I moved to Saigon, Vietnam two years ago. English is definitely a challenge, but it isn't impossible and a lot of people in the growing tech scene speak english. Cost of living is minuscule and it is very easy to live here in general. Easy to get a year long multiple entry visa, place to live and the food is excellent. Relatively safe too, it is mostly just petty theft, so watch your surroundings and you'll be fine.
Ask HN: Cheap places to live with a good intellectual atmosphere?
501–510 of 1001 posts
Re: Ask HN: Cheap places to live with a good intellectual atmosphere?
#502Earlier quoted context omitted.
That cold-cheap bit is decidedly not applicable to Europe, by the way. Scandinavia is overall among the most expensive places in Europe. I'd imagine Switzerland is more expensive by a bit, but Oslo and Stockholm are brutal as well.
I think it is applicable to Europe, but in a different way: Scandinavia and Switzerland are expensive, but salaries are equally high. Compare that to the French Riviera for example, where house prices are nearly as high as Stockholm, but salaries are much lower. That's the problem with sunshine: it attracts a lot of wealthy retirees and tourists, who distort the local market.
Ha! No they aren't!
I lived in Sweden for seven years, and this is so far from the truth it's hilarious.
Relative quality of life is garbage in Sweden for a tech worker. Your life will be not that much better than if you work in Carlings selling plaid shirts to hard-rock hipsters.
My Swedish friends have decent jobs and still live unglamorous, frugal lives. As soon as I left Sweden, my quality of life completely transformed for the better.
Re: Ask HN: Cheap places to live with a good intellectual atmosphere?
#503Depends what you mean by a 'good intellectual atmosphere', I suppose. I would recommend Edinburgh, Berlin, Glasgow, Manchester, and Cambridge (from personal experience).
Re: Ask HN: Cheap places to live with a good intellectual atmosphere?
#504Earlier quoted context omitted.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahaa Istanbul a good intellectual atmosphere? A country run by a lying, corrupt, refuge-bombing despot. Why on EARTH would you invite anyone over.
Disclaimer: I am Turkish and I live in Istanbul. Well, you could say that the United States is run by a similar person. That does mean all of the U.S. is like that? Istanbul does have a good intellectual atmosphere. Izmir too. I'm not going to say it's all fine over here, but it's perfect for a digital nomad. Istanbul, especially places like Besiktas and Kadikoy are perfect.
"Well, you could say that the United States is run by a similar person."
No, you really couldn't. While the US democratic system is augmented by a very strong executive position, he still is only the executive of the system with fairly robust checks and balances in place (which seems to be working despite intense tire kicking).
US is not run by the president.
This quora answer seems a pretty good 101 on the issue:
https://www.quora.com/Why-is-the-US-not-a-parliamentary-syst...
Just because a person tweets like an ex-wrestler turned autocrat does not make him so.
Re: Ask HN: Cheap places to live with a good intellectual atmosphere?
#505Have you ever wondered what you would bring to the community you plan to move to?
Re: Ask HN: Cheap places to live with a good intellectual atmosphere?
#506Depending on your ability to work remotely, I would make the "case" that you should consider Portugal . Lisbon and Porto are super popular with ["digital nomad"] remote workers who work for international companies so earn in USD but spend [much less] in Euros for a superb lifestyle. There's a reason @paddycosgrave moved Web Summit to Lisbon. It's one of the cheapest cities in Europe and [unlike Barcelona] everyone sp…
Yes Portugal is a good choice now, I moved here 1 year ago from UK because of various factors, Brexit, tax, quality of life etc also because I believe it will be a great location to recruit IT talent to. I live in Cascais which is a bit expensive, (still much cheaper than San Francisco of course) but has wonderful quality of life for family, Capital city amenities next to beach. Great infrastructure, motorways, ultra…
> Dividends are Tax free from the UK for 10 years, 20% on local income. EU passport if you spend 500k on property.
Our government is learning from China and Cuba: we have 2 systems, one for locals (ultra-socialist) and another for foreigners (ultra-liberal).
Re: Ask HN: Cheap places to live with a good intellectual atmosphere?
#507If you would like to remain in United States and do not mind having proper seasons, I would strongly consider Chicago, the last affordable big city in the United States. University of Chicago pulls a robust intellectual community (81 Nobel Laureates), but there is also a deep intellectual history around the arts and music that transcends the work of the university - something that I'm not sure I can say for a place l…
"Chicago, the last affordable big city in the United States"
I love Chicago, and would consider living there were it not for the harsh winters. But, Dallas and Houston would like a word about being the last affordable big city in the US. I'd wager they're more affordable than Chicago, actually. Then again, if your definition of "big city" includes mass transit worth speaking of and corridors where you can live affordably near that mass transit, I guess you'd be right. Texas is stupidly backward on transit. Big roads, big trucks, big houses in big suburbs are the rule in Texas (this is changing in the major cities, though slowly).
But, they've both got all the big city stuff most people think of: Museums, food, music, culture, etc. Houston, in particular, will surprise you, as it has excellent art museums (including the Menil collection, which is probably my personal favorite museum of any I've visited, and I've traveled a lot), and one of the best opera companies in the world, among other things. Also amazingly good food due to large immigrant populations and a lot of produce that doesn't have to be shipped very far since it's grown in nearby areas. And, a very low cost of living, relatively speaking.
Re: Ask HN: Cheap places to live with a good intellectual atmosphere?
#508As far as Europe is concerned, you'd be mad to choose anything West or North.
As for the guy saying Porto is one of the cheapest cities in Europe…
WHAT?! It's €15 for a 'Francesinha', and this food is garbage anyway. There are much nicer places to go in Portugal where the prices and quality aren't ruined by tourism.
Re: Ask HN: Cheap places to live with a good intellectual atmosphere?
#509Re: Ask HN: Cheap places to live with a good intellectual atmosphere?
#510Bucharest, Romania [SALARIES] developers earn from 1500 EUR to 5000 EUR (after taxes) [RENT] for 1 bedroom appt: ~300-400 EUR (near the city center) [LANGUAGE] 80% of people you'll ever meet speak good english. [ENTARTAINMENT] Hundreds of bars, cafes and theatres. Events, meetups, festivals and concerts happening non stop. [COMMUTING] If you live on one of the main subway lines (highly likey), it will probably take y…
BAD SIDE: Romania
BAD SIDE: Anything, depending on your perception and attitude.