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3) Arequipa, Peru - this is where I currently work and they have a great climate, good food, low cost, but there is a bit more crime here you will have to be more careful than what you would in Asia.
To each their own but I don't like the climate in Arequipa much. I can get get warm enough in the day if I'm in the sun but gets cold every evening, I'd much rather be somewhere I'm comfortable in flip-flops and shorts eating outside somewhere for dinner.
The food though, man what I wouldn't give for some good rocoto relleno right now.
To each their own but I don't like the climate in Arequipa much. I can get get warm enough in the day if I'm in the sun but gets cold every evening, I'd much rather be somewhere I'm comfortable in flip-flops and shorts eating outside somewhere for dinner.
The food though, man what I wouldn't give for some good rocoto relleno right now.
Yeah the climate is perfect for me (I've never been cold here) but my wife was cold in the evenings as it normally get down to the mid 40's (7 C) every night. The food and restaurants though are undeniably outstanding and a lot less than similar in the USA.
Do fear mongering pieces by "contributors' to web sites count as proof now?
Your WorldNetDaily article is by Jerome R Corsi, well known tin hatter conspiracy nutter of the 1st degree. Do you seriously take stuff people like that seriously when making personal finance decisions?
Below is some other stuff from that web page, are you telling me you looked around at all that and decided hey this is a great place to get unbiased rational insight into how I should manage my money?
2) Penang Malaysia - may be a bit more expensive than CM but still has a lot of nice features.
Big Cities
1) Bangkok - really has a decent public transport network, easy to get anywhere in the world from their airport, great food, but a bit humid and housing is not cheap. Food and other expenses are cheap though.
2) Kuala Lumpur - May be more boring than Bangkok but has great cuisine and advanced transport system.
Penang is actually my #1 choice, right now, as a place to retire, at least for a few years. It seems to have most of the right ingredients for me, the heat & humidity being the biggest negative, for many that's the draw particularly among the Euro expats there. Luckily condos with aircon, cafes/bars with overhead fans & afternoon siestas are plentiful. The other 2 are serious contenders though with many more negatives for me.
I guess I just assume that someone who is considering moving abroad will do at least some minimum research on things like visa requirements, cost of living & not have to have each country's requirements detailed here, due diligence is mandatory: you will be a stranger in a strange land & not at home with the old assumptions about your rights & conveniences. There are plenty of online resources for expats & wannabes.
But nothing clears the vision like 6 months in country, one's expectations & flexibility aren't part of the marketing brochure. If it is simply a $$ issue I think Lake Chapala area is the easiest move for yanks.
I'm surprised this conversation is still going. Has the OP come back to even add anything more?
They were just wondering about living abroad. Of course it's an option. But, so is staying in the U.S., without the possible hassles/difficulties/challenges of living abroad.
So OP, what are your thoughts on what's been posted?
Would you rather stay in the U.S.?
Of course visa requirements is a very important first step.
As a 'young' retiree you will be joined the ranks of those who cross borders frequently to keep 'entry stamp fresh' every 60 days in Thailand. There are 'independent border agents' (guys on motorcycles) that will deliver you to a place that will stamp your Passport. We were usually in Burma doing this, but ONLY when we hadn't been outside Thailand for 59 days in a row!!! Very rare, since we travel a lot. Need to remember... most of Asia and western Europe you can cross a few countries each day,... Take the night train and you may wake up several countries away from where you left. Thus a 'free pass' for another 59 days. I also follow the 'Tax Treaty', so at 183 cumulative days / yr I'm GONE from that country.
As with most foriegn living...flights / travel... be ready for a LONG queue, delayed flights, pushy NOISY people with B.O., shopping bags (lots of shopping bags) in overhead, FULL flights, even at 3AM. JAMMED FULL! Price of admission, not for whiners and complainers and those wanting an EZ chair / couch potatoe experience. Gotta get in a Dig, smell, push, and 'cackle' with the best of them.
If we lose all the low cost air carriers, that might be a burden, but there are SO MANY!!! I usually used Scoot, Tiger, Jetstar, Air Asia, for under $100 you can fly all of Asia, many destinations under $50 (next day / same day). VietJet is really good ($25), as is PAL, I have not tried Vanilla Air! It is Japan based, so should be a real tight squeeze for a westerner!
Really brave and being local... use the overnight buses (~$10). As a commercial driver I don't do overnight buses. especially in Canada! (man beheaded seat mate on Greyhound).
They are clamping down on visa runners so I wouldn't go this route if you expect to be there any length of time.
That's interesting. I'm from further up north. The rent and home prices in general keep getting more expensive the further north you go. In EGF, Crookston, TRF, etc. An apartment like that generally rents for around $800. Then, ND is quite expensive, too.
I just did a very quick look at Craigslist. I guess the point is that there are many acceptable apartments for rent across the United States for perhps $400 on up should the OP decide to stay here. But if they want adventure, I can understand living abroad. I just know enough about some of these countries to give them a heads up. I'd want someone to do the same to me if I were inquiring.
You can live very cheaply in Costa Rica. You just have to live like a Tico, without the American lifestyle.
- no AC
-use public transport
-live in Tico housing
-use Internet at cafes
-eat local foods only, including eating at sodas for the tipicale meal of chicken and Gallo pinto.
- put up with difficulties in setting up everything like utilities
Sounds fun! Oh, and more crime. (I've been there a lot). Language barrier. Rains a lot in the afternoons, etc.
I think a lot of the countries mentioned are nice to visit. It's just that living there for two years is a whole different ballgame. Soccer, for example.
Of course, you will be subject to a lot of 'petty theft' / hassles of 'paying bribes' to police & government 'servants'. But that is life outside of America... get used to it or stay 'sequestered' in USA.
I lived the first 40 years of my life outside of the US and never paid a bribe to anyone.
I just did a very quick look at Craigslist. I guess the point is that there are many acceptable apartments for rent across the United States for perhps $400 on up should the OP decide to stay here. But if they want adventure, I can understand living abroad. I just know enough about some of these countries to give them a heads up. I'd want someone to do the same to me if I were inquiring.
I guess my other point was that, in the case of the small Minnesota city. You are also... in small town Minnesota . After seeing what my grandma went through, it seems like a pretty miserable place to retire, IMO. In Costa Rica you are by the beach, in a town that you can at least sort of walk around, with a more reasonable climate. Of course, as someone else pointed out, all of this discussion is moot if you don't meet the visa requirements. It's also pretty clear the OP is the same guy who keeps changing user accounts and posting made up stories, so maybe this whole conversation is pointless...
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