Furnished or unfurnished: compare the cost over your stay

List what you would actually need to buy

Make an inventory for each property: bed, mattress, table, storage, appliances and basic kitchen equipment. Furnished does not mean every item is included. Request an inventory and separate necessities from optional upgrades. Use delivered prices for missing essentials; a cheap item with costly delivery is not the amount that should enter your plan.

Calculate the break-even stay

Illustration, not local prices: a furnished apartment costs 100 more each month; equipping the alternative costs 1,200. Ignoring resale, financing and removal costs, the purchase equals 12 months of premium. At six months the premium is 600; at eighteen it is 1,800. This comparison is meaningful only if location, bills and usable space are otherwise comparable.

Keep cash and ownership separate

Buying furniture requires cash at arrival even when you spread its cost across your planned stay. Do not count both the full purchase and that monthly allocation in the same total. Add removal or storage to the exit budget. Treat future resale as uncertain until you have a credible buyer, and check who is responsible for repairs under the actual agreement.

Sources and further reading

• Lifovra — methodology and limitations