Moving to Lithuania: An Expat's Guide to Europe's Best-Kept Secret

Lithuania is one of those places most people cannot quite locate on a map, and that is precisely why a certain kind of expat is falling for it. It is a member of the European Union and the Eurozone, it is one of the safest countries on the continent for daily life, its cost of living is a fraction of Western Europe’s, and it happens to raise the happiest young people on Earth. If you are looking for a calm, affordable, well-connected base in Europe, this small Baltic nation deserves a serious look. Here is what we have learned about actually moving there.

Interested in expat health insurance? Click here for a 1-minute quote!

Throughout this guide, anytime you see blue text, it is a link to more information, like this: click here. We put these here on purpose, because preparation is what makes a move abroad go smoothly.

Why Lithuania?

Moving to Lithuania – An Expat’s Guide

Lithuania quietly checks a lot of boxes. It is affordable, it is safe, the internet is among the fastest in the world, and it sits inside the EU and the Schengen Area, which makes the rest of Europe easy to reach. Its tech economy is genuinely impressive for its size, with a startup ecosystem now valued at over 16 billion euros and five companies that have crossed the billion-dollar "unicorn" mark, including Vinted and the maker of NordVPN.

It is also, by one well-known measure, the happiest country on the planet for people under 30. We wrote a full feature on why that is, and we embedded our short documentary about the country there. If you want the cultural and emotional side of the story first, start with why Lithuania has the happiest young people on Earth, then come back here for the logistics.

Watch: "The Warmest Cold Country On Earth" by clicking the image above

The Cost of Living

Moving to Lithuania – An Expat’s Guide

This is usually the first thing people want to know, and the answer is one of Lithuania’s biggest draws. Overall, the cost of living runs roughly 30 to 40 percent below Western Europe, and a fraction of major US cities.

In Vilnius, the capital and most expensive city, a single person can expect to budget around 900 to 1,500 euros a month including rent. A one-bedroom apartment in the city center typically runs about 650 to 800 euros, and noticeably less outside the center. Groceries for one person land around 200 to 300 euros a month, a monthly public transport pass is about 29 euros, and fast home internet costs only around 15 to 20 euros.

Kaunas, the second city, runs roughly 15 to 20 percent cheaper than Vilnius, and smaller cities like Klaipėda, Šiauliai, and Panevėžys are cheaper still, with one-bedroom apartments often in the 350 to 500 euro range. Lithuania uses the euro, so there is no currency conversion headache for arrivals from the Eurozone.

To compare your current city against Vilnius or Kaunas before you commit, our cost of living comparison tool is a useful starting point.

Visas and Residency

Moving to Lithuania – An Expat’s Guide

This is where it pays to understand your situation clearly, because the rules differ sharply depending on your passport.

– For EU, EEA, and Swiss Citizens –

You can live and work in Lithuania freely. The only formality is registering your residence with the local authorities if you stay longer than three months.

– For Non-EU Citizens, Including Americans –

For short visits, US, Canadian, Australian, and many other passport holders can enter the Schengen Area visa-free for up to 90 days, and the EU’s new ETIAS travel authorization will add a quick online step for these trips. To stay longer, you will need one of a few routes:

National (D) visa. A long-stay visa valid for up to a year, often used for the first year of employment. It generally cannot be renewed, and it requires proof of health insurance, commonly around 30,000 euros of coverage.

Temporary Residence Permit (TRP). The main long-term route, typically valid for up to two years and renewable. It can be based on employment, studies, family, business, or Lithuanian descent. You will need to show financial means, which in 2026 is pegged to the minimum monthly wage, along with a registered address and valid health insurance.

Startup Visa. One of the more accessible doors into the EU for entrepreneurs. If your business is innovative, technology-based, and scalable, Startup Lithuania can endorse your application, after which you register a Lithuanian company and apply for residence. It can lead to permanent residence and, eventually, citizenship.

EU Blue Card. For highly skilled workers meeting a salary threshold, with easier mobility across the EU and faster processing.

A few things worth knowing: Lithuania notably does not have a dedicated digital nomad visa, unlike neighboring Estonia and Latvia, so remote workers usually use the national visa or a business-based permit. After five years of continuous legal residence you can apply for permanent residence. And if you have Lithuanian ancestry, you may qualify for citizenship by descent, which is a popular path for the large Lithuanian diaspora in places like Chicago.

