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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?

#391

Post by turtlebits »

yorwba wrote: post #297
et2o wrote: post #245

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Off in one direction or just randomly?

In my experience of living in Shanghai, Nomadlist and Numbeo estimates are way too high. That's not to say that rich expats aren't actually paying those prices (someone must've entered them, right?) but if you're willing to shop around and learn the local language so you don't get ripped off like an ignorant foreigner, you should be able to get things much cheaper.

I’m sure the numbers are skewed highly by expats who’s employers pay for them to live there. I still remember my parent’s rent when they lived in HK- 13k USD/mo.

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

#392

Post by anm89 »

postsantum wrote: post #233
FabHK wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just for the record, I don't think that South Korea is particularly cheap. As OP demonstrates, one can live there for USD 1000/month, but that really holds for most countries. While the US is in the top 5% in terms of nominal GDP per capita, South Korea is in the top 15%. For cheap, yet comfortable and safe, I'd aim around the median, eg Indonesia or Georgia. ETA: Nomadlist suggests €1,925/mo for Seoul, €1,530/mo for…

Nomadlist is often way off on their estimates. I'd suggest using it for inspiration only and then see prices on Numbeo

No one number can quantify a city. You can probably live for $1000 a month in Mnahattan if you are willing to live in a total dump.

But still the numbers are useful and mostly accurate within a range

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

#393

Post by shrimpx »

gaoshan wrote: post #324
freediver wrote: post #107

Serbia offers a 180 degrees different culture than most of what you experienced in US plus is very dynamic, cheap and great for young people. Couple of a links to get you started: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/serbia-best-places-to... https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20170822-belgrades-floati... https://theculturetrip.com/europe/serbia/articles/an-expats-... https://www.quora.com/What-is-life-like-for-Amer…

Have you actually lived in the US so that you personally know of this 180 degrees of difference? If so, which parts of the US? I ask because the differences between New York City, Tallahassee, Chicago, Columbus, Nashville, Kansas City, Austin, Taos, San Francisco, Boise, Hattiesburg, Denver, Portland, Bar Harbor, etc. are so wildly stark as to be like different countries on many levels (and I say this as someone who…

Really? American culture, architecture, and infrastructure is pretty uniform. I've been to all those places except Bar Harbor and I'd agree maybe Taos/Northern NM stands out due to deep and influential indigenous history. But even there you have to kind of seek out those differences because in town it's stores, restaurants, food, music, etc., that you can largely find anywhere else in the US.

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

#394

Post by codethief »

anm89 wrote: post #378
codethief wrote: post #366

Earlier quoted context omitted.

+1 I lived in Medellín for four months a few years back. I'm dying to go back! To add some numbers: Back in 2016, - a basic but delicious lunch at the restaurant at the corner used to be ~7,000-8,000 COP (~2-3€ back then) - rooms in shared apartments could easily be found for ~300,000 COP (~100€) per month (or even less if you're fine with very basic accomodation) - a nice spacious apartment in one of the high rises…

Surprise surprise, I do software consulting. Most of the prices you list are still roughly correct in 2021. It is getting easier to spend more here but the deals are still around. I arrived back here for my fourth trip about a week ago with no plans to ever leave. My goal is to do a startup in the tourism sector here. If you are in town write me an email

Niiice, looks like you're living my dream :)

> I arrived back here for my fourth trip about a week ago with no plans to ever leave.

Which neighborhood are you planning to move to?

> If you are in town write me an email

Will definitely do!

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

#395

Post by doingmyting »

jrockway wrote: post #371
finance_astroid wrote: post #327

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In a way yes. But its also using leverage to amplify your gains. Say I get $90,000 to go buy a house, I spend the $90,000 and have 1 door. I get a tenant in it and they make a $90,000 down payment. I then go buy another house and get another tenant in it and they make a $90,000 down payment. I now have two houses and still have the same amount of money I started with, I can continue this cycle and as long as property…

> Say I get $90,000 to go buy a house, I spend the $90,000 and have 1 door. I get a tenant in it and they make a $90,000 down payment. Why wouldn't the tenant spend $90,000 on the house themselves, cutting out the middleman?

Expat planning to move someplace else in a couple years maybe?

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

#396

Post by lbebber »

nano-erud wrote: post #326
pelasaco wrote: post #130

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!

I live in Uruguay, it's not an alternative, it is very expensive. Good quality of life, but you don't live well on that budget. You need up to 2k a month (one person) to live well. Brazil and Argentina are very insecure and economically unstable.

I live in the south of Brazil, it's pretty safe, but it depends on the city.

You can go pretty far with 1k USD here. Also pretty well served in terms of free healthcare, but I don't know how it works for foreigners.

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

#397

Post by anm89 »

acchow wrote: post #97
koolba wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

It becomes a too-big-to-fail system, with the government stepping in as needed (implicit subsidy).

Korea is an economic experiment of monstrous proportions in many ways. There are a lot of risks that are specific to their system buy it feel like even if the whole thing massively blew up at this point that the average Korean would be better off than if they had never taken the risks.

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

#398

Post by throwawaygimp »

cybwraith wrote: post #332
FabHK wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just for the record, I don't think that South Korea is particularly cheap. As OP demonstrates, one can live there for USD 1000/month, but that really holds for most countries. While the US is in the top 5% in terms of nominal GDP per capita, South Korea is in the top 15%. For cheap, yet comfortable and safe, I'd aim around the median, eg Indonesia or Georgia. ETA: Nomadlist suggests €1,925/mo for Seoul, €1,530/mo for…

Since you seem to be informed here, how would one look for places like this that are explicitly not hot & humid, or nearly tropical locations? Effectively a climate and geography filter on this site with "has winters, mountains, summer highs typically < 90 degrees"

Guanajuato city, Mexico. I lived there for a while, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guanajuato_City

Edit: I lived there 5 years ago and USD$1k per month would have been plenty, but a nomad website I just looked up lists it at $1250. I'm surprised by that, I think you would be fine. In fact I know people who live there who don't earn anything near $15k USD per year.

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

#400

Post by lisperforlife »

imstil3earning wrote: post #106
muhammadusman wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

how's the internet in those areas?

I get better/more reliable internet on my phone in India than I do in my condo in Canada some days

This. I moved to Canada from India and was appalled at the mobile internet infrastructure here. It is a ripoff.
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