Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

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

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

691–700 of 1001 posts

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

#691

Post by JMCQ87 »

christophilus wrote: post #651
jvvw wrote: post #616

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My sister lives there (though she doesn't work in tech) and massively prefers it to Budapest. Her main issues are that the summers are hotter than she find pleasant and that politics is moving in quite a right-wing/anti-immigrant direction (the latter was also one of the reasons she moved from Budapest).

> politics is moving in quite a right-wing/anti-immigrant direction Seems to be a global phenomenon. Is there a place where this isn't happening?

Canada and New Zealand, possibly.

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

#692

Post by assblaster »

dtornabene wrote: post #621
assblaster wrote: post #433

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Chicago is a terrible option: Major parts of the city are off limits to white people due to threats from gangs on racial basis, but also random violence from crowds of "youths" who troll around nicer areas of the city looking for victims. Insane traffic, but if you want public transportation, you can look forward to dirty buses and subways, and again, threats of violence directed at you. Miserable long winters. High…

So, in case this doesn't get completely flagged, which it should, its also dead wrong. I lived in Chicago for years, family from Chicago, so I've been coming there literally since I was born. The cost of living is low, and the idea that "major parts of the city are off limits to white people" is exactly as absurd and racist as it sounds. I worked on the south side, and am painfully white. I biked and walked around th…

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-chi...

Police try to keep peace downtown, along lake by 'directing' large groups of troublesome teens to express trains

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2012-06-13-chi-pol...

Chicago police have released surveillance photos of a group of teenagers who they say attacked a man after stealing his wife’s iPhone on the Red Line subway downtown over the weekend. The couple were on a train near State and Lake streets about 10:20 p.m. Saturday when the woman dropped her iPhone and one of the teens picked it up, police said.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/ct-xpm-2011-06-06-ct-e...

The flash mob phenomenon has taken an alarmingly dark turn on Chicago's Near North Side. Teenage posses, some apparently assembled via social media networks, are visiting chaos on retail and tourist hot spots in and around the Gold Coast, Streeterville and Michigan Avenue's Magnificent Mile.

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

#693

Post by _shadi »

amm wrote: post #358

Vienna, Austria. It has been ranked the most liveable city in the world for some years in a row. Cost of living is low compared to the European average; you can rent a medium-sized apartment for 600-700€/month. Everyone speaks English. Co-workers from Spain never bothered with German, because they can get anything done in English. Viennas public transport system is cheap (30€/month) and excellent. You can get anywher…

How international the workforce is there? and How hard would it be for a -non religious- middle eastern family to work/live there? from my experience in Germany it seemed with the exception of Berlin and Cologne people won't view you as an equal in the workplace until you work very hard to prove otherwise.

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

#694

Post by niccolop »

nik736 wrote: post #625
niccolop wrote: post #561

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Spain offers you a mixture of international cities, and technology hubs. There will never be another "Silicon Valley", but as an alternative where you can find stimulating and rewarding work, I'd argue it's better than Portugal.

> I'd argue it's better than Portugal. Why is it better?

For work we find the technology community more diverse and deeper. Also for internationals choosing to move to somewhere attractive Spain offers a great balance of lifestyle and work. I would argue Lisbon is sort of the exception in Portugal; and even then it is a bit limited with no real domestic scene more people seeking low cost or nearshoring.

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

#695

Post by assblaster »

dtornabene wrote: post #621
assblaster wrote: post #433

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Chicago is a terrible option: Major parts of the city are off limits to white people due to threats from gangs on racial basis, but also random violence from crowds of "youths" who troll around nicer areas of the city looking for victims. Insane traffic, but if you want public transportation, you can look forward to dirty buses and subways, and again, threats of violence directed at you. Miserable long winters. High…

So, in case this doesn't get completely flagged, which it should, its also dead wrong. I lived in Chicago for years, family from Chicago, so I've been coming there literally since I was born. The cost of living is low, and the idea that "major parts of the city are off limits to white people" is exactly as absurd and racist as it sounds. I worked on the south side, and am painfully white. I biked and walked around th…

https://patch.com/illinois/chicago/chicago-among-most-conges...

Chicago ranked No. 8 in the country and No. 22 in the world, with each driver spending on average 57 hours in congestion in 2017.

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

#696

Post by raarts »

aiisjustanif wrote: post #672
techcode wrote: post #107

I can wholeheartedly recommend Amsterdam (or surrounding places). Everyone speaks English, pay is good, and work-life balance makes a lot of difference. Commutes are generally short, you get ~26 paid holidays per year (sick leave is separate from that)...

Amsterdam is expensive.

Only smack in the city center. The area where I live is average rent around 900€, and just a 15 min bike ride from the heart of the city.

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

#697

Post by cpursley »

hycaria wrote: post #451
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…

I'm not really confident about the quality of the cultural life in Portugal (let alone Braga). Do musicians tour there ? What about the classical music offer (a good marker in my opinion of intense cultural places) ? How many art museums, do they host touring exhibitons ? Also education is not very convincing (considering op might want a family). Universities in Portugal are not that great nor renowned. Many qualifie…

Fwiw, I went to a free Fado concert at the big castle that overlooks Lisbon. While I was there, the city hosted a Guns and Roses concert. Additionally, there was live music all over the place on the street. It's by far one of the best cities in Europe for climate, beach and culture.

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

#698

Post by edsonmedina »

Namari wrote: post #534
epynonymous wrote: post #414

Earlier quoted context omitted.

+1 for portugal, i was actually in lisbon for a few days this summer, first time, i really liked what i saw, was more on vacation than for work, but definitely had a few escalations that forced me to get on the internet and everything was fast. people are friendly, costs relatively low, i stayed in 2 different parts, but near my hotel there was a large huawei office (not that i'd ever consider working there), but it…

From what I heard from Portuguese people, it's 500k investment and you can get the visa.

500k EUR (roughly 575k USD)

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

#699

Post by welcome_dragon »

If you don't mind some growing pains, Nashville TN. The tech scene is growing very rapidly so there's no shortage of work, and the population is well educated. Vanderbilt is here as well as other excellent universities nearby. Winters are very mild, living is cheaper than most places, and the nightlife is great.

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

#700

Post by CiPHPerCoder »

pc86 wrote: post #665
dsiegel2275 wrote: post #655

This is easy. Pittsburgh. Consistently ranked as a top city in the US, and world, to live in, in no small part due to the comparatively cheap cost of home prices, rent, and living in general. For example, there are nice neighborhoods in the city where one can buy a three bedroom, 2000sq foot house for With Carnegie Mellon University here, the 'intellectual' and more specifically the tech scene is thriving. I work for…

Pittsburgh is great. I live in a city you've never heard of and pay $1125/mo for a one bedroom apartment. A good friend of mine lives in Pittsburgh and pays $1200/mo for a 5 bedroom house (rental) in an unpopular but safe and growing neighborhood of Pittsburgh proper. The cost of living is insanely low and Pennsylvania is a low tax state (flat 3.2% person income tax), which compared to California can equal a few hund…

> Nobody lives downtown because there are no supporting services downtown like grocery stores or anything like that. You 110% need a car to live there.

Is this by design? Or is there an opportunity for grocery stores, etc. to address a city planning deficit?

Post reply on HN