About LeavingAmerica.co

Why We Built This

Most discussions about moving abroad rely on anecdotes, personal blogs, or outdated cost-of-living comparisons. LeavingAmerica.co was built to replace guesswork with public economic data. The purchasing power gap between US cities and most of the world is significant. We wanted to make that gap visible and measurable.

Over time we expanded from a single salary calculator to a full suite of tools, because the decision to move abroad involves more than just your paycheck. It involves where your personality and priorities actually fit, whether your savings can support early retirement, and what the US tax system still expects from you no matter where you live.

What We Do

We build and maintain four free tools for Americans exploring life abroad:

Salary Arbitrage Calculator answers how far your current US income goes in 82 countries, using live purchasing power parity data from the World Bank and regional price data from the US Bureau of Economic Analysis. Enter your city and income, and we calculate your equivalent lifestyle cost in each destination.

Country Match is a 10-question quiz that scores all 82 countries against your specific priorities: budget, climate preferences, healthcare needs, language comfort, remote work setup, and more. Instead of a generic ranking, you get a personalized list with an explanation of why each country fits or falls short for you specifically.

Retire Abroad Calculator is built for Americans pursuing financial independence or early retirement. It uses FIRE principles combined with local cost of living data to show how far your savings go in each country and how many years earlier you could retire by moving abroad.

Expat Tax Guide covers the US tax obligations that apply to Americans regardless of where they live: FEIE, FBAR, worldwide vs. territorial vs. zero-tax systems, and state-level obligations. It is not tax advice, but it gives you the framework to have an informed conversation with a qualified expat tax professional.

Our Data

Every number on this site comes from a publicly available, independently maintained source. We do not invent estimates or rely on user-submitted data. Our sources include the World Bank, the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Numbeo, the World Happiness Report, the EF English Proficiency Index, the Passport Index dataset, Citizen Remote, and the REST Countries API.

Data is reviewed and updated quarterly using the latest publicly available figures from each source.

For a detailed breakdown of calculations and score weights, see our Methodology page.

Who Built This

LeavingAmerica.co is an independent project built and maintained by a small team with a background in digital marketing and data analysis. We are not a financial advisory firm, immigration consultancy, or legal practice. The site focuses on economic data, purchasing power analysis, and international relocation research.

What We Are Not

We are not financial advisors, tax consultants, immigration lawyers, or relocation agents. The information on this site is for educational purposes only. Before making any major decisions about moving abroad, consult qualified professionals in the relevant fields.

Contact

Questions, feedback, or data corrections? Reach out at:
contact@leavingamerica.co