Post: #26

Maybe consider some 2nd/ 2nd and a half tier cities in South Africa (e.g. Durban, Port Elizabeth, Pretoria, East London).

1. Level of beauty in women and their difficulty level
There are plenty of good looking girls. Outside of Cape Town and the rich areas of Joburg they tend to be easygoing. Overweight/Obesity is a problem, but amongst the middle class and above, and those striving for this status, less so.


2. Openess of local culture, is it easy to make friends, are people warm, friendly, and open?
People are very friendly. Again. Outside of Cape Town, where many people are snobbish, and the rich areas of Joburg (Northern Suburbs), where many people are paranoid and self absorbed, the population is very friendly.

3. Have some kind of night time entertainment, eg. Clubs, bars,
Most decent sized cities will have at least one decent club and at least one gentrified strip where restaurants and bars have moved back in after reseizing the area from criminals and neglect.

4. Have some kind of day timw enterfainment, eg outdoor activities, cultural events
This is more difficult in 2nd tier cities. Cape Town isawesome in this respect, but is also by far the most expensive city in the country to live in. You could definitely do it, but $3,000 would take you much further elsewhere. When a smaller city does get some sort of big event, that event is obviously well supported. So you'll tend to run into many people you already know.

5. Cost and difficulty of leaningnew local lanuage.
English is one of the 11 (that's right, 11) official languages, but is the Lingua Franca. It's improbable you'll be gaming anyone who does not have at least a basic grasp of English.

6. Weather. Sunny. Warm prefered. But not
priority if other factors are good.
Sunny and warm or hot most of the year, for all the country. Can get quite cold in mid-winter, but can also have some of the best days at this time. Almost no houses are properly insulated (eg double glazing) and/or have central heating, so indoor temperatures in mid winter can get uncomfortably cold. It's as if the local population is in denial about it ever getting cold. Even rich people refuse to properly prepare their houses for the actual temperatures mid-winter. But it is a outdoor "fun in the sun" culture. For around 9 months of the year you could probably live in shorts. Though obviously this is not going to help your night game.

7. Have a positive vibe
Difficult one to answer. Some people are unrealistically positive, others are unrealistically negative. Lots of people on the extremes.

8. Safety
Not really very safe. Very high rate of violent crime. A lot of it is directed towards people who "know each other" and involve stupidly trivial issues and a fair dose of alcohol that result in stabbings/murder. As a tourist/ex-pat you are not even remotely part if that world. But muggings etc. definitely do occur. You'll have to be much more vigilant than any first world area you can imagine. With the possible exception of certain notorious areas in the US or Britain like Detroit or Newcastle. Though I haven't been to these ares so can't comment.

As a final note on costs:
People spending long periods of time in South Africa need to budget for a car. Yes, the majority of the population gets by without one, but an expat would not be able to live reasonably carless. Don't even think about living here longer than a week or two without your own car. Most economical would be to buy a used car, which would cost a bit more than in the US, and get insurance locally, which costs less than in the US. But you'd obviously need the cash to do this since no local bank is going to give a newly arrived ex-pat a car-loan. (Unless you work for a top tier international company like, say, Deutsche Bank and they provide all sorts of sureties.) Metered taxis are laughably expensive (much more expensive/km than taxis in Manhattan) and long term car rentals will also be much more expensive than buying a used car and reselling 6 months later.

Post: #27

interesting stuff about south africa. are the good looking girls white or black? are there difference in attitudes?

i have a feeling black girls will be easier.


is 3000 usd not enough to live a comfotable lifestyle in rio or sp?

Post: #28

buying a car in brazil might be expensive. plus the difficultu to rent an aparyment as.a foreigner.

Post: #29

(02-12-2013 04:17 AM)east and west Wrote:  interesting stuff about south africa. are the good looking girls white or black? are there difference in attitudes?

i have a feeling black girls will be easier.


is 3000 usd not enough to live a comfotable lifestyle in rio or sp?

