Places to live like a peasant?

Why don't you try one of the UK islands in and around the Caribbean?

Bermuda, Cayman Islands, B.V.I., etc...

These islands not only have the perfect weather, but they have many international companies settled down there that are posting Web/IT jobs that pay USD 100k+ per annum tax-free. If you're broke, sounds like an ideal place for you. You can enjoy the great weather and be balling in the process.
 


absolute said:
This can be a massive pain in the ass to do in some countries, especially if you're on a budget. Consider:

Long lets vs short lets. In most places renting for six months or more will get you a huge discount.
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Missed this earlier, but it's a valid point. Be prepared to sign an 11 or 12 month rental agreement or pay 10 times or more the amount for rent down here on a short term let, especially in the summer. Heck, if you're only staying for 3 months you'd still be better off signing a 12 month rental agreement and walking away from your deposit (first month, last month and 1 month for damage).
 
avatar33 said:
Why don't you try one of the UK islands in and around the Caribbean?

Bermuda, Cayman Islands, B.V.I., etc...

These islands not only have the perfect weather, but they have many international companies settled down there that are posting Web/IT jobs that pay USD 100k+ per annum tax-free. If you're broke, sounds like an ideal place for you. You can enjoy the great weather and be balling in the process.
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On these islands, isn't the cost of living very high? I have a few friends that did the whole Caribbean islands thing, and they said its a great place to visit, but you'd never want to live there. It's super expensive since everything has to be flown in or delivered by boat. Rents are high as fuck for a decent place. Cars are very expensive, again since you have to get them there in the first place and then you generally have "luxury" taxes on top of that.

I've only visited several of the islands in the Caribbean, so I can't speak for living on them, but I do know from just visiting that I would probably go crazy after about a month.
 
HiGhPeR said:
...but I do know from just visiting that I would probably go crazy after about a month.
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This. Everyone I know who's been said the same thing. There's not a whole lot to do in these places. You better like the beach and water sports because other than that it's the bars for entertainment. Then again, I rarely leave my house so meh.
 
HiGhPeR said:
On these islands, isn't the cost of living very high? I have a few friends that did the whole Caribbean islands thing, and they said its a great place to visit, but you'd never want to live there. It's super expensive since everything has to be flown in or delivered by boat. Rents are high as fuck for a decent place. Cars are very expensive, again since you have to get them there in the first place and then you generally have "luxury" taxes on top of that.

I've only visited several of the islands in the Caribbean, so I can't speak for living on them, but I do know from just visiting that I would probably go crazy after about a month.
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I got a job offer in Bermuda back in 2007 for $80k a year tax-free which I denied specifically because the hiring manager (who was also Canadian) told me during the interview: "listen I gotta be honest with you, it's tough for a single guy, most expats come here with their wives and sometimes kids which makes the whole experience that much better. We had a problem in the past with hiring young single guys because a lot of them end up leaving after a year or so." (Yes I was single at the time so what he was telling me wasn't music to my ears, I was hoping I'd meet lots of chicks on those islands, but he crushed my fantasies lol)

Yes the cost of living is high, but not that much higher than a big U.S. city in like New York or L.A., except like I said, the salaries more than make up for it. 100k tax-free (or less than 4% tax) is like 150k in the U.S.

I have a friend that actually did a 5 year contract in Bermuda for a finance firm headquartered there, came back home loaded. Paid cash for a huge home near the beach. (and he told me he could've saved way more had he not spent so much in booze and entertainment while he was there)
 
Cost of living has a lot to do with your lifestyle. Yes, some places are more expensive than others, however when you start making decent money, your biggest expense is going to be taxes, unless you're already doing an amazing job managing them.

There are places you can domicile which reduce your income tax burdens to almost zero, which for those of you paying near 50% in income tax, is basically a 100% raise in income.

I am all for living cheap (I live ridiculously cheap) and having adventures, but I don't think it's a good idea for people to maintain an endgame of living in a developing country on sub-$3k a month income. If anything you need money for comes up, and you don't have savings, you're fucked. And the list of things which can come up and which you aren't expecting is literally a mile long.
 
tencentpiece said:
Eastern europe is nice, but it's not particularly cheap compared to SE asia and the winters are a no deal for me.
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Here's a comparison between the cost of living in Bangkok and Prague. It's roughly the same in terms of cost.

