How Long Will My Money Last Abroad? Runway Calculator

How the money-runway math works

Moving abroad changes two numbers: what you spend each month and how long your savings can cover the gap. This calculator takes a monthly budget for your chosen country, subtracts pension or Social Security income, and draws the rest from savings after the one-time cost of the move. It then steps forward month by month until the savings run out.

The country budgets come from the Adventure Calcs cost-of-living pages, which list low, mid and high monthly costs for a single person and a couple, dated 2026-09-30. Those pages currently cover: Thailand, Japan, Portugal, Canada, Costa Rica, Vietnam, Spain, Ireland, Philippines, Italy, Greece, Colombia, Panama, Mexico City, Ecuador. Choose Custom if you already have your own budget, and check each country page for visa income rules, rent and health insurance costs before you commit to a plan. Prices shown in US dollars. Check current exchange rates.

Here is the default example. A single person in the mid budget tier spends about $1,726 a month in Panama. A $1,000 monthly pension leaves a first-year gap of about $726. With $100,000 saved and $8,000 spent on the move, $92,000 is left to draw. Costs rise 3 percent a year and income rises 2 percent, so the gap widens each year and the money lasts about 8.9 years, or 107 months.

Treat the answer as a range, not a promise. Test the low and high budget levels, then raise the cost growth rate to see how sensitive the result is. The model does not earn investment returns, pay tax or count health emergencies, so it leans cautious on returns and optimistic on surprises. A sensible habit is to keep a cash reserve for a flight home, and to rerun the numbers every year as prices and exchange rates move. It is not financial advice. Check residency income rules on the visa finder and price the move with the moving cost calculator.

Where these numbers come from

The formulas and default values in this calculator are based on:

• Adventure Calcs cost-of-living country pages (data_cost_of_living.py, monthly single and couple budgets, rates dated 2026-09-30). Note: cost growth, income growth, savings and move cost are editable examples
• the model earns no investment return

This is a planning estimate, not medical, legal or immigration advice. Fees, allowances, limits and entry rules change, so confirm the figures with your airline, cruise line, customs agency or the official government source before you book or travel, and follow their rules if they differ from this page.