Reference
Cost of Living Reference
Each entry explains what the category includes, what it excludes and how to price it from local evidence rather than an average.
Price from evidence
Local prices are evidence: a lease, a utility bill, a supermarket receipt. An index is a summary. Use summaries to choose where to look and evidence to decide what you can afford.
All entries
Monthly budgetThe recurring cost of living in a destination, excluding one-time setup.
Annual extrasCosts paid once or twice a year that a monthly budget misses.
RentThe largest and most location-sensitive line in the budget.
UtilitiesElectricity, water, gas, heating and waste, often higher in winter.
Internet and phoneConnectivity as a production cost, not a comfort.
Local transportPasses, fuel, parking and occasional trips.
Food and groceriesGroceries, eating out and delivery, scaled by household and habits.
Housing depositRefundable cash held against damage or unpaid rent.
Insurance gapThe period when travel cover ends and local cover has not started.
Healthcare costPremiums, co-payments and the cost of care not covered locally.
Childcare and schoolThe cost that changes most when a family moves.
Car ownershipThe full monthly cost of keeping a car abroad.
Remote-work costThe extra costs of earning from home in a new country.
Cost-of-living indexA summary number for comparing baskets, not a personal budget.