Internet & Connectivity

For US citizens working or living abroad, reliable internet has shifted from a convenience to the single most important piece of relocation infrastructure—it determines where you can hold video calls, run a business, bank, and stay in touch with home. The good news is that connectivity has improved dramatically worldwide: as of the May 2025 Speedtest Global Index, Singapore led all countries with a median fixed-broadband download speed of roughly 372 Mbps, followed by France (~315 Mbps) and the UAE (~314 Mbps), while the UAE topped mobile rankings at around 540 Mbps median—figures that meet or exceed typical US home speeds. Many of the most popular expat and digital-nomad destinations now offer fiber to apartments in major cities and widespread 5G. That said, the global picture is uneven. Speeds and prices vary enormously between capital cities and rural areas, and infrastructure quality is not the same as internet freedom. Freedom House's Freedom on the Net 2024 report ranked Iceland the freest online environment (94/100) and China and Myanmar the most restricted (9/100 each), out of 72 assessed countries. Censorship, throttling, and VPN restrictions in places like China, Russia, and the UAE mean Americans must plan not just for speed but for access—what you can reach, and what is legal to use to reach it. A practical connectivity plan abroad usually layers three things: a short-term travel eSIM for the first days after arrival, a local mobile SIM or plan once you settle, and a home fiber line (or Starlink in rural areas) for serious work. Budgeting for redundancy—a mobile hotspot as backup to home internet—is standard advice among remote workers, because even in fast countries, outages and last-mile gaps happen. The sections below summarize speed rankings, the best-infrastructure destinations, SIM/eSIM options, VPN legality, coworking, Starlink, censorship, and typical home-internet costs.

Key Points

• 1Fixed broadband leaders (Speedtest Global Index, May 2025): Singapore ~372 Mbps median download, France ~315 Mbps, and the UAE ~314 Mbps—all faster than typical US household speeds, with dense urban fiber the common factor.
• 2Mobile speed leaders are concentrated in the Gulf: the UAE topped global mobile rankings at roughly 540 Mbps median download (May 2025), with Qatar and Kuwait close behind; compact geographies enable fast nationwide 5G rollouts.
• 3Best all-round destinations for remote work combine speed, cost, and visas: Portugal, Spain, and Estonia in Europe, and Thailand (Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket) in Asia are repeatedly ranked top in 2025 for connectivity plus digital-nomad visa access.
• 4Internet freedom is not the same as speed: Freedom House's Freedom on the Net 2024 scored Iceland highest (94/100) and China and Myanmar lowest (9/100) of 72 countries—relevant for Americans who need uncensored access to US banking, news, and apps.
• 5VPNs are legal in the US, Canada, Japan, the UK, and most of Europe and Latin America, but banned or tightly restricted in North Korea, Turkmenistan, Belarus, Iraq, China (state-approved only), and Russia (tightening through 2025); in the UAE, VPNs are legal for legitimate use but illegal to access blocked content, with fines reportedly up to ~$540,000.
• 6Starlink now lists service in well over 100 countries (roughly 166 countries/territories as of early 2026), with Roam plans usable internationally for up to ~60 days per trip—an increasingly viable option for rural or unreliable-infrastructure locations.
• 7Home internet is affordable in most expat hubs: Europe averages around $31/month for fixed broadband and Mexico around $26/month, while Thailand ranks among the cheapest worldwide on a cost-per-Mbps basis; travel eSIMs (Airalo, Holafly, Nomad) bridge the gap on arrival.