I'm mostly into White chicks, but can obviously see that there are hot girls of various races. It's not all Black and White though. Two other racial groups, identified as such during Apartheid, and to which people obviously still self-identify as, are Coloured and "Asian". "Asian" = Indian/South Asian in this context. Coloured = mixed race and/or people from VERY old African ethnic groups. Pretty much the "oldest" DNA of currently living humans is from this group.

In the past black girls tended to be heavier, so not of interest to pretty much all members of this board. But with western/modern norms becoming mainstream many younger black girls now aspire to a slim figure. For black girls being younger and richer means being more modern/Western, and therefore more likely to be slim. For Black men it's sort of the opposite, but that's a different debate. HIV/Aids is a big issue in this group. Supposedly ground zero of the global Aids epidemic is the Back populations of Southern Africa. But then you know what they say about lies, damned lies and statistics. It seems to be a complicated issue.

Coloured people, in my opinion, are the most similar in outlook to African Americans, though the women aren't really ball busters in the "large and in charge" way poorer African American women are often portrayed. Younger women are generally easygoing and willing to interact. Especially if you are a foreigner from a rich country, or otherwise have higher status.

Asian (essentially Indian) girls tend to be conservative and date other Indians. Culture and religion would likely be an obstacle if you are not Indian yourself, though I suppose interracial dating is also a ridiculously easy route to becoming her "bad Boy", despite you not actually being even remotely one in reality. The city of Durban, and it's province of KwaZulu-Natal are where most Indians live. Actually, Durban is supposed to be the city with the most Indians outside of India. But I find this hard to believe. London? Dubai?

White girls? Mmm, maybe think American girls in the 50's/60's, but with a British and Afrikaans (Dutch, German and French Huegenot) influence. Not as fat as average American girls at present, though overweight is still a problem. But there is no mollycoddling state prepared to take care of them, so this provides something of a check. If they can't attract a reasonable value man (by, for example, being slim) to help them out in life they will have to do it all themselves. Or have rich parents willing to support them. White girls in Cape Town are often snobbish, and amongst richer White girls foreign status won't help you very much. Unless you are also rich, of course. It's just that the lifestyle of middle class and rich White people in South Africa is actually better than for people in Western Europe or America with similar incomes. e.g. Labour is much cheaper, so a rich or middle class White girl may have lived her entire life where her and/or her family has had a full time maid. Don't expect her to be interested in doing many domestic chores herself. Otherwise, religion is more of an issue here than in Europe. White girls from 2nd tier cities and below, and also from the middle clases are often evangelical Christians. Maybe gaming in Texas would prepare you well for these girls, I don't know.

Post: #30

(02-09-2013 05:28 PM)Roosh Wrote:  It's EE it's hard to spend $24,000 a year.

What do you do for health coverage as an American in Eastern Europe?
Are their private American companies who offer policies? What happens if you have no coverage in Poland and get hit by a bus as an AMerican, etc.

Post: #31

(01-05-2014 10:02 PM)G Ron Wrote:  

(02-09-2013 05:28 PM)Roosh Wrote:  It's EE it's hard to spend $24,000 a year.

What do you do for health coverage as an American in Eastern Europe?
Are their private American companies who offer policies? What happens if you have no coverage in Poland and get hit by a bus as an AMerican, etc.

Depending on how long you are traveling for - you can buy traveler's insurance. This should cover anything major.

Post: #32

(02-09-2013 11:10 PM)Roosh Wrote:  My expenses:

$650 rent
$300 food
$50 gym
$150 coffee shop
$350 night/dating

This is $1500 total. Maybe $200 for incidentals. To spend $2000 a month it would have to be summer and I'd be going out almost every night to drink or date.

Wow, how much coffee do you drink? My coffee budget used to be $30 and I drink it every other day. Don't they have free refills where you are?.

Post: #33

A good question would be what products are unavailable or available in each place.

For example, the limited supply or unavailability of products is going to naturally force someone to not buy as much, therefore spending less etc.

But for example, if your phone breaks or your toaster, are you going to get slammed by the cost difference to replace it?

Post: #34

Damn, what do you guys spend all your $$$ on where Roosh's sub 2 grand a month sounds insane?

