have you dealt with it—or how are you dealing with it now?

EDIT:

Some people asked where exactly in Europe I moved. I've moved to Prague, the Czech Republic

So I’m doing a bit of forward thinking but after I finish my French and Business undergrad in Paris I want to move elsewhere. I’ve narrowed it down to Switzerland and Canada but I’m really struggling to decide, I love them both but in completely different ways. In regards to marketing, I’m most interested in market research and data analysis, or film marketing.

The benefits of Suisse Romande:
- I’m not living as far from family
- I like Swiss culture, I feel like I’d fit in as I’m pretty introverted
- I’m good at picking up languages which is valued there and probably pretty useful professionally
- Extremely safe which is good for my anxiety
- Jobs are better paid
- Lots of countries you can visit easily
- High quality of life

But also:
- As a UK citizen it’s harder to move here than Canada and find a job, if I chose Switzerland the plan is more efficient to stay in Paris and do my masters there, stay there for at least 2 years and wait to get French citizenship and therefore an EU passport and then go to Switzerland which obviously is a much longer path. If I did a masters straight away in Switzerland it’s too hard to find a job without EU citizenship I reckon but I don’t mind if it’s truly worth it. I do have some worries about getting a job there as it’s far less straightforward.
- Hot summers and lack of aircon is frustrating
- It’s expensive
- Smaller job market for marketing and less opportunities

And in Montréal the pros are:
- Colder weather overall
- So much easier to move to and start my career after uni (I can just go straight there and do a masters)
- Lots of marketing job opportunities especially in media
- Aircon

But these are the cons:
- Really far from family and I don’t enjoy flying much
- Apparently high taxes and not ideal healthcare
- Probably a lower relative salary than in Switzerland

I just feel really torn. In Suisse Romande I’m much closer to my family and I think I would be happier there but it would take much longer for me to actually move there and I wouldn’t have had the benefit of doing my masters there and gaining local experience either. Whereas in Montréal there are more career opportunities I’m interested in and it’s quicker and more straightforward to immigrate to, but it’s a long flight away.

I really don’t know but I would be grateful if people could share their thoughts about living in either country as it may help me decide. Thanks!

Hello all,

I am 21, with no degree, starting out my career.

I have been doing research on emigrating to European countries for a few years. I am aware that it is nearly impossible to get into some countries permanently, especially when you dont have a great trade skill or degree.

I have been working in the dog/animal care field for 4 years and want to continue doing training or working with animals.

I really want to one day move to somewhere in the UK or somewhere close, but I know its basicallg impossible. I was curious if dog training/care was considered a trade skill that is valuable or wanted enough to begin looking into visas and sponsors.

If not, are there any adjacent jobs that can be considered for moving? Would I have a better chance if I went to school in the UK? Or is this just a pipe dream I should throw away?

My (31F) and my partner (32M) are looking at moving to Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦 from England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Both of us work in finance and have started looking for jobs.

We are considering moving early next year (by March - he will probably go first and I will follow him shortly afterwards)

What parts are best for a couple working in finance?

What does an average couple spend monthly on living things such as rent, bills, food, transport, eating out, entertainment etc?

What is a decent amount of money for two people to live off comfortably?

Do we need cars or will public transport be fine?

We would like to start a family in the near future. Is there any area or consideration for this that we need to take into account?

Any tips or views would be greatly appreciated ☺️

For context I'm a European expat in USA in New York. Life here is great. It feels cool and always something to do, people to meet, diversity... but as a lot of people I struggle thinking about going back home. Family, traditions... For all expats in USA how is your struggle? Do you miss your homeland? I know I will never be able to earn this numbers and to save this amount, but when you grow money and net worth at least for me starts to be in a second place.

TL;DR: my partner and i have been together for 8 years, living in Hungary. i'm a German citizen, they're not from the EU. we recently got married (in Denmark) and we finally received a residence card under the EU Freedom of Movement Directive (2004/38/EC) in Hungary, which finally lets my partner work anywhere than just at the company that sponsored their residence permit so far, as her stay was always limited to her work/studies. the thing is, we also want to move and we're considering Denmark, but we don't know where to start. looking for honest advice from locals and people who moved there.

