There are myriad issues anybody in search of a contemporary begin wants to contemplate earlier than upping sticks and beginning a brand new life, from scratch, in a brand new vacation spot. Costs, transport choices, visa necessities for these seeking to work or enter the digital nomad house.
While such sensible elements are essential to any profitable relocation, there’s a significant factor that finally decides whether or not the brand new vacation spot is a match – how welcome is the expat community made to really feel?
To decide which cities are the happiest for expats to maneuver to in 2026, medical health insurance specialists at William Russell in contrast 38 OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) international locations throughout numerous elements. These embrace a happiness score from the Happy City Index, security statistics sourced from Numbeo, and public friendliness, measured by the “worries about being insulted” proportion for every metropolis from Numbeo.
The examine additionally factored in earlier outcomes from Resonance Consultancy’s 2026 World’s Best Cities Report and a previous William Russell examine on the world’s friendliest cities.
It’ll be unsurprising to anybody accustomed to cool-as-a-cucumber Copenhagen that Denmark’s capital claims the title of the happiest metropolis for expats proper now, with a happiness score of 6,954. That stated, it ranks fourth within the firm’s evaluation of the world’s most welcoming cities, a listing Zürich leads attributable to a excessive security score and low social friction.
Tokyo claims second place with a happiness score of 6,788, scoring excessive throughout all of the evaluation’s pillars, whereas the buzzy German metropolis of Munich is third, measuring constantly nicely throughout wellbeing elements corresponding to inexperienced areas, public companies and high quality of life.
On the discharge of the survey, William Russell director, William Cooper, stated, “One of the biggest mistakes expats make is assuming that popular countries guarantee an easy transition. In reality, the first few months are when most challenges arise, such as navigating healthcare systems and securing a stable income. Preparing for those early stages is often more important than the choice of destination.”
The happiest international locations for expats in 2026
10. Stockholm, Sweden: 6,479
9. Seoul, South Korea: 6,487
8. Paris, France: 6,493
7. Singapore: 6,504
6. Oslo, Norway: 6,623
5. Barcelona, Spain: 6,668
4. Zürich, Switzerland: 6,683
3. Munich, Germany: 6,691
2. Tokyo, Japan: 6,788
1. Copenhagen, Denmark: 6,954