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Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Fifteen (15) Absolute Cheapest Places To Live – $1,000 Per Month or Less





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Fifteen (15+) Absolute Cheapest Places To Live – $1,000 Per Month or Less


Quit Your Job And Move Abroad: The Cheapest Places To Live In*...
  1. Lisbon, Portugal. Topping the list of places where you can live on the cheap — Lisbon. ...
  2. Cali, Colombia. Medellín ranked near the top of last year's list. ...
  3. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. ...
  4. San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize. ...
  5. Saint-Chinian, France. ...
  6. Abruzzo, Italy. ...
  7. Ljubljana, Slovenia. ...
  8. Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

*Let's see if we agree...
Source: Forbes Magazine




The Cheapest Places to Live in the World – 2019



cheapest places to live in the world
Every year on this long-running blog I do a post on the cheapest places to live in the world. Let's begin our discussion. There are seldom drastic changes in the cost of living from year to year in different countries, but political changes and exchange rate fluctuations can have a significant impact.
The U.S. dollar rules right now, so as long as that holds, the world is on sale for Americans, not quite as cheap for Canadians and Europeans. Still, in any of these locations you should be able to live on the cheap on the 'lap of luxury' as it were, and obtain the promise of the eBook: A Better Life for Half the Price. If  you move from a big city to a big city or from a small town to a small town (or a smaller town/ village within), any of the places in this post should allow you to cut your expenses in half at very least and have a lot more to spend, save, or invest in a business.
This post isn’t going to hit on all the destinations that are affordable, but these are some of the most cost-effective places to live abroad and the ones where you can get a lot of value after your move abroad. Albeit, at first a big scary move, at best!
If you’re interested in getting monthly updates on this subject to put your dreams into action, sign up below (in side margins) and you’ll receive a report on where you can live on a tourist visa for four months or more.

When I put in cost of living estimates here of $1,000 a month for one or $1,500 for two, or less, as an example, assume that’s leading a reasonably comparable and comfortable life without making lots of sacrifices. You'll live rather than merely survive as you would if you were in the states or UK some of the highest  cost of loving eh, ah -- I mean, living. Obviously if you’re willing to truly live like a local who is earning half that amount, or less you can get by for far less. You could find plenty of places in the world where your neighbors are literally earning a few dollars a day, if that much. It doesn’t take a lot to be upper middle class, if you’re earning a few hundreds or thousands of dollars more a month than your average local. If you can live on their terms, you can get by on what they do. Most people who say, “I’m living in Mexico on $500 a month, in Ecenada MX” when they argue with me are doing just that.
Since most people who grew up in a first-world environment aren’t willing to go that far, however, here are the most affordable places to live in the world that are reasonably comfortable. Here’s where you can live a half-price life (or less) and still have good infrastructure (including internet fast enough to run an interwebs business, online etc.), a decent house, villa or apartment  (with or w/o a compound)  to live in, and a fair number of the conveniences you’re used to. You can enjoy the place you’re living and go out instead of staying home with a book every night eating rice and beans.
Or you can travel and become a Digital Nomad, live on a catamaran, plane or RV.

The Absolute Cheapest Places to Live in the World

In general, the very cheapest places on the planet to travel are also the countries with the lowest cost of living, if you’re willing to put up with a fair number of challenges.
Nepal is probably the hands-down winner in terms of what you get for your money, in my book. In most categories, this would be the cheapest country to live in you could find. If two of you were set up with $1,200 a month there — the equivalent of one Social Security check (each)—you’d be part of the wealthy elite. One person could live on half that and still be eating well. Getting residency is quite tough, though and you can’t really stay more than 150 days in a year if you don’t have it, so most people just do short stints in Nepal unless they’ve got a work visa and they're sponsored or they’ve set up some kind of charity -iCharity. Oh, and the electricity and internet both go out on a daily basis, like most if not all 3rd world countries.
trekking in Nepal
Parts of India are a great bargain as well, though you wouldn’t know you’re in a bargain country if you get transferred to Mumbai or Bangalore for a job. There’s a lot of money and investment in those cities and plenty of both old and newly minted, Millionaires and Billionaires milling about. Instead look to the smaller cities and Himalayan mountain towns where it’s not unusual to find a house to rent for a couple hundred dollars and restaurant meals for what you spend on a soda in your home country. There are thousands of international expatriates and travelers taking a pause that are easily getting by for $600 a month total here, or spending twice that and living the high life.
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The visa situation in India has gotten a lot better in recent years. it used to take along time to get one, but things are getting better and wait times are shorter. If you’re only planning to stay for six months, great. You get that "'long time' automagically" -- automatically if you want when applying and the process has gotten a tad faster in recent years, just a tad! There is no such thing as a retirement visa here for people with no Indian blood ie only, for natives. Americans can get a 10-year multiple entry visa now though, plus you can stay 180 days straight before you need to head out of the country for a bit of respite from, 'the rat race.' But now you can just do a 'border run' and return immediately. Australians can get a multi-year tourist visa, UK citizens up to five years (but only 180 days in a stretch, at a time), Canadians generally get up to 180 days and some have been able to get the same long multi-entry one as Americans. With all of them, pls understand, that the clock starts ticking when the visa is issued, not when you arrive.
In most respects, Cambodia is the cheapest place to live in Asia outside the Indian subcontinent. The capital and largest city is Phnom Penh, the political, economic and cultural center of Cambodia. 
Unfortunately the easy access to a business visa there has disappeared, but you can still stay longer here on a tourist visa with extensions than you can in other Southeast Asia countries. A large number of expats are getting by for $800 to $1,000 in the capital city while having a nice apartment and going out a lot, or for a lower amount in smaller cities where rents are lower. See more in this post on the cost of living in Cambodia.
The Balkan countries are some of the cheapest places to live in Europe
In Europe, it’s a toss-up on the absolute cheapest country to live in between Bulgaria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Albania. The prices are so similarly low for your basic basket of living expenses that it’s hard to pick a clear winner. Bulgaria is one of the cheapest places to go out drinking or to ski, for example. It also has some of the cheapest real estate in the world if you want to buy a house or condo for the price of a used car.
Albania gets the edge on the weather (it’s above Greece and across the sea from Italy) and it's a 12-month visa staycation for Americans. This may be the cheapest place in Europe to live by a beach where you can go swimming in the Summer. There’s a lot of coastline to enjoy.
I spent some time here in Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the war. The Bosnian War was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Bosnia is just all-around cheap because local wages and low rents keep prices down. See detailed rundowns on costs for Bulgaria and Albania on blog.
In Latin America, Nicaragua was the cheapest country to live in for many years, but the dicey political situation there (a dictator willing to kill protesting civilians to hold onto power) has driven away most tourists and foreign residents. Recall, the Nicaraguan Revolution (Spanish: Revolución Nicaragüense or Revolución Popular Sandinista) encompassed the rising opposition to the Somoza dictatorship in the 1960s and 1970s, the campaign led by the Sandinista National Liberation Front(FSLN) to violently oust the dictatorship in 1978–79, the subsequent efforts of the FSLN to govern Nicaragua from 1979 until 1990 and the Contra War which was waged between the FSLN-led government of Nicaragua and the United States-backed Contras from 1981-1990. 

