Cheapest Countries To Live In

[ForeignExchange]

Why so few countries in Asia? Most of the countries of Southeast Asia are cheap, beautiful, and filled with good food. They just don't want you hanging around too long, that's all. It's next to impossible to buy land or a house in any of these places without a local controlling partner or through a spouse. Even then it's a royal pain. Thailand has opened up the door a crack, however, allowing foreigners to buy condos at least. But one consideration is how easy it is to get a residency permit. You can't settle down somewhere without the security of knowing you can stay. Making a border run every month or two gets pretty suspicious after a while. For whatever reason, it's generally tough throughout much of Asia unless you have a work permit from your employer.

http://blogs.booklocker.com/travel/archives/002465.html

[sendbaht]

That was a interesting post, thanks.

[expatinasia]

"Why so few countries in Asia?" As compared to the number of countries in Africa? What's the point?

[Harmonica]

Why so few countries in Asia? Most of the countries of Southeast Asia are cheap, beautiful, and filled with good food. They just don't want you hanging around too long, that's all. It's next to impossible to buy land or a house in any of these places without a local controlling partner or through a spouse. Even then it's a royal pain. Thailand has opened up the door a crack, however, allowing foreigners to buy condos at least. But one consideration is how easy it is to get a residency permit. You can't settle down somewhere without the security of knowing you can stay. Making a border run every month or two gets pretty suspicious after a while. For whatever reason, it's generally tough throughout much of Asia unless you have a work permit from your employer.

http://blogs.booklocker.com/travel/archives/002465.html

Read, re-write, read again, then click OK to post. OK?

[kreon]

Why so few countries in Asia? Most of the countries of Southeast Asia are cheap, beautiful, and filled with good food. They just don't want you hanging around too long, that's all. It's next to impossible to buy land or a house in any of these places without a local controlling partner or through a spouse. Even then it's a royal pain. Thailand has opened up the door a crack, however, allowing foreigners to buy condos at least. But one consideration is how easy it is to get a residency permit. You can't settle down somewhere without the security of knowing you can stay. Making a border run every month or two gets pretty suspicious after a while. For whatever reason, it's generally tough throughout much of Asia unless you have a work permit from your employer.

http://blogs.booklocker.com/travel/archives/002465.html

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Read, re-write, read again, then click OK to post. OK?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

he's just plugging his book...against forum rules

[ForeignExchange]

Why so few countries in Asia? Most of the countries of Southeast Asia are cheap, beautiful, and filled with good food. They just don't want you hanging around too long, that's all. It's next to impossible to buy land or a house in any of these places without a local controlling partner or through a spouse. Even then it's a royal pain. Thailand has opened up the door a crack, however, allowing foreigners to buy condos at least. But one consideration is how easy it is to get a residency permit. You can't settle down somewhere without the security of knowing you can stay. Making a border run every month or two gets pretty suspicious after a while. For whatever reason, it's generally tough throughout much of Asia unless you have a work permit from your employer.

http://blogs.booklocker.com/travel/archives/002465.html

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Read, re-write, read again, then click OK to post. OK?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

he's just plugging his book...against forum rules

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've never written a book in my life. I'm in Canada, he's in the U.S.

[Harmonica]

Why so few countries in Asia? Most of the countries of Southeast Asia are cheap, beautiful, and filled with good food. They just don't want you hanging around too long, that's all. It's next to impossible to buy land or a house in any of these places without a local controlling partner or through a spouse. Even then it's a royal pain. Thailand has opened up the door a crack, however, allowing foreigners to buy condos at least. But one consideration is how easy it is to get a residency permit. You can't settle down somewhere without the security of knowing you can stay. Making a border run every month or two gets pretty suspicious after a while. For whatever reason, it's generally tough throughout much of Asia unless you have a work permit from your employer.

http://blogs.booklocker.com/travel/archives/002465.html

Read, re-write, read again, then click OK to post. OK?

he's just plugging his book...against forum rules

I've never written a book in my life. I'm in Canada, he's in the U.S.

Who? .. who's in the US?

[ForeignExchange]

Why so few countries in Asia? Most of the countries of Southeast Asia are cheap, beautiful, and filled with good food. They just don't want you hanging around too long, that's all. It's next to impossible to buy land or a house in any of these places without a local controlling partner or through a spouse. Even then it's a royal pain. Thailand has opened up the door a crack, however, allowing foreigners to buy condos at least. But one consideration is how easy it is to get a residency permit. You can't settle down somewhere without the security of knowing you can stay. Making a border run every month or two gets pretty suspicious after a while. For whatever reason, it's generally tough throughout much of Asia unless you have a work permit from your employer.

http://blogs.booklocker.com/travel/archives/002465.html

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Read, re-write, read again, then click OK to post. OK?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

he's just plugging his book...against forum rules

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've never written a book in my life. I'm in Canada, he's in the U.S.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Who? .. who's in the US?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The author.