Cost of Living Comparison Between Prague, Czech Republic And Bangkok, Thailand

I like to have a fairly sociable lifestyle and it's much easier to do it here. I can go out to the pub, drink 6-7 pints and spend less than $10 here. Also, if recreational drug use is your thing, the Czech Republic has decriminalized small amounts of pretty much every substance.


You're right though, the winters here can get pretty cold.
 
ToddW said:
Nothing is more motivating than living like a bum.
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This is another good point. We're self-employed, and I can only speak for myself, but my income directly correlates with my mental and emotional well-being, and my living environment has a direct impact on both.

Again, totally different for each individual, but living out of cheap studio apartments in cheap countries may drag you down after a while. Then you wake up one day, and find yourself trying to crawl out of a hole you never knew you were digging in the first place. That's always fun.
 
Krnuernberger said:
Here's a comparison between the cost of living in Bangkok and Prague. It's roughly the same in terms of cost.

Cost of Living Comparison Between Prague, Czech Republic And Bangkok, Thailand

I like to have a fairly sociable lifestyle and it's much easier to do it here. I can go out to the pub, drink 6-7 pints and spend less than $10 here. Also, if recreational drug use is your thing, the Czech Republic has decriminalized small amounts of pretty much every substance.


You're right though, the winters here can get pretty cold.
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To be fair, Thailand and Bangkok in particular are probably the most expensive places in South East Asia.

In Laos, I was paying ~$4 a night for a two bedroom apartment with breakfast included, a maid service, free wifi, fully furnished etc etc. If you're living in the old town of Prague you're simply not going to be able to get away with those type of prices.
 
tencentpiece said:
In Laos, I was paying ~$4 a night for a two bedroom apartment with breakfast included, a maid service, free wifi, fully furnished etc etc.
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What city in Laos? I'd love to pay $4/night while doing a VISA run. Was it in Vientiane? If so, where? Drop me a PM if you don't want to post it publicly.
 
butcher said:
LOL, car payments are for peasants
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Oh man you guys can't see past your mom-basement worldview.

Why have $150k tied up in a depreciating 'asset' when I can lease it and make the payments opex and therefore deductible? Mercedes takes the car back after 3 years and I get a new one.

Steve Jobs leased all his cars, I guess he was a peasant.
 
Krnuernberger said:
Here's a comparison between the cost of living in Bangkok and Prague. It's roughly the same in terms of cost.

Cost of Living Comparison Between Prague, Czech Republic And Bangkok, Thailand

I like to have a fairly sociable lifestyle and it's much easier to do it here. I can go out to the pub, drink 6-7 pints and spend less than $10 here. Also, if recreational drug use is your thing, the Czech Republic has decriminalized small amounts of pretty much every substance.


You're right though, the winters here can get pretty cold.
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Based on that comparison table it would appear that Prague is indeed a cheaper place to live... if you're a raving alcoholic who loves potatoes.

I'm not Irish so Thailand still looks the better deal. What are internet connections like in Pattaya?
 
tencentpiece said:
To be fair, Thailand and Bangkok in particular are probably the most expensive places in South East Asia.

In Laos, I was paying ~$4 a night for a two bedroom apartment with breakfast included, a maid service, free wifi, fully furnished etc etc. If you're living in the old town of Prague you're simply not going to be able to get away with those type of prices.
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Yes and Prague is one of the most expensive cities in Eastern Europe if you exclude Moscow (which no one lives in if they're looking to save money). Laos is ones of the poorest countries in SE Asia so it's more comparable to Bulgaria or Moldova.
 
microphone head said:
Based on that comparison table it would appear that Prague is indeed a cheaper place to live... if you're a raving alcoholic who loves potatoes.

I'm not Irish so Thailand still looks the better deal. What are internet connections like in Pattaya?
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Pattaya? Pattaya is like the armpit of Thailand. Its a gross, dirty place. Far better places to end up in Thailand then there..
 
HiGhPeR said:
Pattaya? Pattaya is like the armpit of Thailand. Its a gross, dirty place. Far better places to end up in Thailand then there..
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Maybe that's what he likes :p:love-smiley-086:
 
Kiopa_Matt said:
That list is stupid. Scroll down, and it says Jakarta, Indonesia is more expensive than Vancouver, Canada. heh...
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Try reading...

a) The list is based on US Dollars, so currency differences play into this
b) the list is based on the needs for US expatriates..
Expatriates living in these cities have high expenditures for appropriate accommodation, transportation and imported goods.
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So the "appropriate" accomodation, food, etc.. is simply harder to come by and more expensive, which also explains some fucked up African cities in this list.

::emp::
 
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