Last Updated: April 2026
The Relocation Viability Score is a financial readiness assessment for international relocation. It evaluates three dimensions of financial preparedness and produces a score from 0 to 100.
The RVS answers a specific question: Given your financial profile, how prepared are you financially to make this move?
It does not attempt to assess the full complexity of international relocation. Visa eligibility, employment portability, healthcare access, cultural adaptation, currency risk, local property regulations, and many other factors are critical to a successful move: they require specialized, local human expertise that a data model cannot reliably provide. The RVS identifies these as analysis gaps and connects users with qualified professionals who can address them.
The RVS comprises three weighted components, each scored 0–100.
Measures total available cash after selling your current home (if applicable) against a target amount based on the destination's economics.
Inputs:
Scoring: Linear scale: total liquid assets as a percentage of the liquidity target, capped at 100.
Why 40%: Liquidity is the prerequisite for any international move. Without sufficient cash reserves, relocation is not feasible regardless of income or property affordability. This is a Waycarta editorial weight reflecting the primacy of cash-on-hand for cross-border transitions.
Measures whether your income can cover ongoing living expenses in the destination.
Inputs:
Key metric: Coverage ratio = after-tax income ÷ estimated expenses.
Scoring thresholds:
Why 35%: Income sustainability determines long-term viability. A move that depletes savings without sustainable income is a financial risk. Weighted second because short-term liquidity (getting there) must precede long-term sustainability (staying there).
Measures ability to purchase property in the destination.
Inputs:
Key metric: Down payment coverage ratio = available cash ÷ required down payment.
Scoring thresholds:
Why 25%: Property purchase is important but not essential: renting is always a viable alternative, particularly in the first years of relocation. Weighted lowest because it represents an optional dimension of financial readiness.
RVS = (Liquidity × 0.40) + (Income Sustainability × 0.35) + (Property Affordability × 0.25)
Score categories:
Source: Numbeo Cost of Living Index (updated annually)
Numbeo publishes cost-of-living indices benchmarked to New York City (NYC = 100) across several categories: overall, rent, groceries, restaurant meals, and transportation. Index values above 100 indicate a location more expensive than NYC; values below 100 indicate cheaper.
How we use it: We prefer individual category indices (especially rent and groceries) for expense estimation. When the overall composite index is missing, Waycarta may synthesize a weighted pseudo-overall from available sub-categories for comparison outputs. If category-specific inputs are unavailable but an overall COL difference is available, we may use that overall difference as a fallback adjustment. Missing categories are still flagged explicitly in the analysis output.
Expense estimation: When estimating destination living expenses, we adjust the two largest variable cost categories using available COLI data:
When no COLI data is available at the city level, we fall back through a geographic hierarchy: city → state/province → country. The data source level is reported in the score provenance.
US origins: US Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS). Median home values and household income at the state level.
International destinations: When direct housing price data is available elsewhere in Waycarta, we may use it for reference. When it is not, Waycarta can estimate home values and monthly rent from the COLI rent index using NYC as the baseline:
These estimates are flagged as derived values in the score provenance.
These derived estimates support other Waycarta views and provenance. They do not currently determine the property-affordability or liquidity-target denominator in the main RVS analysis path. In that path, Waycarta uses the user's expected destination property cost when provided. If it is omitted, the current production fallback is the user's current home value as a proxy target.
US federal: IRS tax brackets for the current filing year.
US state: State-specific income tax brackets where available.
Destination countries: Income tax brackets sourced from national tax authorities. Applied using standard brackets, with support for some explicitly selected regimes (for example, Portugal's Non-Habitual Resident regime). Treaty benefits, many deductions and credits, and the full fact pattern of special regimes are not fully modeled. Tax treaty implications are flagged as an analysis gap requiring professional advice.
US origins: State-specific agent commissions, closing costs, and transfer taxes from public records and industry data.
Destination countries: Country-level typical down payment percentages. Current defaults are 20% for US, Portugal, Croatia, and Italy; 30% for Mexico, Costa Rica, Spain, and Greece; and 25% where country-specific data is unavailable.
The following factors significantly affect relocation outcomes but are beyond the scope of a financial data model. Each is flagged as an analysis gap in the RVS report, with a recommendation to consult the appropriate specialist.
| Factor | Why it matters | Specialist type |
|---|---|---|
| Visa eligibility | Legal right to reside determines feasibility | Immigration attorney |
| Employment portability | Whether your income source survives the move | Career/relocation consultant |
| Local property regulations | Foreign ownership restrictions, title issues | Local real estate attorney |
| Tax treaty implications | Double taxation, foreign tax credits, special regimes | International tax advisor |
| Healthcare costs | Insurance, out-of-pocket, quality differences | Expat insurance broker |
| Currency risk | Exchange rate volatility affects purchasing power | Financial advisor |
| Education | School quality and costs for families with children | Relocation consultant |
| Cultural adaptation | Language, social integration, quality of life | Relocation consultant |
These gaps are not shortcomings: they reflect the reality that international relocation involves local, situational, and legal complexities that require human judgment. Waycarta's role is to establish the financial baseline and then connect users with professionals who can address the dimensions that matter most to them.
All assumptions used in the RVS calculation are documented in the score output. Key defaults:
When the RVS report marks a value as "estimated," it means the value was derived from available data using a documented method rather than sourced directly. The estimation method and source data are included in the score provenance so users can assess the reliability for their situation.
This methodology document is versioned alongside the Waycarta platform. Changes to scoring weights, thresholds, data sources, or estimation methods will be documented here with the date of change.
Current version: 1.1 (April 2026)