Post: #101

lol Big macs go on sale here 2 for 4 like every month

Post: #102

Post: #103

Colombia cheaper than Ecuador or Bolivia? The Philippines cheaper than Vietnam? No way in hell.

Post: #104

Maybe it's just me and I am speaking from a place of ignorance but Venezuela is listed as one of the top 3 highest costs of living in the entire world? Didn't they just recently have a toilet paper shortage?

Post: #105

(01-17-2015 10:22 AM)The Reactionary Tree Wrote:  Maybe it's just me and I am speaking from a place of ignorance but Venezuela is listed as one of the top 3 highest costs of living in the entire world? Didn't they just recently have a toilet paper shortage?

Well, Venezuela is super expensive if you use the official exchange rate. The Parallel Rate is much lower and is what most use LINK

If you are using credit cards hotel rooms are $500 because it locks into the 'official' rate.

So I guess technically it could be super expensive, but only if you don't know what you're doing.

Post: #106

Rather than starting another thread on cheap destinations to live, I'm going to bump this one.

Basically, the idea is to find a cheap location with nice weather, ideally close to the ocean, with reasonably good access to modern infrastructure (gym, cafes, nightlife, shops, etc.). It doesn't necessarily have to be a "poosy paradise", just a nice place to relax, work on own projects and spend less per month all in than you would spend on rent alone in cities like New York or SF.

Bali, Indonesia

I have only visited Bali for a few days, but according to many Russian expats who live there, one can survive on as little as $600/month and live comfortably on $900-1000. This budget should be enough to rent a small studio, a motorbike, eat out occasionally, surf, travel a little around the island. Mobile internet is cheap but not fast (2-3mbps). A dedicated landline internet access is very expensive (over $100/month).

In my experience, the most touristy parts of Bali are shitty, but there are places where you can stay long term in peace and quiet. For example, Ubud has become very touristy, but is still very nice. For living near the beach, there are better options than Kuta and Seminyak, where most of the short term tourists stay.

For girls, Bali is much easier than Western Europe or North America, but obviously a place like Jakarta has a lot more girls and fewer Western guys. Still, many girls from Jakarta travel to Bali regularly. There are also many tourist and expat girls from all over the world.

Overall, my impression is that Bali can be very good for couples, especially those who like surfing and are on a limited budget. For a single guy who is into game, It's probably not the best place, but still pretty decent.

Pattaya, Thailand

This place has a sleazy reputation going back decades, but can actually be a good option for a SEA newbie to acclimatize and then decide where else to go. Contrary to the popular belief, you don't have to be an old whoremonger to enjoy Pattaya. Plenty of non-pro girls there, both Thais and tourists.

How much you spend will depend on where you stay, eat, hang out, etc. If you stay in the nicest hotels by the beach and eat at the best restaurants, the prices won't be much cheaper than in the US, for example, but it doesn't take long to figure the place out and find ways to save on accommodation, food, etc.

As a long term resident, you can live reasonably well there for about $1500/month all included. Many people spend less than that, but they have to cut a lot of corners. One thing to keep in mind is seasonality: the highest season is between November and January. More difficult to find accommodation, too many tourists everywhere, etc.

Overall, Pattaya seems more civilized compared to Bali and is also close to a major international hub airport (BKK), but the prices are higher.

Post: #107

^ Thx for that insight Brodiaga

Despite having higher "touristy" prices in Bali, it appears to be cheaper to live in year round by getting off the beaten path due to a lower amount of residents. Pattaya on the other hand has more year round residents as it's been that way for the long time = higher costs & long-term rents.

That's what I'm gathering from your insight. Interesting...

Post: #108

I really want to see this thread come back from the dead.

Here's my budget for Saigon from last month:

Rent: $275, plus another 40 for electricity and water. It's a studio just outside the very center of the city, looks brand-new. It's in an alley (a must, in my opinion), and the area is very clean.

I don't pay for Internet. I run AC maybe 4-8 hours a day depending on how much I'm home.

Food and Drinks: $330 for food, $65 for drinks.

Bearing in mind, when I say drinks I mean smoothies, coffee, etc. I don't go to bars or clubs. That being said, beer is extremely cheap here--anywhere from 50 cents to $1.50 depending on where you go.

Coffee ranges from just below 50 cents for roadside carts, up to $3 at the (upscale!) cafes. I usually spend somewhere in between, about $2.

As for food, I normally eat street food and cheap, local restaurants. I treat myself to sushi and nicer restaurants 2-4 times per week. Last time I got sushi, I spent $21 for 7 rolls--and not shitty, low quality ones either.

