Pack Your Bags, Change Your Life: The Ultimate Relocation Guide

How about a move to Australia? We’re specifically thinking of the coastal city of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria. Its south-eastern Australian location means it features a pleasingly temperate climate, and there are plenty of beaches to enjoy.

Montreal is certainly Canadian, but it’s Canada with a distinctly French flavor. The city is in south-eastern Canada’s Quebec province and Francophile visitors fall in love with the quaint cobbled streets and Gothic revival architecture. 

Set along the banks of the picturesque River Liffey, Dublin is an Irish gem steeped in history. It’s a welcoming city which the Ireland website describes as “intimate as a village, and as friendly as an Irish pub”.

With its legendary nightlife, hot Mediterranean sun, and Spanish culture, Barcelona has much to recommend it as a place to resettle. If art is your thing you’ll find plenty to swoon over here as well.

Thanks to the beautifully preserved architecture, living in Lyon will make you feel like you’ve stepped back into the time of the Renaissance. It’s a town of rolling hills, and it lies where two rivers, the Saône and the Rhone, meet.

You might just move to Edinburgh to take advantage of the extraordinary cultural explosion the city features every year at its world-renowned arts festival. It’s a compact city and you can while away weekends enjoying the classical majesty of the “New Town.”

This seaside resort on England’s south coast is a city that welcomes diversity, and it’s renowned as a place where members of the LGBTQ community can feel perfectly welcome and comfortable.

If you’re looking for one of the world’s liveliest cities, here it is: Miami. Set on the sun-drenched Florida coast, this metropolis is much more than just a popular holiday destination. There are museums and galleries aplenty, such as The Bass, with its stunning architecture. 

If you plan to set up home in Denver, you might well want to look for a nest in the suburbs: property prices in the center can be formidable. But even so, this is a city well worth considering for relocation.

This historic port city overlooking the Atlantic Ocean offers the best aspects of the Portuguese lifestyle in terms of food, culture and entertainment. It’s also a place of great architectural beauty, with houses rising up the steep hills on either side of the River Douro. 

This charming Dutch city is crisscrossed by canals overlooked by beautifully preserved town houses. It’s a great city for getting around; bicycles are the favorite mode of transport, although trams and a metro network are also available.

If you’re in your 30s Portland may well be an attractive destination, since almost a third of the city’s residents are in that age group. They must be on to something!

If all things Scandinavian appeal to you then Denmark’s capital Copenhagen might be just the ticket for a new life. For those with children, Copenhagen offers a tempting array of child-friendly laws such as a generous 52 weeks of parental leave.

Vancouver in British Columbia enjoys a dramatic setting on the Pacific Ocean with the spectacular peaks of the North Shore Mountains as a backdrop. Other attractions include the low crime rate, low unemployment rate, and good educational opportunities. 

Thanks to its art galleries and music venues, Austin has a well-earned reputation as an important cultural center. When it comes to music, there are literally hundreds of venues: you can find live gigs every night of the week. 

Australia’s largest city, Sydney, boasts a pleasantly clement climate and a gorgeous setting overlooking its renowned harbor. The iconic Sydney Opera House, long revered as an architectural tour de force, sits on its shoreline.

Madrid, Spain

The Spanish capital has plenty to recommend it: the Forbes website tells us it boasts “one of Europe’s best qualities of life, a reasonable cost of living and a low crime rate”. On top of that it has a great selection of museums.

You might be first attracted to the idea of moving to Tampa by the fact that the Floridian individual income tax rate is a welcoming zero. But you won’t just relocate there for that. The city has an enviable variety of eating options, too.

It’s easy to forget that as many as 14 percent of Americans have German heritage, although that’s hardly a necessary qualification for moving to Hamburg. It’s known as a family-friendly city with attractions like the Miniatur Wunderland, the world’s largest miniature railway

Forbes described Brussels as a city that’s “cosmopolitan, open to the world,” and in possession of “a vibrant artistic heart”. It’s also a city which plays host to the headquarters of many international firms, so it’s a place where a decent number of high-level jobs are available.

