Expat Compass Β· Financial Planning

Moving Abroad Budget Workbook

Complete all yellow input cells. Totals calculate automatically. Print to PDF for your records.

πŸ“Š 6 sections Β· fillable πŸ—“οΈ Updated January 2025 ⚠️ Educational only β€” not financial advice

A. Your Details

Name
Departure date
Destination country
Destination city
Purpose of move
Household size
e.g. EUR: 1.17 (leave blank for GBP)

B. One-Off Moving Costs

ItemEst. cost (Β£)Actual (Β£)Notes
Shipping & removals
Removals company / shipping containerGet 3+ quotes. Londonβ†’Spain β‰ˆ Β£2,000–4,500 for 1-bed
Sea/air freight for excessAir freight β‰ˆ Β£6–12/kg; sea β‰ˆ Β£1–2/kg
Removals insuranceTypically 3–5% of declared value. Essential.
Storage (UK or destination)UK self-storage: Β£30–80/week for 50 sq ft
Pet relocation (flights + quarantine)EU cats/dogs: Β£300–900. Australia: Β£2,000–5,000+
Legal & admin
Visa application feePortugal D7: €538. Spain NLV: €120. Thailand LTR: ΰΈΏ50,000
Immigration lawyer / agent feesPortugal NHR/D7 setup: Β£500–2,000
Document translation / apostillePer document: Β£40–120
Notary feesRequired for many EU countries. Budget Β£200–600
Travel & accommodation
Flights (all household members)
Temporary accommodation (first 1–3 months)Budget 2Γ— your expected monthly rent while searching
Rental deposit (1–3 months' rent)
Furnishing new home / white goods
Financial & insurance
Financial adviser / expat tax adviceFirst year planning: Β£500–2,500
Currency transfer costs (FX spread on pot)Use Wise β€” save vs bank rate. Budget 0.5–1% of amount
Emergency cash reserve (3 months expenses)
TOTAL ONE-OFF COSTSΒ£0Β£0

C. Monthly Budget β€” UK vs Destination

CategoryUK monthly (Β£)Destination (Β£)Saving / cost (+/-)
Housing
Rent / mortgageβ€”
Council tax / local property taxβ€”
Utilities (gas/electric/water)β€”
Internet / phoneβ€”
Food & lifestyle
Groceriesβ€”
Eating out / restaurantsβ€”
Entertainment / leisureβ€”
Transport
Car (payments / lease)β€”
Fuel / public transportβ€”
Health & insurance
Private health insuranceβ€”
Dental / opticalβ€”
Life / income protection insuranceβ€”
Children & family
Schooling / childcareβ€”
Extracurricular / sportsβ€”
Travel & UK ties
Return trips to UK (amortised monthly)e.g. 2 trips/year Γ· 12β€”
Subscriptions (streaming, software, other)β€”
Miscellaneous / contingency (10%)β€”
TOTAL MONTHLYΒ£0Β£0β€”

D. Net Income Comparison (monthly)

Income sourceUK net (Β£/mo)Destination net (Β£/mo)
Employment / self-employment income
State Pension
Workplace / private pension
UK rental income (net after tax)
Investment / dividend income
Other income
TOTAL NET INCOMEΒ£0Β£0

E. Financial Summary

Move costs total
Β£0
Monthly saving
Β£0
Annual saving
Β£0
UK monthly spend
Β£0
Destination monthly spend
Β£0
Monthly surplus (income βˆ’ spend)
Β£0
Estimated move costs payback period: β€” months (move cost Γ· monthly saving)

F. Notes & Action Items

#Action / NoteBy whenDone?
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Assumptions & caveats

Disclaimer: This workbook is educational only. It does not constitute financial, tax or legal advice. All figures are estimates. Always verify tax rates and visa requirements with current official sources and seek qualified advice.

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