(MoneyHippo.com) – Where you live and the personal costs associated with a chosen location greatly impact daily life and your financial future. For example, living in California, where taxes are high and property prices are through the roof, might direct all your money toward owning a home and paying the government. On the other hand, you could move to Nevada, where state income tax costs zero and houses cost about half as much as they do in California — that’s geoarbitrage. Moving to optimize finances could be just the thing you need to transform your life. So, how do you do that?
- Step one: Consider places where your career could earn you more money or switch to a job you could do from anywhere — like online. If you work in a brick-and-mortar building, moving to a place with a lower cost of living will save significant money. Still, moving might become even easier if you freelance or own an online business.
- Research: Look for locations locally, in other states, or in different countries with a lower cost of living than you currently have. Consider taxes, healthcare, food, activities, interests, safety, childcare and schools, everyday expenses like Internet and utilities, and housing. Write down any potential contenders and perform a side-by-side comparison.
- Savings: Once you’ve narrowed the choices, it’s time to make some calculations. Figure out your income and the new cost of living at the desired destination. Compare the number to your current budget. That’s how much you could save. If the solution is a large number, it could mean you have more freedom to do what you want to do. You might even be able to retire early.
Geoarbitrage allows you to utilize the power of moving to make the most out of the money you make by creating a bigger gap between earnings and the amount you spend to live based on where you live. And that can change as often as you need.
Copyright 2023, MoneyHippo.com