Places to live like a peasant?
- Thread starter AdamC
- Start date
I'm with the people saying Eastern Europe. While it may not be as cheap as Thailand etc, people seem to never leave those countries. Eastern Europe, at least you're near the decent countries, so as your income increases, you can slowly 'upgrade' countries, until you're at the stage where you can pick where you want to live based on how nice it is, not how cheap, without having to fly halfway around the world.
Nice one, my purple marocs all diedstill got a few others though. Try Grandaddy Purple Bay Dream if you're doing it outdoors, I've thrown a lot of shit at my plants, but those kicked all the others' asses and are now 7 foot monsters. A bit slow to flower, but that shouldn't matter in Spain.
This is exactly why I went with Czech Republic. If you get tired of being in eastern Europe you can hop a flight and be anywhere in Europe in 1-2 hours. Also it has some of the most lax drug laws and most bars don't mind you smoking a joint inside. Add the fact that beer is cheaper than water in the pubs and you probably won't be missing the UK all that much.
Is Czech Republic even considered Eastern Europe though? Prague is an absolutely beautiful city, vibrant colors, happy people, and I could easily see myself living there. Places like Serbia, Slovakia, and Hungary though? Not a chance. They're a world away from Prague.
I don't know, I didn't spend enough time in Poland, but there's a chance I could do Warsaw. That seemed like a pretty decent city, but I'd have to spend more time there first.
I don't know, I didn't spend enough time in Poland, but there's a chance I could do Warsaw. That seemed like a pretty decent city, but I'd have to spend more time there first.
Personally I prefer to find ways to make more money rather than to sacrifice lifestyle and my freedom is very important. So this is a great option for me. Also my brother Alex (HiGhPeR) lives down here so it's nice. Also once you've been in a place for so long and understand how everything works it gets much more enjoyable. There are certain things/differences that you have to accept but it's just part of 3rd world living. Although lots of CR is more first world than most probably think.
Also the higher cost of living in Costa Rica does keep it out of reach for lots of people which I don't think is a bad thing.
Nicaragua, is ok. Similar beaches and weather, however the government is very corrupt and owning property there is a crap shot. I've personally spoken to quite a few people who owned property and/or are from there and they all say it's unstable. If a government official with power decides he likes your place it's not all that hard for them to snatch it away. I'm not ok with that, or even a chance of that happening.
Czech's like to consider themselves as Central Europe, but honestly it is Eastern Europe as they are a post communist country. People tend to generalize that all of Eastern Europe is the same. That would be like saying all of the SE Asia countries are on the same standard of living. I'm gonna take a wild guess that people in Thailand live better then those in Burma or Laos.
You can see a clear divide in salary maps like these List of countries in Europe by monthly average wage - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
First thing i noticed visiting prague a couple of years back: Hippies in ponchos openly smoking joints. Also: Beer for a $ in beer gardens. Also a shitton of beautiful women.
I can highly recommend checking it out if you are in Europe. Not sure how much has changed though...probably a lot! ( Last time i visited, they weren't part of the EU yet).
Visas are a pain in the ass in Thailand. I wouldn't want to do visa runs every month or shell out for Thai classes to qualify for an education visa. Seems like too much of a hassle - especially if you plan on sticking around longer term.
This is the main reason why I chose to move to Cambodia - easy visa.
That being said, Thailand is nice. Great food, reasonably priced electricity, internet, and rent, and lots of beautiful things to see.
The major cities also have great infrastructure. So, there is plenty of things to do.
I visited Chiang Mai once and didn't think much of it. Way too touristy.
If I lived in Thailand I would probably choose Bangkok or Pattaya.
I have lived in Asia for four years. So I have no problem with temptation from all of the hookers and booze. After awhile, it gets boring just like everything else in life, but it is always nice to have the option.
In my opinion, I would only consider living in countries where the visa is easy to get and requires little to no hassle. In Southeast Asia I believe Cambodia, Indonesia, and the Philippines fall into that bucket.
I don't know much about living in Indonesia. So, can't speak to that.
The Philippines is reasonably cheap, but internet is pretty crap and very expensive. Also, they have some of the highest electricity costs on the planet. So, if you like running your AC 24/7 expect high electricity bills.
