Compare what you spend in a U.S. city against what it would cost in an expat destination. See the equivalent salary you’d need abroad to maintain the same lifestyle — with U.S. tax math factored in.
Compare Cities
Pick a U.S. city and an expat city, enter your current monthly spending. See the equivalent abroad — and whether the move helps your savings rate.
1Cities to compare
2Current monthly spending in U.S. city (USD)
All-in monthly cost: rent + utilities + food + transport + entertainment. Exclude one-off (vacations) and savings/investments. A useful proxy: your net pay minus what you save each month.
3Current U.S. gross salary (USD, optional — for savings analysis)
If you provide salary, we’ll estimate your current U.S. savings rate and compare against the abroad scenario. Leave blank to skip.
What this calculator does
The tool uses a cost-of-living index — a single number for each city that represents the relative cost of a typical urban basket (rent, groceries, utilities, transport, eating out) compared to a U.S. baseline of 100. Examples (2025–2026 indexed values):
NYC: 132 · expensive even by U.S. standards, driven by rent
SF: 138 · highest mainstream U.S. metro
Austin: 92 · below U.S. average, low taxes but rising rents
London: 125 · roughly NYC-level overall
Singapore: 105 · U.S. average overall, expensive rent offset by cheap food
Lisbon: 65 · ~half NYC’s cost
Mexico City: 50 · very low cost, fast-rising in Roma/Condesa neighborhoods
Chiang Mai: 35 · the canonical low-cost nomad destination
Hyderabad: 30 · cheaper than most Indian cities
The math behind it
Equivalent monthly cost abroad = your U.S. monthly cost × (expat city index ÷ U.S. city index). For example: $6,000/month in NYC (index 132), moving to Lisbon (index 65) → $6,000 × (65/132) ≈ $2,955/month equivalent.
That tells you what to budget once you’re there. The savings analysis adds another step: if your salary stays the same (e.g., remote work for a U.S. employer), the cost reduction goes straight to savings rate.
What the index does NOT capture well
Healthcare — U.S. healthcare cost is uniquely high, often $500–$2,000/mo for an individual; abroad varies wildly. The index undercounts this if you’re used to a company plan in the U.S.
Childcare / international schools — international schools in expat hubs run $15K–$40K per child per year, completely changing the math for families.
Lifestyle creep — most expats discover they spend differently abroad. Eating out is cheaper, but international travel becomes routine.
Currency risk — if your income is in USD and your expenses are in a strengthening local currency, the math shifts against you.
Visa / residency costs — golden visas, digital nomad visas, professional visas range from free to $500K+ for investor visas. Not in the index.
Planning estimate, not a relocation decision. Cost-of-living indices smooth over neighborhood-level variation (Roma/Condesa vs. Iztapalapa in Mexico City; central London vs. zone-6 commute) and personal consumption patterns. Use this to know if a move is in the ballpark; visit and rent short-term before committing.
The U.S. tax layer most expats forget
Cheaper city + same income = better savings rate only if your tax situation also works in your favor. As a U.S. citizen, you still file U.S. federal taxes from abroad. Three scenarios:
Low-tax country + FEIE eligible: best case. Cut your U.S. tax to near-zero up to $132,900, no foreign income tax. Lisbon NHR, Dubai (no income tax), Singapore at lower income levels.
High-tax country + FTC: foreign income tax is high, but you use FTC to credit it against U.S. tax. Net effect: pay the higher of the two rates, no double tax. France, Germany, UK.
Self-employed anywhere without totalization: the 15.3% SE tax still applies. See our SE Tax Abroad calculator.