Would second the Amsterdam recommendation. If I could be an expat anywhere, that would be it.Paris is great. Amsterdam is my favorite city in the entire world. Rotterdam, Eindhoven, and Utrecht are great cities in Netherlands. Belgium is very underrated. Absolutely loved Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp, and Brussels. The beer is amazing.
Their food is excellent, very walkable, just a perfect vibe spring and summer. Very relaxed.