What is geo-arbitrage FIRE?
Geo-arbitrage is the strategy of moving to a lower cost-of-living location to stretch your savings further. In a FIRE context it has two effects: your existing portfolio may already cover expenses in a cheaper city (you could be FIRE-ready now), and your monthly savings rate goes further because you need a smaller portfolio to replace a lower cost of living.
The calculator uses the 4% safe withdrawal rule (FIRE number = annual expenses × 25) and your current monthly savings to project years-to-FIRE for each of 392 cities worldwide. Use the full FIRE calculator to get a more detailed plan including your monthly move recommendations.
Expat FIRE FAQ
What do the colours mean?
Green — your current portfolio already meets the FIRE number for that city (portfolio ≥ annual expenses × 25). You could retire there now. Yellow — Barista FIRE territory: your portfolio covers roughly half the full FIRE number, meaning a small part-time income bridges the gap. Red — not yet, but spinning to cheaper cities will shrink the gap significantly.
Does this account for taxes?
The cost-of-living figures include estimated local taxes and living costs for each city. They do not account for your home-country tax obligations on foreign income or portfolio withdrawals — those vary by citizenship and require professional tax advice specific to your situation.
What about visas and healthcare?
The calculator focuses on cost of living and FIRE math. Visa eligibility, healthcare costs, and quality of life factors are outside its scope. Countries like Portugal, Mexico, Thailand, and Malaysia have established retirement or passive-income visa programmes worth researching once you have shortlisted destinations.
Which cities tend to unlock FIRE the fastest?
Southeast Asian cities (Chiang Mai, Bali, Hanoi, Phnom Penh), parts of Latin America (Medellín, Playa del Carmen, Montevideo), and Southern/Eastern Europe (Lisbon, Porto, Split, Tbilisi) consistently appear in the green or yellow zone for savers with US or Western European incomes. The calculator shows you exactly where your numbers land.