A Relocation Budget Is Two Budgets, Not One
The classic relocation mistake is blending the two budgets: quoting a "monthly cost of living" that quietly includes the shipping container, or a "moving cost" that quietly assumes rent. This calculator keeps them strictly apart. The one-time side holds everything you pay to make the move happen — visa and permit fees, the housing deposit, moving or shipping, flights, temporary accommodation, furnishing, and Dubai's Ejari registration and broker commission. The ongoing side is the monthly budget you will keep paying after the boxes are unpacked — the same six lines as the cost-of-living calculator, with the same verified official anchors one click away. The first-year total is simply one-time plus twelve months of ongoing; the buffer is yours to set, with the Switzerland guide's ten-to-fifteen-percent arrival rule as the reference point.
Two lines deserve their own explanation. The housing deposit is computed from the rent you enter times a months-multiplier you set, because deposit multiples are negotiated practice, not statute — no official deposit statistic exists in any of the five markets. And Dubai's Ejari registration (about AED 220 including VAT) is offered as a verified one-time line because without it a tenancy contract is unenforceable, utilities cannot be connected and visa processes stall — while the broker commission (commonly 5% of annual rent plus VAT) is offered only as a clearly labelled market convention, negotiable in principle and in practice.
What this calculator will not do
It will not quote you a visa fee, a permit cost or any other government charge — those change by nationality, visa type and processing speed, and a stale figure would mislead you at exactly the wrong moment. The visa field points to where the current number lives: Migración in Panama, ICP and GDRFA in the UAE, the Public Service Hall and Revenue Service in Georgia, cantonal migration offices in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It will not fetch a live exchange rate for the runway conversion. And it cannot know your tenancy's deposit terms, your shipping volume or your school fees — those fields are yours, and the arithmetic stays honest for it.
Reading the runway
The runway answers one question: once the one-time costs are paid, how many months does the money you are bringing cover? It is a planning number with three honest caveats — it assumes your monthly budget is realistic (the anchor chips help, but your rent is your research), it assumes no income during the runway, and it assumes nothing unexpected arrives, which is precisely what the buffer is for. A runway of six months means income must start by month six or the budget changes; a runway beyond a year buys the time that finding work in a new country usually takes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the calculator not quote visa and government fees?
Because immigration and government fees change often, differ by nationality, visa type and processing speed, and quoting a stale figure would mislead you at exactly the moment it matters. The visa field is deliberately yours to fill from the current official source: Migración in Panama, ICP/GDRFA in the UAE, the Public Service Hall and Revenue Service in Georgia, and the cantonal migration offices in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
What is the difference between one-time and ongoing costs here?
One-time costs are everything you pay to make the move happen and set up the household: visa and permit fees, the housing deposit, moving or shipping, flights, temporary accommodation, furnishing, and in Dubai the Ejari registration and broker commission. Ongoing costs are the monthly budget you will keep paying: rent, utilities, transport, groceries, health insurance and everything else. The first-year total is one-time costs plus twelve months of ongoing costs.
Which reference figures does the calculator offer?
The same verified anchors as the cost-of-living calculator, each with its source and check date: FSO average four-room rent (end-2024) and BAG average adult health premium (2026) for Switzerland, the Liechtenstein average adult premium (2026), Tbilisi's tariff-verified utility stack and GEL 40 transport cap, the MEF official family food basket (July 2026) and Metro commute for Panama, and for Dubai the Salik toll commute plus the automatically derived 5% housing fee on rent. Two Dubai one-time lines are pre-offered: Ejari registration at about AED 220 including VAT (verified official cost) and the broker commission convention of 5% of annual rent plus VAT — clearly labelled a negotiable market convention, not a legal rate.
How is the savings runway computed?
Your savings are converted into the destination currency at the exchange rate you enter, the one-time total is subtracted, and the remainder is divided by the ongoing monthly total. The result is how many months you can live there before income needs to replace savings — a planning number, not a promise, since it assumes your monthly budget is accurate and nothing unexpected arrives.
Is my budget information sent anywhere?
No. Everything runs locally in your browser. Nothing you type is transmitted, stored or logged.
Related International Money Pages
- International Cost of Living Calculator — the ongoing budget, line by line
- International Salary Comparison Calculator — what the move pays
- The Real Cost of Living in Dubai — Ejari, the housing fee and the forgotten lines
- The Real Cost of Living in Georgia — a budget built from verified tariffs
- The Real Cost of Living in Panama — the official basket and the electricity reset
Disclaimer: MyFinanceAtlas is not a relocation service, immigration adviser, real-estate agent or financial adviser in any of the five markets. This calculator provides educational planning estimates only; official anchors carry their sources and dates, commercial conventions are labelled as such, and every user-entered figure is your own responsibility. Verify fees, deposits and contracts with the relevant authority, landlord or provider before committing.