Are you a single female thinking about moving abroad? Whether it’s due to high inflation in the U.S., lingering economic woes due to COVID-19, or simply the prospect of adventure in foreign country, you may want to leap to a new land. Or maybe you wonder if the U.S. is the best place to live as a singleton.
You wouldn’t be alone if you decamped abroad. The U.S. State Department estimates about nine million U.S. citizens – male and female – live overseas. Once you’ve made the decision to move from the U.S., your next step is choosing a country. (These are the countries with the most American expats.)
Each nation has its own visa and immigration requirements, so you’ll have to overcome some bureaucratic hurdles whatever destination you choose. After that, you’ll need to consider other factors such as rent, cost of living, and personal safety.
To determine the best and worst countries for single women, 24/7 Tempo reviewed the Single Women Liveability Index published by ComparetheMarket, an Australia-based comparison shopping site for travel, insurance, and other services. The site compiled data for the 35 nations in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development using eight metrics, including average monthly rent and non-rental cost of living, average salary, safety, and happiness, among others.
Rent and cost of living as well as the safety index were sourced from Numbeo; salary came from figures compiled by the OECD; the happiness score was for 2021 where available and otherwise was an average of the scores from 2018 to 2020, and came from the World Happiness Report. Data from Numbeo was current as of February and March 2022. Exchange rates were computed with XE.
If you look at rents alone, Switzerland is the most expensive place to live at an average of $2,060 per month. (The U.S. is a relative bargain at $1,637.) Luckily the average annual salary in that European haven is almost $95,000. (These are the best rich countries for working women.)
All liveability ingredients weighed, the top country for single women is Denmark, with a livability score of 6.8/10. There, rents average a relatively high $1,322 a month, but compensating factors include one of the highest safety scores (73.5/100) and a happiness grade of 7.52/10.
Renters in Mexico, Latvia, Greece, and Hungary can expect to pay less than $500 a month. But Mexico – the least hospitable country for single females according to this evaluation – has a low safety score of 46.27/100 and an overall livability grade of only 3/10.
Click here to see the best and worst countries for working women
Where does the U.S. stand? It comes in around the middle of the pack at No. 12, with a livability score for single women of 5.52/10 and a safety assessment of nearly 52/100.
35. Mexico
> Average monthly rent: $497
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $468
> Average annual salary $8,858
> Safety index 46.27/100
> Happiness score 5.96/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 2.68/10
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34. Chile
> Average monthly rent: $539
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $634
> Average annual salary $16,070
> Safety index 45.29/100
> Happiness score 6.15/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 2.9/10
33. South Korea
> Average monthly rent: $778
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $981
> Average annual salary $34,567
> Safety index 73.6/100
> Happiness score 5.79/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 3.01/10
32. Israel
> Average monthly rent: $1,300
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $1,089
> Average annual salary $50,238
> Safety index 67.93/100
> Happiness score 7.2/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 3.53/10
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31. Poland
> Average monthly rent: $568
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $545
> Average annual salary $15,705
> Safety index 70.34/100
> Happiness score 6.14/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 3.79/10
30. France
> Average monthly rent: $996
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $926
> Average annual salary $43,190
> Safety index 47.35/100
> Happiness score 6.71/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 4.01/10
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29. Hungary
> Average monthly rent: $469
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $544
> Average annual salary $13,425
> Safety index 65.89/100
> Happiness score 6.04/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 4.12/10
28. Sweden
> Average monthly rent: $971
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $885
> Average annual salary $48,086
> Safety index 51.03/100
> Happiness score 7.31/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 4.38/10
27. Belgium
> Average monthly rent: $991
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $906
> Average annual salary $51,987
> Safety index 54.25/100
> Happiness score 6.84/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 4.45/10
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26. Australia
> Average monthly rent: $1,429
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $966
> Average annual salary $63,190
> Safety index 56/100
> Happiness score 7.14/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 4.49/10
25. Japan
> Average monthly rent: $987
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $1,044
> Average annual salary $38,242
> Safety index 77.96/100
> Happiness score 6.12/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 4.6/10
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24. Greece
> Average monthly rent: $491
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $713
> Average annual salary $19,395
> Safety index 52.34/100
> Happiness score 5.79/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 4.74/10
23. Slovak Republic
> Average monthly rent: $625
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $618
> Average annual salary $17,326
> Safety index 69.84/100
