Canada isn’t cheap, and it’s not always ahead. Find out which countries beat it on both cost and quality of life.
Where the numbers jump fast
Most people don’t usually think of Oman as being one of the top places to live. However, the data doesn’t really leave much for debate, as it has a quality of life score of 207.6, much higher than Canada’s 172.0.
The cost of living is also far lower at 43.6. As for safety, that’s high in Oman at 81.6, while the property price-to-income ratio is only 3.8. It’s quite different from Canada’s ratio of 7.5.
Commuters also fare better in Oman because the average time is only 24.9, so it appears that the gap is quite clear across several metrics when you compare them side-by-side.
A place people often skip over
Another country that tends to fly under the radar is Estonia, although the difference is more obvious when you check the numbers. The quality of life in Estonia is 190.7, comfortably ahead of Canada, while the cost of living is lower at 59.7.
The safety score is at 76.8, too. But that’s not all, as the country has a very low pollution score of 16.1 and a commute time of 20.9. That’s notably shorter than Canada’s commute time of 35.8.
Of course, some things are slightly worse in Estonia, such as the housing ratio which is higher, but the overall score for the nation is ahead of Canada when you factor it all in together.
Far from a budget trap
So many people label New Zealand as an expensive country without actually looking at the country-level data. It paints a rather different picture.
For starters, the nation’s cost of living score of 60.3 is lower than Canada’s 63.09, and its quality of life score is higher at 188.5. It also does well in terms of climate, where it scores 97.2, and has a purchasing power of 127.7.
New Zealand also ranked higher than Canada in the World Happiness Report, as it appeared 12th in 2025 while Canada ranked at 18th. As such, it seems that some people’s assumptions about New Zealand don’t quite match reality.
The part many people miss
The cost gap between Spain and Canada is far greater than some realize. The cost of living score is far below Canada’s at 51.6, yet it also does better in terms of quality of life, with a score of 185.8. It’s also good news for health, as Spain has a climate score of 92.8 and a healthcare score of 77.2.
Life expectancy is also better since Spain has an average of 84 years compared to Canada’s 82. It seems that Spain is doing far better than Canada in quite a few datasets, rather than a single ranking.
A different kind of bargain
Why is Japan doing better than Canada? It’s mostly down to a mix of lower costs and strong long-term indicators, such as its cost of living score of 47.5 and quality of life score of 185.6. It’s also a relatively safe country, as it scored 77.2 in terms of safety and a healthcare rating of 80.1.
The general life expectancy in Japan is the same as that in Spain, at 84 years, which is still higher than that in Canada. Despite the fact that it might have higher commute scores, the overall quality of life in Japan seems to be better than in Canada.
Not where most people start
Qatar is another Middle Eastern country that some people are surprised to find out has a better quality of life than Canada. But it’s true. It scores 182.7 for this metric and has a cost-of-living score that’s also better at 50.4, while safety is equally as good at 84.8. Generally, purchasing power stands at 160.3.
Unfortunately, Qatar does slightly worse with climate since it scores 36.0, although the overall quality index still seems to come up ahead. The numbers mostly line up in Qatar’s favour over Canada.
Quietly ahead on the basics
Really, it’s hard to deny how good things are in Slovenia when you look closer at the numbers. The average commute time is only 25.1, compared to Canada’s 35.8, and safety is rated at 75.5. Pollution is also quite low at 22.7. As for quality of life, the Central European country scores 181.5, and that’s comfortably ahead of Canada’s 172.0.
The cost of living is also better at 54.1. On the negative side, housing in Slovenia is a bit tighter relative to income than in Canada, but the overall combined score is still higher in Slovenia than in Canada. Who would’ve known that?
One that keeps climbing
That’s not all for Europe, as Lithuania has been moving up the rankings through the years. It has a quality of life score of 178.2 that edges past Canada’s 172.0, while the cost of living is much lower at 51.2.
The nation does just as well in healthcare, with a rating of 75.4 compared to Canada’s 68.6. Lithuania also placed 16th in the 2025 World Happiness Report, making it hard to ignore the pattern. The country’s doing pretty well.
Better than people expect
It’s easy to think of Croatia as being only a vacation spot. But the numbers show that it’s so much more than that because it has a high climate score of 87.1 and a safety rating of 75.7. Getting around the country also takes a lot less time than Canada because it has a 25.0 commute score.
Then there’s quality of life. It’s slightly higher in Croatia than in Canada, with a score of 176.6, slightly above Canada’s 172.0. The cost of living is quite clearly lower in Croatia because it has a score of 52.4, although purchasing power is lower in this European country than in Canada.
Not just a tax story
Yes, you might be aware of the tax system, or lack thereof, in the UAE, but you may not realize how the broader data adds a bit more context to this situation. It has a quality of life score of 175.5 that’s slightly higher than in Canada, while the cost of living is lower at 55.2. You may be happy to know that safety is one of the standout figures at 86.0.
Better yet, it has a purchasing power of 131.9 and it did quite well on the 2026 World Happiness Report. The UAE ranked 21st compared to Canada’s 25th. It’s not all good news, though, since the climate score is lower at 43.4, but the overall score in the UAE is ahead of Canada when you include all the categories.
The one in plain sight
People in Czechia seem to be happier than they are in Canada because it appears higher on the World Happiness Report. Yet it also does better with the cost of living, with a lower score of 53.0, and a healthcare rating of 76.0. The general quality of life is better as well.
It has a rating of 175.3, which is a little over 3 points higher than Canada’s 172.0. Sure, the gap between Czechia and Canada might not be massive. But it’s still there, and it’s hard to deny that there’s a difference when you compare the different measures.
A top-ranked outlier
Costa Rica is one of those countries that follows a slightly different pattern from the others, but it still ends up ahead of Canada in a different way. Let’s start with the World Happiness Report. The nation is miles ahead of Canada’s score, with a global ranking of 4th compared to Canada’s 25th.
There’s also the cost of living, with a Numbeo score of 52.9, better than Canada’s 63.0, and the climate is also rated at 93.1. Healthcare does well, too, because it received a score of 64.8. You will have to sit in traffic for a little longer in Costa Rica than in Canada, but it might be worth it since you’ll also get a much higher happiness ranking and lower costs.
More affordable than many assume
One of the reasons that Mexico stands out on this list is because of how big the price gap is between it and Canada. It has a cost of living score of 42.6. At the same time, it ranked 10th in the 2025 World Happiness Report, far higher than Canada’s ranking of 18th.
There are also factors like healthcare and climate to consider. For the former, Mexico received a ranking of 72.3, while for the latter, it received a score of 86.1. The numbers seem to be much better in terms of cost and happiness in Mexico.
Closer than it looks
Poland does have an edge over Canada, and although it might be slightly smaller compared to the others, it’s still there. It ranked one slot ahead of Canada in the 2026 World Happiness Report. Poland has a much lower cost of living score of 47.3 than Canada’s 63.0, and it received a safety rating of 71.3. The climate score is 76.1.
There are some aspects in which Poland does slightly worse than Canada, but it seems that the Central European country is doing better in terms of cost and happiness ranking. You can’t beat that, really.
Another Gulf surprise
Have a look at Saudi Arabia’s data points, and you’ll see that the grass really does seem to be greener. It ranked 22nd in the 2026 World Happiness Report and has a much lower cost-of-living score of 43.9 versus Canada’s 63.0. Another positive is safety, where Saudi Arabia scores 76.7.
It also has high purchasing power at 136.0, meaning that there are several ways in which the Gulf nation is doing better than Canada.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.