Your best match: Build savings or part-time income first

Your best match: Build savings or part-time income first

The gate is simple. The lowest budget in our data is $615 a month for one person, the tight budget in the Philippines. Ecuador's tight budget is $744 and Colombia's is $1,048. If your income is, say, $500, the shortfall against $615 is $115 a month, or $1,380 a year. Over ten years that is $13,800, which is the savings a plan would need before any setup costs. This is arithmetic on the data, not a forecast. Prices shown in US dollars. Check current exchange rates.

Income tests make the gap larger than the budget. The Philippines SRRV deposit starts at $15,000 with a qualifying pension of at least $800 a month for a single applicant. Panama's pensionado route: Pensionado: lifetime pension of at least B/.1,000 (USD 1,000) a month, or B/.750 if you own property valued over B/.100,000; +B/.250 a month per dependent; permit is indefinite. Ecuador: Temporary residence (rentista): income of at least 3 SBU a month from abroad (SBU 2026 is USD 482, so USD 1,446), +USD 250 per dependent; fees USD 50 + USD 270, half price at 65+; valid 2 years. Colombia's digital nomad visa: Digital nomad V visa: bank statements showing income of at least 3 monthly minimum wages (SMLMV) over the last 3 months; SMLMV 2026 is COP 1,750,905, so about COP 5,252,715 or roughly $1,560. Greece's digital nomad visa: Digital nomad visa: EUR 3,500 net a month, +20% with spouse, +15% per child. The financially independent persons permit exists (Law 4251/2014, art. 20A) but its amount was not verified. Japan's digital nomad route needs annual income of JPY 10 million or more.

Working abroad is limited. Italy's elective residence visa allows no work, and a visa-free visit in Japan cannot be used to work. The digital nomad routes in Colombia, Greece and Japan are built for income from outside the country, which means remote work or pension income rather than a local job. Each has its own income test, so a part-time plan has to reach those figures to qualify.

Use the time to get ready. Build an emergency fund, estimate healthcare (a private benchmark in our data is $177.50 a month for ages 18 to 39, so older applicants should expect more), and test lower-cost months with visit stays. The how-long-will-my-money-last calculator shows how long a given savings balance lasts against any budget in the data. A private plan benchmark in the data is the SafetyWing Complete plan at $177.50 a month for ages 18 to 39, so a retiree should expect to pay more and should confirm age limits, pre-existing condition rules and US coverage with the insurer.

Fit. The regions in this quiz all assume a base income that covers the monthly budget. If you can add Social Security timing, a pension, part-time remote work or savings, the match changes. Retake the quiz with a higher income tier and read the Philippines cost of living page and Ecuador cost of living page for the next level up. This quiz is informational only and is not legal or financial advice.

Next steps. Write down your reliable monthly income and your savings. Run them through the how-long-will-my-money-last-abroad calculator, the moving cost calculator and the movers vs truck vs container calculator. Then retake the quiz. Check the visa finder for entry rules for short visits while you build. This quiz is informational only and is not legal or financial advice.

Source: Adventure Calcs cost-of-living pages built from Numbeo price data and ECB reference rates (30 Sep 2026); Adventure Calcs country-vs-country pages; Philippine Retirement Authority SRRV page (pra.gov.ph/SRRVisa); US State Department country information pages as cited on the compare pages; Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (mofa.go.jp); Irish Immigration Service (irishimmigration.ie); Government of Canada entry requirements (canada.ca). Note: budgets are estimates from crowd-reported prices at a stated date; visa thresholds change, so confirm with the official source before you commit.

Planning guidance and estimates, not medical, legal or immigration advice. Fees, allowances, limits and entry rules change, so confirm with your airline, cruise line, customs agency or the official government source before you book or travel.

How Build savings first compares

* Illustrative figures and notes, rounded -- use the calculators below for your exact numbers, and always check the official source for current rules and prices.