2025’s Best Cities To Live In Europe For Expat Families, Per New Study

While moving to another country is exciting and filled with opportunity, it is also a daunting prospect at the best of times. A lot of planning is involved, from organizing accommodation in advance and adapting to a new language to arranging important financial aspects like international health insurance.

However, if you’re taking a family with you on your international move, there are even more factors to consider. While relocating abroad can do wonders for your career or quality of life, ensuring the local environment suits your family setup is essential.

With this in mind, expat insurance experts at William Russell have explored various family-related factors, such as childcare costs, the average annual hours worked and educational attainment in key subjects, to determine some of the best places to live abroad with a family.

European countries dominate the top 10—the only outlying nation is Japan in eighth place. Here are the best countries in Europe to relocate as an expat family.

Portugal Is The Best Destination To Relocate To With Your Family

Portugal takes first place in the ranking with a Family Relocation Score of 6.33, making it the best country to raise a family. While the country performed well across the board, it excelled in financial factors. Families in Portugal benefit from affordable childcare, costing 5% of household income on average, and the average monthly cost of essential utilities is very low at $119.

Additionally, property prices in Portugal are very affordable, with an average apartment price per square metre of $266, while the average cost of a flight from London is just $30, making it easy to stay connected with your extended family in other places around the globe.

Expats In Sweden Can Spend More Time With Their Families

Sweden ranks second on the list with a Family Relocation Score of 6.26. The Scandinavian country is an attractive proposition for expat families with some of the most affordable childcare in Europe, averaging 4% of household income, and 10 of the world’s top universities, providing plenty of opportunities for when children reach adulthood.

Sweden also has one of the lowest average annual hours worked at 1,440.5, meaning you’ll have a better work-life balance than in other countries with more time to spend with your family.

Italy’s Childcare Costs Are Some Of The Lowest In The World

Italy recorded the third-highest Family Relocation Score of 6.22 out of 10. While this warm Mediterranean country is a popular holiday destination, it also holds a lot of opportunities for your children’s futures, with the third-highest number of world-class universities.

Parents in Italy also benefit from having the joint-lowest cost of childcare, easing the pressure on their household finances and making a potential move abroad less stressful.

Rounding out the top five are Spain, which excels thanks to low housing and utilities costs, and Finland with the highest number of weeks of paid maternity, parental and home care leave in the survey at 161 and the second lowest average annual hours worked in the top five at 1,498.1.