How MyLifeElsewhere.com Compares Countries and Cities

Updated

MyLifeElsewhere.com compares any two countries or cities by placing their statistics side by side, covering cost of living, geographic size, quality of life, and salary needs. It works best as a first-pass research tool: you pick a home place and a destination, and the site surfaces the differences that matter most. It is not a relocation service or a source of personalized advice — it is a comparison and visualization layer over public data.

What the site actually does

The homepage frames the core question directly: "If you moved to another country, what would your life be like?" The answer comes in the form of paired statistics rather than a single score. According to the site, it is "a collaborative community that allows you to compare the country you live in with other countries around the world," showing "various statistics that differentiate your country from others, including cost of living, geographic size, and more."

Two mechanics drive most of the site:

  • Pairwise comparison. You select two places and get a side-by-side view. The site describes this as comparing "any two places, to scale — on your phone," so the layout is built for mobile viewing rather than desktop-only tables.
  • Random comparison. If you have no destination in mind, a "Random Comparison" option pairs two places for you — the homepage example is Minsk, Belarus.

The four main tools

The site organizes its comparisons into distinct tools rather than one giant dashboard. Each answers a different question.

Tool What it compares Use it when
Quality of Life Healthcare, education, safety, and more across territories You care about living standards, not just money
Cost of Living Groceries, rent, and other prices, worldwide — for countries and cities You want to know what daily life costs
Size Comparison Overlays countries, states, and cities on a map You want true geographic scale, not map distortion
Salary Estimator Calculates the salary you'd need to maintain your current lifestyle You're moving and need a target income number

Two of these deserve extra note. The Size Comparison tool exists because standard maps distort area — the site's own blog covers "The Mercator Map Problem: How Big Are Countries Really?" The Salary Estimator is framed as a lifestyle-maintenance calculator, not a job-market tool: it tells you what you'd need to earn, not what you're likely to be offered.

There is also a Build Your Own True Size Map, which lets you drag and drop countries onto an interactive map to compare real area.

Composite rankings: "Best Country For..."

Beyond two-place comparisons, the site offers composite rankings scored across multiple quality-of-life and cost metrics. The categories listed are:

  • Digital Nomads
  • Retirement
  • Families

These are aggregate scores, so treat them as a starting filter rather than a verdict. A high ranking in "Retirement" reflects how the site weights its chosen metrics — your own priorities may weight them differently.

Where the data comes from

The site is explicit about at least one source: foreign-born population figures come from UN DESA (2020). The "Top destinations for United States residents" list uses that data:

  1. Mexico — 799,248 residents
  2. Canada — 273,226
  3. United Kingdom — 170,771
  4. Puerto Rico — 159,515
  5. Germany — 152,639
  6. Australia — 116,620

Because the site describes itself as collaborative and community-driven, expect a mix of sourced statistics and contributed content. For any number you plan to act on, check whether the page cites a source and how recent it is.

How to use it well

  1. Start with a pairwise comparison between your current country and one destination. This gives you the baseline differences.
  2. Run the Cost of Living tool for the specific city, not just the country — national averages hide large regional gaps.
  3. Check the Salary Estimator to convert your current income into a target for the new place.
  4. Use Size Comparison if geography matters to you (climate, travel distances, regional variety).
  5. Cross-check the composite rankings against your own priorities before treating any "Best Country For" list as a shortlist.

What it does not do

The site shows statistics that differentiate places; it does not tell you whether you should move, whether you can get a visa, or what your actual job prospects are. Cost-of-living and salary figures are estimates for comparison, not quotes. If your decision depends on immigration rules, taxes, or healthcare eligibility, those need separate, authoritative sources — the comparison here is the starting point, not the answer.