Had a friend, a colleague on the military advisor/trainer side of the house,  who worked here and now he's in CUNY/ Hostos Community College South Bronx NY --  teaching as a Adjunct Professor in Mathematics and lives in Downtown B'klyn NY.
Spent sometime here during the late '80s and early '90's, before being deployed to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and work with the SANG (Saudi Arabian National Guard - The Palace Guards) established their Directorate for MIS in Jiddah, Riyadh, Dammam KSA, inter - connected all the hospitals, clinics and field offices kingdom-wide. Created the iNet connectivity needed and required on behalf of  AlcaTel/ Lucent Tech. ...a bell labs innovation. KSA was one of the last nations to be connected to the iNet, China was the other (more on that later).
The Revolution marked a significant period in Nicaraguan history and revealed the country as one of the major proxy war battlegrounds of the Cold War with the events in the country rising to international attention. Managuais the largest city in Nicaragua in terms of population and geographic size. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Xolotlán or Lake Managua, the city was declared the national capital in 1852. Prior to its inception as the capital city, the title had alternated between the cities of León and Granada.
So the next-best bet is Guatemala, especially outside Antigua. When you look at the cost of living in a beautiful place with a view, Lake Atitlan is surely one of the best values on the planet outside the Himalayas. Here’s some more detailed info on what travel costs on Lake Atitlan are like, to give you an idea.
Lake Atitlan living
In South America, Ecuador remains the cheapest place to live and the best value overall for international expatriates. It’s an especially affordable place to live for retirees. They actually use the greenback as their currency in Ecuador, so inflation is very low and most price changes are due to government intervention rather than market forces. (The prime example is imported booze, which has a 100% tax). Cuenca and Vilcabamba have been retiree havens for quite a while, especially for those who looked at their meager retirement savings and realized they were going to be in rough shape if they stayed in the U.S. or Canada. Most of them are paying between $300 and $650 a month for rent of a house, villa, apartment  or condo and nobody I’ve talked to living there is spending more than the equivalent of two social security checks for a couple. Health care costs about 1/10 of what it does in the United States, with good, health care facilities in the cities.
There are a lot of perks for retirees living abroad here, including 50% off all national and international airfare, 50% off all cultural and recreational events, and 50% off some utility charges. As long as you can show $800 or more in monthly income, you’ll qualify for a residency visa. Meanwhile, you can stay 90 days on a tourist visa and can usually extend it within the country, for a nominal fee.
Ecuador is the cheapest place to live in South America and a great deal for cheap retirement
Where Else? Here are some of the other countries to consider around the world.
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The Cheapest Places to Live in Latin America

For Americans, heading south to Latin America is the best bet, especially for location independent laptop lifestyle, workers who want to stay on a similar time zone. You can get by learning just one useful language—Spanish—in any of the countries profiled below, plus apart from Argentina the flight prices are usually under $1,000. For Mexico they’re often not much more than a domestic flight in the USA. I just got a round-trip one on Southwest from Mexico City to New York City for $300. And that’s on Southwest, so I can check baggage for that fare. Or if I'm already in California, as I have been for the last decide or so, it' about  1/2 that or just a drive across the border (depending on where you're at - I was in Central California, working at Vandenberg AFB, CA).  Flights from California to Mexico.
The Americas have plenty of cheap countries to live in. I already mentioned Guatemala and Ecuador as the overall cheapest countries to live in for Latin America, but here are some others to consider.

Cheap Living in Mexico
This is not the absolute cheapest country to live in, but it’s easy to get to and is a great value.
I lived in central Mexico for three years with my family and now my x-wife and I am back here again as empty nesters, living separate lives and adjacent cities in metro Orlando/ Kissimmee, Florida. Florida of course is a veritable, tourist trap. Because the Mexican currency has dropped so much against the dollar, it is cheaper here now than when I first visited in 2002. The peso generally trades between 18 and 20 peso to the dollar. This makes our closest neighbor to the south a screaming bargain anytime you go to a restaurant, buy a beer, take a taxi, get a haircut, or hire a carpenter. Current exchange rates for MX Peso vs. USD, can be found in Xe.com.
As a family of three we lived on $2,100 a month in Guanajuato when we were renting a four-bedroom apartment, before we bought a house. Now two of us will probably average $1,800 a month in expenses with paying all medical costs out of pocket, having a domestic maid two times a week, having a handyman come to do improvements or repairs, and traveling a lot within the country. We aren’t very frugal at that level either because we don’t need to be. We can eat out constantly, go to cultural events, and enjoy life to the fullest. It’s cheaper now than when  this cost of living in Mexico post, was written.
The cost of living in Mexico has actually gone down the past few years, including here in Puebla
You can stay 180 days on a tourist visa in Mexico, then get another 180 just by leaving and coming back. I have friends that live in say Encenada MX and work in San Diego, CA and area always travelling back and forth. If you can show a good enough income, the residency process is straightforward if you want to stick around or put your kids in school. In colonial cities, it’s easy to get by without a car. Just understand that I’m talking about Mexico away from the tourist resorts. Los Cabos, San Lucas or Cancun could cost you as much as your current home and it’s not such a bargain in Playa del Carmen or Puerto Vallarta, either. I have a friend who has a home there in,  Puerto Vallarta MX, she rents to a Pilot. You need to go inland or to a beach without  a tourist trap or a lot of moneyed tourists around.
Honduras
Honduras doesn’t get much good press anymore because the two main cities are very dangerous places. In 2007, President of Honduras Manuel Zelaya and President of the United States George W. Bush began talks on US assistance to Honduras to tackle the latter's growing drug cartels in Mosquito, Eastern Honduras using US Special Forces. This marked the beginning of a new foothold for the US Military's continued presence in Central America.
Under Zelaya, Honduras joined ALBA in 2008, but withdrew in 2010 after the 2009 Honduran coup d'état. In 2009, a constitutional crisis resulted when power transferred in a coup from the president to the head of Congress. The OAS suspended Honduras because it did not feel its government was legitimate.
Countries around the world, the OAS, and the United Nations formally and unanimously condemned the action as a coup d'état, refusing to recognize the de facto government, even though the lawyers consulted by the Library of Congress submitted to the United States Congress an opinion that declared the coup legal. The Honduran Supreme Court also ruled that the proceedings had been legal. The government that followed the de facto government established a truth and reconciliation commission, Comisión de la Verdad y Reconciliación, which after more than a year of research and debate concluded that the ousting had been a coup d'état, and illegal in the commission's opinion
Honduras is a Central American country with Caribbean Sea coastlines to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. In the tropical rainforest near Guatemala, the ancient Mayan ceremonial site Copán has stone-carved hieroglyphics and stelae, tall stone monuments. In the Caribbean Sea are the Bay Islands, a diving destination that's part of the 1,000km-long Mesoamerican Barrier Reef.
It’s much more mellow on the islands of Roatan and Utila, famous for their diving and beaches, or other spots like Ceiba and Copan. If you’re willing to look past the news headlines, this is a cheap place to live in the tropics. Even on Roatan, one social security check would be enough to cover basic living expenses and then some. After all, the average salary for Hondurans is less than $500 per month.
Roatan Island Honduras beach
Panama Outside the Capital
Panama is a country on the isthmus linking Central and South America. The Panama Canal, a famous feat of human engineering, cuts through its center, linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to create an essential shipping route. In the capital, Panama City, modern skyscrapers, casinos and nightclubs contrast with colonial buildings in the Casco Viejo district and the rainforest of Natural Metropolitan Park.
Panama City is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province of Panama. The city is the political and administrative center of the country, as well as a hub for banking and commerce.

