There are myriad things anyone seeking a fresh start needs to consider before upping sticks and starting a new life, from scratch, in a new destination. Costs, transport options, visa requirements for those looking to work or enter the digital nomad space.
While such practical factors are crucial to any successful relocation, there’s a major factor that ultimately decides whether the new destination is a fit – how welcome is the expat community made to feel?
To determine which cities are the happiest for expats to move to in 2026, health insurance specialists at William Russell compared 38 OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries across various factors. These include a happiness score from the Happy City Index, safety statistics sourced from Numbeo, and public friendliness, measured by the “worries about being insulted” percentage for each city from Numbeo.
The study also factored in earlier results from Resonance Consultancy’s 2026 World’s Best Cities Report and a prior William Russell study on the world’s friendliest cities.
It’ll be unsurprising to anyone familiar with cool-as-a-cucumber Copenhagen that Denmark’s capital claims the title of the happiest city for expats right now, with a happiness score of 6,954. That said, it ranks fourth in the company’s assessment of the world’s most welcoming cities, a list Zürich leads due to a high safety score and low social friction.
Tokyo claims second place with a happiness score of 6,788, scoring high across all of the assessment’s pillars, while the buzzy German city of Munich is third, measuring consistently well across wellbeing factors such as green spaces, public services and quality of life.
On the release of the survey, William Russell director, William Cooper, said, “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 countries 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
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