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

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

#261

Post by azth »

Leftium wrote: post #11

I 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…

> 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.

So you're giving them a usurious loan basically.

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

#263

Post by tyingq »

jl2718 wrote: post #115

I can nearly guarantee that there are many people living under $1k/mo within 10 miles of wherever you are. That’s the low-chaos option if you really want to focus. Such a question is common from people who are running away from an unhealthy situation unrelated to geography. If so, maybe cut that off prior to and independently of the move, and then probably move anyway.

There would be a huge bridge trying to live on $1k/month in the US, assuming you were ratcheting down from some larger income. You wouldn't qualify for subsidized health insurance, for example, until that $1k/month was in place for a year.

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

#264

Post by azth »

koolba wrote: post #86
Leftium wrote: 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…

> 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 the cheonsae deposit from the 2nd property to purchase a 3rd property, and so on... That sounds like it’d be a disaster during a liquidity crunch.

This is the natural outcome of building an economy based on usury/interest, which is exactly what this transaction is.

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

#265

Post by dmje »

jonatron wrote: post #114

Not quite $1k per month, but in the cheap areas of the UK you can rent for $620/mo, call bills another $230. After adding food, you won't be far over $1000. Just in case you wanted an English speaking country and could stretch the budget.

You'd be really pushed to live on $150/m food. That's £110. Even if you went veggie, super healthy, cooked yourself I think you'd struggle. And zero going out or booze...

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

#267

Post by thegagne »

Grandview, MO.

There are homes for sale for as low as $80k, so you can not only live cheap but build equity.

It’s a splurge on your budget but Google Fiber is available.

Grandview is the poor side of town and many people live very cheap. The amenities of the KC area are nearby, many of them free. The parks are great.

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

#268

Post by 7steps2much »

freediver wrote: post #238
wil421 wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lol. All I can say is that if you’re Muslim or of African decent it’s not gonna be the same as a Caucasian. Many do not believe in political correctness. Not that Europe abides by that like the US does but also not something you’d see in the UK, France, or Germany. Even Indian coworkers had "issues" there. I have childhood friends who came to the US during the Yugoslav wars in the 90s. When I mentioned them my cowork…

I would disagree. What is important to know is that in this region of the world discrimination (if at all present) is in general not based on the race/color of the skin - and this is in general true for the rest of Europe too. In Europe, discrimination, when it happens, is usually based on national or religious differences. All wars Europeans ever fought were over national or religious reasons. In Serbia generally ra…

Fellow European here, I have to somewhat disagree. While it is true that discrimination is not as heavily based on skin colour as it is in places like the US I believe it plays a bigger role than you make it out to be.

Discrimination based on nationality is a thing, but it is very much something that varies a lot in Europe. To generalise it as one of the top reasons for discrimination isn't quite right in my opinion.

That said, it's the type of discrimination that is the most prevalent, simply because that's what most people deal with.

However, I think that in day to day life skin colour may be more noticeable than other types of discrimination, simply because it is easier to make out.

While in some places discrimination of certain nationalities or religions is certainly common place and as such might seem like it is the predominant form of discrimination, discrimination based on skin colour is also present. Maybe to a lesser degree, but it is present everywhere.

The simple truth is that the "better" experience will be the one Caucasians get.

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

#269

Post by rwmj »

wsc981 wrote: post #47

With my girlfriend and daughter I live in Thailand (Thai countryside) and we have a budget of about 50.000 THB per month, or about 1.300 USD. We own our house, so we don't pay rent and we don't have any loans. This budget doesn't include costs for health insurance, which I pay separately. I think a single guy could live on quite a bit less, but has to pay some rent. For about 250-300 USD per month you can get a decen…

Thai food is so good I don't know who wouldn't want to eat it all the time.

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

#270

Post by kilroy123 »

qnk wrote: post #257

I 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 c…

I don't know about _very_ safe but it certainly isn't how it used to be. Let's be real, you're in Latin America. It is safer than most Americans would think? Yes, but saying very safe is a bit of a stretch.

Source: I lived in Medellin and spent years living in Latin America.

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