How long $10,000 lasts
The calculator adds up a month of rent, food, utilities, phone, transport and day-to-day spending in each country, then divides your amount by that monthly total. The countries are ranked from the place where the money lasts longest to the place where it runs out first.
Months it lasts = amount รท monthly cost of living
On a moderate budget with your own one-bedroom, $10,000 lasts about 13 months in Bangalore, about 8 months in Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh City, about 4.6 months in Mexico City and a little over 3 months in the United States. In London it lasts under two and a half months, and in Zurich about two.
What changes the answer most
Rent is the biggest single line almost everywhere, which is why the housing choice matters so much. Sharing a flat cuts the rent line in half, and if you are staying with family or own a place the money can stretch to nearly twice as long in the cheapest countries.
The lifestyle setting matters next. A lean budget means cooking most meals, using public transport and renting further from the centre, while a comfortable budget means eating out often and living in a central, newer building. Moving from lean to comfortable roughly doubles the monthly figure in most cities.
Where the numbers come from
Rent is a typical asking rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the main city we list for each country, taken from 2026 listings and local market reports and converted to dollars at the exchange rate of October 28, 2026. Rent is the number that varies most from street to street, so the calculators let you change it whenever you have a better figure.
Everything else starts from a monthly budget for one person in the United States: about $450 for groceries, $250 for eating out, $200 for utilities, $90 for phone and internet, $300 for transport and $350 for clothes, personal care and fun. Each line is then scaled by the World Bank's International Comparison Program price levels for that type of spending, and brought forward from 2021 with the World Bank's latest price level data, so a country where restaurant meals cost a third of US prices gets a third of the eating-out budget.
These are planning estimates, not quotes. A lean budget uses 75% of the moderate one with cheaper rent, and a comfortable budget uses 150% with nicer rent. Visas, health insurance and flights are not included unless a calculator asks for them.
Common questions
Where does $10,000 last the longest?
Among the 40 countries here, India (Bangalore) comes first at about 13 months on a moderate budget, followed by Thailand and Vietnam at about 8 months each.
How long does $10,000 last in Thailand?
About 8 months on a moderate budget in Bangkok with your own one-bedroom, or about 10 and a half months on a lean budget.
Does this include flights and visas?
No. It covers everyday living costs only, so set aside money for flights, visas and health insurance separately.
Sources
This calculator gives estimates for planning. Real returns, rates and prices change, so treat the result as a guide rather than a promise. Read how we build and check our calculators.