How much does it cost to move abroad? Less than you’d think at the government counter. Spain’s retirement visa costs about $190 per person in published fees, FBI check included. Mexico’s temporary residence costs about $660. Those are October 2026 figures. The bigger checks come after the visa: Spanish tenancy law lets a landlord hold up to three months’ rent before you’ve opened a single box.
So budget in two layers. First, fees you can look up today. Then the costs that depend on choices you haven’t made yet.
Conversions below use the European Central Bank’s rate of October 12, 2026: €1 = $1.1181, and about 18.34 Mexican pesos to the dollar.
How much does it cost to move abroad in government fees
These are the published fees for one adult on the usual retiree route in the five countries Americans ask about most.
| Country | Route | Fee before you go | Fee after you arrive | Published total, one person |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | Non-lucrative visa | $140 visa + $13 residence permit, plus $38 for the FBI check and apostille | Small ID-card fee | About $190 |
| Portugal | D7 residence visa | €110 visa (about $123) | €133 to file + €114.30 to grant the permit at AIMA (about $276) | About $400 |
| Mexico | Temporary resident | $56 consular fee, cash, non-refundable | 11,140.74 pesos for a card of up to one year (about $607) | About $660 |
| Costa Rica | Pensionado | n/a | $200 if you change status while in the country, + $25 to the migration social fund | $225, plus filing and ID-card fees |
| Panama | Pensionado | n/a | Not listed on the official requirement page | Ask for the receipts |
Two warnings sit behind that table.
Panama’s official page says the application goes in “mediante apoderado legal,” through a lawyer. Lawyer fees aren’t government fees, and they’ll dwarf everything above. Get them in writing.
And Mexico charges per year of card. A two-year card costs 16,693.36 pesos (about $910). Permanent residence costs 13,578.96 pesos (about $740).
The US paperwork before you leave
Most of this gets paid in the US, months before the flight.
- FBI background check: $18. Spain wants it issued within six months of applying.
- Apostille on the FBI check: $20 per document at the State Department’s Office of Authentications, under 22 CFR 22.1.
- Birth and marriage certificates: apostilled by the state that issued them, at that state’s fee.
- Passport: an adult renewal costs $130 ($50 plus the $80 security surcharge). If yours expires in the next few years, renew before you apply, so the visa and the residence card aren’t tied to an old number.
- Translations: sworn translators set their own prices. Spain accepts its own medical-certificate template in place of a translated one.
The order matters more than the money. Apostille first, translate second, and keep an eye on the clocks. Spain’s medical certificate has to be issued within 90 days of your application. More on that in documents to apostille before moving abroad.
Housing: the biggest check you’ll write
Here’s where the real money goes. Not the visa.
Spain is the clearest case, because the rule is in the law. Article 36 of the Urban Leases Act makes a cash deposit of one month’s rent mandatory on a home lease. The landlord can also ask for an additional guarantee of up to two more months on leases of up to five years. Article 20 says agency and contract fees can’t be passed to the tenant, “under any concept or name.”
On a €1,000 flat, that’s €1,000 deposit, up to €2,000 extra guarantee and €1,000 for the first month. €4,000, about $4,470, before you’ve bought a kettle.
For Portugal, Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama, I didn’t find a national cap on deposits in the official sources I checked. Treat the number as a negotiation, and get it written into the lease along with the date it comes back.
And plan for overlap. If you keep paying rent or a mortgage at home while the visa is processed, you’re carrying two homes for a month or two.
Shipping or selling
For Spain and Portugal, the EU’s rules on personal property help. Under Regulation 1186/2009, household goods come in free of import duty if:
- you’ve lived outside the EU for at least 12 months,
- you’ve owned and used the items for at least six months,
- you import them within 12 months of moving,
- and you don’t sell, lend or rent them out for 12 months after clearance.
Duty-free isn’t freight-free. A container is priced by the mover, by the route and by the month, so get three written quotes before you decide. The test is simple: will it cost more to ship this sofa than to buy one there? For most furniture, the answer is yes. Photos, papers and a few things you can’t replace are a different calculation.
Insurance before you land
Spain’s consulate wants private health insurance with no copays and no coverage limits. Travel insurance doesn’t count. Price it at your real age before you commit, because premiums climb with every birthday.
Medicare is the other line. It usually doesn’t cover care outside the US, but keeping Part B costs $202.90 a month in 2026, or $2,434.80 a year. Drop it, and the late-enrollment penalty adds 10% for each year you could’ve had it.
One worked example: a single person moving to Spain
Everything here is a published fee or a legal rule. Flights, insurance and shipping aren’t included, because they depend on your quotes.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Visa, residence permit, FBI check, apostille | About $190 |
| Passport renewal, if needed | $130 |
| Deposit, maximum extra guarantee and first month on a €1,000 flat | €4,000 (about $4,470) |
| Medicare Part B for the first year, if you keep it | $2,434.80 |
| Subtotal before flights, insurance and shipping | About $7,230 |
Then add the money you’ll need to show, not spend. Spain asks a single applicant for €28,800 a year, about $32,200. Mexico’s San Diego consulate wants $4,510 a month of income over six months, or an average balance of $75,950 over twelve. That money has to sit where the consulate can see it while you pay for everything else.
The costs nobody lists
- A refused application. Mexico’s fee is charged before anyone looks at your file and isn’t refunded either way.
- A second trip. You apply in person at the consulate that covers your state. If it’s a flight away, that’s a flight, maybe two.
- The exchange rate. Fees in euros or pesos move with the dollar. A 5% drop before you pay the deposit is 5% more on the biggest item.
Fees are what people look up. The lease is what they end up paying for.
If you’re still choosing where, see how much money you need to retire abroad and what $2,000 a month buys in nine countries. Country details are on Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama.