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?

#961

Post by nelsonic » Tue, Oct 09, 2018, 8:55 AM UTC

mannykannot wrote: post #713

nelsonic wrote: post #607

Earlier quoted context omitted.

€110m is an absolute bargain for the value that it has generated. Any public official who was involved in making that decision/deal and facilitating the influx of talent/ideas/energy/capital deserves a medal! Lisbon is buzzing now more than ever, thanks in no small part to Web Summit. It was good before, now it's incredible . Say what you want about Web Summit (that's a whole other rant!) it is unquestionably "net po…

It does indeed appear to have been a very smart choice for Lisbon, but that does not address the question of whether this was the main reason for the location selection.

When Paddy (and the WebSummit Team) decided to leave the Dublin chaos, they had a choice between several cities. Lisbon made the best case on many factors. There must have been an "incentive" for them to move beyond simply having a "better venue" or "sunny weather", we (the public) will never have the full picture of the terms of the original "deal" between Paddy and the Lisbon/PT authorities.

Feels like it's been a "win-win" for everyone (except perhaps the "locals" who have no interest in tourism/tech and have been priced out of their rental accommodation by "AirBnB Landlords"... it's the SF apartment price squeeze all over)

If I were to guess the reason for the selection of Lisbon, it would be this: the Web Summit organising team have to spend much of the year in the city where the event is held. They chose a city they want to be in for their own reasons. e.g: Weather/Climate, Food, Culture, Night Life, Scenery (lots of city parks, cycle/pedestrian areas), Architecture, Surf/Sailing, good International Schools (for those who have children) ... Mostly still "cheap" for visitors.

There's a good reason why people say that Lisbon is like SF but with better weather and more affordable.

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

#962

Post by nelsonic » Tue, Oct 09, 2018, 9:11 AM UTC

andrepd wrote: post #457

nelsonic wrote: post #331

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed, Lisbon and Porto have become more expensive in the last couple of years but still way more affordable than SF/NY etc. [Sadly] while AirBnB has made it easier for "tourists" to visit the cities it has accelerated the [ridiculous] house-price inflation, especially in short-term apartment/room rentals often pricing "locals" out of the market completely. Coimbra https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coimbra is a lovely c…

> Much Closer to the Porto international airport via Bus, Train or Uber/Taxi. It's 50mins train and 15mins uber, from Coimbra to OPO.

Yes, the train from Coimbra to OPO is a good option. But having to use two forms of transport when there is a "Get Bus" (direct airport bus) between Braga and OPO for €8 which is basically door-to-door for us.

For reference, the car journey time at the 120kph highway speed limit between OPO and Coimbra is 125 mins see: https://goo.gl/maps/xosQureNf3x

By comparison the journey time (by car) between Braga and OPO is 39 mins i.e. less than half. see: https://goo.gl/maps/bN8GFy2UJoq

Trust me, we have done our homework on this. This was a major deciding factor. We still have a company in London and we need to go there frequently for in-person client meetings. Otherwise Coimbra would have been a no-brainer.

Our "sister company" has just opened a Student Residence in Coimbra: https://www.studentville.pt/en/cidades/coimbra We would have benefitted hugely from being there.

Much love to our Coimbra friends! :-)

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

#963

Post by ryeates » Tue, Oct 09, 2018, 9:34 AM UTC

mahasvin wrote: post #85

larodi wrote: post #69

Check Bulgaria's Sofia capital - is top notch. Lots of concerts, events, bars, meetups, conferences, sports facilities. Is still growing lot in terms of IT, hundreds of job postings, major companies such as VMWare, HPs, Codix, SAP all have big offices here - check Linkedin. senior positions after taxes pay 1000-2000EU. Rents are 400-600EU for a very decent central place 80m^2 + furniture. 4 mountains around the city,…

Not much English speakers there, very mediocre roads in the city. However, the food is great, life is cheaper then in England, but not as cheap, as it may be at Chiangmai. Or in Scotland.

You can get by with minimal Bulgarian. Roads are terrible so use the very good public transport which is super cheap.

If you step outside of the centre of Sofia then prices plummet. Near Obelya you are looking at 12Euro for dinner for 2.

Tech scene is thriving. (There are much bigger mountains and better skiing than Scotland as well!)

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

#964

Post by stefek99 » Tue, Oct 09, 2018, 10:12 AM UTC

nelsonic wrote: post #229

Depending 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…

WOW.

Went through rabbit hole.

So much love ! ! !

