Choosing a Base City: A Scoring Method You Fill In Yourself
Rankings tell you where other people want to live. Six criteria, your own weights and one honest scorecard tell you where you should.
MAN TARGET EditorsOctober 23, 2026 3 min read
Global city rankings are useful — for someone else. They average out a life that isn't yours. A single man running a remote business and a father of three on a local contract need different cities. The fix is simple: a scorecard with your criteria, your weights and your numbers. No algorithm. Just discipline.
Step 1: apply the filters first
Before scoring anything, remove cities that fail the non-negotiables. Can you legally live and work there under a realistic visa route? Would the tax consequences — in that country and at home — be acceptable after advice from a cross-border professional? Can your partner work, and can your children study? Filters are pass or fail. Only survivors get scored.
Step 2: score six criteria from 1 to 5
- Cost: housing, schools, healthcare and daily life against your expected income.
- Safety: your own reading of official travel advisories and local sources.
- Connectivity: direct flights to where your work and family are, plus reliable internet.
- Schools: options in your language and curriculum, and their admission realities.
- Time zone: overlap with your clients, team and family back home.
- Quality of life: climate, outdoor life, culture, language and how you feel walking the streets.
The best city in the world is useless if it's the wrong city for your week.
Step 3: weight it and add it up. Give each criterion a weight from 1 to 3. A family might weight schools at 3 and nightlife at 1. A remote founder might weight time zone at 3. Multiply each score by its weight and add the six results. The highest total is not automatically the answer — it is the shortlist. Score with your partner separately, then compare. The disagreements are the real conversation.
- Remove cities that fail visa, tax, work or family filters.
- Research each criterion from official and recent sources.
- Score 1 to 5, weight 1 to 3, multiply and total.
- Visit the top two, ideally in the season you would live there.
- Re-score after the visit — and trust the second score more.
Educational content, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Rules change and vary by country. Confirm visa and tax questions with official government sources and licensed professionals in each country involved.
Key takeaways
- Score cities on six criteria, from 1 to 5, using your own research.
- Weight each criterion by what matters to your family, not to a ranking.
- Visa, tax and work rules are pass/fail filters — apply them first.
- Visit the top two before you commit.
FAQ
How do I choose the best city to move to abroad?
Filter out cities that fail visa, tax, work and family requirements, then score the rest on weighted criteria that reflect your priorities.
Should I rely on global city rankings?
Use them as one input. They average many lives, so your own weighted scorecard is a better guide to your decision.
How many cities should I compare?
A shortlist of three to five is usually manageable. Visit the top two before committing.
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