2025's most and least expensive countries for expatriates

We examine the most and least costly countries to emigrate to, as some British people are leaving the country to avoid what seem to be constantly rising taxes

After Labour came to power in 2024, many wealthy British people are thought to have fled the country out of concern that the tax climate would become more unfriendly.

In her first budget, chancellor Rachel Reeves focused the additional tax burden on businesses and individuals who would inherit larger estates, ignoring income tax and employee national insurance.

Since the economy is still growing slowly and some proposed cuts have not been approved by parliament, there are now growing concerns about tax increases in the 2025 Autumn Budget.

According to some reports, the chancellor is thinking of implementing a property sale tax on more expensive homes in place of stamp duty.

One in four young British people have either seriously considered or are actively planning to leave the country, according to a poll conducted by the think tank Adam Smith Institute.

We examine the most and least expensive countries to live abroad in 2025 as the possibility of moving abroad becomes more feasible for many people in the UK.

The most costly nations for foreigners.

A recent study by international insurance company William Russell revealed that although many UK expats depart the nation in quest of a lower cost of living, some wind up in places where expenses are still high.

The company calculated the average cost of daily expenses, such as tickets for public transportation, a liter of gas, utility bills, gym membership fees, and meals at restaurants. Each nation was then assigned a score on a scale of 1 to 10.

According to William Russell's calculations, Switzerland has the highest cost of living for foreigners, scoring 9 out of 29.

Snowy Swiss Alpine village.

Living expenses are high, which may come as no surprise given that the central European nation is arguably best known for its banking industry, which pays extravagant salaries.

While gym memberships are the most expensive item on the list, costing 65.74 per month, the average cost of a meal for two at a mid-range restaurant in this area is astronomically high, at 99.84.

The average monthly cost for expats is 238.52 for utility and internet bills, and the average one-way ticket for public transportation costs 3.08.

Even though it is much further north, Europe is the second most expensive country for expatriates. Due to its high cost of living, Iceland is not a competitive destination for foreigners looking to relocate, earning it an expenditure score of 8 out of 48.

While the cost of a two-person restaurant meal surpasses Switzerland, costing expats 103, the average price of a one-way public transportation ticket in the Nordic country is 3.77, the highest of the countries examined.

The 124.75 monthly basic utility and internet bills are where Iceland makes up for its other high expenses.

Nordic nations rank third and fourth in terms of expat expenses, with Norway scoring 7 points 72 and Denmark scoring 7 points 28. The Netherlands finished fifth with a 7.01 score.

Below is a list of the top 5 most costly countries for foreigners, along with the average cost of living in each.

Source: August 22, William Russell.

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