Methodology

1. What this website does

This site provides planning estimate calculators for salary, rent, VAT, monthly budgets, moving costs, emergency funds, mortgages, freelance rates and more across European countries and cities. Calculations run in your browser using the values you enter. No account or login is required.

2. What "estimate only" means

Every calculator on this site is a planning aid. Results depend entirely on the values you enter. They are not official tax calculations, not bank affordability decisions, not government benefit assessments, and not legal advice. The result you see is one possible scenario based on your assumptions.

3. Formula-based calculators

Simple calculators like electricity cost, VAT, savings goal, and runway calculators use standard math formulas applied to your inputs. The formula is documented on each calculator page and produces deterministic results from the numbers you enter.

4. Manual-estimate calculators

Salary, tax and contribution calculators use manual percentage fields because payroll rules differ by country, year, residency, marital status, allowances and employment type. You enter the deduction percentage that fits your scenario, and the calculator applies it.

5. Official-source-linked calculators

Where verified official source URLs exist (government tax authority, social insurance institution, EU Commission), they are linked from the country page and from the Tax Data Status card. Linked sources do not automatically apply rates in the calculator — they exist so you can verify rules with the official authority.

6. Official-rate-applied calculators

This label is only used when a verified official rate is applied directly in the calculator code AND the page clearly says so. Most calculators do not apply official rates automatically. Manual fields remain the safe default.

7. Accuracy levels

Each calculator may carry one of these accuracy badges:

8. Assumptions

Calculator pages show an Assumptions used box explaining the key assumptions behind a calculation: which inputs are used, what is excluded, and how status labels are decided. These help you interpret the result correctly.

9. How tax and salary data is handled

Salary calculators use manual deduction percentage fields. Country pages link to the country's official tax authority and social insurance source pages where available. The calculator does not apply progressive brackets, allowances, thresholds or special regimes automatically. You enter the effective deduction percentage relevant to your situation.

10. How VAT data is handled

The VAT calculator accepts any VAT rate. Where a national standard rate is documented in countries.ts, it is shown as the default but always remains editable. Reduced rates, exemptions, zero-rated items and per-product categories are not applied automatically. Always check the rate for your specific product or service.

11. How cost-of-living inputs are handled

Cost-of-living, rent, food, transport and utility values come entirely from what you enter. No average rents, no average food costs, no average utilities are claimed for any country or city. Use your own current numbers or your best estimate for your target location.

12. What this website does not do

• Does not store or send any data to servers
• Does not require accounts, login or signup
• Does not provide official tax, payroll, immigration, visa or legal advice
• Does not approve loans, mortgages or credit applications
• Does not guarantee accuracy of any calculation result
• Does not replace qualified professional advice

13. How users should verify important decisions

For salary and tax: check the country's official tax authority website. For rent and tenant rules: check local housing authority or tenant association resources. For mortgages and credit: speak with a qualified mortgage adviser or bank. For relocation: verify visa, residency, registration and tax residency rules with the destination country's official immigration authority.

14. How to report data issues

If you find a possible issue with a calculator, country page, official source link, or methodology, please report it.

15. Contact and policy pages