Places to live like a peasant?

[rusvik]

The idea that poor places are cheap is only if you live like a middleclass local or usually below middle class.

Let me tell you about Bangkok. I pay $1000 a month for an apartment, because I refuse to live on a polluted, 24/7 noisy, no hardwood floor or modern furniture, 1 bedroom bedsit. My apartment is the same as any middle class (slightly above) condo in the west. For that extreme premium I get to live on a somewhat quiet substreet with less poverty ignorants around. But it is a high price relatively speaking just to have what you can have most places in the west.

A bottle of wine costs 50% more. 500 g of chicken costs $3. My gym costs $60 a month. Internet is $20 a month.

Is that cheap? Obviously not very if you want what is comparable to an upper middle class life back home. And why is this? Because there is only a small middle class in Thailand, so all products are either cheap crap for the 70% poor people or expensive stuff made for the 10% rich population.

Middle class stuff (like the gym) costs MORE not less in Thailand in many cases.

None of this matters if you're twenty something and haven't gotten used to comfort, but I really wouldn't want to be one of those 'adults' with a 40K budget a month in Bangkok. Horrible quality of life.

 

[microphone head]

Pattaya? Pattaya is like the armpit of Thailand. Its a gross, dirty place. Far better places to end up in Thailand then there..

Maybe someone in the know can post a quick list of the best places to live in Thailand perhaps? Has to have a decent internet connection though.

 

[1st-million]

If you want to live like a king among peasants then go to a 3rd world country... Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Syria are all very UK friendly.

 

[Kiopa_Matt]

Maybe someone in the know can post a quick list of the best places to live in Thailand perhaps? Has to have a decent internet connection though.

Chiang Mai and Bangkok, basically. Do you like big cities, or smaller ones?

And as weird as it sounds, when it comes to Thailand, stay away from the expat areas. Learn the language a bit, integrate yourself into society, and your life will be infinitely better than many other expats.

And don't move to Pattaya. I'll admit, it's fun, and anyone who says otherwise is lieing. It's not a place you want to live though. Reserve that for a weekend or two a year where you're stressed out, need to blow off some stream, get plastered drunk and screw cheap and gorgeous hookers for a few days straight. It's great for that, but don't live there permanently.

Don't go to Phuket either. For example, the government recently cut funding for Phuket tourism advertising due to the amount of problems / scams going on there.

 

[Zaino]

I've done it before, and it's not too bad. Just have to stay in serviced apartments that have internet and everything already there.

The most tiring part I found was constantly being treated like a tourist just off the plane every time you moved. When you settle yourself in somewhere, you get to know some people, your way around, locals recognize you, etc. Then before you know it you're no longer being treated like a tourist, and everything in life magically seems to work much smoother.

Try dressing woodsy

 

[tencentpiece]

Maybe someone in the know can post a quick list of the best places to live in Thailand perhaps? Has to have a decent internet connection though.

Define decent internet connection and also what sort of stuff you like. Thailand is a pretty big country (and it's long) which means the differences in climates you get is pretty massive.

If you want really good internet then Chiang Mai and Bangkok are you're only real options. If you are prepared to have a bit of lag but still completely usable internet then you open yourself up to a lot of other places.

Some of my favorites included:
Pai
Koh Chang
Koh Tao
Koh Lak
Koh Lanta
Sukothai

As you can see I mentioned really touristy places and people like Kiopa would advise against that. It really depends on what you want, if you're staying for three months then the chances you're going to learn thai are pretty much zero.

I also scuba dive a lot, so staying in an area that's not touristy means that it either has a). no diving b). really bad diving


Certain parts of Koh Phagnan are really nice - even when full moon party is on but the main reason to live there is for yoga/holisitic retreats and I can see the type of person that attracts getting on my nerves after awhile.

 

[BlogHue]

If your first motto is to save money then shift to some pilgrim city (Dwarka) here in India.

• You will get cheap accommodation ... (may be $60 for one month with electricity)

• You will get cheap Food ... ($100 - $120/ month for breakfast, lunch and dinner)

• Good connectivity as Internet war is going on here in India ... and every company is trying to give best service in cheap price. ($30 - $50 for one month)

Enjoy the weather and see the Indian culture ...

Not sure if serious. Dwarka is a good spot if the OP is trying to get out on a spiritual journey à la Steve Jobs.

For everything else, it is pretty much a NO-NO for the OP.

Other than the temple, there is nothing much worth seeing around Dwarka. It is pretty much a tourist spot where street-vendors are always on the prowl for visitors and the chances of OP getting fleeced are more than him sustaining a comfortable life. Plus, the party scene is non-existent there. The number of watering holes is closed to none (Maybe like 5)

Also, there is no "Internet War" as such in India. Telecom Competitive Market? Yes. ISP Wars? No! We still have one of the most fucked up IT infrastructure in the world. $30-$50 for a 2 MB line? I wouldn't call that cheap. Plus those 3G USB dongles are a fucking rip off.

/rant

OP, I'd recommend Goa like others. It's a 8-9 hour drive from my place and I visit often. There is a reason Booze is cheap in Goa - it is a union territory and is devoid of any state level taxes applied across India. So if a bottle of whisky costs $20 in the rest of India, chances are you'll get it for $10-$11 in Goa. Beer flows like wine. People prefer getting a bottle of beer over a bottle of mineral water since the difference comes down to like 30 cents.

I can hook you with a bunch of nice local contacts should you decide to make a trip this side.

 

[Fatbat]

Forgot to mention they decriminalized the Mary J for personal use here. Basically the gov't believes what you do in the privacy of your own home is your business so you can grow a few plants and smoke without being hassled by the man. Got three varieties happening. This one is called Frisean Dew...