[Harmonica]

I give up!

[PeaceBlondie]

I went to the URL and got as far as the list of 'affordable' places. My current passport must have 9 pages of Latin American stamps. When he wrote the following, I stopped:

"Nearly all of Central America and South America is relatively foreigner-friendly, especially if you're living on income or a pension from your home country."

Been there on a pension, done that. If you want to live in an exclusive, secure, expatriate compound and try to live like you did in your native country, you might only spend $8,000 per month instead of $10,000. Hardly what I consider affordable or cheap. I lived cheap in Mexico, Nicaragua, etc., and there wasn't much security. The natives will be friendly, but don't dare to turn your back on them.

I think the subject is way too subjective. One man's 'cheap' is US$5,000 per month; another man's version of cheap is $500.

[ForeignExchange]

I went to the URL and got as far as the list of 'affordable' places.  My current passport must have 9 pages of Latin American stamps.  When he wrote the following, I stopped:

"Nearly all of Central America and South America is relatively foreigner-friendly, especially if you're living on income or a pension from your home country."

Been there on a pension, done that.  If you want to live in an exclusive, secure, expatriate compound and try to live like you did in your native country, you might only spend $8,000 per month instead of $10,000.  Hardly what I consider affordable or cheap.  I lived cheap in Mexico, Nicaragua, etc., and there wasn't much security.  The natives will be friendly, but don't dare to turn your back on them.

I think the subject is way too subjective.  One man's 'cheap' is US$5,000 per month; another man's version of cheap is $500.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

PeaceBlondie:

That's the sort of response I was looking for. Never been to South/Central America, but people who have been, would know better than me. I thought it was a good site, with a lot of free links, but obviously, others think otherwise. I was surprised to see New Zealand, as one of the cheap places to live, but I don't know, since I only worked there for a few months in 1970, and I'm sure much has changed since then.

As for Thailand, I enjoy visiting. My wife and I may retire there in a few years, but I'm no expert on it.

[PeaceBlondie]

My sister just told me about their trip to Costa Rica, a year or so ago, to look for a retirement village. They absolutely couldn't convince the taxi drivers or tour guides to find them a retirement village. CRica is the only one of the Central American countries that qualifies as a developing country. It's hard to get real information unless you spend a month or two actively searching (and speak the language or have a darn good bilingual native guide the whole time).

For example, Belize is on that list. Never been there, because everything I ever read about Belize told me it was a great place to scuba dive, but not to live. You don't want to spend any time in Belize City, because it's more crime-infested than Managua or Guat. City, which is saying a lot. The rest of Belize, including Belmopan and Stann Creek, is desolate. Unless it's changed in ten years. And Guatemala is on the list! Except for Lake Aztitlan (sp?), which may not be so great anymore either, or maybe Antigua, the place is about as peaceful as the ghettos and barrios of upper North America.

Mexico's just too big to make generalizations. Nothing about the federal capital is as cheap as Honolulu. Guadalajara's not quite as expensive or polluted as Mexico City, but it's still too big. Lake Chapala was a great expatriate haven until the lakeshore retreated many yards. They've paved paradise and put up a parking lot. My kid says Puerto Vallarta is great for gays, but what would he know, since he was just an alcoholic 30-year old hippie when he stayed there. If they call someplace 'paradise,' you'd better kiss that place good-bye.

I'm still voting for Thailand as the cheapest reasonable place to live, but if I'm wrong, there's always Puerto Vallarta, I guess. But, I speak passable Spanish.

[ForeignExchange]

Here's a couple who travel around the world, and average $50 U.S. a day living expenses. Another allocation goes to their airline travel expense. They retired around the age of 35, and twenty years later they're still travelling, mostly between Chiang Mai, Paris, and Buenos Airies.

By the way, before anyone pounces, their book is long out of print years ago, and I'm not a used book seller.

http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Shores/5315/

[DaveYo]

First I suggest you check out the per Capita Income of various countries which is on the web site. Then once you see a place your interested in going to say to retire, then check out the rules and regulations concerning your stay there, along with customs proceedures and also if you can own land and home and car etc. Then compare renting houses, vs condos vs owning your own place to see which is affordable to you.

