5 International Cities Where Montanans Want to Move Most

If you asked me when I was a teenager where I thought I'd be living as an adult, absolutely no question, my answer would have been Paris, France.

I was obsessed with France. All the art in my bedroom was pictures of the Eiffel Tower, or Vincent Van Gogh prints. I wanted my sandwiches made with baguettes. I loved berets and scarves. My favorite movie was (and probably still is) Amélie.

But then I grew up. Life took me in other directions that eventually led me back to Missoula. Still, I wonder what it would be like to live abroad sometimes.

Related: The Best Places Where Montanans Have Lived

I may not be alone in my daydreaming about living in other parts of the world. A new study of search phrases done by Remitly shows where in the world Montanans want to move most. Turns out, Paris made the list. But it wasn't number one. Here are the top five:

• Population: 1,306,780 (2021) (calgary.ca)
• Size: 316.84 sq. mi  (Wikipedia)
• Median Income: $44,440 (2020) (calgary.ca)

• Population: 2,102,650 (2023) (Wikipedia) 
• Size: 40.7 sq.mi (Wikipedia) 
• Median Income: €54,100 ($59,365) (wearedevelopers.com)

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• Population: 921,402 (2022) (Wikipedia) 
• Size: 64 sq. mi (Wikipedia) 
• Median Income: €51,000 ($55,963) - expat salary (2023) (amsterdamtips.com)

• Population: 5,917,600 (2023) (Wikipedia) 
• Size: 283.5 sq. mi (Wikipedia) 
• Median Income: $5,070/month (2022) (dollarsandsense.sg)

• Population: 3,604,030 (2023) (Wikipedia) 
• Size: 620 sq. mi (Wikipedia) 
• Median Income: 19,000 AED/month ($5,173) (zimyo.com) 

Dubai was overwhelmingly the #1 choice for most states. Missouri was the only state to pick Paris, and Massachusetts was the only state to pick London.

Dubai was also chosen by 60 countries as the most popular city where people want to move.