TaxAtlas

Best places to live · updated October 2026

Best places to live with a family

For a family the questions change: is it safe, is the healthcare good, will the children manage in English, and can two adults earn and keep enough to pay for it? Safety and healthcare lead this ranking, followed by tax and English.

53
places ranked
8
factors, re-weightable
18
newcomer tax regimes
  1. 184live score

    United Arab Emirates

    Dubai · top rate 0%

    Dubai combines zero personal income tax with fast, purchasable residency, world-class flight connections and very fast internet, which makes it the default base for globally mobile founders.

    TaxInternetWarm climate

    Summer heat above 40°C for four months, rising rents and a car-dependent, high-spend lifestyle quickly erode the tax saving.

  2. 278live score

    Singapore

    Singapore · top rate 24%

    Singapore pairs a 24% top rate and territorial taxation with top-tier safety, healthcare, schools and the fastest internet in the world.

    InternetWarm climateEnglish

    Rents and car ownership are extremely expensive, and residency is almost entirely tied to high-salary employment or very large investments.

  3. 377live score

    Malta

    Sliema / St Julian's · top rate 35% · Non-Domiciled Status

    Malta combines English as an official language, EU membership, year-round sunshine and a long-standing non-dom remittance system.

    TaxEnglishHealthcare

    The island is crowded, construction is relentless, and traffic congestion is among the worst in Europe.

Live ranking

Every place, ranked your way

Tap a dot or a row. Tune the weights and the order changes with you.

OverallRemote workersRetireesFamiliesFoundersInvestorsOn a budgetHigh tax, with breaks
The life mapTap a dot
Sweet spotPaying for qualityLow tax, trade-offs
← Heavier taxLighter tax →

Up = better quality of life (every factor except tax). Dashed lines show how far a newcomer regime moves a country.

Europe Asia Oceania Middle East Africa Caribbean North America South America
  1. 1United Arab EmiratesDubai · ~$4,500/mo · Top rate 0%84score
  2. 2SingaporeSingapore · ~$5,500/mo · Top rate 24%78score
  3. 3MaltaSliema / St Julian's · ~$2,800/mo · Top rate 35%Non-Domiciled Status · 0% on covered income77score
  4. 4PortugalLisbon · ~$2,800/mo · Top rate 48%IFICI · 20% on covered income75score
  5. 5Hong KongHong Kong · ~$5,500/mo · Top rate 17%75score
  6. 6QatarDoha · ~$4,000/mo · Top rate 0%74score
  7. 7ThailandBangkok · ~$1,900/mo · Top rate 35%Long-Term Resident Visa · 17% on covered income73score
  8. 8CyprusLimassol · ~$3,200/mo · Top rate 35%Non-Dom Regime · 0% on covered income73score
  9. 9MalaysiaKuala Lumpur · ~$1,800/mo · Top rate 30%73score
  10. 10MonacoMonaco · ~$9,000/mo · Top rate 0%73score
  11. 11BahrainManama · ~$3,000/mo · Top rate 0%73score
  12. 12Isle of ManDouglas · ~$3,300/mo · Top rate 21%Tax Cap Election73score
  13. 13OmanMuscat · ~$2,800/mo · Top rate 0 (5% from 2028)72score
  14. 14HungaryBudapest · ~$2,000/mo · Top rate 15%72score
  15. 15BruneiBandar Seri Begawan · ~$2,200/mo · Top rate 0%72score

Bars, left to right: Tax · Low cost · Safety · Healthcare · English · Internet · Warmth · Visa access.

High tax, with a way in

Expensive on paper, cheaper for newcomers

Some of the best places to live have high headline rates and generous regimes for new arrivals. Here is how much a qualifying newcomer can cut.

All 14 regimes

Method

How this ranking works

  • Safety carries the most weight, then healthcare
  • English is weighted up because it shapes schooling options and daily admin
  • Tax still counts: a family budget feels a 20-point rate difference quickly
  • International school fees are not scored; they vary more by city than by country
FactorWeight
TaxPersonal tax score, with newcomer regimes applied where you would qualify×2
Cost of livingLower everyday and rent costs score higher×1.5
SafetyInformed by the Global Peace Index and crime surveys×3
HealthcareCoverage, quality and access to private care×2.5
EnglishHow easy daily life and admin are in English×1.5
InternetMedian fixed broadband speed×1
Warm climateAnnual mean temperature in the main expat city×0.5
Residency accessHow open legal residency is to a non-local applicant×1.5

Tax scores come from the Tax Atlas dataset (see methodology). Quality-of-life factors are editorial composite ratings for comparison, informed by public indices (Numbeo, the Global Peace Index, WHO service coverage, EF English Proficiency, Ookla Speedtest) and official visa pages. Regime-adjusted tax assumes you qualify. Not tax or immigration advice.

All 31 sources

Questions

Frequently asked

What is the safest low-tax country for families?+

Small, wealthy jurisdictions with low crime and no or low personal income tax tend to lead on safety and tax together. Check residency access and cost, as those are usually the trade-off.

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