Ask HN: Good countries for American expats

I have yet to make it down to the Algarve but people I know have gone and loved it (though some have said it's largely British, even when getting something from the local market where the owner-counter person is a Brit).

Living in Portugal is great, in my opinion. Being low-cost really helps, too. Lisbon is one of the prettiest/lovliest cities I've ever lived in (though it took me over 6 months to start to see it). And the short day-trips are well worth it (Arrábida+Cabo Espichel, Sintra, Cascais, etc). Renting a 1-bdrm in the city center is US$500/mo so it's hard to complain. Porto is awesome, too, and cheaper than Lisbon.

I lived in Costa Rica for 6 months a couple years ago, and it really is an amazing place. Land, housing, and physical labor are all super cheap there - most everything else is pretty similar to the US. The food for instance is about the same, it's just better.

I lived in Playa Avellanas, which was way off the beaten path, and I don't recommend that. It was cool learning Spanish to communicate with everyone but the logistics of living there soon became a nusiance (20-40 minute drive to the nearest place with an ATM, for example, and the ride costs about $50, the hospital being hours away).

I've heard it is kind of a pain in the ass to legally reside in CR as well - navigating the waters and finding 'lawyers' who won't just steal your money and run is kind of tricky.

I recommend the Turks and Caicos Islands. English is the national language (though many people also speak creole), the currency is USD, there are no income taxes and you can get residency with a real estate investment of as little as $75k. It's also one of the most beautiful places to live in the world. Cost of living is comparable to the midwest (they do have 15% sales tax), and the internet is fast. Great place to do a tech startup.

> What has your experience been?

Great, I really like it here. Mostly because for the most of my careers I've been working next to highly educated people, so my perception is that the Dutch are much smarter than the English. Plus I'm usually not the smartest person in the room (thankfully!). None of that small-minded idiocy that I see at home.

The culture is great; they're direct like the Americans, commercial like us Brits and diplomatic like the Scandinavians. The directness suits me, and I can use my British politeness when needed too. More tools in the toolbox.

> What is your particular career?

Software Architect (the good kind, who can code) though I'm trying to start up for myself.

> What were your moving expenses?

About 10k EUR, moving was 1k but you need 5k for a cheap 2nd hand car and 1k for health insurance and other costs.

> How much is your rent or did you buy?

Buy, 1.2k EUR a month mortgage on a house in an average town.

> Where did you move to/from?

UK to Netherlands to be with my dutch girlfriend (now wife). That was 8 years ago.

> How are the schools?

Excellent, because they're split by capability (vocational, technical, university).

> Have you become fluent in the native language and was the language barrier difficult to overcome?

I'm fluent through a combination of not fearing saying something stupid and investing 3k EUR in courses at a local university.

> How long have you lived in this country? Are you a permanent resident or > do you plan on moving back to the US?

I want to bring my baby up here. Much better than the UK.

> What was the process like to become a permanent resident?

EU to EU is very easy.

> Did you have to already have a job when you moved to that country?

I had a low-level job arranged, found a better job within a month.

> What's the cost of living compared to where you moved from? Has your quality > of life improved or not? How and why?

Cost of living is much higher: the social system here is better, the taxes are higher and more progressive. My income is high enough that it means that I'm paying about 25% more tax. Plus in the UK I could probably earn more because I could easily switch to Sales.

>>Summertime in Norway is holiday time. People can take up to the whole month off.

As a fellow Scandinavian I should clarify this:

Despite all the jokes about spending an afternoon in bed sleeping off a hangover and missing the summer, the summer is longer than one month.

I should also say I loved Bergen, the little I've been there. Despite the weather. I see a suitable job there, I'm going to apply for it.