Leaving the UK
Brexit means Brexit. Yours means a moving van.
Cities where British expats can actually settle — not just holiday for 90 days and pray. Post-Brexit, EU freedom of movement is gone. These are the places that still let you in, won't bankrupt you vs. London, and speak enough English that you won't have to learn a third way to say 'cheers'.
96 cities ranked by data · updated May 2026
You had freedom of movement and you voted it away. Well, 52% of you did. Either way, here's what's left: the Common Travel Area still works for Ireland, Portugal's D8 visa is the new default for remote workers, and Spain's DNV exists if you can prove income. The 90/180 Schengen rule means you can't just wing it anymore — you need an actual visa, an actual plan, and ideally an actual reason beyond 'the weather in Croydon is killing me.'
How we rank
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GB passport visa difficulty (24%) — narrowed gap because moderate EU pathways (Spain, Portugal) are the real-world #1 destinations. Cost-of-living savings vs. London's £3,000/mo centre rent (20%). Climate warmth (10% — UK emigrants overwhelmingly cite weather). English proficiency (15%, EF EPI + native-English flag). EU/EEA membership (6% — post-Brexit, EU residency rights are a major draw). Democratic stability (15%, EIU). Safety (10%, UNODC homicide rate). Hard floor: must not be in the UK itself. Cities with no rent data or no GB visa-difficulty rating excluded.
Sources: Numbeo · UNODC · EIU · OECD PISA · Ookla · EF EPI · World Bank · Updated May 2026
This ranking is based on fixed data criteria (gb passport visa difficulty (24%) — narrowed gap because moderate eu pathways (spain, portugal) are the real-world #1 destinations). Your ideal city depends on your personal priorities — climate, budget, language, politics all weigh differently for everyone. Take the quiz for a personalized ranking.
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Frequently Asked Questions
OK but which leaving the uk city actually wins?▾
Athens (Greece) sits at #1 right now — city-centre rent starts around $737/month. That's based on data, not vibes.
Top 3, no hedging?▾
#1 Athens (Greece), #2 Graz (Austria), #3 Faro (Portugal). These scored highest on the actual metrics we use for this collection — not on how many Instagram reels mention them.
Where can I do this without burning through savings?▾
Goa (India) — rent starts at ~$167/month for a 1-bed in the centre. Your mileage varies with lifestyle, but the signal is clear.
Which one won't keep me up at night?▾
Singapore (Singapore) — 0.1 homicides per 100k residents (UNODC). That's the lowest in this collection, and a strong proxy for overall safety.
How does this ranking actually work?▾
Cities where British expats can actually settle — not just holiday for 90 days and pray. Post-Brexit, EU freedom of movement is gone. These are the places that still let you in, won't bankrupt you vs. London, and speak enough English that you won't have to learn a third way to say 'cheers'. Scores come from real data: Numbeo (rent), UNODC (crime), EIU (democracy), Ookla (internet speed), EF EPI (English). No one paid to be here.