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Most tropical cities -eg Darwin, Singapore, Jakarta etc are a no go.
Hong Kong is about the absolute limit, seeing as they do at least have a winter and seasons.
This is actually one place I could live and earn a good income, pay low rent and taxes etc, and enjoy a different culture.
Most apartments would be air-conditioned too one would assume, the price of this has come down astronomically in recent years.
I am not sure where you get that from. It's actually the opposite - rents are extremely expensive in Hong Kong, and have gone even higher recently. Taxes are really low though, and yes apartments are air-conditioned but most lack any sort of heating, which is particularly troublesome during cold winter days. 10°C is a pain in Hong Kong because it means 10°C in your flat. Those days are much harder to deal with than -10°C days in France. But if you like cold and winter then it's good for you Hong Kong can go above 24°C in winter too though, in the last couple of days they almost hit 30°C in the northern suburbs.
Back to the topic : I don't mind cold winters that much as long as they are snowy and reasonably sunny. I do however have a strong hatred for dark and damp oceanic winter days, as well as cool summers. You would have to pay me a LOT to live in the UK, not even talking about Iceland and Russia. Conversely, I'd accept a comparatively lower salary to work in Singapore where I'm studying right now, not only it is awesome weatherwise for my preferences, but the quality of life here is VERY tough to beat.
I am not sure where you get that from. It's actually the opposite - rents are extremely expensive in Hong Kong, and have gone even higher recently. Taxes are really low though, and yes apartments are air-conditioned but most lack any sort of heating, which is particularly troublesome during cold winter days. 10°C is a pain in Hong Kong because it means 10°C in your flat. Those days are much harder to deal with than -10°C days in France. But if you like cold and winter then it's good for you Hong Kong can go above 24°C in winter too though, in the last couple of days they almost hit 30°C in the northern suburbs.
Back to the topic : I don't mind cold winters that much as long as they are snowy and reasonably sunny. I do however have a strong hatred for dark and damp oceanic winter days, as well as cool summers. You would have to pay me a LOT to live in the UK, not even talking about Iceland and Russia. Conversely, I'd accept a comparatively lower salary to work in Singapore where I'm studying right now, not only it is awesome weatherwise for my preferences, but the quality of life here is VERY tough to beat.
Well done dhdh you are the first to mention us as an example of a place with a climate that bad you'd have to be paid a fortune to live here (I knew it was coming...) One of the places I would never move to regardless of the money is the Middle East, aside from the obvious reasons I couldn't cope with heat so bad you couldn't comfortably go outside for months on end and the monotonous, colourless dead landscape compared to here. I suppose a Scottish highland/island climate would be equally unbearable for different reasons. I'm actually a bit envious of people like Americans who have that option of hassle-free moving to a completely different climate yet not having a significant culture shock. Sure, I could just pack my bags, fly to Spain and register as a new resident the same day - I once did - but it's not the same at all as regards home comforts. The climate is one of the top reasons why Australia has always been a popular choice for us lot, but spending years filling in the forms and then being 10000 miles from friends and family isn't really my thing.
Well done dhdh you are the first to mention us as an example of a place with a climate that bad you'd have to be paid a fortune to live here (I knew it was coming...) One of the places I would never move to regardless of the money is the Middle East, aside from the obvious reasons I couldn't cope with heat so bad you couldn't comfortably go outside for months on end and the monotonous, colourless dead landscape compared to here. I suppose a Scottish highland/island climate would be equally unbearable for different reasons. I'm actually a bit envious of people like Americans who have that option of hassle-free moving to a completely different climate yet not having a significant culture shock. Sure, I could just pack my bags, fly to Spain and register as a new resident the same day - I once did - but it's not the same at all as regards home comforts. The climate is one of the top reasons why Australia has always been a popular choice for us lot, but spending years filling in the forms and then being 10000 miles from friends and family isn't really my thing.
Don't get me wrong I have nothing against the UK I just know from months of painful weather in northern France (which is around the same climate) that I couldn't stand it on the long term
Yeah, the desert landscape could be weird after a couple of months also. But the high sunshine amounts could make up for it. I am really not sure about how it would feel to live in a desert city for long. I guess, if paid a high salary I'd give it a try though
Well done dhdh you are the first to mention us as an example of a place with a climate that bad you'd have to be paid a fortune to live here (I knew it was coming...)
Isn't my "ten times the median income" a fortune?
x10 starts at annual means of 44 F (6 C) and Toronto's annual mean is 45-45.5 F.
Climates like Edmonton or Winnipeg are probably in the 39-32 F mean group, so that means x15.
