U.S. D list towns & cities revisited as low budget repatriation options (rent under 1000)

[Jingthing]

3 hours ago, Cryingdick said:

 

this is like a classic question from the show House Hunters. If you live closer to the city with the higher rents and you want any kind of life you are going to spend muchos pesos these days. If you consider a running car an opportunity cost because of that size of investment., I don't know what to say. Having no car in the USA is an opportunity cost. Get a certified Chevy equinox for around $15k. Although with Amazon it is better but you won't get the best deals.

 

you are also playing with fire by renting as your rent can be raised at any time. Nobody is going to lease for more than 8ne year. I am not sure what kind of credit rating you have but when I came back I started from nearly zero. I had lived as an expat in more than a dozen countries and my husband earns well. That didn't matter and that's part of the reason I bought land and built my own place. 
 

okay so you don't want a car. How does that work? This isn't Thailand. You get in the bus and spend more than an hour to get to the grocery store. On the way out you roll the cart, down a long parking lot,  to the bus shelter and hopefully put it where it belongs. After that another hour on the bus. Once you get home you carry your groceries up the steps to a  1 bdrm apartment. I can almost guarantee you will have steps. Hopefully you bought ten pounds of laundry soap and a pile of quarters so you can do your laundry.

 

i am actually trying to tell you nicely that is the reality. It takes about $5,000 net a month whatever you do here to make the wheels on the bus go round and round. These days that's being careful.

 

I wouldn't put it exactly the way you did but I am largely aware of what you're saying.

 

Everyone has personal priorities and considerations.

 

To clarify again I don’t want to ever leave Thailand and if I need to moving to another foreign country would be my strong preference over the US.

 

But the US does have good draws  Medicare, no need for visa, and access to western arts and cultural things that I like but the latter mostly only in bigger cities. 

 

As far as a grocery store I would prioritize location to be near one.

 

I would also prioritize good public transportation and immediate walkabillity.

 

The best cities for this are New York and Chicago. I have lived in Chicago and had a car but almost never used it even for groceries. It was a beater so I ended up donating it for the tax deduction. Unfortunately New York is too expensive and I wouldn't want to move back to the cold of Chicago. 

 

But certain neighborhoods in certain cities might be good enough.

 

St. Louis is a good example  Most people are scared away by the crime stats so certain walkable neighborhoods are well priced.

 

I haven't driven a car in 20 years, have no Thai license, and no desire to start again.

 

I happen to have very good US credit.

 

Renting vs. buying is a different decision if you're old. You need to look at life expectancy. Sure rents go up but you can move and if you own a house you have a big risk of a massive repair expense. Condos can be even worse with assessments.

 

Another personal factor. There is a good chance that after I lived in the US for some years with high rent that I could get into HUD senior housing which is only one third of your income for rent and doesn't count income from ira withdrawals.

 

Big cities have more hud senior communities.

 

I'll stop for now.  Thanks for your feedback. 

 

Edited May 17 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

About the pros and cons of college/uni towns.

 

Obviously each one is different, but

 

Public transport / walkability will at least be good near the campus

 

There will be cultural arts events that a similar town without the college/uni wouldn't have

 

Restaurants might be somewhat lower priced to attract student budgets

 

Part time work -- elders would be competing with students for such jobs

 

Age gaps -- you get older and older while you're surrounded with the eternal youth coming and going (could be a pro or a con)

 

If a smaller town or city, housing costs generally lower than a big city

 

Sometimes universities offer free audit classes to the entire community

Edited May 17 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

I wonder if I have overestimated the cost of owning a car or even underestimated the cost of not owning one.

 

Obviously if you have a large monthly payment for a new car or lease when you add everything else it gets really high.

 

But what about this example of buying a 20K used car fully checked out by a mechanic so needed little initial repairs.

 

So with that you've got annual depreciation and investment opportunity costs lost on the 20K to start, much less than a car payment, Any estimates?

 

Then all the other expenses -- taxes, registrations, parking fees, gas, maintenance, repairs. parking tickets, insurance, etc. Any estimates for say driving 15K per year?

 

Then not owning a car. Obviously public transport fares or passes, trains or planes to nearby places you might drive to, Ubers, delivery fees for online shopping, and occasional car rentals. Really hard to estimate that without knowing exactly where the apartment would be, transport system in the city, walking access to grocery store or not.

