How to Afford Living Abroad With Kids: The Honest Math

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When I ask families what really stops them from moving abroad, the answer is almost never the visa or the packing. It is money. Can we actually afford this? That quiet fear sits underneath the whole dream. So let us do the honest math on how to afford living abroad with kids, from a family who has actually done it with two.

The cost of living is backwards from what you expect

Most people assume moving abroad means paying more. In the right places, it is the opposite, often dramatically so. In a small European village, housing is a fraction of what you pay in a major city, groceries are local and cheap, and the constant little expenses that quietly drain your budget back home simply disappear. There is no keeping up with anyone. Life is smaller, slower, and far less expensive, which is exactly what makes this reachable for regular families and not just the wealthy.

The mistake is comparing a village abroad to your current city. Compare it to what your life actually costs, all in, and the numbers often tip in your favor the moment you land.

A rough, honest monthly picture

Every family is different, but here is the shape of it. Rent in a small town can run a fraction of a big-city mortgage or lease. Food shopped from local markets is inexpensive and genuinely better. In much of Europe, public healthcare is excellent and a fraction of United States costs, and public or semi-private schooling is often free or very affordable, frequently including a second or third language your kids pick up for free just by being there. Add it up and many families find their total monthly burn drops, even before anyone changes jobs.

If you want to see how this plays out on the property side, we broke down what a home in an Italian village actually costs, and it surprises almost everyone.

The three income models that actually work

In real life, the families I see doing this fall into three camps. First, the ones who bring a remote job or business with them, so their income stays the same while their costs fall, which is the fastest math there is. Second, the location-independent ones who freelance, consult, or run something online and can work from anywhere with wifi. And third, the families who use a lower cost of living to stretch savings or a deliberate career break far further than it would ever go at home.

You do not need to be a tech executive to make any of these work. Most of the families in our community are ordinary one-income or modest two-income households who simply ran the numbers honestly and realized the version of the dream that fits them.

Do not skip the boring but crucial stuff

The one thing I will never let a family gloss over is health coverage. From day one abroad, you want your kids protected across borders, before local coverage kicks in and for any travel in between. We use SafetyWing Nomad Insurance Complete for exactly this, because it is built for people who genuinely live abroad rather than just vacation, and it follows your whole family wherever you go.

Honest answers to the questions I get most

Do we need to be rich to move abroad? No. You need enough runway to land softly and a realistic income plan. Plenty of ordinary families do this on one modest income precisely because the cost of living is so much lower.

Can it work on a single income? Often yes, especially in a village where rent and daily costs are low. The single income that felt tight in a big city can feel comfortable in a small European town.

What about the kids’ schooling? In much of Europe, local schools are free or affordable and add a language for free. Some families worldschool instead, which can cost very little. If you are curious what that looks like, here is a real look at worldschooling in an Italian village.

What about healthcare costs? For most families coming from the United States, healthcare abroad is a pleasant shock, both the quality and the price. Travel-and-transition insurance covers the gap while you settle in.

What the first year actually costs (real numbers)

People ask me for exact numbers all the time, and I get why, the vagueness of “it depends” is maddening when you are trying to make a real decision. So here is what I can share from our family’s experience and from the families in our community who have made similar moves.

In a small Italian village: rent for a 3-bedroom home runs between €400 and €800 per month. Groceries for a family of four, buying local and seasonal, averaged €600 to €800 per month for us. Utilities were low, €80 to €120 in warm months. Health coverage through Italy’s public system for residents costs a fraction of what US private insurance costs. If you are working remotely and earning in dollars or pounds, these numbers change the math entirely.

The hidden costs people underestimate: the one-way flights, the shipping of things you should have sold instead, the first and last month rent plus deposit, the weeks before income starts arriving while you get set up. Budget a €5,000 to €8,000 transition cushion and you will feel much more stable than families who arrive with exactly what they need and nothing spare.

The cost of staying, on the other hand, is harder to calculate. The years your kids do not get to grow up bilingual. The career path that never pivoted toward remote work. The life you kept meaning to try. That one is on you to weigh.

The lowest-risk way to find out

Here is the honest truth. You will never fully answer the can we afford it question from a spreadsheet at your kitchen table. You answer it by going and living it for a little while, somewhere cheap enough to make that easy. That is exactly what a slow stint abroad is for, and it is why we built our village project around a real test-drive rather than a leap in the dark. You can read the story of what we are building, and get on the list here: stan.store/bravefamilytravel.

The money question is real, but for far more families than believe it, the answer is yes. You just have to run your own honest math instead of the scary story in your head.

Xoxo, Marae: your travel mom bestie
www.bravefreetravel.com

Affording Life Abroad With Kids: Frequently Asked Questions

Is it actually cheaper to live abroad than in the US with kids?

In most cases, yes, significantly. A family spending $8,000-10,000 per month in a major US city can live extremely well in Spain, Italy, or Portugal for $3,500-5,000 per month, including rent, food, school activities, and travel. Healthcare is the biggest win: European public healthcare costs a fraction of US private insurance. The honest caveat: you still need income, and the transition costs (flights, visas, deposits, shipping) are real upfront expenses.

How do families fund life abroad while working remotely?

Most families we know combine one or more of these: a remote job with a US or UK company, freelance or consulting income, a content or creator business, or passive income from investments or rental properties. The key is that your income stays in a strong currency (dollars, euros, pounds) while your expenses drop to local prices. That gap is where the magic happens financially.

What are the hidden costs of moving abroad with kids that families underestimate?

Visa and legal fees ($2,000-5,000 for a family depending on the country and whether you use an immigration lawyer), language lessons for kids and parents, the cost of furnishing a new home from scratch, US tax compliance (Americans still file US taxes abroad, budget for an expat accountant), and the mental and logistical cost of the transition year. Most families say year one is the most expensive. It gets dramatically cheaper once you are settled.

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