Then consider your income and by all means at least expect your spending to be near double which is usual. So for Thailand yes some areas is cheap if you find the right place to rent, but forget owning house or land. Your visa regardless if you have 30 days or 1 year, you still have to make a border run such as for a year visa minimum 4 times a year.

Getting a permanent residence is not that easy as said here. Very hard.

So for those considering looking for a great place to retire, check out Arizona USA near Phoenix. Only one thing is required You must be aged 50 or older to live in that community. Homes, property and everything else is half price!!!!!!!! No taxes like you do in the outside world.

That is my final destination once all is in order here for me. Been there on a visit and love the place. It is perfect for me. You get hot,and warm weather, but not so frickin humid like here, no termites or red ants like here, and you get to have cool weather for a few months not just a few days like here. Big difference. No need to travel far to shopping mall, or bowling alleys or theaters or to some repair shop. All within walking distance. You can actually drive a golf cart on the roads there A/C equipped too. The place is very people friendly, and most of all you can laugh all day watching how old people cuss and snap at each other even on the tiniest issue. Example a senior drives their car, approaches a walkway on the street, and they stop like 5 to 10 feet away from it some senior citizen walking in that walkway will point the finger at them and cuss them out like their driving so fast and etc. So being so perplexed at their animatic gestures, they make me laugh. Basically they have nothing else to do but sort of be bitcheroooo at each other once in awhile. But watch a senior drive a golf cart they will have a smile a mile wide.

Daveyo

[ray23]

First I suggest you check out the per Capita Income of various countries which is on the web site.  Then once you see a place your interested in going to say to retire, then check out the rules and regulations concerning your stay there, along with customs proceedures and also if you can own land and home and car etc.  Then compare renting houses, vs condos vs owning your own place to see which is affordable to you.

Then consider your income and by all means at least expect your spending to be near double which is usual.  So for Thailand yes some areas is cheap if you find the right place to rent, but forget owning house or land.  Your visa regardless if you have 30 days or 1 year, you still have to make a border run such as for a year visa minimum 4 times a year.

Getting a permanent residence is not that easy as said here.  Very hard. 

So for those considering looking for a great place to retire, check out Arizona USA near Phoenix.  Only one thing is required  You must be aged 50 or older to live in that community.  Homes, property and everything else is half price!!!!!!!!  No taxes like you do in the outside world.

That is my final destination once all is in order here for me.  Been there on a visit and love the place.  It is perfect for me.  You get hot,and warm weather, but not so frickin humid like here, no termites or red ants like here, and you get to have cool weather for a few months not just a few days like here.  Big difference.  No need to travel far to shopping mall, or bowling alleys or theaters or to some repair shop.  All within walking distance.  You can actually drive a golf cart on the roads there A/C equipped too.  The place is very people friendly, and most of all you can laugh all day watching how old people cuss and snap at each other even on the tiniest issue.  Example a senior drives their car, approaches a walkway on the street, and they stop like 5 to 10 feet away from it some senior citizen walking in that walkway will point the finger at them and cuss them out like their driving so fast and etc.  So being so perplexed at their animatic gestures, they make me laugh.  Basically they have nothing else to do but sort of be bitcheroooo at each other once in awhile.  But watch a senior drive a golf cart they will have a smile a mile wide.

Daveyo    

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Old guys getting angry about nothing how is that different then Thailand LAUGHTER.

[a2396]

Don't forget to mention the crime rate in the various central and south American "Banana Republics" listed. How long before you are kidnapped and held for ransom?? Gringo's are rich by the local standards.

[bakachan]

You must be talking about sun city west. i live very close to it. when you talk about

taxes you mean property taxes? there is a portion of sun city that is exempt from

school taxes. its the older part of the development. prices are rising however.

i moved here from calif 3 yrs ago and my property has appreciated about 60%

read up about the summer monsoon season in southern arizona. they lied when they

said its a dry heat. it feels worse than bangkok sometimes. tropical moisture comes up from baja calif and can hang around for weeks at a time during the hottest part

of summer.

im only 44 but i like the slower laid back pace of the seniors over in sun city west.

i go over there to shop and go to the post office. outside of the development its another world. the pace is like southern calif or bangkok

one of the things i dont like about the majority of the houses in sun city west

is the back yards have no privacy fences.

So for those considering looking for a great place to retire, check out Arizona USA near Phoenix. Only one thing is required You must be aged 50 or older to live in that community. Homes, property and everything else is half price!!!!!!!! No taxes like you do in the outside world.

You get hot,and warm weather, but not so frickin humid like here, no termites or red ants like here, and you get to have cool weather for a few months not just a few days like here. Big difference. No need to travel far to shopping mall, or bowling alleys or theaters or to some repair shop. All within walking distance. You can actually drive a golf cart on the roads there A/C equipped too.