If I had to guess, easily 10% of Earth's land area is cold enough that I'd need at least a small fortune to be content.
Vancouver?
I wouldn't mind being "not as rich" as my Toronto preference... say $160-200K CDN annually?
x10 starts at annual means of 44 F (6 C) and Toronto's annual mean is 45-45.5 F.
Climates like Edmonton or Winnipeg are probably in the 39-32 F mean group, so that means x15.
If I had to guess, easily 10% of Earth's land area is cold enough that I'd need at least a small fortune to be content.
Vancouver?
I wouldn't mind being "not as rich" as my Toronto preference... say $160-200K CDN annually?
Actually I'm wondering which kind of winter would be more bearable, one with endless 5C, overcast and drizzly days like here/Vancouver or a Toronto one, much colder but at least bright sunshine reflected off the snow, and houses better built for the cold. If I made a rating system like yours based on winter, I'd have to put sunshine hours into the equation somewhere.
Actually I'm wondering which kind of winter would be more bearable, one with endless 5C, overcast and drizzly days like here/Vancouver or a Toronto one, much colder but at least bright sunshine reflected off the snow, and houses better built for the cold. If I made a rating system like yours based on winter, I'd have to put sunshine hours into the equation somewhere.
Somewhere like the Falkland Islands for the same reason, which is a British Territory with a climate not dissimilar to the Shetland Islands.
The area I work in - I have actually seen jobs advertised there!,
The poor weather, combined with the lack of anything really to do would do your head in.
Somewhere like the Falkland Islands for the same reason, which is a British Territory with a climate not dissimilar to the Shetland Islands.
The area I work in - I have actually seen jobs advertised there!,
The poor weather, combined with the lack of anything really to do would do your head in.
I've seen plumbing jobs advertised at a base in the British Antarctic Territory, and apparently there were hundreds of applications Not for me, thanks!
I would reside in the North Pole if it meant I could be a billionaire.
I could construct such an elaborate home that I would not really miss the outdoors:
- an indoor beach, air and water 82-84 F/28-29 C?
- rooms with lights that mimic the solar spectrum
(tanning lights with filters to diminish intensity, allowing for longer exposures?)
- a huge indoor greenhouse
- modes of transportation always heated to at least 77 F/25 C
And when you're that rich,
you could always travel somewhere on a whim, whenever you have free time.
That, unfortunately, is the "Gotcha!"
If you have the stones to earn a billion dollars (or even steal it), the chances are you won't have a whole lot of free time......
But to answer the O.P's question....I would have a very hard time dealing with any climate that has fewer sunshine hours that where I live. We here just finished one of the sunniest winters I can remember in the 40 years I have lived in western Oregon and even at that, I recon we got no more than 40% possible; and even that's just a guestimate. Granted we have summers to die for out here but over all, the yearly percentage of possible sunshine is pretty anemic. A place like Binghamton, N.Y. would be a total non starter. So would Astoria in our own state or St. Johns in NF.
Cold, I can tolerate but when it's accompanied by a constant 10 to 25 MPH breeze (16 to 40 KPH), that won't work well for me. Especially when cold means -15 F in a place like Grand Forks or Winnipeg. And it's been a lot worse in both places. That makes the U.S. (and Canadian) midwest anywhere north of St. Louis or so would be difficult to deal with. Dawson, Yellowknife or Iqualuit wouldn't be a whole lot of fun, either.
I don't mind heat so much; we've seen 108 (42.something) officially in Corvallis and I have measured a degree or two higher yet with accurate thermometers. I have also lived in the Hudson Valley where on a blue moon order of frequency similar temperatures have occured. While 100+ from Peekskill to Kingston ain't as pleasant, it's still tolerable. Abu Dhabi with its 115 (46+) temperatures and 70% humidity would not be.
The job and salary would have to be pretty impressive for me to move to any climate where there are 200+ days of rain per year. I wouldn't be too happy on the Alaskan panhandle or Norway's west coast. I'd mildew pretty quickly in southern Chile, too.
This isn't to say I would flatly turn down a job in any of the places I have mentioned, but would work for a lesser salary in a climate more agreeable.
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but most lack any sort of heating, which is particularly troublesome during cold winter days. 10°C is a pain in Hong Kong because it means 10°C in your flat. Those days are much harder to deal with than -10°C days in France. But if you like cold and winter then it's good for you 
Hong Kong can go above 24°C in winter too though, in the last couple of days they almost hit 30°C in the northern suburbs.
I just know from months of painful weather in northern France (which is around the same climate) that I couldn't stand it on the long term 
As soon as I get it together (another job somewhere warmer) I'm out of here. 
Not for me, thanks!
