First-Year Relocation Cost Calculator
What does year-1 actually cost? Setup expenses you pay once (visa, deposit, agency fee, flights, optional container, international school deposits, pet relocation, insurance bridge, currency buffer, emergency reserve) plus 12 months of recurring living. You supply the monthly living figure; this tool itemises the one-time costs that sit on top of it.
Quick answer
Key facts
- Setup + 12 months in one number total year-1 cost · most calculators give monthly only and miss the one-time hump.
- ~12 setup line items visa · deposit · agency · flights · shipping · school deposits · pet relo · health bridge · FX buffer · emergency reserve.
- Your numbers, itemised you enter the monthly living cost; the model adds the one-time setup items most calculators omit.
- Per-child + per-pet handling school deposits and pet relocation scale by family — not flat assumptions.
- Excludes destination gotchas Hong Kong key money, Seoul jeonse, Dubai chiller-fee escrows — flagged in the explainer for users who hit them.
Your move
Estimated year-1 total
$47,560
$23,560 one-time setup + $24,000 for 12 months of living.
Line items
Visa + application fees
$1,200
First month rent
$2,000
Rent deposit (2 months)
$4,000
Agency fee (1 month)
$2,000
Temporary housing (0.5 months)
Airbnb / serviced apartment while searching; ~1.8× long-let rent.
$1,800
Flights (2 × one-way)
$1,300
Health insurance bridge (3 months)
Private cover until local system enrolment completes.
$660
Setup (2 × $3,000/adult)
Linens, kitchen, electronics, local SIM.
$6,000
Currency buffer (2.5% of annual)
FX conversion + wire costs.
$600
Emergency reserve (2 months)
$4,000
Setup subtotal
$23,560
Caveats
- · Shipping excluded — either you're using a furnished-apartment path OR the assumption needs flipping.
Mapped first-year cost?
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What does this include?
The setup section assumes a standard furnished or semi-furnished entry: visa fees, 2-month rental deposit, 1- month agency fee, 0.5 months of temporary housing while you search, one-way flights for the household, optional 20-foot container shipping (~$4,500 default), 3-month private health bridge, international school deposits (per child), pet relocation (per pet, ~$2,500), basic apartment setup (mattress / appliances / kitchen), 2.5% FX buffer, and an emergency reserve equal to 2 months of living.
What this tool doesn’t cover
Country-specific bureaucratic add-ons (notary fees in Spain, apostille runs for visa-supporting documents, mandatory health-screening costs in some destinations); luxury items (executive-search retainers, premium concierge moves); destination-specific gotchas (Hong Kong key money, Seoul jeonse deposits, Dubai chiller-fee escrows).