Moving abroad budget: how much cash will you need?

Start with the cash you need, not just the visa fee

A visa application charge is only one line in a relocation budget. A rental deposit may be returned eventually, but you still need it on signing day. A flight quote may exclude luggage, pets and onward transport. Build the budget for everyone moving, including a partner who cannot earn immediately.

Use the calculator below with current quotes in one currency. It adds one-off spending, tied-up money and your chosen number of months of household spending. It deliberately starts with blank prices: your city, household, permission and moving date matter more than a country-wide average.

Gather the inputs before making a commitment

Save a dated quote or written explanation beside every large line item. For housing, collect several suitable live listings in the neighbourhoods where you could realistically live, then ask what is payable before keys are handed over. For transport, price the actual commute rather than assuming you will not need a car.

Ask your employer which relocation costs are paid directly, which are reimbursed later, and whether leaving the job creates a repayment obligation. A reimbursed cost still needs funding if payment comes after arrival. Confirm whether payroll estimates are take-home or gross and whether a quoted monthly salary is paid twelve times or follows a different schedule.

Include annual or irregular bills as monthly equivalents for the ongoing budget, while retaining their actual payment dates in your cash plan. Keep a separate note of costs you have not priced yet; a zero should mean not applicable, not unknown.

• MoneyHelper: building a budget from your income and spending

Visa proof of funds is not an extra fee

An authority may require evidence of accessible savings, qualifying income, a sponsor or a restricted account. These are different tests. Do not add an entire proof-of-funds figure on top of living costs if the same money remains available to pay those costs. Conversely, money you cannot access in time cannot fund a rental deposit.

Canada illustrates why the route matters: Express Entry proof-of-funds rules differ by programme and include exemptions. IRCC also assesses access to the funds and family circumstances. Check your exact programme rather than applying one settlement-funds table to every person moving to Canada.

Record both numbers: your official route requirement, if any, and your practical household cash requirement. Meeting one does not establish the other. The calculator does not decide which money an immigration authority will accept.

• IRCC: Express Entry proof of funds and exemptions

Test a delayed move and a delayed first payday

Run a base case using your current quotes, then change one assumption at a time: a longer temporary stay, a later first payday, a higher rent, or a weaker exchange rate. Compare the resulting cash requirement with savings you can genuinely access after debts and existing commitments.

For ongoing affordability, compare destination take-home pay with destination spending. If you want to preserve your current monthly saving amount, add that amount to the destination spending total. That gives a target net income, not a gross salary quote; local tax and social-security treatment still need a separate calculation.

A positive result is a planning margin, not a guarantee. Before paying non-refundable costs, resolve unpriced items, check whether your partner can work, and decide how you would fund an unexpected return trip. Revisit the inputs when your permission, employment offer or housing plan changes.