Many people are surprised when they see a current photo of Panama City, with its sleek modern skyscrapers jammed together for miles and miles. 
Conservative supermarket magnate Ricardo Martinelli was elected to succeed Martin Torrijos with a landslide victory in the May 2009 presidential election. Martinelli's business credentials drew voters worried by slowing growth due to the world financial crisis. Standing for the four-party opposition Alliance for Change, Martinelli gained 60 percent of the vote, against 37 percent for the candidate of the governing left-wing Democratic Revolutionary Party.
On May 4, 2014, Juan Carlos Varela won the 2014 presidential election with over 39 percent of the votes, against the party of his former political partner Ricardo Martinelli, Cambio Democrático, and their candidate José Domingo Arias. He was sworn in on July 1, 2014.
There’s a lot of money in that City of Panama  from shipping, banking, and investment from Latinos living in shakier economies. It’s still a cheap place to eat at a restaurant, go out for drinks, and buy electronics thanks to Panama’s duty free, open market policies. To really reap the cost savings though, it’s better to head to Boquete, David, or one of the many small coastal towns along the Pacific or the Caribbean. I have a friend whose dad spends six (6) months in NYC, NY during the Summer and six (6) months in Panama City, during the Winter taking advantage of the pensionada.
Panama has the world’s best 'pensionada,' program for retirees, but really you don’t have to be retired or even old. You just need to show $1,000 a month in income to get a long list of incentives and discounts with your residency. The government is relatively stable and Copa Airlines is based here, so flight connections are good in multiple directions. On the health care side, it’s not unusual to pay $20 to see a doctor, $35 to see the dentist and get a cleaning, or a shade over $10,000 for surgery at a hospital affiliated with Johns Hopkins.
Colombian Living
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a sovereign state largely situated in the northwest of South America, with territories in Central America. Colombia shares a border to the northwest with Panama, to the east with Venezuela and Brazil and to the south with Ecuador and Peru.
Medellin is as close as you get to a digital nomad hotspot in Latin America, with Colombia attracting a lot of the location independent crowd. They’re attracted to the nice climate, the nightlife, the fun people, and reasonable costs of living. The fall in their currency against the dollar over the past few years has turned a good value into a terrific bargain. There are plenty of cheaper places to live than Medellin around the country if you want something less hectic, but be advised that lovely Cartagena is no bargain. It’s a favorite of tourists and domestic investors buying vacation homes, so it’s an outlier.
The expats I interviewed for A Better Life for Half the Price were generally living on half what they did in the U.S., though that was when the peso was much stronger than it was now. Costs are about 30% of what they are in New York City, to give you an idea, with rents in Medellin averaging $300 to $650 per month. Spend more than that and you’ll probably have a city view, a pool, and a gym included and get two or three bedrooms. A dollar here will get you a good cup of coffee, a beer in a basic bar, or at least a kilo of local fruit or vegetables. More on Columbia later on in our discussion.
Argentina the Financial Yo-yo
Argentina is a massive South American nation with terrain encompassing Andes mountains, glacial lakes and Pampas grassland, the traditional grazing ground of its famed beef cattle. The country is famous for tango dance and music. Its big, cosmopolitan capital, Buenos Aires, is centered on the Plaza de Mayo, lined with stately 19th-century buildings including Casa Rosada, the iconic, balconied presidential palace.
When I last visited this country in late 2017, it had gotten surprisingly expensive. Less than a year later, Argentina was cheap again. That’s the Argentina story, so for all I know, by the time you read this it will be either bankrupt (again), be reeling from high inflation (again), or will be inexplicably overpriced. The country seems to prefer a natural state of crisis and is prone to shooting itself in the foot with fiscal policy, so wait long enough and you’ll find an opportunity to live a half-price life in Buenos Aires, Mendoza, Salta, or Patagonia.
When the timing is right, you get bargain-priced good wine, almost-free health care, and reasonable housing costs. Right now you can find terrific deals through Airbnb without even bargaining for a better long-term rate. Here are monthly prices for apartments in Mendoza.
living abroad in Mendoza Argentina
The ability to stay almost indefinitely on a tourist visa is a big plus too. Just cross to Uruguay or Chile every three months and take a short vacation or return immediately. The international expatriates I interviewed here are living on far less than half of what they spent before, especially those who made a lateral move from New York City or LA to Buenos Aires. Argentina has some of the cheapest cities to live in for this continent if you get out of the capital. Naturally if you get into smaller towns, prices drop dramatically.
Bolivia and Peru Living
Bolivia is a country in central South America, with a varied terrain spanning Andes Mountains, the Atacama Desert and Amazon Basin rainforest. At more than 3,500m, its administrative capital, La Paz, sits on the Andes’ Altiplano plateau with snow-capped Mt. Illimani in the background. Nearby is glass-smooth Lake Titicaca, the continent’s largest lake, straddling the border with Peru.
Peru is a country in South America that's home to a section of Amazon rainforest and Machu Picchu, an ancient Incan city high in the Andes mountains. The region around Machu Picchu, including the Sacred Valley, Inca Trail and colonial city of Cusco, is rich in archaeological sites. On Peru’s arid Pacific coast is Lima, the capital, with a preserved colonial center and important collections of pre-Columbian art.
I’m lumping these together because neither tends to get all that many expats putting down roots, more often they serve as temporary layovers, stopovers or travel spots, for R&R. Neither makes it easy to get permanent residency. Until recently, Peru was an easy place to stick around casually without going through immigration. You could get six months on a tourist visa (with an extension from within the country) and then just do a border run to start over. In 2018 they started cracking down on this, however, and now you can only stay a maximum of 183 days in a 365-day period. That’s fine for a digital nomad who is willing to move on after six months, at a moments notice but it’s not a good place to be a long-term resident unless you’re planning to travel half the year.
If you can qualify as a retiree, that’s the best route. You just need to prove income of $1,000 per month and go through a lot of paperwork, including documents from your own country. International Living has a good first-person rundown, on it.
For Bolivia, you need to really want to live there as even getting a one-year temporary residency will require a hefty stack of paperwork and many visits to immigration, with the initial application process started in your own country before arriving but still having a local address and utility bills to submit. If you make it through all this, it’s probably the place with the cheapest cost of living in South America. You can live quite well on less than $1,000 per month in a chilled-out, chil-laxed city like Sucre.