my partner and i have been together for 8 years. we met at university and moved in together almost immediately, and we've been dating ever since. we've wanted to get married since at least 2021, but it was always a difficult topic because we were closeted, Hungary doesn't recognize same-sex marriages, and we valued being honest with our families first. eventually we stopped caring about that and eloped in Denmark this January. it was the most emotional and challenging experience of our lives, but i genuinely believe we'll never forget it.

for context: i'm a German citizen living in Hungary. my partner is not from the EU. before we married, their right to stay here was always tied to either studying or working, and they've worked continuously, straight after their BA, for the past 4 years. but the laws for non-EU nationals have been getting stricter here and in the EU generally, and we were always walking on eggshells, not knowing what we'd do if they ever lost their job, since they'd have to pack everything and leave within about 6 days. we never dared to move to another country because we weren't sure we'd meet the requirements.

we originally thought our only option was a family reunification visa, but things got confusing since we weren't in my home country. then we realized we could apply for a "residence card for family members of EU/EEA citizens" under the Freedom of Movement Directive (2004/38/EC). we gathered all the documents and applied around late April, and we got the card by the end of June. we're honestly still in shock, in a good way, after all the struggles, i think it'll take us years to get over it.

now we want to use this and start chaing jobs for my partner, cause they no longer are tied to only one company. but we've also been wanting to leave Hungary since at least 2023. we never really did because we were "comfortable" - meaning we had a place to stay (even if we often could barely afford rent, or we could but then couldn't afford groceries), we were used to the system, and we had "stable" but still shitty jobs. i've changed jobs multiple times; my partner couldn't. now they can, and it feels freeing but also scary - where do they even look, what do they want to do? they're at a well-known company and recently got promoted to manager, but the pay and job still sucks.

we also feel a lot of pressure to move: we can't stand the climate here anymore. we both prefer the cold and my autoimmune disease and chronic illness make the heat extra hard on my body, and the weather in germany has never been as extreme as here in Hungary (at least not where i'm from)
my partner is used to the cold too from their home country. the summers here are crazy - they start around the end of May and last until the end of September. it's humid, and with global warming it's become unbearable. we only leave home for groceries, work commutes, and errands during this period. temperatures hit 35-40°C and the nights don't cool down either. i know this might sound shocking to some, but we get seasonal depression in summer.

LGBTQIA+ rights here are also barely non-existent. marriages aren't recognized and there's a lot more i won't get into right now.

life is expensive. our salaries barely cover anything, we can't save, and we've been trying to financially recover for years. we don't own credit cards, we have no debts besides my student loan, which we should have fully paid off by December. honestly, we don't want much. just to not melt, to afford rent and groceries, and to have a little left over for some good memories. our ultimate dream is to become independent doing what we love, but we're trying to be realistic here...

we have health insurance through our employers, but anything beyond private is bad and private is either extremely expensive or not serious at all (that's just our experience, of course). We don't own a car and couldn't even finish our driving licenses because we couldn't afford it. we don't have kids (just our lovely cat, what feels just like having a kid), and i honestly think we're burnt out. our families don't know about us, so they obviously can't support us - and we know they wouldn't, since they're homophobic for a fact. my parents can only afford their own rent and groceries, and my partner's parents are richer but would rather spend their money elsewhere (they didn't even want to help us with rent last year because they said it would be "unfair," since their own parents couldn't help them when they were young).

i don't even know what my point is here, but we really wish to move. we just don't know where to start. job hunting? the job market seems to suck globally right now. housing is scary too - either too expensive, not what we want, full of issues, or a scammer's trap.

we've been considering Denmark (and other countries), yet we're scared of ending up worse than we already are in terms of politics (we're on the left), jobs, and being able to afford rent and groceries. and maybe, dare i say, save some money, finish our licenses, maybe go back to university.

my partner has a BA in visual arts and representation and works in shop design/visual merchandising. i have a BA in linguistics and work in HR but have experience across various fields.

one last thing, and i'm sure this is no news to anyone: we hate 9-to-5s. i seriously can't emphasize this enough. we're burnt out, we no longer function. we wake up, go to work, commute back and forth (about 3 hours total both ways), come home, eat if we can, shower if we can, sleep, and repeat. we haven't traveled in years (except those 5 days in January to get married in Denmark, which was rather traumatizing). we last saw our families 3-4 years ago. we're both struggling with our mental and physical health (anxiety and depression). we know capitalism doesn't really allow us to dream outside of it, so we just continue. i've experienced unemployment before, last year, and it was hell...we had to ask strangers online for leftover food, and we're still recovering from it. so just taking a risk and jumping is out of the question, thanks to that trauma. i don't think we've ever been in our comfort zone. but we really wish to be. maybe there's still some hope left for us.

