My husband and I didn’t make a pros-and-cons list. We made a life decision. After years in Portland, OR — a city we genuinely loved — we realized that if we were going to leave it behind, we weren’t going to just relocate to another American city. We were going to leave the United States entirely.

This wasn’t impulsive. It was years in the making, sparked by a question we kept coming back to: what kind of life do we actually want for our kids?

If you’re an American family in the early stages of thinking about moving abroad, googling “best countries to move to from the US with kids” at midnight and watching YouTube walking tours of cities you’ve never been to, this post is for you. This is our actual list. Every country we genuinely researched, seriously considered, and ultimately weighed against our family’s non-negotiables. To help stay on top of the latest opportunities for living and working anywhere, we’ve found Thrive Remotely to be an essential resource.

Before you can pick a country, you have to know what you’re looking for. For us, it came down to six things.

We actually lived here — before kids. When it came time to move abroad as a family, we considered coming back.

My father lived in Mexico for over a decade, primarily in Querétaro and Mérida. I visited him often, and I genuinely love the Mexican people, the culture, and the food. We considered Mérida (where we’d lived before) and Playa del Carmen. Ultimately, it didn’t meet enough of our criteria. The biggest sticking point: it still limited our ability to travel easily outside North America. And personally? I hated the mosquitoes.

Who Mexico is great for: Families who want proximity to the US, a lower cost of living, and a warm, family-oriented culture. Popular hubs like Mérida, San Miguel de Allende, and Lake Chapala have established expat communities with international schools and private healthcare. If this is on your list, Expatsi’s country-matching tool is a great place to start. Or if you're planning a scouting trip to see for yourself, you can find some great family-friendly stays on Expedia.

The sleeper pick. We looked at Albania primarily for its low cost of living and the relatively straightforward visa pathway for Americans.

The videos we found showed happy locals, beautiful Mediterranean cities, and a Tirana that felt like a real, functioning capital with all the amenities you’d expect. We also specifically sought out content from people of color living there, and what we found was mostly positive. What held us back: we’re a mixed-race family and we weren’t willing to commit to making it our base without a scouting trip first.

Who Albania is great for: Americans looking for affordable European living without the bureaucratic complexity of larger EU countries. Worth serious consideration, especially if you can do a scouting trip first. If you are looking for remote work that could sustain a lifestyle in an emerging hub like this, The Remote Job is a great place to find listings that don't tie you to a desk in the States.

Malta caught our eye because the visa process was unusually smooth — you could apply online from anywhere, including from within Malta itself. As a former British colony, English is widely spoken and documents don’t require translation. But two things killed it for us. First: nearly half of children in Malta reportedly have asthma, largely attributed to poor air quality from car congestion. Second: flights from Malta are limited and expensive, which isn’t workable for a family that wants travel to be central to their life.

Who Malta is great for: English-speaking families who want Mediterranean island life without a language barrier, and aren’t prioritizing frequent budget travel across Europe. If you do go, make sure you pack your travel essentials from Amazon because island prices can be steep.

The Netherlands checks almost every box — walkable cities, cycling infrastructure, universal healthcare, excellent schools, English widely spoken, and a visa pathway specifically designed for Americans. The DAFT visa (Dutch-American Friendship Treaty) lets US citizens establish residency by setting up a business and depositing around €4,500–5,000 in a Dutch business account. It’s one of the most accessible routes to EU residency available to Americans.

The challenges: Amsterdam has a brutal housing market, apartments can be very small, and we’ve heard mixed things about Dutch culture. We’re planning a visit soon and can’t wait to report back.

Who Netherlands is great for: Remote workers, freelancers, and entrepreneurs who want EU residency through a business structure. Search rentals on Funda to get a feel for the market.

Portugal is consistently one of the top-ranked destinations for American expats, and for good reason: Mediterranean lifestyle, stunning scenery, and a strong track record among expats of color reporting high quality of life — particularly Black Americans.

