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Ask HN: Where can I live off 1k USD per month?

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171–180 of 557 posts

Re: Ask HN: Where can I live off 1k USD per month?

#171

So I like this idea and I’ve spent a little time in other countries doing something similar. The one caveat I’d say is that although it’s cheaper to avoid major cities it can be quite isolating. Depending on the level of english in the country you go to (I assume you are an English only speaker) you might end up not having a meaningful conversation in the flesh for weeks. I spent about 2 months in Portugal doing some…

> Depending on the level of english in the country you go to (I assume you are an English only speaker) you might end up not having a meaningful conversation in the flesh for weeks.

One should absolutely, 100% make a good faith effort to learn the language of any country you intend to long-term reside in.

It's for your own health. For my two cents, it'll massively improve your standing in the community because you won't seem like some fly-by-night foreigner (common reputation of americans, which is fine when being somewhere as a tourist but not long term) and will allow you to have serious conversations with people or at least give you a reason to try and have conversations with people (who are generally nice about foreigners attempting to pick up the local language).

Re: Ask HN: Where can I live off 1k USD per month?

#172
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You list Ukraine as safe. How's the current thing with Russia?

Lviv is in the western part of Ukraine, about 1,000km from the fighting in the east. Completely safe. For comparison, Lviv to Donetsk is a greater distance than Berlin to Paris or London to Milan, and only slightly less than New York to Chicago.

I have heard very nice things about Lviv from friends and family, small but very pretty and extremely cheap.

Re: Ask HN: Where can I live off 1k USD per month?

#174

So I like this idea and I’ve spent a little time in other countries doing something similar. The one caveat I’d say is that although it’s cheaper to avoid major cities it can be quite isolating. Depending on the level of english in the country you go to (I assume you are an English only speaker) you might end up not having a meaningful conversation in the flesh for weeks. I spent about 2 months in Portugal doing some…

> you might end up not having a meaningful conversation in the flesh for weeks

So pretty similar to the last 18 months.

Re: Ask HN: Where can I live off 1k USD per month?

#175
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think 1k is a reasonable target for an American though. I strongly suspect I could get down to 500$ , but I don't want to push it.

The lowest median rent in the US is $725 a month in West Virginia and the internet access is not great.

Do you by any chance know how it breaks down across different types of housing? Studio vs 1-bedroom vs 2-bedroom, townhouse vs single-family, etc? Any websites to find this kind of data that you'd recommend?

Re: Ask HN: Where can I live off 1k USD per month?

#176
post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Basically, if you put down a huge deposit (like $90,000: 50% to 90% of the value of the property), you don't pay any monthly rent and get the entire deposit back when you move out. That's kind of a strange system. Any idea how it evolved there? Basically sounds like the landlord has to invest the money in such a way as to get a return that would be equivalent to rent but also safe enough so that they can return the…

I believe the system started when there were double digit interest rates (in the 80's?). Now interest rates are much lower, but Koreans got used to paying $0 rent and anything above that feels like they are being ripped off. One reason landlords like the system is because they can daisy-chain the purchase of multiple properties. They take the first cheonsae deposit and use it to purchase another property, then use th…

But why couldn't the renter use the deposit to buy a house instead?

Re: Ask HN: Where can I live off 1k USD per month?

#177

You would live incredibly well in Ukraine on $1000 a month. https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Lviv?displayCurrenc...

It should be noted, although Kyiv is doable for $1k, that would be mainly dependent upon securing cheap rent (somewhat difficult for someone new to the city). I would place Kyiv in the 4k per month bracket to live "incredibly well". Yes, this is a subjective measure).

From your link: "Rent Prices in Lviv are 39.98% lower than in Kiev (Kyiv)" (in reality, in many scenarios the difference is greater than that).

Info: securing a three year resident visa in Ukraine is very easy.

Re: Ask HN: Where can I live off 1k USD per month?

#178

If you want to have a great experience, I would suggest South of Brazil (something like country from Rio Grande do Sul or Santa Catarina), Buenos Aires in Argentina, or my favorite spot Montevideo, Uruguay. In the 3 options, you can live well with 1k USD and have one of the best times of your life, without a super huge cultural shock. Have fun!

Isn't Argentina currently under a strict lockdown?

Re: Ask HN: Where can I live off 1k USD per month?

#179
post #60

Rather than looking at entire countries as a whole you should consider the urban vs rural split. Major cities in Eastern Europe or Korea or even third world countries are still going to be a lot more expensive than, say, some random town 200 miles outside of San Francisco or New York. First decide what kind of lifestyle you are looking for.

Depends on what you count as major cities; the second biggest city in any EE country will be much cheaper than the capital. But in Eastern Europe you also get health insurance much cheaper than in the US.

Re: Ask HN: Where can I live off 1k USD per month?

#180
post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe the system started when there were double digit interest rates (in the 80's?). Now interest rates are much lower, but Koreans got used to paying $0 rent and anything above that feels like they are being ripped off. One reason landlords like the system is because they can daisy-chain the purchase of multiple properties. They take the first cheonsae deposit and use it to purchase another property, then use th…

Sounds like a recipe for a housing market collapse...

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