Reading this comment, I think there's another, more philosophical way to look at financial freedom and efficiency if we're looking to differentiate them from a more "definition" pov instead of a mathematical one.

I'd say financial efficiency is living your preferred lifestyle on your own terms. And financial freedom is more along the lines of living your preferred lifestyle one someone else's terms. The fallacy of this concept will be that maybe both groups of people want to have a similarly lavish lifestyle but one group gets limited. It is arguable and I don't have an counter to this argument yet, haha! This is an intriguing topic indeed and comes down to personal choices. I however see nothing wrong in occasionally choosing to live life a bit luxuriously if one can afford it.

When it comes to moving to a different country, you're spot on with the drawbacks and restraints that makes settling down in a new country quite difficult under the current geopolitical situation. Adjusting to the culture is also something to be taken into consideration. There will be many places across the globe where we will find our desired living cost, but the question will be, can we adjust to the culture and environment there?