Even when I was in Vancouver I'd have trouble spending $2000/month (although if you want a very nice place downtown its probably $2000/month by itself).

Post: #35

@Bad Hussar I'm thinking of spending some extended time in Stellenbosch, about 6 months or so. Any Afrikaners I've met traveling I've gone on fantastically with and from everything I've heard about the place if you speak English and like sunshine, Afrikaner girls and rugby its a good spot to spend a few months.

Whats a reasonable monthly budget for an apartment, car, gym and social life from a South African's POV? I've had a look at apartment rentals and they look fairly cheap, its kind of hard to work out a living cost budget from internet research though. I'm still young enough to pass for someone in grad school so don't mind living a fairly student-y life style, won't be rolling in a Benz buying bottle service.

Post: #36

(01-07-2014 04:02 PM)zatara Wrote:  @Bad Hussar I'm thinking of spending some extended time in Stellenbosch, about 6 months or so. Any Afrikaners I've met traveling I've gone on fantastically with and from everything I've heard about the place if you speak English and like sunshine, Afrikaner girls and rugby its a good spot to spend a few months.

Whats a reasonable monthly budget for an apartment, car, gym and social life from a South African's POV? I've had a look at apartment rentals and they look fairly cheap, its kind of hard to work out a living cost budget from internet research though. I'm still young enough to pass for someone in grad school so don't mind living a fairly student-y life style, won't be rolling in a Benz buying bottle service.

I listed a budget in a previous thread that I thought was pretty comprehensive. I'll see if I can find it and post it in this thread.

A lot of the cheaper apartments in Stellenbosch are very basic and geared to students. http://www.privateproperty.co.za rental section is probably the best rental site in SA. Gumtree is also not bad. As you probably know you'll likely need to sign at least a 6 month lease to get the decent long term rates. Also, deposits are often 1 1/2 to 2 x monthly rental. But you're right, prices can be quite reasonable outside the very upmarket areas in Cape Town. Sharing a house is also a good option as long as you suss out the other tenants first.

Most students at Stellenbosch University have Afrikaans as their first language, but all will also be able to speak English. Not that it's a formal requirement, but in reality if they can't speak at least passable English they are unlikely to have been accepted by the University. But having said that in social situations most people will be speaking Afrikaans. It's not too difficult to learn to understand. It's like an easier form of Dutch. Speaking it yourself is a different matter though.

Post: #37

OK, here's the previous SA cost of living post for zatara:

Quote:RE: Cost Of Living Around The World
The Mercer CoL report suffers because it only seems to report on the costs of a few select expats. If you're in HR at Shell or BP and trying to figure out staff costs the list is useful. If you're an international playboy it's not that useful since you will be living more like a local than an oil industry expat. And believe me, locals in Luanda, Angola do not have one of the highest living costs in the world. More like one of the lowest.

As a contribution for people interested I'll breakdown living costs for an international playboy type on a budget in Cape Town, South Africa:

Basically, living in Cape Town Central Business District with lot's of bars/clubs nearby. Cost should be around....

$1,300 per month base for one person.

Including
Rent (likely very small, but nice enough, furnished studio apartment with parking)
Transport costs (basic car insurance, petrol for city trips, oil, bus fare when travelling by public transport, minor car servicing, the rare cab for CBD trips only late at night)
Food and Toiletries(Good whole foods, not packaged rubbish. But not organic The odd cheap meal out, but not really including eating out. The odd dinner for two...too.)
Cleaning supplies.
Internet and cell phone (3G or LTA. Limited to around 10 - 20 GB data per month. Internet expensive in SA. Moderate cellphone use)
Satelite TV (Also expensive in SA. Could do without it. Good for sports but SA is an ex-British colony. It's all rugby, cricket, soccer etc.)
Electricity
Gym (Use the gym in the apartment building. Around $60/month if you want an external gym)

Excluding:
Maid service/External laundry service
Clothing of any kind
Eating out. Partying in general
Capital cost and major repairs for the car
Medical costs and medical insurance.
Trips out of town.

