Here’s what NomadList found the best ones:
Chian Mai, Thailand – Prague, Czech Rep. – Bangkok, Thailand – Hoi An, Vietnam – Belgrade, Serbia – Riga, Latvia – Davao, Philippines – Zagreb, Croatia – Sofia, Bulgaria – Ubud, Indonesia.
Interesting. Half of them are in Asia, half of them are in Eastern Europe. I happen to know some of them and this list makes me laugh.
Of course, personal preferences are different and here’s why I would have Panama City, Panama ranked first.
My criteria are very simple ones and there are 0, 1 and 2 points given
1. Quality of living
- weather: 2
- people: 2
- nature: 2
- safety: 2
2. Business environment
- solid growth: 2
- infrastructure: 2
- bureaucrazy: 2
- taxes: 2
- immigration: 2
Details:
- Weather: You can’t beat a country that close to the Equator, surrounded by 2 oceans. Don’t even try.
- People: Super-friendly, good looking, competently running the Panama Canal, world’s largest ship register, a banking system without bad banks etc.
- Nature: a rainforest within city limits, and 50% of the country is rainforest, more than 2,500 km coastline, Pacific and Caribbean, hundreds of islands, a silent volcano, 3,500 m high.
- Safety: Only risk is in the drug trafficking business for those involved. Stay away,
- Infrastructure: Impressive how fast things are being done here. Look at skyline and airports and metro and ports and the Pan-American Highway
- Bureaucrazy: For self-imployed pros or those who do their business offshore, not a big deal. For the others, settle in one of 3 Special Economic Zones.
- Taxes: See bureaucrazy. No income taxes for offshore business
- Immigration: with 4% unemployment, the country welcomes foreign professionals and investments. Some easy ways to immigrate.
So Panama City is getting my 18 out of 18 points, but check with your own preferences.
Better Panama 