[bakachan]

You must be talking about sun city west. i live very close to it. when you talk about

taxes you mean property taxes? there is a portion of sun city that is exempt from

school taxes. its the older part of the development. prices are rising however.

i moved here from calif 3 yrs ago and my property has appreciated about 60%

read up about the summer monsoon season in southern arizona. they lied when they

said its a dry heat. it feels worse than bangkok sometimes. tropical moisture comes up from baja calif and can hang around for weeks at a time during the hottest part

of summer.

im only 44 but i like the slower laid back pace of the seniors over in sun city west.

i go over there to shop and go to the post office. outside of the development its another world. the pace is like southern calif or bangkok

one of the things i dont like about the majority of the houses in sun city west

is the back yards have no privacy fences.

[Thaicoon]

One of the cheapest is The Dreaded UNITED KINGDOM.................If you are on Benifits like 50% of the population.

[wilson steer]

You can live on around $400 a month in the Philippines and live well. I have never bettered that. Beer, entertainment, in almost any city outside of Manila.

If times 'get hard' the Philippines offers a respite for $5000 for a year 'out'; and it is character building.

Don't think about it ......do it. As: Was it Hawkwind said?:

[chuchok]

I went to the URL and got as far as the list of 'affordable' places.  My current passport must have 9 pages of Latin American stamps.  When he wrote the following, I stopped:

"Nearly all of Central America and South America is relatively foreigner-friendly, especially if you're living on income or a pension from your home country."

Been there on a pension, done that.  If you want to live in an exclusive, secure, expatriate compound and try to live like you did in your native country, you might only spend $8,000 per month instead of $10,000.  Hardly what I consider affordable or cheap.  I lived cheap in Mexico, Nicaragua, etc., and there wasn't much security.  The natives will be friendly, but don't dare to turn your back on them.

I think the subject is way too subjective.  One man's 'cheap' is US$5,000 per month; another man's version of cheap is $500.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

PeaceBlondie:

That's the sort of response I was looking for. Never been to South/Central America, but people who have been, would know better than me. I thought it was a good site, with a lot of free links, but obviously, others think otherwise. I was surprised to see New Zealand, as one of the cheap places to live, but I don't know, since I only worked there for a few months in 1970, and I'm sure much has changed since then.

As for Thailand, I enjoy visiting. My wife and I may retire there in a few years, but I'm no expert on it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Depending on where you live, NZ can be cheaper than alot of western nations,but forget about living in the bigger cities or near the beach for cheap living....real estate has gone crazy!

[ProThaiExpat]

Are we not talking about "value" in this thread.

Supply and demand controls!!! There are cheap places to live in any country, the reason it is cheap, no one wants to live there!!!

If your a peace and serenity freak, like me, you want to live in the "boonies", however, there are few creature comforts "way out there". Likewise remoteness does not provide entertainment, shopping convenience or society.

To me balance is everythng. Peace and quite but close to a reasonably sized metropolis.

I have investigated greater Phoenix for relocation when I get tired of Thailand, but when you get into the price of food, rent, electricity, etc. you will see why it is more expensive to live there than in Thailand with comparable amenities.

I built my custom house in Thailand for the price of a double wide trailer home in Phoenix and we all know what type of neighbors one can expect in most trailer parks. By the way, I could live in a nice double wide trailer, if it was not in a trailer park, so my comparison is on valuefor the money, not looking down on such dwellings.

As the global economy becomes more integrated, less expensive places to live, it would seem to me, would be those places where the cost of labor is the cheapest, since labor costs are built into everything you buy.

The cost of labor in the U.S. is relatively high, except for those jobs filled by illlegals from Mexico. The wage of a supermarket check out lady in the U.S. is quite high compared to similar jobs in most developing countries.

For retirees, once their housing and transportation needs are taken care of, supermarket purchases is the next priorty for price control. I have compared supermarket "special" or "sale" prices and found them to be substantially higher than in Thailand.

Chicken thighs are commonly 45 Baht a kilo here, while in the western U.S. you will pay four or five times that amount. Likewise almost any other suprmarket food product. In defense of the posters admiring the greater Phoenix area as a retirees paradise, they didn't mention the cost of living as compared to Thailand.

[BKKdreaming]

That part of Arizona is 100-115 degrees for 5-6 months of the year,

your AC bill will be as high as your house / rent payment

I figure I will probably stay here in coastal California , and visit months at a time to Thailand, Australia and Europe.