 

 

[YaiJung]

Forget about moving back to the US.  It has been too long.  You are already in a best case situation.  From your comments it is clear, and don't take this the wrong way, that you are completely out of touch.  Moving back there at this point in your life will be a horribly rude wake up call.  And likely a one-way trip, as it is for countless others in your position who made the move back to their home country.  The finality of that is hard to comprehend for many people until they have done it and then it's too late. 

 

I was just recently in the states for one year and believe me it is not the same place you remember.  You don't have anywhere near enough money to live there, it is insanely expensive and getting worse by the day. 

 

As an elderly gentleman, you will be invisible, trying to talk to anyone who isn't old will be like pulling teeth.  Developing a social life will be no easy task, especially in the places you might afford. 

 

I don't know why you are fixated on the southeast, but imo that is probably the worst possible place for an elderly gay gentleman to move.  If you can somehow get over you aversion to the cold, there are a lot of good and cheap places to live in the upper midwest.  Minnesota is a blue state that is very accepting of lgbt people, has great social support programs and plenty of cheap housing outside the twin cities. 

 

It's always a trade-off in America, cheap warm places attract the bottom of the barrel types like flies to <deleted>.  Buck up, get some warm clothes from costco for a few bucks..you can have your cake and eat it too, with cheaper housing and better quality of life.   Always better value to be found in colder locations in America.  Changing seasons isn't the end of the world...always something to look forward to right around the corner. 

 

Otherwise for warm and cheap...we had amazing Khao Mun Gai in Oklahoma City while driving through.  Thai guy makes it just like in Thailand.  Oklahoma struck me as a place I could live if I was broke and had to choose from D-list locations.  Also, they have the cheapest medical cannabis in the country..dispensaries on every corner it seemed like. 

 

 

[Jingthing]

6 hours ago, YaiJung said:

Forget about moving back to the US.  It has been too long.  You are already in a best case situation.  From your comments it is clear, and don't take this the wrong way, that you are completely out of touch.  Moving back there at this point in your life will be a horribly rude wake up call.  And likely a one-way trip, as it is for countless others in your position who made the move back to their home country.  The finality of that is hard to comprehend for many people until they have done it and then it's too late. 

 

I was just recently in the states for one year and believe me it is not the same place you remember.  You don't have anywhere near enough money to live there, it is insanely expensive and getting worse by the day. 

 

As an elderly gentleman, you will be invisible, trying to talk to anyone who isn't old will be like pulling teeth.  Developing a social life will be no easy task, especially in the places you might afford. 

 

I don't know why you are fixated on the southeast, but imo that is probably the worst possible place for an elderly gay gentleman to move.  If you can somehow get over you aversion to the cold, there are a lot of good and cheap places to live in the upper midwest.  Minnesota is a blue state that is very accepting of lgbt people, has great social support programs and plenty of cheap housing outside the twin cities. 

 

It's always a trade-off in America, cheap warm places attract the bottom of the barrel types like flies to <deleted>.  Buck up, get some warm clothes from costco for a few bucks..you can have your cake and eat it too, with cheaper housing and better quality of life.   Always better value to be found in colder locations in America.  Changing seasons isn't the end of the world...always something to look forward to right around the corner. 

 

Otherwise for warm and cheap...we had amazing Khao Mun Gai in Oklahoma City while driving through.  Thai guy makes it just like in Thailand.  Oklahoma struck me as a place I could live if I was broke and had to choose from D-list locations.  Also, they have the cheapest medical cannabis in the country..dispensaries on every corner it seemed like. 

 

 

Thanks for your long and strong comment.

I will respond.

 

I don't want to repatriate. It's a last resort for me. If I ever need to leave Thailand I would prefer being an expat elsewhere.

 

Yes my current setup.would be impossible to match in the US without spending five or ten times more.

 

I completely agree repatriation would be a massive reverse culture shock in my case fraught with risk.

 

As far as one way trips heck all of us are on one way trips in the macro sense.

 

If you're saying I could never leave if I wanted to well maybe if I spent my nestegg and went into debt.