The Cheapest Places to Live in Europe

Many people dream of living in Europe, then after they look at the prices in Ireland, France, or Italy, they say, NM... “Ummm, never mind.”
It would probably surprise many people to know you can live in Europe for less than half what you’re spending now in the USA, England, or Australia if you go down a couple notches on the development scale. In many of the countries to follow, the average local wages are far below even the minimum wage in your own country, which impacts everything from taxi fares to restaurant prices to rents. Surprisingly, Europe actually has some of the cheapest cities to live in worldwide, especially if you only count ones where you can drink the water out of the tap!
Living in Albania is cheap for expatriates
I already mentioned Bulgaria, Bosnia-Herzegonina, and Albania in the “cheapest overall” section at the top, so keep those bargain countries in mind for a low costs of living. You could live well on $1,200 or less per month without trying very hard. Here are some others where that’s also possible, though in Portugal it’ll be much easier if there are two of you earning that much and you’re sharing housing expenses.

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Romania
Romania is a southeastern European country known for the forested region of Transylvania, ringed by the Carpathian Mountains. Its preserved medieval towns include Sighişoara, and there are many fortified churches and castles, notably clifftop Bran Castle, long associated with the Dracula legend. Bucharest, the country’s capital, is the site of the gigantic, Communist-era Palatul Parlamentului government building.  I was here for a short time scoping out a project in the 2000s.
As with Bulgaria, this is not a place to move to year-round if you hate cold weather, but Romania has a lot going for it, including some of the fastest internet speeds in the world. You’ll get speeds of 100 mbps or more for half what you’re paying now for a slower connection. The food is plentiful and reasonably priced, the booze is cheap, and getting around is inexpensive. There are some beautiful towns in the Transylvania region especially with a strong cafe culture.
cheapest living Romania
Hungary
Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Its capital, Budapest, is bisected by the Danube River. Its cityscape is studded with architectural landmarks from Buda’s medieval Castle Hill and grand neoclassical buildings along Pest’s Andrássy Avenue to the 19th-century Chain Bridge. Turkish and Roman influence on Hungarian culture includes the popularity of mineral spas, including at thermal Lake Hévíz.
It's a big call, but I would have to say Budapest is my favorite European city. Nicknamed the Paris of the EastBudapest it's a stunning city. 
If you can put up with the authoritarian politics and the anti-immigration stance, Hungary is a real bargain place to live in Europe. It’s like a half-price Austria, with good food, good wine, fun nightlife, and a lot of beautiful countryside. It’s easy to get to the rest of Europe from here for vacation and within the country you can go from hopping capital city to a chilled-out house on Lake Balaton or the sunny southern vineyard lands in a few hours by bus or train.
When it comes to country capitals, Budapest is one of the cheapest cities to live in around the world.
Hungary is part of the Schengen zone though, so it works better for digital nomads than those who want to stick around all year. You generally have to have a work permit or go through a lengthy residency process to live here permanently unless you’ve got proven Hungarian roots. Here’s a breakdown on the cost of living in Hungary, based on reports from expatriates living there.
Portugal
Portugal is a southern European country on the Iberian Peninsula, bordering Spain. Its location on the Atlantic Ocean has influenced many aspects of its culture: salt cod and grilled sardines are national dishes, the Algarve's beaches are a major destination and much of the nation’s architecture dates to the 1500s–1800s, when Portugal had a powerful maritime empire. I live here on the capital city of Lisbon in a Posada by the Basílica, on my way to USA and the Americas as a very young man, back in the '60s. The curvaceous, sugar-white dome and twin belfries of Basílica da Estrela are visible from afar.
Marcelo Nuno Duarte Rebelo de Sousa (born 12 December 1948) is a Portuguese politician serving as the 20th and current President of Portugal since 9 March 2016. Previously he was a government minister and member of parliament, a law professorjournalistpolitical analyst and pundit.
Former President, Aníbal António Cavaco Silva, GCC, GColL, is an economist who was the 19th President of Portugal, in office from 9 March 2006 to 9 March 2016. He had been previously Prime Minister of Portugal from 6 November 1985 to 28 October 1995.
Lisbon is Portugal’s hilly, coastal capital city. From imposing São Jorge Castle, the view encompasses the old city’s pastel-colored buildings, Tagus Estuary and Ponte 25 de Abril suspension bridge. Nearby, the National Azulejo Museum displays five (5) centuries of decorative ceramic tiles. Just outside Lisbon is a string of Atlantic beaches, from Cascais to Estoril.
If you want first-world amenities and infrastructure, tap water you can drink, and pleasant weather, it’s hard to top Portugal. This is the cheapest country in Western Europe at any time, a place that you could move to from the U.S. or Canada and actually spend half of what you’re spending now on living expenses. The secret is out, however, and costs have been rising each year as the economy recovers and more tourists flood in, especially in the Algarve region so popular with Brits. Lisbon is more expensive than the rest of Portugal of course, so the “half price” part only works there if you’re moving from a big city like New York, LA, San Francisco, or London. But it’s still blissfully cheap once you get outside of the capital.
It’s much easier to move here as a EU citizen than from elsewhere, but with enough patience and some money to pay a lawyer, it’s possible for other nationalities to get long-term residency. Although it’s part of the Schengen zone, Americans can get a six-month visa and then extend it while applying for residency if starting the process in their own country. See this post for more on the cost of living in Portugal.
Czech Republic and Slovakia
The Czech Republic, in Central Europe, is a country that's known for its ornate castles, native beers and long history. Prague, the capital, is home to grand 9th-century Prague Castle, a preserved medieval old town and statue-lined Charles Bridge. Český Krumlov, a small town in the South Bohemia region, is notable for its wealth of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque buildings, many of which house restaurants and shops. I was here for a short time scoping out a project in the 2000s.
Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's territory spans about 49,000 square kilometres and is mostly mountainous
These two countries that were one a few decades ago offer similar appeal and prices. The Czech Republic tends to be a bit cheaper outside of Prague though because they still use their own currency instead of the euro. Even in Prague you can find an apartment for rent outside of Old Town from $300 (studio) to $1,100 (2500 square feet in a historic building). Prices can drop by half outside the capital. In small towns two hours from Prague I saw houses listed for sale for under $40k.
Cheap living abroad in the Czech Republic
In both countries, the average price of a pint of great beer is about $1.50, groceries are cheap, and eating out won’t hit you too hard, the damage to your pocket is low. Local public transportation will cost you a buck or two. For $3 to $15 you can get to anywhere in either country from the capital city, maybe $20 if you’re going for a sleeper train. As with other euro zone countries, living long-term is much easier if you’re European than from outside the zone.
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The Cheapest Places to Live in Asia