 

[nickCR]

@Fatbat: looking nice man. I just tried getting 4 rolling, but they died a week ago. Over waterring, under-wattering or dirt that was infected with something.

I'm down in Costa Rica, been here for 16 years. It's a nice place lots to do, beaches, women, entertainment, etc. The cost of living has gone way up fast. Insurance, Food and Cars are expensive. Housing is so/so and you can find a decent place between $700 and $1000 /month. I'd say it would cost $2500 /month keeping it simple yet enjoyable. Once you have a family and all you can easily be spending 5K+ a month.

 

[tencentpiece]

Nick, why don't you move somewhere other than Costa Rica? I've heard that Nicaragua is extremely similar but way cheaper and a lot less 50-60something american ex-pats. But I guess if you're living there long term, that may be an advantage.

 

[luke6966]

to the OP

I would mention that it's probably a bad idea to move somewhere far away without having a steady flow of money coming in first.

SE Asia gives you a crap load of distractions (even if you're a peasant) to the point where it's difficult to focus on work.

I would recommend against coming here (or anywhere else) thinking that you can live cheap and build something new while relying on your savings..

just my 2 cents

 

[Panic Not]

For me Spain is the dream to head for a couple of months each year, the cost of living can a be a lot less if you want it to be but living in a miserably climate like what Ireland has a bit of sun would be great.

 

[conjamuk]

Spain is where its at. Country villa with pool for 1k pm hottest woman on the planet, best food. Thailand is ok but I would not live there.

 

[conjamuk]

Forgot to mention they decriminalized the Mary J for personal use here. Basically the gov't believes what you do in the privacy of your own home is your business so you can grow a few plants and smoke without being hassled by the man. Got three varieties happening. This one is called Frisean Dew...

Another reason to love Spain. Fuck even some of the cops grow it here haha.

 

[mituozo]

Spain is where its at. Country villa with pool for 1k pm hottest woman on the planet, best food. Thailand is ok but I would not live there.

Hottest women on the planet is entirely subjective. Most Spanish women do nothing for me. Taste in food is entirely subjective, too, and I despise sea food, but love chicken. Finding restaurants that serve chicken in Spain was a rarity, and made me sad.

To be honest, I don't really understand the British (at least) fascination with Spain. I've been to touristy areas (Nerja, Costa Del Sol in general, Benidorm, Alicante) and pretty much as far from touristy areas you can get (my aunt had an apartment near Oliva (about 80km south of Valencia).

I find a majority of Spanish people largely reject British people, and speak down at you if you don't speak Spanish perfectly, and the British expats were mostly people who'd pretty much bailed on life for one reason and run away to Spain. They had no motivation or ambition, had just given up on life, sold their property for a couple hundred k and bought a cheap ass apartment. Not my cup of tea.

The only part of the world I've been to that I could see myself living in outside of the UK is Sydney, but that's not exactly cheap. Canada also appeals, mainly due to the climate (cold/snowy winters for skiing, hot dry summers), but never actually visited, so who knows.

I also don't get the appeal of moving out to a poor country to try and live on $2k a month or whatever. I'd miss too many of the things that most people take for granted in the developed world, and getting all those luxuries would probably end up costing me more there than it costs at home. I get visiting, and would like to visit as many countries as I can in my lifetime, but fuck living in most of them.

Inb4 I'm shallow minded, will have "freedom" living in the middle of ass-nowhere in Thailand, acquire 17 maids and hundreds of disease-free hookers for $10/mo and live a much better lifestyle.

 

[conjamuk]

.

The UK is possibly the last country I would choose. Internet censorship, shitty weather, chavs everywhere, high cost of living, no decent beaches, Mary Jane is Illegal, Ugly as fuck woman, nanny state, shitty healthcare, and worst of all the daily mail.

Canada is amazing though.

 

[guerilla]

Canada also appeals, mainly due to the climate (cold/snowy winters for skiing, hot dry summers), but never actually visited, so who knows.

Jsyk, that's western Canada. Eastern Canada won't do that for you.

And you're welcome to tour your Majesty's colonies any time mate.

 

[mituozo]

Jsyk, that's western Canada. Eastern Canada won't do that for you.

And you're welcome to tour your Majesty's colonies any time mate.

There's French people in the East anyway.

 

[guerilla]

There's French people in the East anyway.

Indeed. And shitty wet snow and disgustingly humid summers.

Vancouver (the Sydney of Canada) is where you want to be. It's only a couple hour drive to world class skiing.

 

[-joe-]

It's not forever. This is right now, I know what I can afford, and what I hope to afford in the future.

I've no real desire to build a home, family. Also, the UK is OK in the summer, but in the winter its depressing as fuck.

If at any time I think I *need* to live better, I of course will, but right now, I have to live within my means and try to keep a bit back.

I'm a very minimal person, I dont need much, in fact I'm happiest when it just me and a backpack.

I'm with the people saying Eastern Europe. While it may not be as cheap as Thailand etc, people seem to never leave those countries. Eastern Europe, at least you're near the decent countries, so as your income increases, you can slowly 'upgrade' countries, until you're at the stage where you can pick where you want to live based on how nice it is, not how cheap, without having to fly halfway around the world.

This one is called Frisean Dew...

Nice one, my purple marocs all died still got a few others though. Try Grandaddy Purple Bay Dream if you're doing it outdoors, I've thrown a lot of shit at my plants, but those kicked all the others' asses and are now 7 foot monsters. A bit slow to flower, but that shouldn't matter in Spain.