A quiet but steady exodus from the UK is reshaping Europe’s expat map, and the latest data finally puts some structure around what has often been anecdotal, pub-table advice. New research from Feather Insurance shows that simplicity, not romance, is increasingly what drives relocation decisions. In 2025 alone, UK emigration rose by more than 6%, according to the Office for National Statistics, with 252,000 people leaving the country and only 143,000 returning. Strikingly, more than three quarters of those who left were under 35, a demographic far less tolerant of paper trails, language barriers, and bureaucratic dead ends.
A Panoramic Stroll Through Dam Square, Amsterdam. Shot Canon R8 and RF 16mm f/2.8 lens combo.
At the very top of Feather’s 2026 Relocation Index sits Amsterdam, and it’s hard to argue with the logic. The city combines exceptionally high English proficiency with a fully digital visa process and one of the strongest job markets in Europe, offering 42 open roles per 1,000 residents. Over a third of Amsterdam’s population is foreign-born, which shows up immediately in daily life, from English-friendly public services to employers already fluent in expat hiring. It feels less like a leap into the unknown and more like a lateral move with canals, bikes, and slightly better work-life balance.
Close behind is Berlin, a city long mythologized for its creative freedom but now quietly winning on practicality. Around 13% of Berlin’s residents were born outside Germany, enough to sustain a mature expat ecosystem without turning the city into an international bubble. The job market remains robust at 33 open positions per 1,000 people, and salaries rank among the highest in the index, while living costs sit more than 20% below London. There’s still bureaucracy, of course, but it’s increasingly predictable, which matters more than charm once deadlines and rent contracts enter the picture.
Third place goes to Frankfurt, a city that often gets overlooked in lifestyle conversations but performs exceptionally well on the numbers. Germany’s high English proficiency and well-defined employee visa routes make the move relatively frictionless, and Frankfurt boasts the second-strongest job market overall with nearly 40 open roles per 1,000 residents. What holds it back slightly is social gravity rather than policy: only 2.4% of residents are foreign-born, which can make settling in feel more solitary compared to Amsterdam or Berlin, especially in the early months.
Lower down the table, the contrast becomes sharper. Cities like Rome and Milan sit firmly at the bottom despite their global appeal. Low English proficiency, fewer residency permits than the EU average, and smaller job markets create real friction for British movers. Rome offers just 18.5 open jobs per 1,000 residents, while Milan combines modest salaries with Europe’s weakest purchasing power relative to London. Add partially digital business registration and lingering paperwork, and the dream of la dolce vita quickly acquires a filing cabinet.
Spain tells a similar story, though with a twist. Madrid and Barcelona remain emotionally popular but score lower for ease. Spain actually leads in the number of permits issued and has made serious progress on digitizing processes, yet low English proficiency and weak purchasing power weigh heavily in the final ranking. It’s a reminder that friendliness and sunshine don’t always compensate for administrative drag when you’re trying to build a career or freelance business from scratch.
The methodology behind the index is refreshingly grounded. Feather assessed openness to immigration, economic opportunity, ease of setting up as a freelancer or entrepreneur, and overall administrative complexity, drawing from multiple independent datasets and insights from 13 emigration experts. Vincent Audoire, co-founder of Feather and a seasoned expat himself, frames it less as a verdict and more as a reality check. People may dream of warmer climates or a slower pace, he notes, but visas, insurance, housing, and local systems still define whether a move feels empowering or exhausting.
What emerges from the 2026 index is a subtle shift in priorities. The easiest European cities for Brits aren’t necessarily the most beautiful or culturally seductive; they’re the ones that minimize friction at every step. For a generation on the move, that quiet efficiency may be the most attractive lifestyle upgrade of all.
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