Glossary
Cost-of-living, salary and relocation terms — defined
Every metric, multiplier, and tax concept Mundevo uses on its city, comparison, and salary pages — plain-English definitions with the formulas and where each one applies. Use this as a reference when reading our scoring methodology, or before negotiating a cross-border offer.
Indices and scores
Composite indicators Mundevo uses to rank cities.
A 0–100 score capturing annual average air-pollution levels. Higher = cleaner air.
The Mundevo overall score for a city, on a 0–10 scale, blending affordability, quality of life, remote-work fit and healthcare.
A single number that scores how expensive a city is, normalized so New York City = 100.
A 0–100 score capturing the quality and accessibility of a city's healthcare system. Higher = better.
Median asking rent for a one-bedroom apartment in a central neighborhood, normalized so NYC = 100.
A 0–100 score capturing crime levels and perceived personal safety in a city. Higher = safer.
Salary and tax
Gross vs. net, effective rates, social security.
The actual share of your gross salary lost to taxes, blended across brackets — almost always lower than your top marginal rate.
Your salary before any taxes, social security or other employee-side deductions are taken out.
What you actually take home after income tax and employee-side social security are deducted from gross.
Mandatory payroll deduction funding state pension, public healthcare, and unemployment programs — distinct from income tax.
Lifestyle and budget
Tiers, multipliers, household scaling, savings.
Cash savings that cover 3 to 6 months of essential expenses — the financial cushion for job loss, illness, or relocation gaps.
A multiplier system (commonly OECD-modified: 1.0 / 1.5 / 1.85 / 2.2) that scales single-person costs to household-level costs.
The factor applied to the essentials basket (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) at a given lifestyle tier.
Where in the local rent distribution your housing budget puts you — 25th = budget, 50th = median, 70th = comfortable, 90th = top-tier.
The factor applied to the leisure budget (dining out, travel, entertainment) at a given lifestyle tier.
Mundevo's four-step scale (frugal / balanced / comfortable / premium) for how much you spend relative to the median resident.
The fraction of your net income set aside each month — Mundevo defaults to 10% of net when computing required salary.
Visas and tax regimes
Country-specific incentive programs for inbound residents.
Spain's special tax regime for inbound workers — flat 24% income tax for up to 6 years instead of the progressive scale.
A residence permit category designed for remote workers earning income from outside the host country.
Portugal's Non-Habitual Resident tax regime — a 10-year special status with reduced tax rates on certain income types.
Currency
FX rates, purchasing power, cross-border comparisons.
Missing a term? The glossary covers concepts Mundevo actively uses on city, comparison and salary pages — for the underlying calculations and weights, see the methodology. For the cost-of-living calculation tool, head to /calculator.