Ask HN: Good countries for American expats

Thailand is very cheap to live, if you don't try to live a life exactly like you lived in your western home country.

I moved from Australia with my girlfriend (now wife) about 20 months ago.

1. I don’t live in Bangkok (about 75km north in Ayutthaya, the old capital), but outside the city in the other cities/large towns (excluding perhaps Pattaya and Phuket CBD which cater to (sex) tourists), renting and buying a 3+ bedroom house can be very cheap. If you want to live right in the city in a Bangkok shoebox, yes you will pay for the "privilege".

2. The only time our grocery bill is anything like it was in Australia is if we a) go to the cash-and-carry store and buy bulk things and/or b) go to one of the 'upmarket' supermarkets to get imported stuff. If you go to one of the fresh markets to get fruit and veg (and potentially meat too) it's ridiculously cheap.

3. I don't know the US car market but generally they are slightly cheaper here than Australia, however that only works if you buy locally made. ANY imported vehicle automatically has 120% import tax.

4. If you eat in a local restaurant, $30 (~1000 Baht) will generally pay the bill for dinner for about 6 people. If you go to a western-ish restaurant (i.e. western style menu items but often with a slight thai touch, or adjusted ingredients) the same amount might cover 2 people, it might go up to $45 (~1500 Baht). $200 for two people is fucking insane, unless you're eating where all the hi-so Thais go just to be seen, and show they have money.

Your comment on street food tells me that you fall into the "not want to" category, and that is part of your expense problem. We regularly have street food, and I have only once had a bad experience (it didn't make me sick, I took a bite and couldn't eat it). If we get dinner from a street vendor its guaranteed we will pay less than $5 for both of us, for (generally) a meal made fresh in front of you, that is delicious.

To state that $30-$200 (~1000 - ~7000 Baht) to eat out is "normal" but that "you can get cheaper food on the streets, you may or may not want to" is like saying "there are cheaper toilets than this solid gold one, you may or may not want to use them".

5. Just like your $200 dinner for two, I think you're either shopping at the "hi-so" playgrounds (aka shopping malls), or you're paying the farrang (foreigner) tax.

As I learnt very quickly - if you want to live your western lifestyle, yes it will be expensive, because a lot of things you might want have to be imported and are thus * more expensive for the retailer * considered a luxury item thus worthy of higher markup * targeted at foreigners thus worthy of even higher markup

sex tourism. However the number in Chiang Mai is likely minuscule to those in Pattaya, or the "poor" (and thus can't afford to live in Pattaya or Chiang Mai) in Isan (an extremely poor part of the country well known for daughters being "sold off" to foreign husbands 2x or 3x their age)

You do realise that Nevada and New Mexico aren't countries, right?

Conversely, I'm tightly tied to having a home and people I know - so I don't particularly enjoy travelling but love living elsewhere. That way I can get to know the culture and people more deeply, but have my own space and home.

I'm presently living in South Africa. I'm young, and left the corporate world behind to pursue a master’s degree abroad. I was getting dangerously comfortable, so I wanted some excitement. Jokingly I've called this a mini retirement.

>What has your experience been? It’s been wonderful. As a kid I lived in Germany for a few years, but this is my first time living abroad since. There are pros and cons with every place. No place is perfect. Living abroad you’ll learn to appreciate the positives you can enjoy in each place.

>What is your particular career? Mechanical Engineer

>What were your moving expenses? Single 1 way ticket - $1000 - $1500 Visa - $1500 deposit (refundable on return…. Fingers crossed) Everything I brought fit in two suitcases. Import taxes are high…

>How much is your rent or did you buy? I pay $350 a month to share a three bedroom, 1.5 bath town home with two others. Water is included. Electricity is slightly higher per kwhr when compared to the states.

>Where did you move to/from? From Colorado to Cape Town

>How are the schools? You get world class private schools to third world public education. A lot of the schools are a mix of public/private entities. Similar grade system to USA. Can’t really talk about this though, don’t have any youngsters…

>Have you become fluent in the native language and was the language barrier difficult to overcome? English is common, but learning one of the local languages would be a fun task. The Afrikaans language is similar to Dutch. The native African languages would be more challenging to learn coming from English.

>How long have you lived in this country? Are you a permanent resident or do you plan on moving back to the US? I’ve been living here since January. My visa is temporary, 2 years. Not sure what will happen or where I will go next.

>What was the process like to become a permanent resident? N/A… But the visa process not fun, lots of documents, medical records, and the return envelope I sent went missing which delayed things further.

>Did you have to already have a job when you moved to that country? N/A… Although I would say that I already had a connection here. Moving to a new place one way ticket style without visiting or talking to anybody may be a bit more exciting.

>What's the cost of living compared to where you moved from? Has your quality of life improved or not? How and why? The cost of living here is cheaper. Quality food and eating out is cheaper. McDonalds prices and Burger king prices are similar to back home, and taste the same surprisingly… I’m definitely earing less money now than I did in the states. In general basic necessitates are cheaper, but luxuries are more expensive including cars, electronics, bicycles, etc.