Solar panel + battery + 5g internet + tent + food + car + Bureau of Land Management campable land.
Thank me later!
Ask HN: Where can I live off 1k USD per month?
251–260 of 557 posts
Re: Ask HN: Where can I live off 1k USD per month?
#252There many cities in Greece where you can live with 1k. Patras, Chania, Ioannina and other relatively small cities offer a good balance between cost of living and access to various activities. Try to avoid Athens and the well known islands & tourist places since rent is expensive. Greece is safer than other Eastern European countries (IMHO), has relatively good internet access, more sun, friendlier people and most people know English. There are many co-working spaces available and there are some government programs running for attracting digital nomads (tax exemptions, work visa…).
Re: Ask HN: Where can I live off 1k USD per month?
#253No one has said this but one option also is to book an all inclusive hotel deal in Spain, Portugal Morocco, Tunis, Egypt, Greece, Turkey or Israel. These destinations have amazing value for money because of the volume of tourism And you won't have to worry about cooking or cleaning. Every day delicious buffets and room service :-) you could even keep switching hotel and do some lazy traveling. I do this once a year b…
Israel is extremely expensive, not only in terms of rent but also basic products are double of what they cost in the US. Holiday package deals are way more expensive than Turkey, Greece or Egypt, so much so that most Israelis would rather go to those destinations than have a holiday inside Israel.
Re: Ask HN: Where can I live off 1k USD per month?
#254Armenia. Internet service is good. Cost of living is cheap. Yerevan is a modern, safe, mid-sized city that is easy to get around. Lots of bars, restaurants if you're into that kind of stuff. There's a small tight-knit tech community.
Downsides: language barrier can be a problem, but generally there's at least some degree of English knowledge among the younger population. If you happen to know Russian, it'll be even easier since most people understand it there. Also, with COVID, prepare for a LOT of people refusing to mask up or vaccinate. Better get your shots before going.
Re: Ask HN: Where can I live off 1k USD per month?
#255I live in Korea. Some months my total expenses are as low as $400 while living comfortably. If I spent $1000 in a month, I spent a lot of money. I'd say my average monthly living expenses are $600-$800. My main expenses are food/entertainment, and I eat out a lot (50% of meals). Housing is probably the biggest living expense. I take advantage of Korea's interesting rental system called Cheonsae: Basically, if you put…
Interesting. So it’s like buying a place with a guaranteed buyer on the other side but no upside n the value of the house increasing. I don’t think I would want to live in that situation. It’s not like houses are that hard to sell.
Re: Ask HN: Where can I live off 1k USD per month?
#256If 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!
South of Brazil is alright, but as someone who lives in Porto Alegre it is not really 'safe'.
By far the best place to live in Brasil is São paulo (state) countryside. Very safe cities, close to urban centers, not expensive at all. Santos is also pretty nice but 1k might fall short.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_municipalities_in_S%C3...
Re: Ask HN: Where can I live off 1k USD per month?
#257I just came back from 2 months in Colombia with my wife and a 3 year old. You can definitely live off 1k USD in an intermediate city (not Bogota) with a very high living standards compared to the average colombian.
Medellin would be my recommendation, very safe, unbeatable weather, access to high speed internet, a trendy startup culture and decent level of English-speaking people, non-stop daily flights to major US cities and same time zone as the US.
Re: Ask HN: Where can I live off 1k USD per month?
#258Earlier 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…
> they can daisy-chain the purchase of multiple properties. They take the first cheonsae deposit and use it to purchase another property And then they have to return the deposit eventually... how is this different from a Ponzi scheme? :P
You ask jokingly, but the serious answer is that there's an actual scarce asset behind it. Sort of like Bitcoin ;) Whether the scheme artificially inflates the value of the asset remains to be seen of course. I feel the fact that the contracts usually only last 2 years or less really takes the sting out of the risk of collapse, but I'm no economist. Also if it's been going on since the 80's, that means it's been going strong through 30 years of turbulent economical climates.
Re: Ask HN: Where can I live off 1k USD per month?
#259Colombia, even on Bogotá and Cartagena is super doable.
Came here to add Colombia to the list though I would suggest Medellin.
Stayed there for six months. Inexpensive, friendly people, generally safe if you stay near the Poblado area and not flaunt your wealth.
Use apps for just about everything and if you’re inclined, cook at home.
Here’s a cost breakdown:
Rent: staying at a 4.5/5 star hotel near Poblado runs you $400-500 USD, check with some of the newer hotels and avoid Booking.com (at least after your two week stay). Hotels will work with you If you try to negotiate long term pricing, some even have bigger and dedicated rooms.
Check out properties with Caracol and AirBnB. The idea is if you negotiate pricing outside the platform, it’s often cheaper for longer term stays.
Food: use Rappi to order your meals, it’s similar to Uber Eats (since discontinued in the country); half the cost of what you’ll usually pay in the US.
Transportation: Uber, DiDi, Cabify.
Loved the country and looking to return next year. Haven’t been able to obtain a visa yet.
Re: Ask HN: Where can I live off 1k USD per month?
#260Earlier quoted context omitted.
I believe the system was adopted in the old days with very high interest rates (~10% was common) - landlords could easily expect to make enough return. It's actually greatly favorable to landlords. Just think about what happens when one side is out of money. Under the monthly rent system, landlords can't get any more money until they evict the renter (which is a lot of hassle, anywhere in the world). Under the "jeons…
Would the new landlord inherit the liabilities of the house?
Not an expert, but I think there's a good chance the renter will lose money. When this happens, the landlord usually has more debt than the house is worth, so the renter has to compete with other lenders. (There's some legal protection, but I don't think it's bulletproof.)