Cost of Living Overseas

On staying or living in other countries, advice can be found on many expat forums. One I found informative is Expat Exchange. Also, found in International Living, the website Numbeo has a global cost-of-living guide which is very helpful when looking for a place to settle.
On the healthcare side, there are a few indices that rank healthcare quality and each uses different criteria. The WHO rankings are based on quality and overall efficiency. For 2021 the WHO ranks France #1, Italy #2, Malta #5, Spain #7, and Portugal #12 in its world ranking (by comparison Canada is ranked 30th and the U.S. 37th). CEO World bases their ranking more strictly on the quality of healthcare. They rank, from 1 to 10, South Korea, Taiwan, Denmark, Austria, Japan, Australia, France, Spain, and Belgium.

Banking

Non-resident Bank Accounts 

Opening foreign bank accounts in a country if you are not a resident is almost impossible now. Only a few countries allow non-residents to open an account. Georgia and Montenegro do; Singapore and Malaysia also do but require substantial deposits. I asked a person at a bank in Dubai if non-residents can open accounts there. He said yes, but I don't know what the minimum requirements are.

Expat Residence Accounts 

A local bank account is a necessity when living in a new country. A little more research is required to see which bank in each country would be best. Most countries for expats require a local bank account in order to show you have sufficient funds on hand to support yourself.

To start, a survey of best banks for expats in Portugal.