(beautiful home)

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

#965

Post by JHM168 » Tue, Oct 09, 2018, 10:48 AM UTC

Check out www.nomadlist.com

However some quick personal recommendations for you.. I've been where you are :)

ASIA

- Bali, Indonesia (beach, hippie style) - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (IMO, South East Asia's NYC) - Chiang Mai, Thailand (nomad hotspot, jungles) - Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam (city, cheap everything)

EUROPE

- Lisbon or Porto, Portugal (beautiful places, beaches not far away) - Barcelona, Spain (not so cheap anymore, city + beach) - Tallinn, Estonia

SOUTH AMERICA

- Medellin, Colombia - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Santiago, Chile

Hope that helps!

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

#966

Post by Tharkun » Tue, Oct 09, 2018, 11:44 AM UTC

tetrazine wrote: post #242

Kovah wrote: post #168

There are some smaller German cities like Göttingen which have - in my opinion - a high intellectual atmosphere because they are so called university-cities: lot's of students and academics in a rather small city. And, in comparison with big cities like Berlin or Munich, the rents are much cheaper: from what I know you pay 2/3 to half of the price for the same amount of space. Example: a flat with 55-60 qm is about 6…

This is true. Lots of other mentions of Germany in this thread with good points. The downsides to Germany that Americans and Canadians (and to a lesser extent British) might perceive: - Constant store closures. Almost all Sundays and numerous holidays, almost all stores, including groceries, are closed. Don't forget to get milk or you have to trek to the central train station. - Very bad international food. Even in m…

> - Very bad international food. Even in major German cities, the food (outside of German, Middle Eastern, and some European cuisine) is simply not on par with places like the Bay Area or London.

Thank you for saying this. Whenever I tell people this, they look at me like I'm some kind of crazy German hater who is off their rocker. If you're a foodie, Germany is hard. Unless your a fan of the local food. France, the UK, Belgium are generally much better when it comes to tasty noms.

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

#967

Post by athal7 » Tue, Oct 09, 2018, 1:18 PM UTC

Love it here in East Lansing, Michigan! Great size of town, people are intellectual and friendly, some decent tech meet ups, and the state is beautiful.

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

#968

Post by cbames89 » Tue, Oct 09, 2018, 1:18 PM UTC

srj wrote: post #837

cbames89 wrote: post #708

I'd highly recommend the triangle area in North Carolina. In Raleigh, there are a large number of tech companies, RHE, Cisco, IBM, Unreal Engine, just to name a few. It has the second highest % of computer science PhDs, and it's home to NC State, Duke University, and UNC. It's also a cultural hotspot for Blues creativity. Many of the best contemporary blues artists are located here in the triangle. The cost of living…

For family reasons we've been considering a move into the area, but looking at job listings things seem scant. Wondering if any commenters here have input of what's available there.

Grep Beat is a local newsgroup that's keeping track of startups.

I looked on Glassdoor not too long ago for AI/ML and there were probably 20-30 postings.

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

#969

Post by barrow-rider » Tue, Oct 09, 2018, 2:13 PM UTC

sonnyblarney wrote: post #379

blocked_again wrote: post #345

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How easy is to get a job in Montreal if I am not from North America and don't have a Visa or PR?

If you are an American it's trivial if you have a technical degree. You get a TN visa at the border and can renew for up to 6 years.

The TN visa is good for 3 years at a time and can be renewed an unlimited number of times. It is NOT a path to Permanent Resident or Citizenship, however; you will have to get on a different visa for that (e.g. marry a local, get sponsored via non-TN work permit, etc).

Also, definitely not trivial, even as an American with a technical degree. The paperwork & process isn't hard but getting a TN sponsor is non-trivial.

Quebec also has their own immigration rules and you have to apply with them as well as with the Federal government. Not sure how TN's work in QC, but I know only Canadian PRs and Citizens can move there; if you're a temporary resident from outside of the province you need to talk to QC Immigration.

Caveat: this is based on old NAFTA rules, not sure how they work or if there are changes under the recently-signed "NAFTA 2.0."

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

#970

Post by tptacek » Tue, Oct 09, 2018, 3:24 PM UTC

YorkshireSeason wrote: post #960

tptacek wrote: post #799

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think the University of Chicago, which is one of the most exclusive and renowned schools in the country, is really trying to mislead anyone. Harvard, Yale, and Stanford brag about their Econ Nobels as well.

Whataboutism? Since the shady nature of the Economics prices is widely known, and brand management is a core imperative for modern high-fee universities, Harvard, Yale, and Stanford are just as guilty. The problem of false-Nobels is widely known and discussed among economists and physicists. I find it surprising that there is so much resistance to the (widely discussed [1]) false advertising involved in the mislabell…

It may turn out that nobody cares about the distinction you're trying to make. Sorry. I keep telling people Diet Orange Crush tastes like pennies, but they keep making it. Super frustrating! I know how you must feel.