Lithuania also offers a flat 15 percent income tax on most personal income, one of the lowest in Europe, though higher earners can move into higher brackets. You become a tax resident once you spend more than 183 days in the country, so it is wise to read up on your obligations early. Our general expat tax guide is a good primer, and the difference between being an expat versus an immigrant is worth understanding too.

Healthcare and Insurance

Moving to Lithuania – An Expat’s Guide

Lithuania runs a solid universal healthcare system, and this is one of the most important sections of any move, so read it carefully.

The public system is the Compulsory Health Insurance scheme, known locally as PSD and administered through the state social insurance fund, SODRA. If you work for a Lithuanian employer, you are enrolled automatically, contributions of 6.98 percent are deducted from your salary, and most public healthcare is then free at the point of use. The country has more doctors per capita than the OECD average, and emergency care is available to everyone regardless of status by calling 112.

Here is the catch that trips up so many newcomers. If you are not working for a local employer, you are usually not covered by the public system. Retirees, remote workers, students from outside the EU, and non-working permit holders generally cannot pay into PSD and must therefore hold private cover. In fact, proof of private health insurance is required when you apply for your visa or residence permit in the first place. This is exactly the kind of thing we help people sort out, and getting international health insurance in place before you arrive is far simpler than scrambling once you are there.

Even expats who do qualify for the public system tend to add a private plan, and for good reasons. Public waiting times for specialists and elective procedures can be long, while private clinics offer faster access and more English-speaking staff. Well-regarded private hospitals in Vilnius include Northway, Mediprama, and the internationally accredited Kardiolita. Going private also gives you the option to see a specialist without a long referral wait.

We generally steer expats toward a plan that fits their exact situation:

• Remote workers and freelancers usually want a portable plan that follows them, which is why we put together a guide to health insurance for digital nomads.
• Anyone settling in for the long haul should look at the best international health insurance for expats.
• Given Lithuania’s location, it is also worth understanding medical evacuation insurance and repatriation coverage, which handle getting you to appropriate care or home if something serious happens.

One pleasant surprise: Lithuania is a real value destination for medical tourism, especially dental work, where quality is high and prices are well below Western Europe and the US. If that interests you, see our roundup of the best countries for medical tourism.

Where to Live

Moving to Lithuania – An Expat’s Guide

Lithuania is small, so you can experience a lot of it, but the three cities expats gravitate toward each have a distinct character.

Vilnius is the capital and the center of gravity for newcomers. It pairs a UNESCO-listed baroque old town with a fast-growing tech scene, the bohemian self-declared "Republic of Užupis," coworking spaces, international restaurants, and the largest English-speaking and expat community in the country. It is the most expensive option, but only by Lithuanian standards.

Kaunas, the second city, is full of art, interwar architecture, and history, with a tight, growing startup community and a noticeably lower cost of living. Locals will warn you it is full of "hooligans," but the expats we spoke to found Kaunas people some of the most straightforward and honest they had met.

Klaipėda, on the Baltic coast, runs at a slower pace. It is a port city with sea air and a more relaxed rhythm, popular with people who want nature and calm over nightlife.

Working and the Economy

Moving to Lithuania – An Expat’s Guide

For a country of under three million people, Lithuania’s economy punches far above its weight, especially in technology. Vilnius is the fastest-growing tech city in the EU, and the country has become the second-largest fintech hub in the bloc after Brexit, home to hundreds of fintech firms and the EU banking base of Revolut.

Salaries reflect this. While the national average net salary sits around 1,500 euros a month, the startup and tech sectors pay well over double that on average. If you work in IT, fintech, cybersecurity, engineering, finance, or life sciences, the job market is strong, and the combination of solid pay and low costs means many professionals find they can actually save money here. English is the working language at many of these companies, so you do not necessarily need Lithuanian to land a role.

Language and Daily Life

Moving to Lithuania – An Expat’s Guide

You can get by comfortably in English, especially in the cities and with anyone under 40, who will almost always speak it well. With older Lithuanians you are more likely to fall back on gestures or, occasionally, Russian, since English simply was not taught during the Soviet era.