At the beginning of this article I mentioned the very cheapest countries of Nepal, India and Cambodia, but Asia has plenty of other reasonably priced and popular places to live.
Thailand, the Digital Nomad Capital
If you want lots of like-minded expats around as you work on your online business, then do not pass Go, just head straight to Chiang Mai, Thailand. You’ll find cheap living, a zillion coffee shops with WiFi, and regular meet-ups that will be fun and educational. The street food is so good and cheap that many never bother to cook anything and you can get by for less than $1,000 a month here without trying too hard. Chiang Mai may just hold the title as the cheapest city to live in worldwide for those expats who need to run a remote business or work remotely.
Health care is great in Thailand and you’re always a bus ride away from the beaches. The main downside is the visa situation. Unless you are retired, you’ll probably have to do a lot of regular visa runs, though it has gotten a tad easier in recent years. If you are old enough to qualify as a retiree and you’ve got some money to put in one of their banks, it’s a whole different story. This is one of the least expensive places to retire in the world if you’re old enough and have some cash put away to meet the requirements. 
I lived in Bangkok and Patayya  about the year 2001-2 with my wife and daughter. More on Thailand later in this article.
Bangkok Thailand is still a bargain
Vietnam
I never would have predicted this, but Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is now a real hotbed for digital nomads and entrepreneurs. Lured by cheap rents, reasonably fast internet, and a smart young workforce with some coding skills, they’re braving the heat to build a business for less. The great food and cheap beer don’t hurt either, plus it’s easy to get to a beach from any of the cities. Plenty of foreigners are living here for $1,000 to $2,000 a month and having a blast. Most don’t even have a kitchen since it’s so cheap to eat out all the time and there are lots of short-term furnished apartment rentals that come with towels and a maid. You can live here on a tourist visa more easily than in Thailand, not having to do as many border runs. I was here during the war  circa late '60's and early '70's. Spent some time in in DaNang. More on Vietnam later in this article.
Indonesia
If it were easy to get long-term residency in Indonesia, the nation of islands would be flooded with free-spending expats enjoying the good life. This would easily qualify as one of the cheapest places to live around the world just based on rent, food, and transportation. Instead, foreigners settle for a while in Bali despite the hoops they have to jump through. Locals have found some creative workarounds that keep them from having to fly to Singapore every two months, though they still have to leave the country every six months and go to an immigration office every two.
On Bali there has been a massive influx of tourists and woo-woo expats following the Eat, Pray, Love spell. Once you get off that island though, prices drop substantially. If you settle down in a place that’s not jammed with tourists, say on Sumatra or Sulawesi, this is another country where you can easily live a nice life on $1,000 a month or less. The only real way to stay here long-term without regular flights to Singapore though is if you’re working for a company that’s giving you a work visa, if you have an Indonesian spouse, or you’re over 55 and have a decent income.
You also can’t own property and in much of the country the internet is far from fast if you want to run a business online. If you are retired, there are other strange quirks such as a minimum housing spend and a pledge to hire at least one domestic worker (though you probably would anyway at these prices). More on Indonesia later in this article.
Malaysia for Nomads or Retirees
Malaysia is not as cheap as some of the other locations in Southeast Asia, but it makes up for it with good infrastructure, water you can drink in the cities, and plenty of English spoken in the western half of the country. Popular Penang is one of the world’s best food destinations and there’s a decent-sized expat community there and in several other cities. 

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They have a formal retiree program in place with a long history: if you’ve got enough money to buy a house, you can easily get long-term residency. Transportation and food are a good deal. While it is not as dirt cheap as Thailand to the north, monthly expenses are still easily half those in a country like the UK, Australia, Canada, or the U.S., making this a great combination of one of the cheapest and safest places to live in the world after you’re settled. More on Malaysia later in this article.
The Islands of the Philippines offer some of the cheapest costs of living in Southeast AsiaEasy Living in the Philippines in English
The current president of the Philippines makes Trump look like a stable genius by comparison and Manila is one of the most traffic-choked cities in the world, but get past those factors and this can be a desirable place to live for less. There’s a deep bench of smiling workers who have a native speaker level command of the English language. So this is probably the cheapest country in the world that’s English speaking, ideal for those who don’t want to learn a new language. Beer is often a buck in a bar and you can order a round of cocktails for the table without breaking the bank.
You’ve got plenty of beautiful islands to choose from. The expat crowd here is even more male-dominated than Thailand, however, with an uncomfortably large percentage of retirement-aged men who have female companions half their age or less. The overall mix gets a bit younger each year though, with more digital nomads finding this a good place to do staffing and lots of adventure travelers sticking around a while after they’ve explored different islands and found one that felt like paradise. More on the Philippines, later in this article.

