Whether you aspire to live, work or study in another country or if you are already doing that, then the word “expat” is part of your everyday language. In the most general sense, an “expat” is anyone who is temporarily or permanently living in a country other than the one where they claim citizenship. If that is you, then you are in the right place.
Every time you become an expat, you go through the learning curve of planning, moving and acclimating to that new culture. At first the learning curve is steep, but once you get a hang of it, it becomes easier and easier.
That is what the Expatacular tips are all about. Making your first or next expat move easier. If you have any to suggest, leave them in the comments or send us a message.
Today’s tip: Calculate your cost of living
One of the largest adjustments when to moving to a new country is how much things cost relative to what you are used to. Prepare yourself before you go. Know how much money you will need to have an equivalent lifestyle of what you have today. This will help you to negotiate your salary better (if you are moving for a job), gauge a better price point for housing, and give you a sense of what general living expenses are like.
Cost of living calculators tend to be rather nebulous. Expatistan gives clarity to the ambiguous space of cost of living calculators. This free application does a cost comparison any two given cities based on Food, Housing, Clothes, Transportation, Health and Entertainment. It gives an overall picture of how much more or less you will be spending in cities around the world.
While cost of living calculators in general are a smart move, do not rely on them as your only source of information. Do some digging on local websites to get a better picture of how much money you will be spending.
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Thanks Michael for your tip. We most certainly will.