Learning the language is another matter. Lithuanian is one of the oldest and most conservative living Indo-European languages, and linguists treasure it for preserving ancient features that most modern languages have lost. You will sometimes read that it "comes from Sanskrit," which is not quite right. Both Lithuanian and Sanskrit descend from the same distant Proto-Indo-European ancestor, and Lithuanian simply held onto more of the old features, which is why the two share so many striking look-alike words, like ugnis and agni for fire. Beautiful as it is, it is genuinely hard to learn, and even many long-term foreign residents never become conversational. Locals are delighted when you try, though, so a few phrases go a long way.

Two more realities to plan for. The first is the weather. Lithuanian winters, roughly November through February, are long, gray, and short on daylight, and they can be tough on people arriving from sunnier climates. Experienced expats counter this with a daylight lamp, vitamin D, an active social life, and the occasional cheap flight somewhere warm. The summers, by contrast, are glorious, with long white nights that almost make up for it.

The second is the social curve. Lithuanians are reserved before they are warm. More than one foreigner told us it took close to a year to make a first real friend, and that once they did, the rest followed quickly, because a Lithuanian vouching for you opens every other door. If you arrive expecting instant American-style friendliness, you will be disappointed. If you arrive patient, you will be rewarded with something deeper. For a sense of what that adjustment is like elsewhere on the continent, our expat interview from Eastern Europe is a good companion read.

Is Lithuania Safe?

Moving to Lithuania – An Expat’s Guide

For everyday life, Lithuania is one of the safest countries in Europe. It ranks near the very bottom of the EU for residents reporting crime, violence, or vandalism, and violent crime is rare. As a practical matter, you will likely feel safer walking around Vilnius at night than in most large American or British cities.

The honest caveat is geopolitical. Lithuania borders Belarus and Russia’s militarized Kaliningrad exclave, and since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine the region has been on guard. The Baltic states are fortifying their eastern borders, Lithuania is increasing defense spending and hosting allied troops, and the country is a full member of NATO and the EU, which means an attack on it is treated as an attack on the entire alliance. Locals live with this awareness calmly rather than fearfully, and most expats report that day to day, you simply do not feel it. Still, it is a real part of the picture, and it is one more reason coverage like medical evacuation insurance is worth understanding before you go.

Frequently Asked Questions

Moving to Lithuania – An Expat’s Guide

Is Lithuania a good place to move to? For the right person, very much so. It offers EU membership, low costs, high safety, a strong tech job market, fast internet, and beautiful nature. It suits people who value a calm, slower pace over constant activity. It is less ideal if you need year-round sun or instant social warmth.

How much money do you need to live in Lithuania? In Vilnius, a single person can live comfortably on roughly 900 to 1,500 euros a month including rent, and less in smaller cities. That makes it one of the more affordable countries in the EU.

Can a US citizen move to Lithuania? Yes. Americans can stay 90 days visa-free for short trips, then pursue a work-based residence permit, a startup visa, an EU Blue Card, or, with Lithuanian ancestry, citizenship by descent. There is no dedicated digital nomad visa.

How does healthcare work for expats in Lithuania? If you work for a local employer, you are covered by the public system through payroll contributions. If you do not, you generally need private health insurance, which is also required to obtain your visa or residence permit in the first place.

Do I need health insurance to get a Lithuanian residence permit? Yes. Non-EU applicants must show proof of valid health coverage as part of the application, and the public system only covers you once you are contributing through employment.

Is it easy to make friends in Lithuania? Not at first. Lithuanians are reserved with strangers, and it can take time to break through. Once you do, friendships tend to be unusually loyal and deep.

Final Thoughts

Moving to Lithuania – An Expat’s Guide

Moving to Lithuania is not the obvious choice, and that is part of its appeal. It rewards people who want a safe, affordable, deeply rooted European life with easy access to the rest of the continent, and who do not mind earning their place in a reserved culture and toughing out a few dark winters. If that sounds like you, the single most important thing to organize before you arrive is your health coverage, because it gates both your residence permit and your peace of mind.

We help expats moving all over the world get the right plan, and one of our brokers, Aldis, is a Lithuanian-American who repatriated to Lithuania himself, so this is a country we know from the inside.

Ready to take the next step? Get a free insurance quote, or talk to a broker on the phone to plan your move.