When is the cost of going earned back?
Visa, agent, ticket — and the interest on the loan that paid for them: how many months of saving abroad it takes to clear it all, and what is left when the contract ends, or lost.
One unpaid month, one medical bill or one early return moves every figure here. The saving is an assumption; the loan is not.
Going cost रू 1,50,000, रू 1,00,000 of it borrowed. At 18.00% over 24 months the loan adds रू 19,817.84 in interest, so the real cost is रू 1,69,817.84.
Saving रू 25,000 a month, everything paid and still owed is covered by month 7. From then on the saving is yours; by the end of the contract रू 4,30,182.16 is.
| Month | Saved so far | Paid so far | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 75,000 | 64,977.23 | − 94,817.84 |
| 6 | 1,50,000 | 79,954.46 | − 19,817.84 |
| 7 | 1,75,000 | 84,946.87 | 5,182.16 |
| 9 | 2,25,000 | 94,931.69 | 55,182.16 |
| 12 | 3,00,000 | 1,09,908.92 | 1,30,182.16 |
| 15 | 3,75,000 | 1,24,886.15 | 2,05,182.16 |
| 18 | 4,50,000 | 1,39,863.38 | 2,80,182.16 |
| 21 | 5,25,000 | 1,54,840.61 | 3,55,182.16 |
| 24 | 6,00,000 | 1,69,817.84 | 4,30,182.16 |
- From month 7 the saving is yours. Decide now what it is for — the emergency fund tool is the usual first stop.
- Clear the loan early if the lender allows it without a penalty; the prepayment tool shows what that saves.
- The saving is the same every month — no unpaid months, no emergencies, no fare home.
- The loan is reducing-balance at the stated rate with equal instalments — moneylenders often charge flat, which costs more; check with the flat-versus-reducing tool.
- No renewal: the contract ends when it ends.
- Any remaining loan is still owed when you return.
A worked example
The form starts with these figures (in NPR) so you can see how it works before typing your own. They are made up — nobody's real numbers appear here.
Questions people ask
Why count the loan interest as part of the cost?
Because it is paid for the same reason the ticket was. A 1.5-lakh trip financed by a 1-lakh loan at 18% costs nearly 1.7 lakh by the time it is repaid; at a moneylender's rate, far more.
What does "earned back" mean here?
The month your saving so far would clear everything: what you paid up front, every instalment paid, and every instalment still to come. From that month the saving is genuinely yours.
The contract ends before the cost is earned back. Now what?
Then this contract loses money unless it is renewed. Many are; many are not. Knowing the number before signing lets you ask for a longer contract, a smaller loan, or a cheaper one.
Where does the monthly saving figure come from?
The "real earnings abroad" tool: salary, minus living there, minus fees, minus what home needs — before the loan instalment, which this page subtracts itself.
Do you keep what I type here?
No. The figures are used to work out the answer and are not stored, and never appear in the page address.
These are estimates. The figures depend entirely on the numbers you enter and on assumptions that are listed on every result. They are not financial advice, and a bank, employer or authority may use different rules. Check anything important with them before you decide.
We do not keep your figures. Salary, debt and savings you type here are used to work out the answer and are not stored, and never appear in the page address. The only thing remembered is your country and language choice (a small cookie), so the currency can be suggested next time — never a figure you typed. Anonymous counters record that a calculation happened, not what it was.