The best countries to live in 2026 conversation is less about fantasy escapes and more about practical life design. International Living’s newly released 2026 Global Retirement Index, which ranks the destinations where expats say day to day life feels most livable right now.

Costa Rica lands at No. 3 on the list, alongside a Europe heavy top ten led by Greece. That placement says a lot about what globally mobile buyers and families are prioritizing in 2026, and why Costa Rica continues to perform across the categories that matter most once the honeymoon phase ends.

International Living’s Global Retirement Index is now in its 35th year, and it has evolved into a broader quality of life framework. While the name suggests retirees, the underlying criteria translate well for remote workers, families, and buyers thinking about a second residency strategy.

One reason the Index gets attention is methodology. It blends data with on the ground reporting from correspondents who live in each destination, including practical cost checks and lifestyle realities that aggregated datasets often miss.

The Index evaluates countries across core themes that show up repeatedly in relocation decisions: housing, cost of living, healthcare, residency pathways, climate, and how easy it is to integrate into local life.

According to International Living’s 2026 rankings, the top 10 are:

The common denominator across the top countries is a daily life that feels healthier and more human: walkability, outdoor time, community connection, and a sense that life is not built around stress.

A destination can be beautiful, but if healthcare is hard to access or logistics are frustrating, satisfaction drops fast. Several of the top ranked countries score well because private care is available, the system is navigable, and infrastructure supports modern work and family life.

A consistent undercurrent is “plan B” thinking. People want clear paths to residency, whether through pension, savings, investment, or work arrangements. Countries that reduce friction tend to rise.

For Portugal and Spain, the story is not that they became undesirable. It is that demand has pushed costs higher in the most international neighborhoods, changing the value equation.

That dynamic is shaping where buyers look next, and it is also shaping how they choose regions within a country.

Costa Rica’s “pura vida” reputation is often described as a vibe, but expats tend to talk about it as a structural change: more time outside, more movement, earlier mornings, and a lifestyle built around nature rather than weekends. That is part of why Costa Rica performs well in “livability” conversations year after year.

Sacred View of Osa

International Living highlights Costa Rica’s affordable public system and the availability of private care at pricing that many expats find manageable compared to the US. That combination is a big factor for both retirees and families planning long term.

Costa Rica offers several routes depending on your profile, including options tied to pensions, savings, or investment. In the real world, that flexibility matters, because buyers are rarely making a single move for a single reason.

Costa Rica can still feel like strong value, especially when you compare lifestyle return on spend. But it is not one market. Costs vary sharply between beach enclaves, emerging coastal corridors, and Central Valley neighborhoods. Sophisticated buyers do best when they treat Costa Rica like a portfolio of micro markets, not a single headline.

For a broad overview of what draws people here in the first place, read about Why Costa Rica

Lists are useful, but they can also flatten nuance.

Costa Rica at No. 3 is a strong signal, but the real question is: which Costa Rica fits the life you are designing.

If you would like a tailored shortlist of areas that match your priorities, you can explore current listings here or reach out privately here.