What we use, where it comes from, and how we turn raw numbers into the scores you see on each destination page.
Each score combines several indicators into a single composite, using weights we set ourselves. We don't publish the exact weights because there isn't a single "correct" way to combine them. A country with strong safety statistics can still feel unsafe in specific neighborhoods. Average affordability across a country tells you very little about a single beach town within it.
Our weights reflect what most people ask about before a trip: safety and affordability carry more than press freedom or recycling infrastructure. Weight them differently and you get a different order. Use the scores to narrow a shortlist, then read the sections underneath them.
Some countries have less complete data than others. Where a dataset is missing or inconsistent for a destination, treat that score as a rough guide.
The safety score draws from established peace, crime, and travel-risk indices, plus the current travel advisory levels from four governments: the US, UK, Canada and Germany. Advisories are pulled automatically when those governments update their guidance. All inputs feed into our in-house weighting.
On earthquake-prone destinations we also show recent nearby seismic activity, pulled directly from the US Geological Survey's public earthquake catalog. That's presented as standalone context, not folded into the safety score.
| Indicator | Dataset | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Global Peace Index | Global Peace Index | Institute for Economics and Peace |
| Women, Peace & Security | WPS Index | Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security |
| LGBTQ safety | LGBTQ Travel Safety Index | Asher & Lyric Fergusson |
| Road traffic deaths | Road Traffic Death Rate | World Health Organization (WHO) |
| Homicide rate | Intentional Homicide Rate | UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) |
| Natural disaster risk | World Risk Index | Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft / IFHV, Ruhr University Bochum |
| Earthquakes | Earthquake catalog (recent nearby seismic activity) | U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) |
| Crime in-house | Sourced and maintained in-house | Various |
| Travel advisories | Government travel advice | US State Department, UK FCDO, Global Affairs Canada & Auswärtiges Amt |
Affordability blends published cost-of-living indicators with prices we collect ourselves. The in-house prices below are quoted by named businesses in that destination: a warung, a gym, a coworking space, a rental listing. On the destination page, each price carries the businesses behind it and the month it was last checked.
| Indicator | Dataset | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Price Level Index | Price Level Index | World Bank |
| GDP per capita | GDP per capita (nominal), used as a broad proxy for local purchasing power | IMF / World Bank / United Nations |
| Price of Big Mac in-house | Average local price | Local McDonald's outlets |
| Hotel cost in-house | 3-star, per night | Named hotels, listed per destination |
| Rent in-house | 1-bed, city center, per month | Named rental listings, per area |
| Gym membership in-house | Monthly cost | Named gyms, listed per destination |
| Local prices in-house | Beer, eggs, chicken, coffee, meal for one, and other everyday items | Named restaurants, cafes and supermarkets |
| Wine in-house | Mid-range 750ml bottle | Named wine retailers |
| Gasoline in-house | Per litre, the common subsidised grade | Pertamina pump prices |
| International school in-house | Primary tuition, per year | Named schools, published fee schedules |
| Preschool in-house | International tier, full-day place, per month | Named early learning centres |
Quality of life signals come from country-level indices that measure how a place treats its own residents. They're a useful baseline, but a national score doesn't always reflect the day-to-day experience in any one city.
| Indicator | Dataset | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Happiness | World Happiness Report | Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) |
| Income equality | Gini Index | World Bank |
| Corruption | Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) | Transparency International |
| Gender equality | Gender Inequality Index | UN Development Programme (UNDP) |
| Press freedom | World Press Freedom Index | Reporters Without Borders (RSF) |
| Internet speed | Qualitative rating | From our own research |
| Getting by in English | English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) | EF Education First |
| Family & schooling in-house | Qualitative rating | From our own research |
Sustainability covers environmental and infrastructure signals. The headline metrics come from published institutional datasets. The local ones (single-use plastics, drinking water, recycling) are tracked in-house, with the source noted next to the metric on each destination page.
| Indicator | Dataset | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| CO2 emissions per capita | EDGAR Global GHG Emissions | European Commission Joint Research Centre (EDGAR, 2023) |
| Protected land area | Terrestrial Protected Areas | World Bank |
| Renewable electricity | Global Electricity Review | Ember (2023) |
| Air quality | World Air Quality Report | IQAir (2023) |
| Waste recovery rate | Environmental Performance Index | Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy (EPI 2024) |
| Clean water access | Safely managed drinking water | WHO / UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) |
| Plastic bag ban in-house | Whether single-use plastic bags are banned or restricted | Various |
| Tap water safe to drink in-house | General guidance on whether tap water is considered safe for visitors | Various |
| Recycling infrastructure in-house | Availability and use of public recycling | Various |
The "best time to visit" score is calculated in-house from three inputs: weather, crowd levels, and currency timing.
| Input | What it measures | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Weather in-house | Temperature, rainfall, humidity, and rain days by month, normalized against the destination's own best and worst months | All months |
| Crowd levels in-house | Relative visitor volume by month, drawn from tourism board data and in-house research | All months |
| Currency timing | Where today's exchange rate sits within the past year's range. Higher means stronger buying power for visitors right now | Current month only |
Transfer pricing is the one dataset with no publisher behind it. Nobody puts out a feed of what money transfer services charge, so we read the price each service advertises to a customer, corridor by corridor, and pair every quote with the mid-market rate at that moment. That is what the calculator prices against, and what the research page below is built from.
| Indicator | Dataset | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer pricing in-house | Advertised prices per currency corridor, compared per provider and refreshed by hand | The providers themselves |
| Mid-market rate | Daily reference rates, plus a live quote used as a second reference | European Central Bank via Frankfurter, and Wise |
International money transfer fees: what 11 services charge publishes the whole set, with the method and its limits written out in full.
All datasets listed here are publicly available, and we credit the original publisher for every indicator. Our use is editorial: we reference these datasets to inform travelers, with full attribution, and we don't redistribute raw data. If you publish any dataset listed here and have a concern about how we're using it, get in touch and we'll look into it.
The composite scores, the weighting behind them and how they're presented are our own work. You're welcome to reference our scores in your own work, provided you credit RoamFX (roamfx.com) as the source. Reproducing our scoring system at scale for commercial purposes without prior written permission isn't permitted.
Want to use our data in a project? Get in touch with us. We're generally happy to discuss it.
Pick a destination and check how the numbers add up.