By Deborah Kearns

 

NEW YORK, 22 Sept. - (ANA) - As more Americans look to move abroad, experts and those who have actually left share their top tips and insights about how to do it.

 

A year ago, Kelly McCoy packed two bags, sold everything she owned, and left Buffalo, New York, for Albania, sight unseen.

 

Entrepreneurs Nicole and Jordan Tarver sold most of their belongings in a garage sale and moved from rainy Seattle to sunshine-soaked Majorca, Spain, last fall, too.

 

Elizabeth and Brian Lee and their 10-year-old son left their idyllic coastal town in New Jersey to plant new roots in Playa del Coco, Costa Rica, over the summer, fulfilling a longtime dream to experience a new culture and way of living.

 

While their reasons for relocating abroad might differ, these expats are part of a growing number of folks who say the new American dream is to leave. Rising living costs, political instability and division, and a desire for better work-life balance are some of the factors driving record numbers of people to relocate to another country. An estimated 5.5 million Americans live abroad, according to the Association of Americans Resident Overseas (AARO). That number is only growing; an estimated 1,285 U.S. citizens expatriated in the first quarter of 2025 alone — a 102% increase compared to the same period a year ago, the AARO found.

 

Those who’ve already made the move say they don’t regret it. And some even plan to make their relocations permanent.

 

 

 

 

Interest in leaving the U.S. spiked dramatically after the 2024 presidential election.

 

Nearly 30,000 people visited Expatsi’s website alone in the few hours following President Donald Trump’s reelection. That’s more than the company received in all of 2022, said Brett Andrews, co-founder of the relocation assistance company.

 

Andrews and co-founder Jen Barnett relocated to Mérida, Mexico, a year ago. Now, the couple connects other expats with experts on everything from immigration processes and tax laws to financial planners and relocation consultants to help make their international moves a smooth process.

 

Two-thirds of Expatsi’s test-takers say they want to leave the U.S. by 2026, with 12% saying they hope to move in the next six months. The reasons are all over the map, but crushing living costs and political concerns rank high, Andrews said.

 

 

 

 

The average U.S. household spent $6,440 per month in living expenses, or $77,280 annually, in 2023, according to the latest annual data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That was up 5.9% from the previous year and has likely moved higher in the time since due to inflationary pressures.

 

For McCoy, 45, personal economics made life in the U.S. untenable. Her rent in Buffalo was $1,200 monthly but, in Albania, she paid $250. Now in Bucharest, Romania, she pays slightly more — $450 — but it’s still less than half of her costs in the U.S.

 

"I couldn't afford to live in the States anymore," McCoy said. "On top of my rent, I had my health insurance. I worked for a health insurance company, and the amount of money that I paid even working for a health insurance company was absurd just for a single person."

 

When McCoy slipped and broke her arm in Albania two days before Christmas, the experience was eye-opening. She saw an ER doctor, neurosurgeon, and orthopedic surgeon, got X-rays and an MRI, and was in and out in two hours. The cost? Zero. In the U.S., that would’ve set her back by thousands of dollars, she said.

 

The Tarvers found similar savings in Spain. They immediately saved $2,000 monthly on fixed expenses after leaving Seattle. Their monthly rent dropped by $600, groceries cost half as much, and private health insurance and dental for both of them runs $190 monthly — a fraction of what they spent in the States.

 

"As entrepreneurs who don't have benefits from a company anymore, it's really nice to know we're not forking out several hundred, if not more [for health care],” Jordan Tarver said.

 

 

 

 

To kick off the process, Andrews recommends that Americans first travel to the places they might want to live to see if they’re a good fit. The Tarvers and the Lees both visited their respective homes abroad before settling down there.

 

McCoy bucked this traditional wisdom, seeing Albania as a temporary stepping stone. Discovery trips might be helpful, but until you live in a place, you won’t fully know whether or not it’s the right fit, she said. Plan on giving it at least a year, she added.   - (ANA) - 

 

AB/ANA/22 September 2025 - - -