Amsterdam Named The Easiest City For Brits To Relocate To In Europe

As UK emigration numbers jump by over 6% year on year, Amsterdam, Berlin and Frankfurt top the list for the easiest places in Europe to relocate to according to new research from digital expat insurer Feather.  Rome and Milan revealed as the most difficult cities in Europe to move to, and Spain’s scenic cities also fail to reach the top spots. 

There is a continued rise in people seeking to move abroad, with total UK emigration numbers jumping up by over 6% in 2025 according to the Office for National Statistics. Last year 252,000 Brits left the UK, while only 143,000 people returned, and of those who departed, 76% of them were under the age of 35 – Feather’s 2026 Relocation Index determines which countries and cities make a move abroad easiest for Britons by assessing four factors from openness to immigration to administrative complexity.

Amsterdam takes the top spot as the best city for Brits looking to relocate. It has one of Europe’s highest levels of English proficiency, a fully digital visa process, and a job market offering the most opportunity, with 42 open jobs per 1000 people. 34% of Amsterdam’s population is also foreign-born, and it has the largest expat community among cities in the index.

Narrowly behind Amsterdam, the second spot goes to Berlin. It has a well-established expatriate presence, with 13.15% of residents born outside the country, and a robust job market, with 33 open jobs per 1000 residents. Berlin has one of the highest salaries among the cities studied in the research, while offering good affordability, with living costs 21.2% lower than London.

Rounding up the top three cities, Frankfurt comes in third. It benefits from Germany’s high degree of English proficiency and a reliable visa pathway, particularly for employees. Frankfurt has the second strongest job market with an average 39.5 open roles per 1,000 residents. What separates Frankfurt and Berlin is the smaller expat community with just 2.4% of its residents born outside of Germany.

At the bottom of the list are both Rome and Milan. Despite being heralded as the land of the “dolce vita”, they rank as the most difficult move for Brits, with a low English proficiency score and a number of residency permits considerably below the EU average. Rome has one of the smallest job markets with an average 18.5 open jobs per 1000 residents, among the lowest in the list, whereas Milan has the third lowest average salary at €2,065.33 and the lowest purchasing power relative to London. It is also a challenging process to register a business as a foreigner, and is only partially digital, leading to needless paper trails. 

Spanish cities, too, which traditionally top the lists of favoured expat destinations, have failed to make the top spots for simplicity, with Madrid and Barcelona coming fifth and eighth respectively. While Spain offers the highest number of permits at 11.55 per 1000 people and has strong digitised processes in place, its low English proficiency and weak purchasing power make moving there more difficult.  

The research assesses four factors to determine this, including openness to immigration, economic opportunity, ease of opening a business for freelancers and entrepreneurs and administrative complexity. It analyses multiple independent data sources on administrative friction and lifestyle factors, and draws on insights from 13 emigration experts. 

Vincent Audoire, seasoned expat and Co-Founder at Feather Insurance, says: “More people are looking to leave the UK in search of warmer climates, a new lifestyle, or a lower cost of living. But too often the challenges an expat faces and the processes involved when moving abroad are ignored and underestimated. From finding a place to rent and sorting visas and insurance, to settling into a new environment, relocating can be complex. That’s why we created the Relocation Index, to highlight the easiest places to move to and help people understand the benefits and challenges of each destination.”

Read Feather’s full 2026 Relocation Index report, which outlines how each of the twelve cities measures up against the four factors to determine where it’s easiest for UK residents to become expats.