 

I am not totally averse to colder places but I'd rather not. I would very much prioritize places where a car is not needed.

 

Colder  examples,

 

Madison WI

Milwaukie Wi

Yes Chicago 

 

Erie PA but car needed

 

For some reason the twin cities don't Interest me.

 

Not as cold but Philadelphia and Pittsburgh interest me a lot. Philly is better as far as transport and culture and being on.the DC NYC corridor but Pittsburgh is cheaper.

 

I have ruled out the west coast and southwest.

 

A place being a gay mecca doesn’t matter to me but yeah better to avoid very red very homophobic areas like Alabama. I think Athens GA would be fine.

 

I agree it's good to be in a place with social services. As mentioned I see getting into a decent senior HUD building to be a possible long term path. In that case eveh more experience urban areas such as Atlanta become more attractive. 

 

Senior HUD housing would mean paying one third of my ss check for rent. There are very long waiting lists for such places. 

 

Warmer areas?

Well maybe Memphis cheap housing but need a car and more moderate than the north St  Louis without a car.

 

I get the feeling that understandably you assume I'm much poorer than I actually am. My only income is a lower than average social security check but I also have a not too shabby nest egg.

 

Of course I'm not going to say how much but it's less than a million not even close but enough to have some level of choices.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 18 by Jingthing

[Cryingdick]

 

 

 

13 hours ago, YaiJung said:

Forget about moving back to the US.  It has been too long.  You are already in a best case situation.  From your comments it is clear, and don't take this the wrong way, that you are completely out of touch.  Moving back there at this point in your life will be a horribly rude wake up call.  And likely a one-way trip, as it is for countless others in your position who made the move back to their home country.  The finality of that is hard to comprehend for many people until they have done it and then it's too late. 

 

I was just recently in the states for one year and believe me it is not the same place you remember.  You don't have anywhere near enough money to live there, it is insanely expensive and getting worse by the day. 

 

As an elderly gentleman, you will be invisible, trying to talk to anyone who isn't old will be like pulling teeth.  Developing a social life will be no easy task, especially in the places you might afford. 

 

I don't know why you are fixated on the southeast, but imo that is probably the worst possible place for an elderly gay gentleman to move.  If you can somehow get over you aversion to the cold, there are a lot of good and cheap places to live in the upper midwest.  Minnesota is a blue state that is very accepting of lgbt people, has great social support programs and plenty of cheap housing outside the twin cities. 

 

It's always a trade-off in America, cheap warm places attract the bottom of the barrel types like flies to <deleted>.  Buck up, get some warm clothes from costco for a few bucks..you can have your cake and eat it too, with cheaper housing and better quality of life.   Always better value to be found in colder locations in America.  Changing seasons isn't the end of the world...always something to look forward to right around the corner. 

 

Otherwise for warm and cheap...we had amazing Khao Mun Gai in Oklahoma City while driving through.  Thai guy makes it just like in Thailand.  Oklahoma struck me as a place I could live if I was broke and had to choose from D-list locations.  Also, they have the cheapest medical cannabis in the country..dispensaries on every corner it seemed like. 

 

 

 

I strongly disagree about the southeast. You mention being gay and then compare the southeast to MPLS. That is a second tier city, very expensive and outside of that metro area Minnesota isn't a gay Mecca either. In fact once out of the city there is a whole lots of nothing in all directions for a long way. I am from the twin cities and wouldn't want to move an hour outside of them. Those areas are actually some of the most expensive suburbs there are. I was born and raised there. I used to love it there but these days it just doesn't make sense. 
 

The southeast has plenty of gay centers and nightlife. 

 

The southeast is some of the last gentle, green easy, affordable areas in the country. JT doesn't seem to want a car and for that to work the weather is a very big deal. 
 

you must not have stopped in OKC because if you did you wouldn't want to stay more than a day. It's a pretty awful place aside from the great Thai food on the interstate and cheap weed with dispensaries on every corner. lol it is one of the most backwards states in the entire USA. MPLS and OKC don't go in the same conversation. OKC is also very isolated geographically. 
 

JT asked about car expenses. Buy a decent certified pre-owned car with bumper to bumper warranty. You don't need a mechanic buddy when the dealer itself guarantees it. Insurance depends on if you own the car and what coverage of course. Taxes and fees in a low rent area are nothing. Parking is free in a D city.

