Cost of Moving Abroad from Germany: How Much Remote Income You Need per Month

I've been reading up again on the problems people are dealing with. This time among people who have already packed their suitcase in their heads. The apartment is cancelled or nearly so, the destination is set, and then the question comes up that nobody likes to answer honestly: What does moving abroad from Germany actually cost?

Most people are looking for a single number. I get that. When I moved to Cyprus with my family, I wanted a figure to hold on to as well. What I learned was something else: The cost of moving abroad is only half the calculation. The other half is the question of how long your money has to last until money starts coming in again.

Three Reddit threads show pretty precisely why.

Case 1: Switzerland with Savings and 100 Applications

In r/askswitzerland, a 21-year-old described his move as an AMA (see the original post). He and his wife went to Switzerland on January 1, 2025, for a fresh start and better financial opportunities. His wife had found an internship in advance that led directly into a training position. He had not.

The two of them paid for the first period out of their savings. They stayed in an Airbnb on the German side, because a room in Switzerland would have been much more expensive. Then the job search began. Around 100 applications by email and phone brought about 7 replies, almost all of them rejections. Only when he printed out his résumés and handed them out in person did a trial day and a job in fast food come up, at about 70 percent of a full-time schedule, paid by the hour.

His situation at the time of the post: household income of around 3,400 CHF, expenses of around €2,200 a month, and finding an apartment was the next big challenge. The couple made it. But the most expensive phase wasn't the move. It was the months when money only flowed in one direction.

Case 2: Deposit, Prepayment, Furniture

In r/expats, someone who wants to move from Australia to Germany asked how much savings you realistically need and which costs come as a surprise (see the original post).

Two answers are especially instructive. One person who had just moved to Mexico had about $18,000 freely available. Around $6,000 of that went immediately on the rent prepayment and deposit. The rest went into shipping, furniture and household appliances. Their tip: If you rent unfurnished, don't even expect appliances.

Another person wrote that even setting up a small apartment with mostly second-hand furniture, bedding and kitchen stuff ends up costing around $10,000, even in Thailand. On top of that come the visa and travel. Their conclusion: It adds up, even if you're frugal.

Case 3: The Huge Range

In r/IWantOut, someone asked how much money their own move had cost (see the original post). The answers are far apart. One person wrote that as a student a few thousand dollars were enough, but later, as a family, setup costs came to $60,000 to $70,000. Someone who went from the UK to Australia had saved £15,000 but only needed about £2,800, because they found a job within two weeks. Someone who moved from California to Germany paid about $10,000 for the container and had put aside about $30,000 for the first year. And one person simply wrote that they'll only move with a job offer from now on.

The pattern is clear: The size of the costs depends less on the country than on a single question. Are you arriving with income or without?

The Cost of Moving Abroad: The Six Blocks You Need to Plan For

I split the costs of moving abroad into six blocks. I list them here without flat amounts, because the gap between a single person in Southeast Asia and a family in Western Europe is too big to honestly name an average. Get real quotes and prices for your destination for each block.

1. One-time moving costs. Freight forwarder or container, flights, possibly pets, plus visa, apostilles, certified translations and notary. What people usually underestimate is the number of documents, not their individual price.
2. The transition phase. This is the block almost nobody plans for. In Germany your rent often keeps running through a three-month notice period while you're already paying for accommodation and apartment hunting in the destination country. Double fixed costs, sometimes for months.
3. Setup in the new country. Deposit, rent prepayment, furniture, kitchen, car or scooter, school and kindergarten. Case 2 shows how fast that adds up. In some countries, paying rent several months or a whole year in advance is common.
4. Ongoing living costs. Rent, insurance, groceries, transport. Be careful with sentences like "everything is much cheaper there". For a life with health insurance, a good location and possibly an international school, the difference is often smaller than hoped.
5. Hidden items. Tax advice in two countries, visa extensions, flights back to family and friends, fees for accounts and mail in Germany.
6. The safety reserve. The usual safety net of unemployment benefits and family nearby is often missing abroad. Illness, visa problems or a lost client hit you harder than at home.

How Much Money Do You Need to Move Abroad? A Calculation Instead of a Flat Figure

Instead of a single number, I'll give you the formula I use myself:

Starting capital = one-time costs + transition phase + setup + reserve + 20 percent buffer

For the reserve: monthly costs in the destination country times the number of months, plus a buffer for a return flight. I recommend that emigrants plan on nine to twelve months rather than the usual six. And you almost always need the 20 percent buffer, because in the end a lot turns out more expensive than planned.

Now comes the part most calculators leave out. The number of months in your reserve isn't a constant of nature. It depends on when your income starts:

• Without income you have to cover the entire reserve from savings, plus the time of the job search. Case 1 shows how long that can take.
• With an income you bring along, you mainly have to finance the one-time costs and the transition phase. The reserve becomes a safeguard, not your means of living.

How Much Remote Income You Need per Month

That's why you can turn the question "What does moving abroad cost?" around: How much do you have to earn each month so that your savings don't shrink?

The calculation is simple and belongs to you alone:

1. Write down your realistic monthly costs in the destination country, including insurance, reserves for flights and tax advice.
2. Roughly add taxes and social contributions in the destination country. Have a tax advisor who knows both countries check this. This is not tax advice.
3. The result is your minimum net income. Everything above it refills your reserve.

If you know this number, you also know which jobs come into question. A local job at local salaries may cover it, or it may not. An income from the DACH region that you earn location-independently is tied to your laptop, not to the local job market. I've collected which jobs are suitable for this in the article Moving Abroad With a Job. And if your starting capital is tight, also read Moving Abroad Without Money.

Quick Test: Can You Afford the Step?

Answer four questions honestly:

1. Are the one-time costs already sitting in an account of their own, not just "somehow scrapeable together"?
2. Do you have the reserve in addition to the moving costs?
3. Is your income in the destination country secured, or is the plan "I'll find something there"?
4. Have you factored in the buffer for the unexpected?

Four times yes: you're financially ready. Three times yes: doable, but tight. Two or fewer: secure your income first, then move. That's not a defeat, but the cheapest decision you can make.

What You Gain

Maybe you know the feeling: You're doing the math at the kitchen table in the evening, the number in your savings account looks big, and still there's a knot in your stomach. Because you don't know how many months it really lasts if nothing comes in in the new country at first.

When your income moves with you, your savings become a safety net and stop being an hourglass.

Here's what you gain:

• A number you can steer. Instead of a flat figure from the internet, you know your minimum net income and what you're working toward.
• Calm in the transition phase. When money is coming in, you can pick the right apartment instead of taking the first one because your reserve is melting.
• A real fallback. A reserve you don't have to touch keeps the way back open in case the country doesn't suit you after all.

How much you end up earning depends on you, your effort and your offer. Nobody can promise you that. But you decide whether you arrive with an hourglass or with a plan.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Roughly What Does Moving Abroad from Germany Cost?

There's no reliable flat figure. The costs depend on the destination country, your family size, your belongings and above all on whether you arrive with income. Plan with the six blocks above and get real prices.

How Much Money Should I Have Saved to Move Abroad?

Enough for the one-time costs, the transition phase, the setup and a reserve for several months, plus a buffer. Without secured income the reserve should be much bigger.

Which Costs Are Underestimated Most Often When Moving Abroad?

Double rents during the transition phase, deposit and rent prepayment, furnishing the new apartment and the time until your first income.

Is a Remote Income Enough to Move Abroad?

If it's stable and covers your monthly costs in the destination country including taxes, yes. Also check which visa you need for it and whether your destination country requires proof of income.