Best places for expats to move abroad in 2015

We all dream of relocating to a sunnier state or country when it comes time to retire -- but have you ever considered moving abroad before then? Tons of individuals of all ages are packing up and moving their lives to an entirely new continent -- either to start fresh, dramatically decrease their cost of living, improve their work-life balance, or all of the above. These individuals are deemed 'expats,' or people who withdraw themselves from their native countries. If you want to hop on the expat bandwagon and start a new life overseas as well, we have the top 10 expat destinations for you.

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To see how countries compare when it comes to living abroad, we turned to Expat Insider, one of the largest surveys worldwide to inquire into the international living situations of expats. This year's study cross-examined 14,000 individuals in 195 countries overseas, and respondents reported on their cost of living satisfaction, general state of personal finances, job security, work-life balance, income and more.

According to Expat Insider's 2015 survey, Ecuador remained on top for the second year in a row, with 91% of respondents feeling satisfied with the cost of living in 2015, and 80% feeling satisfied with the state of their personal finances. Mexico bumped up from third place in 2014 to hit the second place spot in 2015, with 81% of survey participants feeling satisfied with the cost of living, and 76% happy with their personal finance situation. A European country entered the mix this year and landed third place: Malta. Respondents now living on the Mediterranean island scored the highest in the Working Abroad index, feeling highly satisfied with their jobs and work-life balance.

They say the grass is always greener on the other side... but in these countries, the money's apparently greener, too.

View the top 10 destinations for expats:

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