How AEI scores every market.
The six Exit Readiness pillars — Financial, Tax, Family, Lifestyle, Legal, and Psychological — were determined by mapping the decisions Americans actually face when relocating abroad. We reviewed cross-border tax and residency rules, real estate and cost data, and the questions advisors, attorneys, and relocating families raise most often, then grouped those factors into six distinct areas that together determine whether a move is feasible and where it fits best.
Financial Mobility
Liquidity, portability of assets, and access to global banking.
| Indicator | Unit | Geo | Direction | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median residential price | USD/sqm | country | ↓ better | Numbeo / Global Property Guide |
| Price-to-income ratio | ratio | country | ↓ better | Numbeo |
| Gross rental yield | % | country | ↑ better | Global Property Guide |
| USD purchasing power vs 12mo | % | country | ↑ better | IMF / Exchange rates |
| HNW outmigration (AGI $200k+) | count | us_state | ↑ better | IRS SOI Migration Data |
| Property tax trend | %YoY | us_state | ↓ better | Tax Foundation |
Tax Sensitivity
Exposure to capital gains, wealth, estate, and treaty considerations.
| Indicator | Unit | Geo | Direction | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital gains rate | % | country | ↓ better | PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries |
| Wealth tax exposure | % | country | ↓ better | PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries |
| US tax treaty in force | bool | country | ↑ better | IRS Treaty Table |
| Non-dom / expat regime | bool | country | ↑ better | PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries |
| State income + capital gains burden | % | us_state | ↓ better | Tax Foundation |
Family Complexity
Dependents, education, healthcare, and multi-generational coordination.
| Indicator | Unit | Geo | Direction | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English proficiency | index | country | ↑ better | EF English Proficiency Index |
Lifestyle Pull
Climate, safety, culture, and quality-of-life fit.
| Indicator | Unit | Geo | Direction | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foreign-buyer demand trend | index | country | ↑ better | National statistics offices |
| Safety index | index | country | ↑ better | Numbeo Safety Index |
| Healthcare quality index | index | country | ↑ better | Numbeo Healthcare Index |
Legal Feasibility
Residency and citizenship pathway viability and timelines.
| Indicator | Unit | Geo | Direction | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residency min. investment | USD | country | ↓ better | Government program registries |
| Time to residency | months | country | ↓ better | Government program registries |
| Time to citizenship | years | country | ↓ better | Government program registries |
| Regulatory friction trend | index | country | ↓ better | AEI editorial (public sources) |
Psychological Readiness
Timeline conviction, risk tolerance, and cultural adaptability.
| Indicator | Unit | Geo | Direction | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expatriation filings share | index | us_state | ↑ better | US Treasury Quarterly Expatriates |
Data ingestion
Stage 1 (launch): public macro sources — IRS SOI Migration Data, Tax Foundation, PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries, Numbeo, Global Property Guide, OECD, and destination-country statistics offices. Values are keyed by indicator_key × geo × period so historical snapshots stack cleanly.
Stage 2 (post-launch): anonymized readiness-quiz submissions aggregate into a proprietary outbound-pressure layer keyed by origin state and destination interest. Individual submissions are never exposed.