 

As far as the climate and cultural amenities go JT is looking in the right region. Anywhere from Pittsburgh to Georgia is a good pick if you don't want to over spend and have some type of a life. There are so many little mini trips you can do and too many attractions to list. 
 

North of Pittsburgh is too close to Lake Erie and way too wintery. South of Georgia lays Florida which is a discussion of its own but there is nowhere desirable that is affordable there. So you have a well defined target area. 
 

At this point I don't think the discussion is about D towns. They don't have latte machines served at quaint book shops, universities, readily available transit. I wouldn't rate Athens as a D city and many other places mentioned  here are way above that level. A midwestern D town would be something like Minot, North Dakota. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jingthing]

Yes I agree.

Going with the no car thing, I would be looking at higher level cities such as Philly, Pittsburgh, Athens GA, etc.

Are those B cities?

The idea is pretty simple and it makes sense.

Money saved on not having a car can be used to pay higher rent in a better city with more amenities in a non car dependent area. Also beyond the economics I don't actually want to deal with.a car. I realize that isn't typically American and that most places in the US don't allow that. 

Edited May 18 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

For anyone else interested in US urban places (from entire big cities to specific neighborhoods in car dependent cities, etc.) I highly recommend CityNerd.

 

CityNerd - YouTube

[Cryingdick]

On 5/18/2024 at 10:19 AM, Jingthing said:

Yes I agree.

Going with the no car thing, I would be looking at higher level cities such as Philly, Pittsburgh, Athens GA, etc.

Are those B cities?

The idea is pretty simple and it makes sense.

Money saved on not having a car can be used to pay higher rent in a better city with more amenities in a non car dependent area. Also beyond the economics I don't actually want to deal with.a car. I realize that isn't typically American and that most places in the US don't allow that. 

The only problem with that is your rent in an okay area of Pittsburgh is likely  to be $1,800 now. I looked to rent about 5 years ago and for a one bedroom outside of the center was $1,200 at the time.

 

you would be looking at a studio for $1,200 you would have to negotiate utilities these days. 

 

Places like Atlanta are becoming top tier cities while places like Philadelphia and NYC are becoming closer to places that are suboptimal at best. If you like Philly, Baltimore is similar. That's sort of sad to say.

 

i think Athens is your best bet for a small place on a bus line.

Edited May 20 by Cryingdick

[Jingthing]

On 5/20/2024 at 10:08 AM, Cryingdick said:

The only problem with that is your rent in an okay area of Pittsburgh is likely  to be $1,800 now. I looked to rent about 5 years ago and for a one bedroom outside of the center was $1,200 at the time.

 

you would be looking at a studio for $1,200 you would have to negotiate utilities these days. 

 

Places like Atlanta are becoming top tier cities while places like Philadelphia and NYC are becoming closer to places that are suboptimal at best. If you like Philly, Baltimore is similar. That's sort of sad to say.

 

i think Athens is your best bet for a small place on a bus line.

Well I found Pittsburgh to not be that high but I haven't made an extensive study of it.

Yes 1800 is too much even without needing a car.

I found a lot of listings that seemed to be tailored towards lower income seniors but it would be a case by case and not sure if those places are technically HUD senior housing.

Pittsburgh would probably be one the better places to settle to aim to get into HUD senior housing eventually.

I agree Atlanta and suburbs is now expensive. 

I do like Atlanta though. 

Athens GA would be cheaper than Atlanta.

I recently saw Athens GA on a top 10 list of trendy places to retire to, so that's not good if retirees flock there.

[Jingthing]

As will be evident to anyone thinking about repatriating while older, there are so many personal factors to consider that it's impossible to conclude any universal conclusions for all. There is the list of your personal priorities, the details of your finances, buying or renting home, the return on your investments if you hopefully have them, your risk psychology, your age, and your best guest at life expectancy.

Obviously, it is very tragic if you run out of money at an old age with no earning power. 

I've been talking about the choice of living in a car dependent area with a lower rent vs, paying higher rent to live in an a non car dependent area.

Ultimately, I think the financial situation would be wash out to be similar for me, but maybe not for you.