Can You Live Cheap in Africa?

As I’ve said every year in this revised post and in A Better Life for Half the Price, there’s not much middle ground in Africa for foreign living styles. You either live like an NGO worker, overspending on everything to get some semblance of home standards, or you live like a local, which requires a long list of sacrifices in terms of comfort and convenience.
While many countries in Africa should be very cheap if you just look at the per-capita GDP, wages, or a basket of goods and services, it’s hard to maintain anything close to the lifestyle you’re probably used to without living like one of the elites. On that level it’s going to cost you almost as much as you’re spending now probably. It’s just hard to find a cheap place to live here that’s also a desirable place to live comfortably long-term.
Cheap living abroadEvery year I put out feelers, interview people living in Africa, and do some digging around online, and every year I keep coming back to Morocco. Sometimes South Africa is in the mix, but it’s highly dependent on current exchange rates. In this decade, a US$ has been worth as little as 7 rand and as much as 16. Right now the dollar is still pretty strong at 14, but who knows if it will last.
Old Africa hands who have spent a lot of time traveling around the region say there are pockets here and there where you will find some grizzled expats who have stuck around for a while, like in Togo, Madagascar, or Malawi. For every one of those who have moved to the country for lifestyle reasons though, there seem to be 100 aid workers and foreigners working in oil or mining. So there’s a “foreigner=rich person” bias. There’s just not much of an infrastructure for the middle ground, for living cheaply without turning to dirt floor houses in the countryside or challenging apartments in a polluted major city. Please tell me otherwise if you’re living there now and you’re not a Peace Corps worker, NGO staffer, or spouse of a local living with their family. I keep trying… Worked here in Djibouti, Africa for a short time for ITT  TCA-SWA-CAA, all expenses paid.
Morocco
Morocco, a North African country bordering the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, is distinguished by its Berber, Arabian and European cultural influences. Marrakesh’s medina, a mazelike medieval quarter, offers entertainment in its Djemaa el-Fna square and souks (marketplaces) selling ceramics, jewelry and metal lanterns. The capital Rabat’s Kasbah of the Udayas is a 12th-century royal fort overlooking the water.
The international expats have not really gone back to Egypt and since the government recently put a woman in jail after she made a YouTube video outlining her negative experiences there, I can’t recommend it. That leaves us with Morocco to represent Africa. The infrastructure is good, you can find a comfortable apartment for a reasonable price, and for a Muslim country it’s fairly relaxed in its attitude toward foreigners of different faiths.
Morocco is the best value on the continent for travelers in most respects, including transportation, and there’s a wider variety of food than you’ll find in most countries on the continent. Seasonal fruit and vegetables are generally less than a dollar a kilo and you can get a basic restaurant meal for less than $4. Taxis and local buses are cheap and rents run $250 to $750, so a couple could easily live well here on two social security checks or a modest income from an online business.
I feature in my discussion below Cape Verde Island, Africa as the cheapest to live in.

Other Countries With a Low Cost of Living

If you want to just quit your job and travel around the world indefinitely, you can do that in dozens of countries and spend half or less what you are spending now just to exist. That’s without even getting an apartment, just staying in guesthouses and cheap motels and hotels. If you don’t spend more than a couple months in one place, you seldom have to worry about overstaying your visa. (I’m assuming, of course, you’ve got a passport that’s accepted most everywhere, like one from the USA, EU, Canada, or Australia).
Every year when I put up one of these posts on the cheapest places to live, however, someone pipes in and says, “Hey what about [insert country here]?!”
I’m writing a blog post here, not a book, but I’m also highlighting destinations where you won’t be the only foreigner within 200 miles. Some people want that, but most don’t, especially if they’re not fluent in the local language and they’re not running from the law. But if you want to dig deeper, here are some others to consider.
I’ve got Georgia on my mind, the country not the U.S. state, and I hope to make it there sometime in 2019. The price is right, the scenery is beautiful, and the climate is nice much of the year. The best part? Americans (and some other nationalities) can stay for a year on a tourist visa! More on Georgia later in this article.

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In the same general area, others have mentioned Armenia and UkraineTurkey is a pleasant place to live for cheap if the current dictator doesn’t scare you too much. In Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan would be a pleasant place to live in the warm months, especially if you love hiking in majestic mountains. I'd past thru on my way to Kuwait or Afghanistan, till we got kicked out to Uzbekistan, circa 2003-07's
Aug 21, 2013 - The United States pursued close ties with Uzbekistan following its ... land, sea, and air transit routes from Europe through Eurasia for U.S. and NATO Military supplies ..... have pointed out that the Uzbek government owns the land and sets ..... October 1999, they had been forced out of Kyrgyzstan to Uzbek ...
cheapest place to live in Central Asia
There aren’t a whole lot of independent expats living in Laos, but prices there are on par with Thailand in most respects, though without the great health care and cheap international flights. Vientiane is one of the cheapest cities in the world to live in and it’s not as crowded as most Asian cities.
In Europe, you’ll also find cheap prices in three “M” countries: Montenegro (where most foreigners seem to be Russian), Macedonia, and Moldova. Extra points to you if you know where to find all three on a map. 

I have a friend or two who runs a Kiosk or two in i360 ICON "Eyes of Orlando" and a store in "Pointe Orlando" called Moon Dance who comes from Moldova, her husband is a trucker and is never home.  

Greece meets the half-priced-life threshold if you avoid the popular islands where people are being priced out of their own homelands and head to places that don’t get so many tourists. More about Greece, in our discourse, later below.
The urban/rural divide comes into play in other countries around the world. Even in the USA you could cut your expenses in half by moving from San Francisco to Omaha. So you could find a place to live for half price in China, though I don’t know anyone who has done that on purpose except English teachers. You could find a half-price life in Spain if you choose your spot carefully, avoiding the major tourist zones. More about China in our discussion below.
If the idea of moving abroad and having twice as much to spend gets you excited, do it right by checking out the packages at my Cheap Living Abroad site and save yourself dozens of hours of research and dead end paths. If you like to hold a real book in your hands, yes there’s a paperback available worldwide at Amazon. An audiobook on Audible too.
better life half price audio
You may have a fear of change, a sense of complacency, or local roots that go to deep for you to make this kind of move. If you’re a good match though, let me save you lots of time and hassle in the planning and doing. After all, what’s your time worth?