so my question to everyone reading this: what would you do? would you stay where you are for now, now that you finally have the residence card? would you look for better jobs where you are? or would you start looking for opportunities in another country, like Denmark, where you'd have to reapply for the same card after 90 days of freedom of movement, but basically start from zero - with no savings and no support system, but you would be better off maybe at least in terms of climate, politics, health care and work-life balance? or would you finally rest and take a breather, now that you no longer have to worry about what happens if you lose your job? or would you use this as a chance to seek better opportunities?

any advise means a lot. thank you in advance.

Is it inherently unethical to move back to a cheaper country as an expat and price out nearly all native competition in relation to commercial yield by simply having higher purchase power?

Hey Guys, As the title says I am finally migrating to Canada from India at 30M years of age, single, for work. I need advice from y'all who have experience with migration. I travel at the end of the month so I welcome all kinds of advice, from pre-moving like what to pack, any incumbent things I should do like with bank accounts etc., to anything post move, life, culture, rental, lease, dating, anything. 🙏

Would appreciate your well earned wisdom

My long-time partner and i are considering a permanent move to Europe. His great grandparents were born in Italy and specifically were Sicilian. Unfortunately Italy changed the policies last year so we don't know if this is an option for us anymore, and we weren't ready when it was :( as I've been researching, services are coming up that advertise as helping with the bureaucratic nature of the process (accessing documents like birth certificates, submissions, etc). I was just wondering if anyone has ever used a service like this and if they have one they recommend?

Also, we've been together 12 years and neither of us wants to get married but are we correct in assuming it would make the process easier for us? We will definitely do what we need to do in that regard.

Hi everyone!

​I'm brazilian (34F) with Italian citizenship.

I'm thinking about moving to Australia next year because I know there's an agreement that allows europeans to work there for up to 3 years.

​Do you think it's worth making this move?

​Can anyone who has already done this tell me if it's worth it?

Hi, I am 24y old and was thinking about moving to Malta/Phillipines next year to learn English faster by immersion etc. Right now I am on B1 level and will have full remote work in my native language. But in weekends and a little bit during working days I would have time to meet people and try to talk and improve my English. Also I would like to learn at home grammar, vocabulary and listen to podcastu few hours per week. How many months or years do I need to become business fluent in English? I work in sells and talk a lot to clients and would like to move from Polish market to international market. In a few years I hope I will sell things to mid-market and in 10years to enterprises so I think my English needs to be fluent/C1/C2. Do you know if in Malta or Philippines they speak English which is almost the same as American or British? Or it is totally different and there is no sense to move there and better to move to England/USA? I am afraid of cost of living in that countries, for now it is out of my budget I think.

I’ve been living in Germany for 8 years. I spoke the language fluently before I even moved here, so save the "you just need to learn the language and integrate" comments, there is zero language barrier. I’m also from a neighboring European country, so the culture shock shouldn't have been this massive.

​But my God, I have never experienced such a density of rude, bitter, and downright miserable people on such a massive scale.

​The crab mentality (Neidkultur) here is absolutely insane. People get straight up angry if anyone around them succeeds, even if it's their own friends. God forbid you buy a slightly nicer car or get a modest bonus at work, the immediate reaction isn't "good for you," it's passive aggressive badmouthing.

​When I started my own small company a while back, do you know what the #1 most common response was when I told people? ​"So, are you selling drugs or something?"

​WTF? How is that the default first thought for an entire society?!

​Same thing happened when I bought my first apartment. Instead of a simple congratulations, I got hit with a barrage of lectures on why renting is superior, followed by wild gossip assuming I must be doing illegal shit or that my dad paid for it. The idea that someone could just work hard, save money, and accomplish something on their own seems to break people's brains here. It’s just endless, petty bullshit.

​And don’t even get me started on the "customer service." How do people working customer facing jobs get away with straight up ignoring you or getting angry at you for existing?

​It feels like half the population is perpetually depressed, pissed off, and just waiting on the sidelines for you to slip up so they can hit you with a Tja or call the Ordnungsamt.

​I’m packing my bags and leaving, and I’ve never felt more relieved.

​Thanks for coming to my TED talk.