Frequently asked questions
Common relocation questions, answered briefly
19 questions covering cost of living, salaries, tax regimes, visa categories, and currency — with links into the relevant Mundevo cluster for deeper detail. Most answers are 2-4 sentences; this page exists to point you at the right place quickly.
Cost of living
Which European cities are cheapest while still offering good quality of life?
Porto and Lisbon (Portugal), Tallinn (Estonia), and Madrid (Spain) consistently land on the affordable-but-livable axis — cost-of-living index 50-65 (vs. NYC = 100), with safety, healthcare, and internet scores in the upper bands. Berlin sits slightly higher on cost but is the strongest career market of the four for tech and creative work.
Is Lisbon still cheap for expats in 2026?
Less than it used to be. Lisbon's rent index has risen materially since 2020 driven by tourism, remote-worker inflows, and constrained housing supply. The overall cost-of-living remains lower than London or Amsterdam, but central one-bedroom rentals now consume a significant share of any salary below €60k.
What's the cost-of-living difference between Spain and Portugal?
On the Mundevo composite, Spain (anchored by Madrid and Barcelona) and Portugal (Lisbon and Porto) are within 5-10% of each other on overall cost-of-living. Spain pays slightly higher salaries in tech; Portugal has cheaper housing outside Lisbon (especially Porto and the interior). Tax-wise, Portugal's new IFICI regime is narrower than Spain's Beckham Law for inbound qualified workers.
Salary
How much salary do you need to live comfortably in Europe?
It depends heavily on the city. Mundevo's 'comfortable' tier requires €40-55k gross in Lisbon or Porto, €55-75k in Madrid or Berlin, €75-100k in Amsterdam, and €90-130k in Zurich. The reverse calculator shows what each salary band buys across all cities.
What does a senior software engineer earn across Europe?
Illustrative bands (P50 gross) for a senior IC: London £70-90k, Amsterdam €85-110k, Berlin €75-95k, Zurich CHF 130-170k, Lisbon €50-65k, Madrid €55-70k. US tech-hub salaries run 50-80% above European peaks at equivalent seniority.
Should I take a salary cut to move to a cheaper city?
Often, yes — if the cost-of-living reduction exceeds the gross-salary cut once you account for housing. Mundevo's case studies show several scenarios where a nominal salary cut translates into a real lifestyle upgrade because the rent index in the destination is materially lower. Build the net-after-housing math for both cities before deciding.
Tax & residency
What is Portugal's NHR tax regime and is it still available?
NHR (Non-Habitual Resident) was Portugal's flagship expat tax regime offering 20% flat rate on Portuguese-sourced high-value income and partial exemptions on foreign-sourced income for 10 years. The original NHR was closed to new entrants in 2024 and replaced by IFICI (sometimes called NHR 2.0), which is narrower and targets researchers, professors, and qualified workers in innovation activities.
What is Spain's Beckham Law and who qualifies?
The Beckham Law (Régimen Especial de Trabajadores Desplazados) lets qualifying inbound workers pay a flat 24% tax on Spanish-sourced income up to €600k for 6 years, instead of Spain's progressive scale. Eligibility requires not having been a Spanish tax resident in the previous 5 years and a qualifying employment relationship — since 2023, digital nomad status and director-of-a-Spanish-entity routes also qualify.
Which EU country has the lowest income tax for skilled workers?
Headline rates differ from effective rates. Bulgaria's flat 10% and Hungary's flat 15% are the lowest nominal rates in the EU. For Western Europe, special inbound regimes matter more than headline rates — Spain Beckham, Netherlands 30% ruling, Italy impatriati, and Portugal IFICI all reduce the effective rate materially for qualifying inbound workers, often beating the nominal-low-tax countries on net.
Do US citizens still pay US taxes when living abroad?
Yes — the US taxes citizens and permanent residents on worldwide income regardless of residence. Filing obligations follow you for life. The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE) and Foreign Tax Credit (FTC) reduce double-taxation in practice, but you still file. Estate-planning and reporting requirements (FBAR, FATCA) add ongoing complexity. Consult a US-expat tax specialist before relocating.
Lifestyle & budget
What do Mundevo's lifestyle tiers (frugal, balanced, comfortable, premium) actually mean?
Each tier scales two multipliers — essentials (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) and leisure — and anchors to a specific rent percentile in each city. Frugal: 0.85× essentials, 0.4× leisure, 25th-percentile rent. Balanced: 1.0× / 1.0× / 50th. Comfortable: 1.15× / 1.6× / 70th. Premium: 1.35× / 2.5× / 90th.
How big should my emergency fund be before relocating?
Build 6 months of destination-city essentials (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) as liquid cash before moving. Add separately for first-month upfront costs — deposits (typically 2-3× monthly rent in EU), agency fees, shipping, visa documentation, and 1-3 months of private health insurance during onboarding. The combined runway is rarely under 9 months of essentials.
What savings rate should I target if I'm pursuing financial independence?
Conventional FI math says 25-50% of net is the productive range. Lower than 25% extends the timeline to multiple decades; higher than 50% requires meaningful lifestyle compression that's hard to sustain long-term. Mundevo defaults to 10% in the salary calculator — adjust upward via the calculator's savings-rate slider to model an FI-track scenario.
Remote work & visas
Which digital nomad visa is best in 2026?
It depends on what you're optimizing for. Portugal D8 has the strongest path to permanent residency. Spain's digital nomad visa pairs with Beckham Law for tax efficiency. Estonia's DNV has the cleanest e-government and tax-structure synergy. Greece and Croatia have the lowest cost-of-living among EU options. Outside the EU, UAE's Virtual Working Programme is tax-free.
Do I need a visa to work remotely from another country?
If you stay over 90 days (or beyond the visa-free period for your passport), yes. Tourist visas usually prohibit any form of work — even remote work for a foreign employer is technically in a grey zone. Digital nomad visas were created to formalize this category and provide a clean legal basis. Tax residency typically triggers at 183 days regardless of visa status.
What are golden visas and which countries offer them?
Golden visas are residency-by-investment programs — typically requiring property purchase, business investment, or capital injection in qualifying funds. Portugal, Spain, Greece, UAE, and Italy have well-known programs. The mechanics shift periodically: Portugal removed real-estate as a qualifying option in 2023; Spain's program is under political review. Always confirm current rules with the destination's consulate before committing to a specific investment.
Currency & banking
What's the best multi-currency account for expats and digital nomads?
Wise and Revolut are the two dominant options. Wise excels at low-cost FX transfers and holds 40+ currencies with local account numbers in major regions. Revolut adds a fuller banking-app experience (cards, savings, investments) but excludes US residents. For Americans, Charles Schwab International + Wise is the conventional pairing — Schwab refunds ATM fees worldwide.
Why does the same salary feel so different in two countries?
Purchasing power parity. The cost of a comparable basket of goods varies hugely across countries — €60k in Lisbon supports a comfortable lifestyle; the same nominal amount in Zurich barely covers a frugal one. Mundevo's cost-of-living index is essentially a PPP measurement: it tells you how far your money goes relative to NYC = 100.
Should I convert my savings to the destination currency before moving?
Partially. Holding 3-6 months of destination-currency expenses locally insulates against FX swings during the transition. Beyond that, the decision depends on your view of the currency pair and your time horizon. Wise and Revolut let you hold multi-currency balances and convert at mid-market rates when you choose, which is cheaper than bank conversions.
Don't see your question? The glossary defines every domain term, the methodology explains every calculation, and the calculator lets you plug in custom inputs.