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Driftly

Before you go

Can you actually afford to do this?

The whole planning track is free. Work out your runway, pick somewhere sensible for a first move, and follow the countdown. The tracker and the document vault only start mattering once you have a boarding pass.

Runway calculator

Driftly
Cost tier
Runway in this city
0.0 months
Burning $700 a month against $0.
Monthly deficit
-$700
$700 a month to live here, lean.
Saving to $10,000
Not from here
At this income and cost you never reach that buffer in this city.

The same money, in two places

Enter your savings and pick two different cities to see the comparison.

Income excluded on both sides so the comparison is like-for-like — this is what the cash you already have buys you in each place, at the lean cost tier.

Where should I start?

All 30 cities

Ranked for a first move, not for cost. English, an established community, safety and a straightforward entry matter far more the first time than saving another $200 a month. The cheapest cities in the dataset are usually the hardest to land in cold.

Chiang Mai

Thailand

88
  • · Large, established remote-work scene
  • · English works in the places you will need it
  • · Consistently safe for newcomers
  • · 220 Mbps typical
$700/mo lean
Detail

Lisbon

Portugal

87
  • · Large, established remote-work scene
  • · You can get by in English from day one
  • · Consistently safe for newcomers
  • · 180 Mbps typical
$1,600/mo lean
Detail

Bangkok

Thailand

83
  • · Large, established remote-work scene
  • · English works in the places you will need it
  • · 250 Mbps typical
  • · 90 days on arrival — no visa run in month two
$1,000/mo lean
Detail

Playa del Carmen

Mexico

81
  • · Large, established remote-work scene
  • · You can get by in English from day one
  • · 180 days on arrival — no visa run in month two

Fine with normal city awareness, but not a soft landing.

$1,200/mo lean
Detail

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Spain

81
  • · Large, established remote-work scene
  • · English works in the places you will need it
  • · Consistently safe for newcomers
  • · 190 Mbps typical
$1,350/mo lean
Detail

Canggu / Bali

Indonesia

80
  • · Large, established remote-work scene
  • · You can get by in English from day one

Only 30 days on entry, extendable by 30 — plan the extension before you fly, not after.

$1,000/mo lean
Detail

Mexico City

Mexico

78
  • · Large, established remote-work scene
  • · 180 days on arrival — no visa run in month two

You will want some of the local language within the first month.

$1,200/mo lean
Detail

Medellín

Colombia

74
  • · Large, established remote-work scene
  • · 180 days on arrival — no visa run in month two

You will want some of the local language within the first month.

$900/mo lean
Detail

Departure countdown

17 things, phased from 90 days out. Set a date to start the countdown.

What it actually costs to start

The one-off budget before month one. Usually two to three times what people expect.

Leaving your home tax system

Abmeldung, P85, baja consular — what the process is and what it produces. No links, no upsell.

Informational only. Not legal or tax advice. Verify with the relevant authority before travelling.