Yes you can live cheap in some countries, but do you really want to live where your neigbors live in poverty and you always have to watch your back !

[ForeignExchange]

Another blog from one who likes to travel to cheap destinations around the world.

http://www.hobotraveler.com/

[ForeignExchange]

Vacation's coming up, so will be heading off in a jetplane in another few days, from farangland via Bangkok, to one of my favourite cheap destinations, Isaan. When it comes to retirement in the near future, it's going to be a tough choice for my wife and myself, the Northeast or the North. Love both. May end up rotating between the two areas, for a few months at a time.

[thaigene2]

Well since this has become a poll of where to retire, I think the best value-for-money-for-standard-of-living-on-a-middle-of-the-road-pension would probably be splitting my year six months in Thailand and six in Vancouver or Vancouver Island area.

[ray23]

That part of Arizona is 100-115 degrees for 5-6 months of the year,

your AC bill will be as high as your house / rent payment

I figure I will probably stay here in coastal  California , and visit months at a time to Thailand, Australia and Europe.

Yes you can live cheap in some countries, but do you really want to live where your neigbors live in poverty and you always have to watch your back !

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I found the Phoenix thoughts in the the thread interesting. I lived in the South Western deserts for 23 years. Palm Springs to be exact. The temps for a three month period seldom gets below 110 and hoovers around 120 most of the time. The highest I saw was 128. Not humid in August what? That's when the deserts get flooded from the Gulf Of Mexico. There are five months a year that it has better climate then you can find anywhere. Add about $500.00 a month to your housing costs on a average, air conditioning isn't free.

Housing cheap used to be, but not anymore, unless you feel 250K dollars is cheap. Now thats the low end in the Palm Springs area. Of course you can do better but you might have to fight your way in and out of house each day.

Scottsdale a nice area of Phoenix the last I heard was more expensive then Palm Springs. There was a time when things were inexpensive in Costa Rico, until the people started retiring there. The same thing has been happening in the deserts.

Existing and living are two different things Thailand is not perfect but, for what I get for my money spent, it would be hard to beat what I have here. A one bedroom unfurnished apartment cost me $1,000.00 a month. Here a nice 2 bedroom two bath hosue cost me $70.00 a month. I don't live in misery so my electric with aircon runs around a $100.00 a month So my housing cost $170.00 a month that is a lot differnt then $1500.00 a month.

My original budget was $1600.00 a month here, wiht that budget I purchased motorcycles, furniture and a down payment on a new pickup. Two T'v's satelite T.V. Systems, airconditioners. All this in 2 and 1/2 years. Now my budget ais a $1000.00 a month, I do what I want when I want. I eat as I wish which at least of 60% the time includes imported foods. I do something everyday for entertainment. I have a much better life then anywhere else I could, that I know of if i knew of something better I would have went there.

Just because it works for me does not mean it will work for someone else. The Philippines sounded very interesting it would nice to hear more about that. Life ins't over is there is something bettter I would like to know it. But it will be very hard to beat what I have here.

[Blake7]

It's got to be Phuket - especially if you are still living with your dad and you are in your thirties

[Rinrada]

One of the cheapest is The Dreaded UNITED KINGDOM.................If you are on Benifits like 50% of the population.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

World Richest Countries

World Richest Countries

This in order from 1-50 of the world richest countries by how much spending power they have...

Re distribution of the wealth per chance...

LOS not far behind..right...and we all thought it was poor

1. United States

2. United Kingdom

3. Australia

4. Japan

5. France

6. Canada

7. Germany

8. Norway

9. China

10.Italy

11.Spain

12.Russia

13.Portugal

14.Luximbourg

15.Lichenstien

16.New Zealand

17.Ireland

18.Sweden

19.Finland

20.South Africa

21.Turkey

22.India

23.Netherlands

24.South Korea

25.Belguim

26.Switzerland

27.Austria

28.Denmark

29.Poland

30.Greece

31.Iceland

32.Pakistan

33.Thailand

34.Israel

35.Brazil

36.U.A.E

37.Kuwait

38.Argentina

39.Egypt

40.Taiwan (Claimed by China)

41.Romania

42.Bulgaria

43.Bolivia

44.Peru

45.Saudi Arabia

46.Hungary

47.Nigeria

48.Monaco

49.Croatia

50.Zambia

http://www.cylist.com/List/400300719/

[Gary A]

I really thought I could live in two places. Half the time in Jomtien Beach and half the time up country in Loei province. It hasn't worked out that way. The more time I spend up country the better I like it. Each trip up is longer and I take up more things. I actually don't care to even be in Jomtien anymore. My country boy roots have taken over.