So why didn’t we choose it? The visa process was a serious obstacle. To apply for the D7 visa, we would’ve had to schedule an appointment at the consulate in San Francisco, fly the whole family down, and physically hand over our passports. The embassy holds your passports for weeks during processing. No passport and potentially stranded in the US was a hard no for us. To keep your options open while you research these types of hurdles, subscribing to Thrive Remotely can give you the heads-up on changing visa requirements.

Who Portugal is great for: Families with passive income or retirement savings who can navigate the D7 or Digital Nomad Visa process. Browse rentals at Idealista Portugal to get a realistic sense of costs and neighborhoods.

When it looked like my employer might allow me to work remotely from abroad, Greece jumped to the top of the list. The Greek Digital Nomad Visa was set up in a way that was genuinely favorable for W2 remote workers — employees, not just freelancers — with minimal requirements on the employer side.

Greece is beautiful — I knew we’d love it without even having visited. Greek cuisine is in my top three, and as someone with Arab heritage, the overlap in flavors and culture runs deep. What gave us pause: learning Greek would be a real commitment, and the visa and bureaucracy processes have a reputation for being tedious. Note: Greece now requires you to apply from your home country — always check the current requirements before applying.

Who Greece is great for: Remote workers and digital nomads who want an affordable, beautiful European base with strong food and Mediterranean culture. Before heading out on a scouting mission to Athens or the islands, we always check Expedia for the best flight connections.

Spain was our frontrunner for most of the process, and it’s where we ultimately applied for residency.

The reasons stacked up fast: we already spoke some Spanish from living in Mexico. Spain has multiple major cities, each with its own character and established international airports. The country is increasingly diverse, with food and culture from around the world woven into daily life. The visa process was flexible — we could apply either from our home country or from within Spain, with the possibility of a 3-year visa if we applied on Spanish soil.

And then there’s the lifestyle. Since moving here, we regularly hit our step goals just by living our daily lives — no gym membership, no dedicated “workout time.” The food, the public squares, the sense that life is meant to be lived outside. All of it landed exactly the way we hoped. We’ve found that managing our euros through Wise makes everything from rent to groceries much smoother. We also made sure to stock up on our Amazon travel essentials before the move to ensure we had all the gear needed for the girls in a new climate.

Who Spain is great for: Families who want a walkable, food-rich, culturally vibrant European base. Start browsing neighborhoods and rentals on Idealista Spain — it’s the go-to property portal and will give you a realistic picture of what different cities cost.

The UK has been my dream my whole life. I’ve visited London over a dozen times. When we started seriously planning this move, I owed it to myself to actually investigate how we might get there.

The honest answer: right now, we don’t qualify for a visa. But we have a clear path. Once I finish my master’s degree, we’ll be eligible to apply for the High Potential Individual (HPI) visa, designed for graduates from top global universities. A Skilled Worker visa through employer sponsorship is also a real possibility.

The UK isn’t just London. In the US, I’m a city person. But the UK is one of the only places where I genuinely love the countryside too. An English village is something else entirely. This is still the long-term goal for our family.

Who UK is great for: Professionals with employer sponsorship potential, graduates of eligible universities, or people with British ancestry or family ties. The UK government’s visa tool is the best starting point for figuring out which route applies to you.

We applied for Spanish residency, and we expect to be approved. Spain is our base — for travel, for building a life, for figuring out what comes next. Maybe we find a city in Portugal that makes us feel the pull. Maybe the Netherlands clicks when we visit. Maybe a job offer comes through in London and the long-held dream becomes the plan.

The thing I’d say to any family in the ideation stage: you don’t have to have a final answer. You have to have a direction. Pick the country you’re running toward, not just the one you can get to fastest. Do the research. Watch the walking tours. Look up actual rentals. Find bloggers with kids in the places you’re considering — especially if you’re a family of color, because that experience is specific and it matters. To stay inspired and find the work that will get you there, I highly recommend checking out both Thrive Remotely and The Remote Job. They have been instrumental in helping us see what is possible.

We share everything about our move — the logistics, the visa process, the reality of raising kids abroad — right here at FamilyMovesAbroad.com. Subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next.

Disclaimer: Visa rules change frequently. Always verify current requirements through official government sources before making any decisions.