Move city cost of living calculator
Thinking about leaving an expensive city for somewhere calmer – or the other way round? This page shows you how to estimate the impact on your leftover money and time using the Real Cost Simulator.
1. Capture your current baseline
First, set up your current situation in the simulator:
- Your country / region and city type (inner city, suburban, rural)
- Your income, rent or mortgage, and monthly bills
- Commute time and mode of transport
- Children, health costs, and debt repayments
This gives you a baseline "hour of freedom" and leftover per month in your current city.
2. Choose a target city or region
The simulator includes presets for popular relocation cities like Lisbon, Bali, Valencia, Mexico City and more. These come with typical:
- Rent levels (for similar quality housing)
- Childcare costs
- Commute costs (if you're not fully remote)
3. Compare leftover money and hourly freedom
With one click, you can see how your leftover money and real hourly rate would change if you lived in the new city while keeping the same income. You'll see:
- Change in housing cost per month
- Change in childcare and commute costs
- Difference in leftover money and real hourly pay
- Rough estimate of commute hours saved per month
4. Turn "maybe one day" into concrete numbers
Instead of vaguely dreaming about moving somewhere cheaper, you can see estimates like: "Moving here would give me $800 more per month and 10 hours of my life back". That makes decisions – and negotiations with employers – much easier.