Ask HN: Cheap places to live with a good intellectual atmosphere? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Cheap places to live with a good intellectual atmosphere?

#21

Post by bobthepanda » Mon, Oct 08, 2018, 5:43 AM UTC

nabaraj wrote: post #9

baxtr wrote: post #4

If you really consider moving abroad, then Berlin might be a good option. It has a decent American expat community, it's relatively “cheap” and culturally rich.

I was talking to someone about tech culture in Germany earlier. How easy is it to get a tech job out there?

Not local, but I try and keep up from time to time, and I have seen a lot of hand-wringing on the Internet about how low Berlin tech wages are.

Re: Ask HN: Cheap places to live with a good intellectual atmosphere?

#22

Post by msadowski » Mon, Oct 08, 2018, 5:43 AM UTC

If you feel adventurous you can consider moving to Poland. I would recommend Krakow. Most young people will speak English, there are couple of top Universities there (PK and AGH for technical schools, UJ for humanities, medicine and some tech too and UE for economics). The tech scene seems to be constantly growing, with lots of international companies having their offices there. As a senior dev in Poland you can earn somewhere between 12-20k PLN a month. Renting a flat will be between 1.5-3k PLN(~400-800USD) depending on thr standard. Additional perks you can enjoy is free(as you pay it on your taxes) healthcare, amazing food, great nightlife and proximity of other European countries (the flights are super cheap).

Re: Ask HN: Cheap places to live with a good intellectual atmosphere?

#23

Post by d--b » Mon, Oct 08, 2018, 5:45 AM UTC

As you say, places near academic institutions should be pretty good for you. Oxford or Cambridge in England may not be too expensive. Edinburgh or Glasgow would be cheaper even.

In any case you may consider enrolling in some kind of academic research program. Pursuing your own intellectual thing by yourself will be incredibly tough and lonely.

Re: Ask HN: Cheap places to live with a good intellectual atmosphere?

#24

Post by baxtr » Mon, Oct 08, 2018, 5:45 AM UTC

baxtr wrote: post #4

If you really consider moving abroad, then Berlin might be a good option. It has a decent American expat community, it's relatively “cheap” and culturally rich.

BTW: of course another great option in Germany is Munich, my favorite city. But: rents are higher, salaries too though. The range of employers is larger. You can go for companies like BMW if you like but also startups. Shoot me a mail if you’re interested to get more insights

Re: Ask HN: Cheap places to live with a good intellectual atmosphere?

#25

Post by inciampati » Mon, Oct 08, 2018, 5:45 AM UTC

nicklovescode wrote: post #2

It depends what you mean by cheap but you can live in Somerville next to Cambridge MA for a fraction of SF rent and be in perhaps the best intellectual environment in the world. https://boston.craigslist.org/search/aap?bedrooms=1&maxAsk=1... Looks like it’s pretty easy to find a sub-$1000/mo bedroom

Sub 1k/mo bedroom...! Times do change, and fast. I lived there for seven years. I travel very extensively throughout the world for (research) work and Somerville offers by far the best social environment for hacker and intellectual types that I've ever found. I would be happy to return.

If the OP is into anarchism, art, and culture I would recommend Napoli. An apartment in the best location imaginable would never be more than €700. Airport is a few minutes from the city center. The food, from restaurant to Farmers markets, is unbelievably good and costs little. The intellectual life, well...

Re: Ask HN: Cheap places to live with a good intellectual atmosphere?

#26

Post by ryanSrich » Mon, Oct 08, 2018, 5:46 AM UTC

moinnadeem wrote: post #19

Honestly, I think Cambridge MA may give you that environment.

Median home price in Cambridge is $800k. Certainly cheaper than the bay, but I wouldn’t consider that cheap by any stretch.

Re: Ask HN: Cheap places to live with a good intellectual atmosphere?

#27

Post by tartoran » Mon, Oct 08, 2018, 5:47 AM UTC

mychael wrote: post #12

Brooklyn

Brooklyn is expensive

Re: Ask HN: Cheap places to live with a good intellectual atmosphere?

#28

Post by tartoran » Mon, Oct 08, 2018, 5:47 AM UTC

Cluj, Romania

Re: Ask HN: Cheap places to live with a good intellectual atmosphere?

#29

Post by ShirsenduK » Mon, Oct 08, 2018, 5:47 AM UTC

The Internet!

Re: Ask HN: Cheap places to live with a good intellectual atmosphere?

#30

Post by mrep » Mon, Oct 08, 2018, 5:47 AM UTC

> focus on my own intellectual pursuits

If you plan on commercializing those pursuits, talk to a lawyer before signing a contract. Most states/companies will give full ownership of all your work even on your own time to the company. States like California are more protecting of employee off time work but they still lean towards employers if your work "relates" towards your employer which for the top paying companies like Google/Apple/Facebook/Amazon/Microsoft is practically everything so you can still be screwed.