30 Jan 2025
Living abroad can be an exhilarating adventure, but managing finances in a foreign land often presents challenges. For expats, diasporas, migrant workers, and international students, keeping track of expenses and ensuring seamless money transfers is crucial. Thankfully, technology offers a plethora of budget apps to make financial life simpler and more efficient, so you have enough savings to send money to your loved ones back home. Let’s provide you with the best budgeting apps you may utilize to manage finances while living abroad.
Here are the 15 best budget apps designed to help you manage expenses and navigate the financial waters while living abroad.
Mint is a popular budgeting app that offers comprehensive financial management features. It allows you to track expenses, create budgets, and monitor your financial goals. Mint integrates with various financial institutions, making it easy to keep an eye on your accounts and send money online when needed.
YNAB is designed to help you gain control over your money. Its unique approach focuses on giving every dollar a job, ensuring you’re always aware of your spending and saving habits. With YNAB, you can seamlessly manage your finances and plan for future money transfers.
PocketGuard helps you manage your finances by showing how much disposable income you have after covering bills and necessities. It's perfect for those living abroad who need to keep track of expenses and save for online money transfers.
Goodbudget utilizes the envelope budgeting system to help you manage your finances. By allocating funds to different categories, you can easily control your spending and set aside money for future needs, such as sending money to loved ones.
Wally is a personal finance app that offers expense tracking, budgeting, and saving features. Its user-friendly interface makes it easy to monitor your financial health and plan for money transfers while living abroad.
Mvelopes is another envelope budgeting app that helps you allocate funds to various spending categories. It's ideal for expats and international students who need to manage their expenses and ensure they have enough money to send back home.
Expensify is perfect for those who need to track expenses on the go. With features like receipt scanning and expense reporting, Expensify makes it easy to manage your finances and prepare for online money transfers.
MoneyWiz offers a comprehensive suite of financial management tools, including budgeting, expense tracking, and investment tracking. It's an excellent app for those living abroad who need to keep an eye on their financial health and plan for future money transfers.
Spendee provides a visually appealing interface for tracking your expenses and managing your budget. Its collaborative features allow you to share financial information with family members, making it easier to coordinate money transfers.
Personal Capital offers robust financial management features, including budgeting, investment tracking, and retirement planning. It's a great app for those who need to manage their finances while living abroad and plan for future money transfers.
Simple is a banking app that integrates budgeting features to help you manage your finances. With its intuitive interface, you can easily track your spending and ensure you have enough funds for online money transfers.
Acorns is an investment app that helps you save and invest in spare change. It's perfect for those living abroad who want to build wealth over time and ensure they have enough money for future needs, including sending money to loved ones.
Qapital uses a goal-based approach to help you save and manage your finances. By setting savings goals and automating transfers, you can ensure you have enough funds for expenses and money transfers while living abroad.
EveryDollar is a budgeting app that follows the zero-based budgeting method. It's designed to help you allocate every dollar to a specific purpose, ensuring you stay on track with your finances and have enough money for online money transfers.
Honeydue is a budgeting app designed for couples, but it's also great for roommates or family members living abroad. It allows you to share financial information, track expenses, and coordinate money transfers easily.
When selecting a budgeting app, consider the following factors:
Managing finances while living abroad doesn't have to be a daunting task. With the right budget app, you can track expenses, save money, and ensure seamless online money transfers. These 15 budget apps offer a variety of features to cater to the unique needs of expats, diasporas, migrant workers, and international students. By choosing the right app, you can make your financial life easier and focus on enjoying your experience abroad. Plus, for a more financially stable life, using ACE’s money transfer app is recommended since you enjoy competitive rates and low fees when you send money online back home via ACE’s website or app.
The best budgeting app depends on individual needs, but popular choices include Mint, YNAB, and Personal Capital due to their comprehensive financial management features.
Some apps like Mint and Wally offer free versions, while others like YNAB and Mvelopes require a subscription for full features. Check each app for specific pricing details.
Budgeting apps help track expenses and savings, ensuring you have sufficient funds for online money transfers and making financial planning more manageable.
Yes, apps like Wally, MoneyWiz, and Spendee support multiple currencies, making them ideal for those living abroad.
Most budgeting apps use encryption and two-factor authentication to protect your financial information. It's essential to review each app's security features before use.
Many of these apps integrate with a wide range of financial institutions, but it's best to check each app's compatibility with your specific bank.
Consider factors like ease of use, features, cost, security, multi-currency support, and integration with financial institutions when choosing a budgeting app.
Yes, apps like Goodbudget, Spendee, and Honeydue offer collaborative features, allowing you to share financial information with family members or roommates.
Some apps like Goodbudget require manual data entry, while others like Mint and Expensify offer automated tracking features.
Honeydue is designed for couples, but it's also suitable for families or roommates who want to share and manage their finances together.