> Happiness score 6.52/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 4.85/10
22. Luxembourg
> Average monthly rent: $2,313
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $1,069
> Average annual salary $74,394
> Safety index 64.53/100
> Happiness score 7.32/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 4.89/10
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21. Lithuania
> Average monthly rent: $614
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $619
> Average annual salary $18,233
> Safety index 66.77/100
> Happiness score 6.39/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 5.11/10
20. Portugal
> Average monthly rent: $797
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $597
> Average annual salary $20,994
> Safety index 68.62/100
> Happiness score 5.77/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 5.15/10
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19. Switzerland
> Average monthly rent: $2,060
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $1,573
> Average annual salary $94,547
> Safety index 78.14/100
> Happiness score 7.51/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 5.22/10
18. Netherlands
> Average monthly rent: $1,386
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $972
> Average annual salary $56,909
> Safety index 72.03/100
> Happiness score 7.5/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 5.22/10
17. United Kingdom
> Average monthly rent: $1,240
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $887
> Average annual salary $50,221
> Safety index 53.52/100
> Happiness score 6.8/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 5.26/10
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16. Germany
> Average monthly rent: $1,073
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $882
> Average annual salary $48,312
> Safety index 63.53/100
> Happiness score 7.31/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 5.26/10
15. Canada
> Average monthly rent: $1,314
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $890
> Average annual salary $56,753
> Safety index 56.76/100
> Happiness score 7.03/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 5.26/10
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14. New Zealand
> Average monthly rent: $1,353
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $914
> Average annual salary $49,003
> Safety index 56.35/100
> Happiness score 7.26/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 5.44/10
13. Ireland
> Average monthly rent: $1,655
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $960
> Average annual salary $55,914
> Safety index 54.63/100
> Happiness score 7.04/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 5.48/10
12. United States
> Average monthly rent: $1,637
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $938
> Average annual salary $69,392
> Safety index 51.78/100
> Happiness score 7.03/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 5.52/10
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11. Italy
> Average monthly rent: $791
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $850
> Average annual salary $31,756
> Safety index 54.6/100
> Happiness score 6.49/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 5.52/10
10. Latvia
> Average monthly rent: $462
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $685
> Average annual salary $18,989
> Safety index 61.31/100
> Happiness score 6.23/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 5.55/10
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9. Spain
> Average monthly rent: $825
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $691
> Average annual salary $30,100
> Safety index 65.75/100
> Happiness score 6.5/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 5.59/10
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8. Slovenia
> Average monthly rent: $700
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $734
> Average annual salary $29,796
> Safety index 77.2/100
> Happiness score 6.46/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 5.74/10
7. Norway
> Average monthly rent: $1,328
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $1,222
> Average annual salary $66,720
> Safety index 66.23/100
> Happiness score 7.29/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 5.81/10
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6. Finland
> Average monthly rent: $1,008
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $912
> Average annual salary $48,511
> Safety index 72.86/100
> Happiness score 7.89/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 6.14/10
5. Austria
> Average monthly rent: $1,048
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $942
> Average annual salary $50,802
> Safety index 74/100
> Happiness score 7.21/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 6.14/10
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4. Czech Republic
> Average monthly rent: $709
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $644
> Average annual salary $20,303
> Safety index 74.46/100
> Happiness score 6.9/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 6.4/10
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3. Estonia
> Average monthly rent: $640
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $746
> Average annual salary $21,330
> Safety index 76.02/100
> Happiness score 6.45/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 6.73/10
2. Iceland
> Average monthly rent: $1,642
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $1,223
> Average annual salary $84,636
> Safety index 76.59/100
> Happiness score 7.58/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 6.77/10
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1. Denmark
> Average monthly rent: $1,322
> Average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) $1,049
> Average annual salary $68,336
> Safety index 73.5/100
> Happiness score 7.52/10
>Overall livability score for single women: 6.8/10
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