Ranking · Cost

The cheapest countries to move to, by what the visa really costs.

The number that scares people off a move is usually the wrong one. The visa itself is often the cheapest line in the whole budget. These are the countries with the lowest all-in cost to file a genuine long-stay route, cheapest first.

Countries ranked

Top of the list

France

$55

Every figure

Sourced

From the Nomad data set

Method

In the open

Below the table

Michael KaufmanCo-founder, Nomad Lifestyle. Moved LA to Costa Rica.

The cheapest countries to move to, ranked by real filing cost

1. France	$55	$55	4 wks	10 docs	Yes
2. Thailand	$55	$55	3 wks	6 docs	Yes
3. Mexico	$56	$56	2 wks	6 docs	Yes
4. Italy	$57	$57	4 wks	11 docs	Yes
5. Colombia	$65	$65	4 wks	4 docs	No
6. Ireland	$65	$65	6 wks	6 docs	Yes
7. Hungary	$66	$66	4 wks	9 docs	No
8. Spain	$66	$66	3 wks	10 docs	Yes
9. Netherlands	$83	$83	4 wks	8 docs	Yes
10. Germany	$86	$86	8 wks	9 docs	Yes
11. Argentina	$100	$100	4 wks	7 docs	No
12. Brazil	$100	$100	4 wks	6 docs	No
13. Chile	$100	$100	6 wks	6 docs	Yes
14. Czech Republic	$115	$115	8 wks	8 docs	Yes
15. Belize	$150	$150	4 wks	9 docs	No
16. Georgia	$200	$200	4 wks	2 docs	?
17. Morocco	$200	$200	4 wks	4 docs	Yes
18. South Korea	$200	$200	3 wks	3 docs	Yes
19. Taiwan	$200	$200	2 wks	7 docs	No
20. Vietnam	$200	$200	1 wks	5 docs	No
21. Panama	$250	$250	4 wks	10 docs	No
22. Canada	$300	$300	1 wks	3 docs	Yes
23. Croatia	$300	$300	4 wks	7 docs	Yes
24. Estonia	$300	$300	2 wks	3 docs	Yes
25. Turkiye	$300	$300	4 wks	3 docs	Yes
26. Uruguay	$300	$300	26 wks	4 docs	No
27. South Africa	$400	$400	8 wks	4 docs	Yes
28. United Kingdom	$404	$404	3 wks	4 docs	Yes
29. Greece	$500	$500	4 wks	7 docs	Yes
30. Israel	$500	$500	1 wks	3 docs	Yes
31. New Zealand	$520	$520	2 wks	3 docs	Yes
32. Australia	$600	$600	4 wks	2 docs	Yes
33. Costa Rica	$800	$800	4 wks	8 docs	No
34. Dominican Republic	$800	$800	8 wks	9 docs	No
35. Malaysia	$1,060	$1,060	5 wks	2 docs	Yes
36. United Arab Emirates	$1,100	$1,100	2 wks	9 docs	No
37. Indonesia (Bali)	$1,500	$1,500	3 wks	6 docs	Yes
38. Portugal	$1,500	$1,500	8 wks	4 docs	Yes

Ranked on the highlighted column; the rest is context, all from the same verified data set. Sort any column.

How we ranked them

The method, in the open.

We ranked every country by the cheapest long-stay visa route it offers, measured by the total you actually file, not the headline government fee alone. Where a route lists documents and extras, those are counted. A zero is treated as missing data, never as free, so a country only appears when it has a real, priced route. This is the cost to file, not the cost to qualify or to live, and it is a starting point, not tax or immigration advice.

See the full data and methodology

More ways to rank the move

Easiest countries to move to from the US The fastest countries to get a visa measured in weeks, not vibes The countries with the least paperwork by the documents they actually ask for The cheapest countries to get residency filed and landed from the US The lowest income requirements for a visa that actually lets you stay Countries with no US tax treaty where you can get taxed twice

A ranking is a shortlist, not your answer.

Your work, income, and who is coming decide which of these you actually clear. Answer a few questions and get the routes that fit your situation, ranked, in about 90 seconds.

Check your visa fit

The method, in the open.

More ways to rank the move

A ranking is a shortlist, not your answer.

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