🌍 Where should you live if you want to work abroad in 2025? Data-driven guide for #KaburAjaDulu
💡 Why I wrote this article?
In recent years, many Indonesians online have been using the hashtag #KaburAjaDulu. It reflects the frustration many of us feel about the situation back home, whether it’s politics, the economy, or simply the hope of a better life elsewhere. The phrase means “Just Run Away First,” and honestly, I get it. Many of us wonder if life could be better abroad.
But if you’re planning to work and live abroad, here’s a question you need to ask: Where should you go? Not every country will give you the quality of life you’re looking for. That’s exactly what I’ve done in this analysis. I want to help my fellow Indonesians, and anyone out there thinking of working abroad, get a clearer picture of which countries are the best to live and work in, based on real data. When you make that big decision, it’s better to do it with clear eyes and good information.
“If you’re gonna #KaburAjaDulu, at least run smart.”
Why did I do this? Because I am one of you. I am an Indonesian who has seen the frustration of our fellow citizens online. I understand the longing for a better life. But instead of just saying “kabur aja dulu” without a plan, let’s escape with information, with data, and with awareness.
If you want to see the full technical process, the Python codes, and the detailed data analysis behind this, I’ve uploaded everything on my GitHub, the notebook and the result.
⚠️ DISCLAIMER: The “country” in this analysis does not always represent the whole country due to data limitations Numbeo has, for example, South Korea is dominantly represented by Seoul, Japan is represented by Tokyo, and so on. That’s why maybe for some countries, you find it difficult to understand why country X belongs to cluster Y. So, for the next iteration, I will try to do a similar analysis but on a city level so the analysis result can give us a better and more accurate insight. ⚠️
🤖 What is this analysis about?
I gathered data from various sources to answer a simple but important question: Which countries offer the best quality of life, especially for those of us who want to work and live abroad?
I used variables that matter when you decide to move somewhere:
- Purchasing Power Index (Higher is better)
- Pollution Index (Lower is better)
- Safety Index (Higher is better)
- Health Care Index (Higher is better)
- Cost of Living Index (Lower is better)
- Property Price to Income Ratio (Lower is better)
- Traffic Commute Time Index (Lower is better)
- Climate Index (Higher is better)
- Personal Income Tax Rate (Lower is better)
- Education Index (Higher is better)
These variables are collected from Numbeo, Trading Economics, and World Population Review. I analyzed data from 88 countries around the world.
Using this data:
- Cleaned & imputed missing data using KNN Imputation
- Standardized the data
- Exploratory data analysis
- Clustering analysis: Using K-Means with Silhouette Method, grouped countries into 7 clusters
- Summarized & ranked the clusters based on their overall performance
🏆 The final ranking of country clusters
🌐 Cluster breakdown: Which countries are in each group?
⭐️ Cluster 3 — Rank 1A
Countries: Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait
What makes them stand out:
✅ Excellent Purchasing Power
✅ High Safety
✅ Low Property Price to Income Ratio
✅ Very low Personal Income Tax (0%!)
❗️ Weak point: Climate (very hot and dry)
These countries are a great option if you want to earn well, live safely, and keep most of your salary. However, you’ll have to adapt to a harsh climate.
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⭐️ Cluster 5 — Rank 1B
Countries: Luxembourg, Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Austria, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, United States, Spain, United Kingdom, Belgium, France
What makes them stand out:
✅ Low Pollution
✅ Excellent Education
✅ Great Health Care
✅ Reasonable property prices & traffic times
✅ Nice climate in general
❗️ Weak point: Very high Cost of Living & Income Tax
If you’re aiming for the dream countries (Europe, US, Australia, NZ), this is your cluster. Amazing public services but you need to prepare financially and mentally for the high living costs and taxes.
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⭐️ Cluster 6 — Rank 2
Countries: Estonia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Croatia, Lithuania, Portugal, Ireland, Canada, Latvia, Cyprus, Slovakia, Poland, Italy, Greece
What makes them stand out:
✅ Low traffic time
✅ Low pollution
✅ Good education
❗️ Slightly lower purchasing power compared to Rank 1 clusters
If you want balance, and a good life without breaking the bank, these are solid options.
—
⭐️ Cluster 1 — Rank 3
Countries: Japan, Israel, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong (China), China, Thailand
What makes them stand out:
✅ Excellent Health Care
✅ Very safe
❗️ Very expensive living costs, housing problems, and high taxes
If you prefer Asia and want a modern, safe place, this is your group. But the high cost of living might hit your wallet hard.
—
⭐️ Cluster 2 — Rank 4
Countries: Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Bosnia And Herzegovina, Malta, Belarus, Georgia, Serbia, Panama, North Macedonia, Armenia, Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Albania
What makes them stand out:
✅ Low Personal Income Tax
❗️ Poor health care system
❗️ Unfavorable climate
These countries may be more affordable but may lack the quality of healthcare and living standards compared to the top clusters.
—
⭐️ Cluster 4 — Rank 5A
Countries: South Africa, Uruguay, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Kenya, Peru, Iran, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Venezuela, Bangladesh, Nigeria
What makes them stand out:
✅ Very cheap Cost of Living
❗️ Very poor Purchasing Power, Safety, and Education
❗️ High pollution
If you plan to move here, you need to be aware of the trade-offs. Living might be cheap, but safety and quality of life could be major concerns.
—
⭐️ Cluster 7 — Rank 5B
Countries: Malaysia, Turkey, Mexico, Jordan, India, Tunisia, Morocco, Pakistan, Indonesia, Lebanon, Philippines, Vietnam
What makes them stand out:
✅ Good climate
✅ Affordable cost of living
✅ Decent education
❗️ Very poor economy, safety, healthcare, and traffic conditions
Yes, Indonesia is in this cluster. So, for those of you shouting #KaburAjaDulu, remember that moving to another country in this cluster might not improve your situation much.
🎯 Key Takeaways
If you’re planning to move abroad, remember this:
There’s no perfect country, but there is a smarter way to choose.
Some clusters offer better income and safety but may have extreme weather (Gulf countries).
Some offer top-quality public services but are expensive (Western Europe, Australia, US).
Others are more affordable but come with trade-offs in safety, healthcare, or economic conditions.
At least now, you don’t have to choose blindly or based on hype. You can make a decision based on what matters most to you. Run away smart. Run away informed.
🤔 What can you do with this information?
If you’re thinking about working abroad, this clustering can help you decide what to expect from different countries.
For example:
- If you want the best overall quality of life and can compete in a tight job market, aim for countries in Cluster 3 or 5 (Rank 1A & 1B).
- If you want a decent life abroad without too many compromises, Cluster 6 or 1 (Rank 2 & 3) could be worth considering.
- If your priority is just to leave your home country ASAP, no matter what, then countries in Cluster 2, 4, or 7 might be easier to get into, but the quality of life may not improve much compared to what you’re trying to escape.
You don’t need to move blindly or based only on social media vibes. Each cluster has its strengths and weaknesses, and your choice should depend on what matters most to you: safety, income, education, health care, or cost of living.
💬 Join the conversation
What do you think? Which cluster would you consider moving to? Let me know in the comments, and don’t forget to share this with your friends who are considering working abroad.
Do you have any input regarding the writing? The analysis? Please don’t hesitate to tell me, I’m a lifetime learner, and I would love to have any input from the readers!
#KaburAjaDulu #DataDrivenLife #WhereToLiveAbroad
📊 Relevant data visualizations from the analysis
