ExpatFIRE Lifestyle Parity Calculator
Compare cost of living across countries and see how lifestyle-equivalent spending impacts your FIRE number.
Your Home Spending
Your current all-in monthly spending used to calculate your home-country FIRE number.
FIRE Assumptions
Annual percentage of your portfolio you plan to withdraw in retirement (commonly 3–4%).
Your current invested assets, used to estimate portfolio fit against the FIRE number.
Additional monthly buffer for unexpected expenses or safety margin.
Locations
Default multiplier estimates lifestyle-equivalent spending based on typical cost-of-living differences, not live exchange rates.
Current cost estimate for this location: ~60% of your home baseline
Based on your current category mix (not a live exchange rate).
Category Breakdown
Lisbon is estimated to cost ~60% of your current lifestyle.
Lifestyle Adjustment
Downshift = ~10% less, Same = baseline, Upgrade = ~15% more (before any manual override).
Additional percentage adjustment on top of the preset multiplier.
Living in Lisbon could lower your FIRE number by $475,800
Estimated monthly spending: Home $4,500 → Lisbon $2,914
At a 4% safe withdrawal rate, your home-country FIRE number is $1,350,000, compared to $874,200 in Lisbon.
Cost-of-living comparison only. Does not include visas, taxes, or healthcare access.
Category Comparison
FIRE Number Comparison
About this calculator
This calculator estimates how relocating to another country affects your cost of living and FIRE number by comparing lifestyle-equivalent spending across locations.
Instead of using raw exchange rates, it adjusts spending categories to maintain a similar standard of living, helping you understand how moving abroad could accelerate or delay financial independence.
What each input means
- Total monthly spending – Your current all-in monthly spending used to calculate your home FIRE number.
- Safe withdrawal rate (SWR) – Percentage of your portfolio withdrawn annually in retirement.
- Current portfolio – Your invested assets used to compare against the calculated FIRE number.
- Cash flow buffer – Extra monthly margin for safety or unexpected expenses.
- Target location – Destination country or city for cost-of-living comparison.
- Category breakdown – Distribution of spending across major expense categories.
- Lifestyle preset – Assumed lifestyle change after relocation.
- Lifestyle override – Additional adjustment applied on top of the preset.
How this calculator works
The calculator starts with your current monthly spending and applies cost-of-living multipliers to estimate equivalent lifestyle spending in a target location.
It then annualizes that spending and divides by your chosen safe withdrawal rate to estimate the FIRE number required in each location.
Optional portfolio inputs allow comparison between your current assets and the projected FIRE number.
Factors that affect Results
- Cost-of-living differences – Housing, food, and utilities vary significantly by country.
- Lifestyle changes – Downsizing or upgrading materially affects spending.
- Safe withdrawal rate – Lower SWRs increase the required FIRE number.
- Spending categories – Your personal spending mix influences parity accuracy.
Key assumptions & limitations
- Lifestyle parity model – Estimates equivalent lifestyle, not identical consumption.
- No tax modeling – Income, capital gains, and foreign tax rules are excluded.
- No visa or healthcare costs – These vary widely and are not included.
- Estimates only – Results are illustrative, not financial advice.