Nomad budget planner

Runway is simply savings divided by monthly burn after income: if you burn $1,200/month and earn $1,500, you add $300/month, so a $6,000 cushion grows rather than shrinks. The planner keeps the same single-person, planning-not-advice caveats as every figure on the site, and deliberately under-counts buffers — relocation burns cash in ways people forget (deposits, first-month double-rent, new furniture), so a realistic runway is shorter than the naive one.

Worked example: $6,000 in savings, no income yet, $1,200/month burn — the planner shows a five-month runway, which is exactly the wrong shape for most nomad visas: too short for Europe's typical 3–12 month application waits. Add the visa-fee and deposit lines and re-run before committing to an apartment, not after.

What exactly is 'runway'?

The number of months you could keep the current lifestyle before savings hit zero, assuming no new income. The safe rule we give clients: runway should cover the visa/application wait plus 2–3 months of job hunting on top — immigration waits are longer than anyone budgets for.

Should I add the move itself to the budget?

Yes — and it is the line most people miss. Flights, first-month deposit, visa fees, new furniture and a bridging SIM can total one or two full months of living costs. Enter them as a first-month line so the runway reflects your first ninety days, not your steady state.

Which tier of the cost calculator should I feed in?

The comfortable tier for a settled plan; switch to budget if you are moving without a local income in hand. Re-run whenever rent or exchange rates move — which, in volatile countries, means monthly.

Is the planner a savings tool?

No — it is a 'can I afford this' tool. If your income covers burn and still allows saving into the cushion, your plan is coherent; if not, it shows you exactly how many months you are buying.