In comparison with other East Coast cities, Philadelphia enjoys a relatively low cost of living, which represents a major attraction in itself. The Home 365 website gives more reasons to move there, asserting that the city “offers a rich tapestry of experiences, a thriving cultural scene, and a vibrant community”.

The Greek capital, with the Parthenon and many other stunning ancient sites, has more history than you can shake a stick at. But it doesn’t just have the stirring accomplishments of yesteryear to recommend it: it’s also a thoroughly modern place.

London, of course, has one major advantage right off the bat: people there speak a readily understood version of English. Many Americans are seduced by the bohemian culture of the Notting Hill neighborhood with its bustling Portobello Road market. 

Known for its diversity and its thriving LGBTQ community, San Francisco is a place with a welcome for everyone. As far as employment goes, the city is a short hop from Silicon Valley, so there are high tech jobs galore available, many with handsome salaries. 

San Sebastian, Spain

Located on Spain’s northern Atlantic coast not far from the French border, San Sebastian is an eminently livable city. Added to that Forbes gives the city the enviable accolade of being “one of the gastronomic capitals of Europe”.

Bruges enjoys the nickname of the “Northern Venice,” and this historic city has a lively cultural life. The center has many well-preserved buildings dating back to medieval times; walking through the streets you’ll feel as though you’re being transported back in time! 

Dallas is a Texan economic powerhouse with many top companies based there and well-paid jobs in healthcare, tech, and finance available. Despite its prosperity, it’s a relatively inexpensive place to live compared to many American cities. 

It’s one of Europe’s most popular holiday destinations, but Malaga has much more to offer than just Sun-drenched Mediterranean vacations. As Forbes points out, “It has the highest concentration of museums per square kilometer in Europe”.

A highly cosmopolitan city, the French capital’s housing is admittedly pricey, but Paris has other distinct advantages. One is the fiercely protected French work-life balance. The working week is capped at 35 hours and employees are entitled by law to five weeks annual vacation.

Canada’s largest city has a reputation as being enviably safe thanks to its low crime rate, while its thriving economy means that there are plenty of job opportunities. Which is just as well, since the city’s downside is high property prices.

The Portuguese capital enjoys a stunning location, perched on hills that overlook the Tagus River estuary which flows into the Atlantic Ocean. A city steeped in history, it enjoys a warm climate, and boasts a thriving cultural life, so there’s plenty to like. 

If you fancy the idea of an island paradise then Bali is well worth your consideration. This tropical island features lush jungles and miles of gorgeous sandy coastlines. To add to those attractions, the cost of living here — especially from a Western perspective — is pleasingly low.

Vienna, Austria

Forbes is in no doubt: it asserts, “Vienna is a top destination for Americans wishing to settle in Europe”. Locals like to take a walk around the majestic avenue called the Ringstrasse, which offers an easy introduction to many of the grandest buildings that grace this elegant city.

Of course a move to Florida means a move to a sunshine climate, but there are plenty of other reasons to choose Orlando as a new home. Taxes are low, housing costs are reasonable and the city is home to a lively cultural life. 

Basel lies on the Rhine River not far from the borders with both France and Germany, so day trips to those countries are easily accomplished. The city’s well preserved medieval center is a great place for casual strolling.

This gorgeous Renaissance city — with its stunning medieval buildings such as the 15th-century Duomo, the main cathedral — is an Italian gem. Florence has some of the world’s most eminent art collections at places like the Uffizi, home to Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus.

This medium-sized city has plenty to offer folks in later life, such as excellent healthcare, plus concessions for seniors when it comes to income tax. Other advantages include good air quality, a gentle climate, and notably low housing costs.

Set on France’s Mediterranean coast, Nice enjoys a balmy Riviera climate. It makes the most of its seaside location with La Promenade des Anglais, a boardwalk stretching for more than four miles along the coastline.

The Greek island of Crete is set in the clear, blue waters of the Mediterranean, and it’s a very popular European holiday destination. Its coast has many sandy beaches and the interior features spectacular mountain landscapes and gorges. 

If anywhere ever merited the title of “island idyll”, it has to be tropical Koh Samui off Thailand’s east coast. It’s a hugely popular tourist haunt, but it’s still big enough to offer long sandy beaches with scarcely a soul in sight.