How Much Money Should You Save Before Moving Abroad?
Nobody can name a universal amount to save before moving abroad, or a universal number of months of expenses. The useful figure is the sum of five lines you can document, in the currency you will spend. This is a planning method. It is not a statement of how much any person should keep.
The recurring month itself is built in the monthly cost-of-living budget. Tuition and the total assembled before a study application sit in the study-abroad budget. Those worksheets feed this one. They are not replaced by it.
Five lines, kept apart
Travel and setup covers the flight and the costs of arriving, such as a local transport card or a phone plan’s first payment. Housing move-in costs cover a deposit, any permitted rent due before you move in, and furniture if you will buy it. The first month is the monthly column from the living budget, not a guess. Immigration financial evidence is the amount a visa or permit office requires you to show, if that route has one. The personal reserve is money for a delayed start date, a repair, or a bill the quote missed.
The immigration line stays on its own row. Showing the figure an application asks for does not mean you can live on it, and it does not fill the reserve. What an international student is asked to show for a school or a student visa is in proof of funds for international students. What other visa applications ask you to prove is in proof of funds for a visa application. Those pages own the changing tables. They are not copied here.
Add your own figures
Leave a cell blank until you have a quote, a lease, or the current page of the authority that set the immigration figure. Do not treat the total as advice.
| Line | Amount | Currency | Where the number came from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel and setup | Fare and arrival costs you will pay | ||
| Housing move-in | Deposit and any rent due before move-in, in writing | ||
| First month’s recurring costs | Monthly column of the living budget | ||
| Immigration financial evidence, if the route requires it | The current official page for that application | ||
| Personal reserve | An amount you set for delay or a missed bill |
Add the five lines only after each one has a source. If a route has no funds test, leave that row at zero and say so. If the immigration amount must stay in the account until a decision, do not also spend it on the deposit.
Rents, fares, and official funds rules can change. Verify the current figure with the provider or the authority before you rely on it.
