The Expat's Guide to Saving Money: What's Cheaper (and What's Not) When You Move Abroad

When you move to a new country, you quickly learn that "cheaper cost of living" doesn't mean everything is cheaper. Some categories drop dramatically; others stay the same or even increase. Here's what our data across 400+ products and 40 countries reveals about the real economics of moving abroad.

What Gets Dramatically Cheaper

Food and groceries (up to 7x cheaper)

This is where you'll feel the biggest daily impact. Moving from Switzerland to Thailand, your grocery bill can drop by 75%. Fresh produce, rice, eggs, and local proteins are vastly cheaper in Southeast Asia, South America, and South Asia.

Pro tip: Buy local. Imported goods (French cheese in Bangkok, Japanese wagyu in Lisbon) often cost more than they would at home because you're paying for the same product plus international shipping.

Rent (up to 10x cheaper)

A one-bedroom city center apartment costs $2,200/month in Singapore but $200–400/month in many Southeast Asian and South Asian cities. Even within Europe, there are dramatic differences — Lisbon and Warsaw are 3–4x cheaper than Zurich or London.

Services and labor (up to 15x cheaper)

Haircuts, massages, house cleaning, restaurant meals — anything that depends on local labor costs is dramatically cheaper in developing countries. A one-hour massage costs $5–10 in Thailand but $80–150 in the US.

Dining out (up to 10x cheaper)

Street food meals for $1–2 in Vietnam or India. Mid-range restaurant meals for two at $10–15. This is one of the biggest quality-of-life upgrades for expats from expensive countries.

What Stays Roughly the Same

Electronics

Apple prices are set globally with relatively small variations. Your iPhone, MacBook, or AirPods will cost within 15–20% of the US price in most countries (with notable exceptions like Brazil and Turkey). Samsung and other Android devices show slightly more variation but are still globally priced.

International brands

Zara, H&M, Nike, and Adidas adjust prices by market, but the gaps are much smaller than for food or services. A pair of Levi's 501s costs $50–80 in most markets.

Software and SaaS tools

Professional software (Adobe Creative Cloud, Figma, GitHub Copilot) tends to have relatively flat global pricing, especially for business tools. Consumer subscriptions like Netflix and Spotify vary more (see our subscription pricing article).

What Can Be MORE Expensive

Cars in certain markets

As we explored in our Singapore car pricing article, a Toyota Corolla can cost 4x more in Singapore than in the US. Brazil, Turkey, and several other countries also add steep import taxes.

Imported alcohol

A bottle of wine or whiskey can cost 2–5x more in countries with high alcohol taxes (Scandinavia, Singapore, Turkey) or religious restrictions (Saudi Arabia, UAE).

Healthcare (without insurance)

While basic medications are cheaper in most developing countries, specialized medical procedures can be expensive without the insurance infrastructure common in Western nations. Medical tourism destinations like Thailand and India offer excellent value for planned procedures, but emergency care costs can vary wildly.

The Smart Expat Strategy

Based on our pricing data, here's the optimized approach:

1. Buy electronics before you move (or in a low-tax market)
2. Embrace local food and restaurants — this is where the biggest savings are
3. Use regional pricing for subscriptions when legitimately living in a country
4. Rent first, rent long — housing is the biggest savings opportunity in most destinations
5. Budget for the unexpected — some things will cost more than you expect

The key insight from our data: the countries with the lowest overall cost of living save you the most on daily necessities (food, housing, services) but not necessarily on manufactured goods or global brands.

Explore our country comparisons to build a personalized cost-of-living estimate for your destination.