It's possible to spend as little as 45 cents on a banh mi (sub on a baguette), but it won't fill you up. I'm not going to write 10k words here about Viet food, but other cheap options are rice with meat (one serving of meat usually runs $1-$1.25) and banh bao (steamed pork and egg buns, 75 cents) that tend to be more substantial.

To put it in perspective, my lunch yesterday was a massive grilled pork chop, 3 fried eggs and pig skin with shredded pork, pickled vegetables and rice for $3.50.

Transportation: $90

This number is way higher than usual because I dropped $70 bucks on motorcycle repairs. I drive A LOT and I spend about $20 a month on gas.

Bike parking around the city is never more than 25 cents, usually about $10 a month if your place doesn't have its own lot.

Motorbike taxis are very cheap. I remember when I first got to the city, an hour round-trip journey cost me five bucks. Regular taxis run about $10 if you're going from the airport halfway across the city. Not sure about buses.

Gym: $20

You can spend a little or a whole lot on gym memberships here. Unlike western gyms which try to lock you into shitty contracts, Vietnamese gyms will actually give you substantial discounts for signing on for 3, 6 or 12 months.

Unfortunately there are very few mid-range gyms. For about $10 a month you'll get a trashy local gym with no AC, broken machines and few weights to play with.

I spend $20, and while it still doesn't have AC, it's got everything you need to get the job done (except a full squat rack).

You can pay up to $100 per month for boutique gyms, but I'm assuming guys here don't give a shit about hot towels and complimentary cucumber water.

Entertainment: Depends on how much stimulation you need, but I spent about a hundred bucks last month. Honestly, half of that was on video games.

Movie tickets are dirt cheap, maybe $4.50.

Toiletries: Brace yourselves...$4.

Toilet paper, toothpaste, everything is so cheap. You might spend a little more when you're setting up shop, but it's almost negligible.

Miscellaneous: $46

This includes trips to the dentist, hospital, ATM fees, etc.

Healthcare is very cheap here. Your misc. category may vary.

Visa: Roughly $40, but fluctuates.

The visa situation here (once you're already in the country) has been fucked for the past 8 months. You'll probably get a 3-month single-entry tourist visa, for which people will charge you anywhere from $130 to $350.

Obviously they are all full of shit, but you're not going to spend more than $50 a month for visa stamps.

Total: $1010.

You can spend a lot less or a lot more. I lived here on as little as $700 when I first arrived. It wasn't very fun, but it certainly wasn't poverty, either.

I think this is an honest baseline which you can use to plan a stay here, unlike some sites where I've seen BS numbers like $500 a month. At 500 a month you're living in a shithole and eating banh mi and bananas for every meal.

Post: #109

I lived in Bali for few months.
Bali can be boring after a while unless you are really into surfing, but it's a great place To unwind for 1-2 weeks. U would also need a motor bike rented for your whole stay if you are not in the Kuta area.
There is a good co working space if you need the Internet.

Post: #110

/thread-19166.html

Adding this quote from the above link. It was a thread about living on 1K USD.

(01-03-2013 06:42 AM)Vorkuta Wrote:  Places I have been where I know for certain the $1000 a month is possible:

Belarus - Can be done in provincial towns like Gomel,difficult in Minsk.
Kyrgyzstan - If you were not out partying every night then highly possible.
Georgia - Can be done but limiting lifestyle
Abkhazia - Easy but women are hard to game.
Transdniester - Yeah you could pull it off. Good looking women.
India - Yup but you'd have to target foreigners as Indian women for the most part unavailable.
Pakistan - Fuck that shit. Stay home.
Cambodia - You'd bang a lot of women. Read Skywalker's book for an idea of what is possible.
Indonesia - Hit an island off the tourist trail and a grand is easy.

I would say though that $1000 whilst possible is very limiting in all these places. $1500 is a much better figure that would allow a much better lifestyle of partying and banging. If I had a $1000 budget I'd get a GF when I arrived in the location and save money by not going out partying so much to game. Defeats the object though.

Post: #111

Yeah the difference between $1k and $1.5k is huge.

I have done a few months on around $1k and lived OK but I really dislike having to track every expense. The mental aspect of it might be the worst part. Getting your available budget to at least $2k is the answer.

Post: #112

Just found this site. Not perfect but I found it helpful to find places you might not have considered based on cost of living.

https://www.theearthawaits.com/

Post: #113

(09-23-2016 12:09 AM)bacon Wrote:  Just found this site. Not perfect but I found it helpful to find places you might not have considered based on cost of living.

https://www.theearthawaits.com/

Cool site,, apparently Boise is an option

WIA