What I'm saying with that is with a lower social security income as my only income, I would need to spend down my nest egg to live.

Now older people are generally comfortable with a 4 percent spend down with annual increases for inflation but that is designed for 30 years of retirement!

If you repatriate and you realistically don't have close to 30 years, then logically you could take a much higher spend down and still not ever run out of money.

Let's take an example.

Say you have a million dollars saved and invested (I don't).

Yeah you could take 4 percent to start and be confident you wouldn't run out for 30 years. In fact, your nest egg might grow.

But wait a minutie.

If you start this math with 10 years left forgetting the risk that your guess is way off and you really have 30 years, it would be insane to start at 4 percent (if you don't care about a legacy). 

Yes this is grim math, but not that much different than looking at when to start social security.

I have no idea what level of spend down would be "safe" with 10 years left, but I suppose there are probably financial tools to make such estimates.

But let's say it's 10 percent (which sounds like it may be too high). Imagine if you have a decent nest egg what a huge difference in your quality of life between 4 and 10 percent.

With the million example, that's 40K per year vs. 100K. 

Because this is grim math, I don't think there is much literature on that life span variable other than warnings that there is a good chance you'll guess way off.

 

[Jingthing]

About senior HUD housing. 

Not sure how many people know about this.

It's not Section 8, it's not the projects.

It generally has a religious affiliation but there is never a requirement to follow the religion.

There are typically some support services.

It is not for assisted living.

The rent is 1/3 of your income even if you're a millionaire, it's only based on income.

Some are in great locations. Some not.

Some are more run down and depressing, some are not.

There is a selective application process and usually long waiting lists.

Here's an example of a great one.

In downtown Decatur GA suburb of Atlanta with a cute walkable downtown with lots of services and restaurants, with a Metro station!

Senior Living Communities | Philips Tower (phgainc.org)

 

I've looked at others that don't look so great.

There's a Jewish affiliated one in central St. Pete. Florida.

Incredible location but depressing building. 

[Cryingdick]

2 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Well I found Pittsburgh to not be that high but I haven't made an extensive study of it.

Yes 1800 is too much even without needing a car.

I found a lot of listings that seemed to be tailored towards lower income seniors but it would be a case by case and not sure if those places are technically HUD senior housing.

Pittsburgh would probably be one the better places to settle to aim to get into HUD senior housing eventually.

I agree Atlanta and suburbs is now expensive. 

I do like Atlanta though. 

Athens GA would be cheaper than Atlanta.

I recently saw Athens GA on a top 10 list of trendy places to retire to, so that's not good if retirees flock there.

 Makes sense I definitely wasn't searching specifically for low income places. I look for nice places for as low as possible. 

[Cryingdick]

9 hours ago, Jingthing said:

As will be evident to anyone thinking about repatriating while older, there are so many personal factors to consider that it's impossible to conclude any universal conclusions for all. There is the list of your personal priorities, the details of your finances, buying or renting home, the return on your investments if you hopefully have them, your risk psychology, your age, and your best guest at life expectancy.

Obviously, it is very tragic if you run out of money at an old age with no earning power. 

I've been talking about the choice of living in a car dependent area with a lower rent vs, paying higher rent to live in an a non car dependent area.

Ultimately, I think the financial situation would be wash out to be similar for me, but maybe not for you.

What I'm saying with that is with a lower social security income as my only income, I would need to spend down my nest egg to live.

Now older people are generally comfortable with a 4 percent spend down with annual increases for inflation but that is designed for 30 years of retirement!

If you repatriate and you realistically don't have close to 30 years, then logically you could take a much higher spend down and still not ever run out of money.

Let's take an example.

Say you have a million dollars saved and invested (I don't).

Yeah you could take 4 percent to start and be confident you wouldn't run out for 30 years. In fact, your nest egg might grow.

But wait a minutie.

If you start this math with 10 years left forgetting the risk that your guess is way off and you really have 30 years, it would be insane to start at 4 percent (if you don't care about a legacy). 

Yes this is grim math, but not that much different than looking at when to start social security.

I have no idea what level of spend down would be "safe" with 10 years left, but I suppose there are probably financial tools to make such estimates.