Figure to add $200 per month at the low end for "entertainment"/partying, maybe up to $700 at the mid-level, and you have around $1,500 to $2,000 per month. which isn't really too bad. The split by category goes something like this:

Rent $650
Transport Costs $120
Food, Toiletries, Cleaning supplies $350
Internet and cellphone $65
Satelite TV $65
Electricity $35

Post: #38

Thanks for that Bad Hussar - really helpful! If Cape Town looks doable for $2k I presume Stellenbosch would be a little less than that, $1750 or so? Either way it seems like a good bet. I've spent most of my life living in big cities (2mill+) so really enjoy the odd 6 month break to smaller cities. 100k seems to the magic number for a way more relaxed pace of life but with still enough of a population to have decent amenities, a good social life etc. Already done similar in Brazil and Thailand so reckon S.A. is the next way to go.

Post: #39

(02-09-2013 11:10 PM)Roosh Wrote:  My expenses:

$650 rent
$300 food
$50 gym
$150 coffee shop
$350 night/dating

This is $1500 total. Maybe $200 for incidentals. To spend $2000 a month it would have to be summer and I'd be going out almost every night to drink or date.

What size/standard apartment are you getting for that? Has that $650 been fairly consistent throughout your travels (I'm guessing not including Scandi)?

Post: #40

(01-21-2014 04:27 PM)Teedub Wrote:  

(02-09-2013 11:10 PM)Roosh Wrote:  My expenses:

$650 rent
$300 food
$50 gym
$150 coffee shop
$350 night/dating

This is $1500 total. Maybe $200 for incidentals. To spend $2000 a month it would have to be summer and I'd be going out almost every night to drink or date.

What size/standard apartment are you getting for that? Has that $650 been fairly consistent throughout your travels (I'm guessing not including Scandi)?

On airbnb I did a quick search for locations in Kiev and the only places hitting the $650 price range are hostels, not even single rooms are available under around $800 ( whole apartments for $1,000 minimum)

maybe airbnb is the wrong place to look for a place to stay?

Post: #41

(01-22-2014 01:18 AM)griften Wrote:  

(01-21-2014 04:27 PM)Teedub Wrote:  

(02-09-2013 11:10 PM)Roosh Wrote:  My expenses:

$650 rent
$300 food
$50 gym
$150 coffee shop
$350 night/dating

This is $1500 total. Maybe $200 for incidentals. To spend $2000 a month it would have to be summer and I'd be going out almost every night to drink or date.

What size/standard apartment are you getting for that? Has that $650 been fairly consistent throughout your travels (I'm guessing not including Scandi)?

On airbnb I did a quick search for locations in Kiev and the only places hitting the $650 price range are hostels, not even single rooms are available under around $800 ( whole apartments for $1,000 minimum)

maybe airbnb is the wrong place to look for a place to stay?

I think those Ukrainians really try and squeeze the most out of gullible Westerners. I think you will always be able to negotiate. Some people say they've gotten places (not necessarily in Ukraine, but in general) for half the price listed. I managed to negotiate someone from 800 to 600 Euro, but that was in Poland and it is a very modern and nice apartment. I think, as Roosh has told me privately, you should only stay in apartments listed on English speaking sites for a short time - then use locals to help you navigate the rentals pages in newspapers etc.

I'm staying in the nice apt for a month though as I'm new to this travelling thing and want to have time to settle in whilst living in completely first world standards! I have to work from home, so I need to be comfortable. Once I'm used to living abroad, I'll probably stay 1-2 weeks in those english-listed places.

That said, if you're planning on staying less than 3 months, it will probably be nigh on impossible to find a local-prices apartment I'm guessing.

Post: #42

I'm looking to leave the good ol USA in May. I think my first stop will be back to the Philippines which I think I would find it hard to spend $3000 a month at. I will most likely head back to Shenzhen China after that for a month or so. Then BBK to see what all the fuss is about and try and meet up with some of my fav Rooshers. After that I am pretty open to try any of these cities I can live comfortably at for $3000. I would not have went to Davao in the Philippines if it wasn't for being highly praised here. I look forward to visiting some more places that I discover from the forums!!