You should really consider Lviv, Ukraine. It's cheap yet safe, beautiful and with a lot of IT companies (many meetups and coworking spaces as a result).
It's also close to mountains which make a perfect weekend trip.
And it's cold enough to let you work but not crazy cold like Baltics.
Ask HN: Cheap living and fast internet and cold climate?
21–30 of 37 posts
Re: Ask HN: Cheap living and fast internet and cold climate?
#22Why is it hard to concentrate in heat? Maybe you have issues concentrating in general?
Depending on your idea of cold Netherlands or Scandinavia?
Re: Ask HN: Cheap living and fast internet and cold climate?
#23Why is it hard to concentrate in heat? Maybe you have issues concentrating in general? Depending on your idea of cold Netherlands or Scandinavia?
You're used to the climate you grew up in and changing from that can be a waste of time. There's plenty of interesting places all over the world north of any line you choose, say 48 degrees north (adjusting for Gulf Stream, etc).
Re: Ask HN: Cheap living and fast internet and cold climate?
#24Why is it hard to concentrate in heat? Maybe you have issues concentrating in general? Depending on your idea of cold Netherlands or Scandinavia?
You're used to the climate you grew up in and changing from that can be a waste of time. There's plenty of interesting places all over the world north of any line you choose, say 48 degrees north (adjusting for Gulf Stream, etc).
I moved from coldish (20 deg summers, -10 winters) where I was born and lived 30 years to hot (40+ deg, 15 deg); I work best in well over 40. For me when it drops below 10 it gets annoying but then again people have trouble getting me out of workmode in any circumstance.
Re: Ask HN: Cheap living and fast internet and cold climate?
#25Syracuse, NY has Verizon FiOS (100/100 Mbps @ ~$75/mo) in many parts of the city. And while 60%+ of the area is ghetto, rents in nicer parts are relatively cheap (~600/mo). Long winters with lots of snow, & the city's always prepared to get pounded, so stuff rarely closes from it. There's a city-wide bus service that goes into the suburbs regularly, & to surrounding towns outside the metro area a few times/day. So you don't really need a car, which saves lots of money. No Uber yet, though. New York City's <5 hour drive, or there's Amtrak train service to Penn Station.
Re: Ask HN: Cheap living and fast internet and cold climate?
#26Kharkiv, Ukraine: university town, lots of IT companies and meetups, cold but not as cold as Moscow or Estonia, very cheap prices, US/EU passports get 90 days entry, visa-free. There is this whole Russia thing (we're 50km from the border), so if that's a problem, try Kyiv or Lviv or Odesa.
Can you do thailand-style re-entry runs every 90 days?
It used to be that way, but Ukr border control has instituted a '90 out of every 180 days' rule. You can get around that with a proper business visa (usually granted for 1 year), or by using two passports, or by paying a fine upon leaving the country if you overstay.
Re: Ask HN: Cheap living and fast internet and cold climate?
#27Going solely on cheap + fast internet + cold ... Detroit area.
Re: Ask HN: Cheap living and fast internet and cold climate?
#28You should really consider Lviv, Ukraine. It's cheap yet safe, beautiful and with a lot of IT companies (many meetups and coworking spaces as a result). It's also close to mountains which make a perfect weekend trip. And it's cold enough to let you work but not crazy cold like Baltics.
I'd second that. Ukraine in general is just ridiculously cheap. Lviv is a beautiful city with great history, but has a rather continental climate, cold in the winter, humid and hot in the summer. Lviv is quite remote, as well, but has a university with great traditions (maths and logic, Ulam, Banach![1]) and an opera. With even a basic eastern EU income it's really cheap. If you can work remotely for a German company or have an income in dollars from your side projects, you can have a really nice life there.
Someone mentioned Estonia here - well, when I think of differences, quality of transportation (roads, trains) and the rule of law (if you have to do anything with the administration, complaints, registrations etc.) in Ukraine are much worse for sure.
[1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lw%C3%B3w_School_of_Mathematic...
Re: Ask HN: Cheap living and fast internet and cold climate?
#29Anywhere in rural America that has broadband. I have reasonably fast/ cheap cable and was able to buy a decent house for ~$80k. That puts my mortgage at around $475 per month. Rent can be very cheap too, especially if you just need a room or you have roommates. I'm not in the cheapest area either.
Re: Ask HN: Cheap living and fast internet and cold climate?
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
Can you do thailand-style re-entry runs every 90 days?
It used to be that way, but Ukr border control has instituted a '90 out of every 180 days' rule. You can get around that with a proper business visa (usually granted for 1 year), or by using two passports, or by paying a fine upon leaving the country if you overstay.
How much is the fine roughly? Sorry for the persistent questions but this is the most interesting one so far.