Global Internet Usage

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Internet Penetration per List of Countries By Number of Internet Users:

File:Internet users per 100 inhabitants ITU.svg - Wikipedia

(This is an updated version of File: Internet users per 100 inhabitants 1997-2007 ITU.svg)

World maps, below colored to show the level of Internet penetration (number of Internet users as a percentage of a country's population). 

Own work, based on figures from the Wikipedia:List of countries by number of Internet users article in the English Wikipedia, which is in turn based on figures from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) for 2010 (updated to use figures for 2012 on 28 June 2013) (updated to 2016 on 5 Jan 2019).

File:InternetPenetrationWorldMap.svg - Wikipedia

800 × 410 pixels. 320 × 164 pixels | 640 × 328 pixels | 1,024 × 525 pixels | 1,280 × 657 pixels | 1,035 × 531 pixels.
 The Number of Internet Users in 2016, as a percentage of a country's population;

File:InternetPenetrationWorldMap.svg - Wikipedia

800 × 410 pixels. 320 × 164 pixels | 640 × 328 pixels | 1,024 × 525 pixels | 1,280 × 657 pixels | 1,035 × 531 pixels.
 AS Compared to Internet Users in 2015 as a percentage of a country's population;

File:InternetUsersWorldMap.svg - Wikipedia

800 × 411 pixels. 320 × 164 pixels | 640 × 329 pixels | 1,024 × 526 pixels | 1,280 × 657 pixels | 863 × 443 pixels.
AS Compared to Number of Internet users in 2014;

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AS Compared to Number of Internet users in 2012;

File:InternetUsersWorldMap.svg - Wikipedia

800 × 411 pixels. 320 × 164 pixels | 640 × 329 pixels | 1,024 × 526 pixels | 1,280 × 657 pixels | 863 × 443 pixels.
.Or. Compared to Number of Internet users in 2011!

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Fifteen (15) Absolute Cheapest Places To Live – $1,000 Per Month or Less

Living long-term in different countries around the world is one of the real perks of being a digital nomad. Of course we love to travel, that’s why most of us got into this business in the first place, but there’s so much to say about spending a few months or years in a destination, renting an apartment or villa and living like a local for a while. And with so many cheap places to live, there are numerous options to put down some temporary roots take off your jacket, hang your hat and stay a while.

During our 20 years on the road, we’ve found some of the cheapest places to live, while enjoying an amazing lifestyle. Sometimes for a month, sometimes for 6 months, sometimes for 3 - 6 years or more it all depends on how we’re feeling at the time.

Often we end up putting down some roots because we’ve been travelling too long and quickly and we need a break, or sometimes we’re pet/ house sitting, or we just need to get caught up on work, and if you're sponsored you can live like James Bond in a western compound in an other wise, closed country, so we rent an apartment or villa or live FREE (all expenses paid) in an Apartment Tower or two with a shopping arcade below, in A/C tent in the middle of the desert, in/ near Kuwait City, a converted for living quarters - shipping container amidst a military motor pool near Baghdad or an abandoned dormitory left by the Russians inside the Royal Ministry of Defense Training Compound Just outside of Kabul and/or a double wide trailer, Apartment block or housing compound, yes sometimes in a compound within Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, or a most dangerous country like Kuwait/Iraq & Afghanistan.

As you can tell I work for DoD, ITT/ Fed. Servcs. Int'l. Co. LTD - MEO and AlcaTel/Lucent Technologies... a bell labs innovation (which just got bought out by Nokia) and we as technicians and customer care advocates are sent or deployed around the world to work with our counterparts in various countries to implement Telecom/ telephony strategies and services ie. SATCOM, Copper, Fiber, 4G-5G technologies etc... that drive the local economies... we get roughly $350/hr USD in USA, $250/hr in Europe & $150/hr in South America (Of course we would get at least $50/hr USD as Techs. + expenses and differentials)... an all expenses paid, package to boot... w/.Mil, we get base pay + 35%, + 35% Hardship & Hazardous Duty pay, $1,000 premium pay for eac. month we survive payable at end of contract year (the usual corporate benefits and .Mil benefits in case of acts of war and terrorism (which commercial insurance doesn't cover)). I am looking at a contract now for upwards of $225K + to go back to Afghanistan and reprise a role as systems admin handling Security Incidents on their SATCOM for the region ( some, five (5) countries, 155+ nodes ).

I'd probably live in a "B" Hut like the last time on base at Bagram Airfield, or perhaps since things have 'calmed down' a bit near Kabul in one of the safe houses outside of base. Last time, I live in a dorm room, within a postage size camp inside a huge Ministry of Defense "Bootcamp" training compound, named Camp Blackhorse with USMC. When I left in 2007 - 08 timeframe we could grab a taxi and go to various safehouses in and around the Kabul metro area, of course we did this at our own risk. We often traveled in and around Kabul, from base to base in a convoy of Hummers.

Remember: Exercise normal precautions in any country, abroad. Some areas have increased risk. Read the entire Travel Advisory. Americans are pegged for terrorism.

More over, read the State Dept.'s Safety and Security section on the country in question, information page.

(Vietnam is feature, but you can choose any country, just search for it, sometimes it's listed by the name in that countries native language, rather than English ie Cape Verde (Cabo Verde) or Columbia (Colombia)...

Furthermore, if you decide to travel anywhere:

Countries Where One Can  Live $1,000 per month or less Apartment in Malta

The Apartment in Malta
Through our own experience, we’ve found a lot of affordable places where you live on less, while experiencing more. While our own personal budget is higher than $1,000 USD per month, we know it’s possible to live off of that, or less, in the places I’ll list in this article.

RECIA World Factbook Malta
Exercise normal precautions in Malta.
PLS, Read Security section on the country in question, information page.

For a point of reference, and for normal folks not necessarily thrill seekers, adrenaline junkies, or extreme adventurers, I’ll also use the online cost of living tool, Numbeo, to give these prices a bit of “proof”, but I’ll also mix it in with my own personal experiences based on spending we have done in the countries.

I’m listing countries in this article because for the most part, you can live in any part of the country for the prices I’ve expressed, but I am going to focus on the main cities that I would recommend living in each country. These are typically cities with a decent amount of amenities, a thriving international expat community and plenty of good restaurants and places for remote work etc.



Grenada
Living in Grenada renting a house this, digital nomad's cheapest places to live.
We usually find our apartments on Airbnb. If you Click Here and set up a new Airbnb account with a new email address, you’ll get a $35 credit and we’ll get some rental credit too. It’s a win-win. (get your Airbnb coupon code here!)