But let's say it's 10 percent (which sounds like it may be too high). Imagine if you have a decent nest egg what a huge difference in your quality of life between 4 and 10 percent.

With the million example, that's 40K per year vs. 100K. 

Because this is grim math, I don't think there is much literature on that life span variable other than warnings that there is a good chance you'll guess way off.

 

 

one problem is that only a very few posters are going to interact with mental masturbation at this level. People give cheap options based upon your budget. You call them presumptuous morons. Although if anybody has put themselves online over the course of three decades it is you. It isn't a guess it is based upon your online footprint. 
 

then when it doesn't fit your needs you get dismissive. So next time make a thread based upon your needs. 

[Jingthing]

2 hours ago, Cryingdick said:

 

one problem is that only a very few posters are going to interact with mental masturbation at this level. People give cheap options based upon your budget. You call them presumptuous morons. Although if anybody has put themselves online over the course of three decades it is you. It isn't a guess it is based upon your online footprint. 
 

then when it doesn't fit your needs you get dismissive. So next time make a thread based upon your needs. 

Thanks for sharing.

 

Yeah this has been messy and has wandered in different directions from the original premise.

 

I have emphasized many times there is no one size fits all answer if repatriation.

 

I like to think that some of the issues I have discussed here could be of interest to some readers. 

 

Such as

 

The car ownership decision

 

The rating of personal priorities 

 

The discount you often get for accepting cold climates

 

Different ways to think about nest eggs relating to life expectancy 

 

The possibilite life saver of Hud senior buildings for lower income seniors.

 

Etc.

 

I have gotten some ideas from others

 

Such as looking at Wes6 Virginia as a cheap suburb of Pittsburgh.

 

I'm sorry if I've been rude sometimes. I was annoyed that some people assumed that I don't ha e a pot to piss in when I never said such a thing.

 

I will take your criticism to heart. 

 

Cheers

Edited May 22 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

Just how expensive is owning a car in the US? Very expensive!

But it's such.an ingrained part of our culture. Even more than guns.

I had a car basically a death trap beater from the very first.day I could at age 16.

Then I went to college with a lot of kids from NYC. None of them could drive!

 

Gotta love City nerd. What a droll style. 

 

 

 

Edited May 22 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

Can someone suggest a finance calculator where you punch in numbers to estimate how many years a nest egg might last with different rates of return and spend down percentage?

[Jingthing]

Some detail about the relationship between weather.and other amenities you might want.

 

 

[Jingthing]

What about San Juan Puerto Rico?

No visa needed.

[ChrisP24]

On 4/20/2024 at 2:27 AM, BKKKevin said:

You also need to consider more than jugaste price…

Do you really want to live in a cheap place in the middle of the Bible Belt?…

Again to promote Tucson… Check out this group of retirees to the area…

 

https://www.facebook.com/Bears.of.the.Old.Pueblo

 

Oh Crap.  I clicked on that link and now they're probably going to show up in my facebook feed and "friend" suggestions for the next several years.....

 

Warning to others:  if you click on it, do it incognito or even better on a throwaway device using a VPN.  And then go take a long shower with Lava soap.   To spare you a click, it's a facebook group of old gay and LGBTQ++??!! men who meet for coffee and....whatever.

 

Not judging of course.  🙄 

Edited May 22 by ChrisP24

[ChrisP24]

On 5/5/2024 at 5:51 AM, EVENKEEL said:

Saipan of the Northern Mariana Islands is a US Territory. Spent months there anchored out. I see apartments close to the beach can be had for $500/mo  Hospital nearby in the area they call China Town.

 

Worth investigating because I believe Medicare can be used.

 

The five populated U.S. territories have been on my bucket list of places to visit, beyond cruise ship stops or airport transfers.  Guam, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands,  U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.   Not sure if I would want to live on any of them, but you never know until you try it on for size.  I've spent time on Puerto Rico with the military, which is a different experience from staying there as a resident, but to me it seemed very much like a Spanish-speaking counterpart to the Philippines, on many levels.  

[GypsyT]

I have friends in Ridgecrest, CA. Very safe thanks to strong military guarding China Lake rocket factory, or what ever they make there under ground.

https://www.apartments.com/ridgecrest-ca/?so=2

 

Houses are cheap too. Good Latino food places.