The Philippines is probably one of the most beautiful countries in Southeast Asia. Just about everyone speaks English and they are very friendly/polite. That being said, they have a big problem with violent crime. So, it is probably more dangerous than some place like Thailand.
Cambodia is cheap. The cost of internet has dropped quite a bit in the past year or so (I pay 40 USD for a 4Mbit/s connection - unheard of two years ago (paid 120 USD for 1Mb/s back then).
Electricity prices are almost as high as the Philippines. The people are very warm and friendly (whereas in Thailand, I get the feeling most Thais strongly dislike foreigners).
Sadly, food isn't the best (this is the country that food forgot - Thailand and Vietnam have awesome food. Don't know what happened to Cambodia).
Infrastructure is what you would expect in this country: crap. Also, while violent crime isn't as bad as it is in the Philippines, you are more likely to be hit by a car crossing the street here (this place has some of the world's worst drivers, IMO).
This is the main reason why I chose to move to Cambodia - easy visa.
That being said, Thailand is nice. Great food, reasonably priced electricity, internet, and rent, and lots of beautiful things to see.
The major cities also have great infrastructure. So, there is plenty of things to do.
I visited Chiang Mai once and didn't think much of it. Way too touristy.
If I lived in Thailand I would probably choose Bangkok or Pattaya.
I have lived in Asia for four years. So I have no problem with temptation from all of the hookers and booze. After awhile, it gets boring just like everything else in life, but it is always nice to have the option.
In my opinion, I would only consider living in countries where the visa is easy to get and requires little to no hassle. In Southeast Asia I believe Cambodia, Indonesia, and the Philippines fall into that bucket.
I don't know much about living in Indonesia. So, can't speak to that.
The Philippines is reasonably cheap, but internet is pretty crap and very expensive. Also, they have some of the highest electricity costs on the planet. So, if you like running your AC 24/7 expect high electricity bills.
The Philippines is probably one of the most beautiful countries in Southeast Asia. Just about everyone speaks English and they are very friendly/polite. That being said, they have a big problem with violent crime. So, it is probably more dangerous than some place like Thailand.
Cambodia is cheap. The cost of internet has dropped quite a bit in the past year or so (I pay 40 USD for a 4Mbit/s connection - unheard of two years ago (paid 120 USD for 1Mb/s back then).
Electricity prices are almost as high as the Philippines. The people are very warm and friendly (whereas in Thailand, I get the feeling most Thais strongly dislike foreigners).
Sadly, food isn't the best (this is the country that food forgot - Thailand and Vietnam have awesome food. Don't know what happened to Cambodia).
Infrastructure is what you would expect in this country: crap. Also, while violent crime isn't as bad as it is in the Philippines, you are more likely to be hit by a car crossing the street here (this place has some of the world's worst drivers, IMO).
Drug laws have gotten even more lax since then. Beer is more expensive. It's about $1.50-$2 for half liters of beer in bars and beer gardens. Women still look good though.
Dam Matt, you spend more on your dogs then the average person has to live on in Thailand.
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For people interested in living in Europe you should check out Zadar croatia, or any big Croatian city.
Pros+
Germany, Austria, Italy, etc all super close by. So you can travel
Low cost of living
Good internet
Safe
Nice beaches
Great parties during summer, with a lot of english tourists ( Depending on city/location)
Cost of Living in Zadar, Croatia. Prices in Zadar.
The more I read these theads, the more I feel it is a mistake to do as I did and settle down in one city. I might try to get out of this condo contract and just do like that other dude and travel the world for a year instead. To be honest, I don't see myself living long term in Thailand so what is the point anyway. The only thing that would bother me about constant travel after a while is no continuity and you won't be able to make lasting connections, but of course you could keep in touch on skype and social media.
Yes, I've read that they actually decriminalized quite a few substances which is really nice. I wonder why they're not the new Netherlands yet. Pitty about the beer though. It was fascinating to scrape pocket change to buy beer after beer ...but then, 1.50$ is still pretty cheap.
If you don't mind me asking, why? I'm assuming you have a girl or something work related going on there?
And do they still have those cool, 1930 style black taxis? Those things were like a tourist attraction in itself.
The answer is simply why not? It's close enough to family etc while being a little different from England.
Google answered my question, and apparently they still do!
Those things kicked ass.