About MoveAbroadCost
MoveAbroadCost is an independent project that answers one question honestly: what does it actually cost to move abroad? Most "cost of living in Thailand" content tells you monthly rent. That is not the number people moving abroad lose sleep over. The number that matters is the one-time bill to get there — flights, the visa and its savings requirement, shipping, housing move-in costs, setup, insurance and a contingency buffer. Our free calculator bundles all of it into one personalized estimate, and our guides explain each line.
How we research our figures
Every money, visa and insurance figure on this site is researched, dated, and re-verified before it ships. Our sources include:
- Official Thai government portals — the e-Visa system and immigration rules for the visa fees, savings requirements and conditions (e.g. the Destination Thailand Visa).
- Reputable insurers and money-transfer providers for first-premium and transfer-fee ranges.
- Current market data for flights, shipping and housing move-in costs, cross-checked across multiple sources rather than a single quote.
Our honesty rules
- Ranges, not false precision. Real moves vary, so we show low-to-high estimates for planning, not quotes.
- Recoverable vs. sunk. We separate money you get back (deposits, show-funds) from money that is truly spent — because the real cost is lower than the scary headline number.
- Dated and re-verified. Figures carry a "researched June 2026" stamp and are checked before each update, because visa, tax and insurance rules change.
- Your numbers stay yours. The calculator runs entirely in your browser — nothing you type is sent anywhere unless you choose to email yourself the results.
Who runs this
MoveAbroadCost is run by a small independent team that has researched and written relocation kits for people moving to Thailand. We are not a law firm, a visa agent, or a financial advisor, and nothing here is legal or financial advice — for your specific situation, confirm details with the relevant official source or a qualified professional.
Affiliate disclosure
Some links on this site are affiliate links — if you buy through them (for example, travel insurance or a money-transfer service) we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes the figures we show or which providers we mention.
Contact
Questions, corrections, or spotted an out-of-date figure? Email hello@moveabroadcost.com — we genuinely want to keep the numbers accurate.