 

Not much to see, just desert, but near by is decent fishing, off road sports and 395 takes you to nice areas in North.

 

 

 

 

[EVENKEEL]

17 hours ago, ChrisP24 said:

 

The five populated U.S. territories have been on my bucket list of places to visit, beyond cruise ship stops or airport transfers.  Guam, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands,  U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.   Not sure if I would want to live on any of them, but you never know until you try it on for size.  I've spent time on Puerto Rico with the military, which is a different experience from staying there as a resident, but to me it seemed very much like a Spanish-speaking counterpart to the Philippines, on many levels.  

I mentioned Saipan because medicare possibly could be used in the US territories. It would take a certain mindset to be content with limited activities. Rent probably being the one large expense and Thailand still beats most places in that regard. 

 

[sqwakvfr]

I am considering San Antonio(north side of loop 1604).  Spent two years in Del Rio in the mid 80's and loved road trips to San Antonio).  Found many one bedroom or studios between $800 to $1,000).  Probably will be there in 18 to 24 months when the latest OA Visa is done.  San Antonio is not a D town but is big enought with everything I am looking for. Also, Austin is short drive.  

[CharlesHolzhauer]

2 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

I mentioned Saipan because medicare possibly could be used in the US territories. It would take a certain mindset to be content with limited activities. Rent probably being the one large expense and Thailand still beats most places in that regard.

The West/South Pacific used to be my stomping ground for over 20 years. Saipan is one of my favorite places, along with Pohnpei (Ponape), Palau, and Guam. The best hot pastrami on rye outside NY was available at 'Bobby Cadillacs' on Saipan. A good selection of meats is indeed available on most islands (as are turkey tails), but I absolutely enjoyed the variety and abundance of really fresh reef fish at the markets. If it weren't for my age and ties here, I'd be there in a flash.

[Cryingdick]

On 5/22/2024 at 12:28 AM, Jingthing said:

What about San Juan Puerto Rico?

No visa needed.

 

Housing isn't that cheap, the infrastructure  is terrible and most goods are expensive. They are just coming back from a hurricane that was five years ago.

[Jingthing]

On 5/23/2024 at 8:47 AM, sqwakvfr said:

I am considering San Antonio(north side of loop 1604).  Spent two years in Del Rio in the mid 80's and loved road trips to San Antonio).  Found many one bedroom or studios between $800 to $1,000).  Probably will be there in 18 to 24 months when the latest OA Visa is done.  San Antonio is not a D town but is big enought with everything I am looking for. Also, Austin is short drive.  

I assume a car would be required there

 but yes San Antonio frequently shows up on lists of lower cost cities.

Edited May 24 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

2 hours ago, Cryingdick said:

 

Housing isn't that cheap, the infrastructure  is terrible and most goods are expensive. They are just coming back from a hurricane that was five years ago.

Yeah all true.

It's not a great option.

[sqwakvfr]

46 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

I assume a car would be required there

 but yes San Antonio frequently shows up on lists of lower cost cities.

Yes.  I am looking about $400 per month on an auto loan and about $100 per month for auto insurance.

[jas007]

Everyone has their own American Dream, I guess. And, except for Native Americans, people’s ancestors came to America from somewhere else. Of course, some came from Africa as slaves. Otherwise, people willingly picked up and left their life behind for the American Dream. And, until fairly recently, America worked well for many people.  Their ancestors escaped poverty in Europe or wherever, they worked hard, and their kids had a better life. A factory worker with a high school education could buy a house and support a wife and a few kids, all with money left over.
 

Today, much of the middle class is now long gone. At least in terms of wealth and financial security, which is slipping away by the day.  So it’s not that far fetched that people might want to seek greener pastures.  But they’ve been brainwashed.  They’ve been told America is the best country in the world, etc.  Mention moving out of the country and they’ll look at you like you’re nuts. Why move to some crazy Third World country?  That’s what many will ask.
 

Anyway, most Americans are now rooted in place. Their grandparents or great grandparents are long gone. People have houses, mortgages, car payments, kids in school, or grandkids they visit regularly.  As much as they would like an easier existence, they simply won’t leave.  At least that seems to be the case with everyone I know.