This article is for all of those digital nomads out there who are looking for the cheapest places to live, where their dollar can stretch a bit further. It’s also for those people who aren’t digital nomads (but maybe aspire to be one day), who just want to spend longer in the places they visit, or for those who simply are interested in learning about where they could potentially move to that would be exotic, exciting and very affordable, where you can live and not just survive.

Cost of Living

Numbeo is the world's largest database of user contributed data about cities and countries worldwide. Numbeo provides current and timely information on world living conditions including cost of living, housing indicators, health care, traffic, crime and pollution.

Note: All prices are in US dollars and in most cases, 2 people could live, cheaply for $1,000/month. I’ve included the prices using Numbeo, the world’s largest online cost of living index website. I’ve also included costs in our personal experience. The Numbeo numbers are likely as low as you’ll find, while our own budget is usually more mid-range to high range we mix it up a bit, depending on whether we're sponsored or not. The visa information is based on our Canadian/ US/ EU passports. Always check the visa and permission to enter (security check) policy and the State Dept.'s website for travel warnings before booking a trip. If you’re heading to visa free countries, you can take that cost off of your budget.

Editor's Choice
Indonesia
* Monthly Budget (Numbeo): $500.31
* Our Monthly Budget: $3,140
* Rent / Month (Numbeo): $196
* Our Rent / Month: $1,500
* Utilities / Month (Numbeo): $50
* Our Utilities / Month: $75

Visa Situation: 30 days free on arrival. If you want to stay longer than 30 days, you must opt for the $35 Tourist Visa purchased at the airport. This visa is extendable up to a maximum of 60 more days (30 days at a time). 90 days max stay in Indonesia. Then you must do a border run (flight to Kuala Lumpur or Singapore in most cases). Suggest if you drive get a international license from AAA for example based on you state license, incase you're stopped you can hand that over to the authorities vs. your state license. I've had an experience where the police took my license and demand 500 to give it back to me, but since I gave him my international license cost $50, I didn't bother to get it back, just got a new one :-) ;-)...

Internet Speed: Fast (100mbps+)
Indonesia is one of the most beautiful countries we have ever visited and it makes for an excellent base in Asia. We set up a base in Canggu Bali for 3 months where we enjoyed a luxury pool villa, wonderful international restaurants, a cool entrepreneurial vibe and plenty of travel to nearby islands, like S'pore and Sentosa their island of amazement for amusements..



Indonesia is one of the cheapest places to live and travel.
I started this list with Indonesia because this post is all about the most affordable places to live and, well… there’s nowhere more affordable than Indonesia.

The only places on this list than might rival Indonesia for the best value for money are Chiang Mai, (Thailand), Greece and India. But because Indonesia has such amazing accommodation options, wonderful (and very affordable) international restaurants and cheap flights in and out, I have to say that it’s the most budget friendly option that I currently know of.

The best island for quality of life in Indonesia is likely Bali. The prices here are a bit higher than many other places in the country, but there are far more amenities and plenty of expats around, which creates a market for the things that foreigners love. or if you want to live like the local do, you may try to stay away from tourist traps.



Co-working spaces in Canggu Bali one of the cheapest places to live in.
The south of Bali is very busy, and more expensive, but it’s where you’ll find the most grocery stores, accommodation options and restaurants. If you’re looking for a more quiet, natural, Balinese experience, then you may want to choose a place in the north or east ends of the island. Ubud is central Bali, but it’s similar to the south in that it’s extremely busy, from a tourists perspective.

If you’re a digital nomad, Canggu is the place to be. Here you’ll find endless inetCafes with blazing fast Wi-fi, blogging conferences, co-working spaces, tons of beautiful villa options and lots of places to rent a motorbike ($50 / month) etc.

One downside to Bali, particularly the coastal towns on the southwest coast (like Canggu), is that during the off-season the tides bring in a disgusting amount of garbage that piles up on the sandy beaches. Also, runoff from the mountain villages means that raw sewage spills into the ocean and makes it unsafe and unsanitary for swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, parasailing, windsurfing etc..

Renting a pool villa in Canggu Bali, one of the cheapest places to live in the world
The outside of our villa in Canggu Bali – we loved this place!



These are issues that the local people of Bali are working hard to remedy, but they’re still not fixed, so I recommend visiting / living in Canggu, only during the high season from May – September when the beaches and water are clean or shall we say cleaner.

Worked in support of Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom) herein...

Interested in Living in Canggu? See Also:

The Ultimate Digital Nomad Guide to Canggu Bali
Digital Nomad Life in Canggu: Our Time in Bali

RE: CIA World Factbook Indonesia
Exercise increased caution in Indonesia due to terrorism and natural disasters. Some areas have increased risk. Read the entire Travel Advisory. Read More....
Read the Safety & Security Section on the country in question, information page.


Readers Choice: The Absolute Cheapest!
Vietnam

"I can’t find Vietnam?" They said, "It must have fallen off the the map or arh I mean the list by mistake!" 😛
* Monthly Budget (Numbeo): $400.31
* Our Monthly Budget: $3,140
* Rent / Month (Numbeo): $100
* Our Rent / Month: $750
* Utilities / Month (Numbeo): $25
* Our Utilities / Month: $37.5

$400 easy, although I lived, quite well last I was there. Could easily live on $300 a month, if need be.
Also $1,000 a month is a LOT! Must have lived like a King. (When I lived in London, I didn’t even spend that much and that's an expensive city)….

Vietnam is also incredibly affordable and Hoi-An, Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi and DaNang are all popular spots for remote workers and those wanting to spend a longer time in Vietnam. Spent a lot of time there back in the '60s & 70s, during the war.

There are quite a few villa accommodation options in Hoi-An, Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi and DaNang.
AS previously mentioned, we usually find our apartments on Airbnb. If you Click Here and set up a new Airbnb account with a new email address, you’ll get a $35 credit and we’ll get some rental credit too. It’s a win-win. (get your Airbnb coupon code here!)


Best time to visit Vietnam, weather wise: March and April have the best weather overall. Cheapest time to visit Vietnam: Search for flight deals around October and November, but this is Vietnam's rainy season. For cheap flights with better weather, search for deals in September or February.

Visas. Until 30 June 2021, 'British Citizen' passport holders travelling for tourism or business can enter Vietnam for up to a maximum of 15 days (inclusive of dates of entry and exit) without a visa. ... For visits of up to 30 days, you can get an e-visaonline before you travel.

Traveling to Vietnam will give tourists, especially US passport holders many extraordinary experiences. However, with every beautiful experience abroad comes a bit of culture shock.

Exercise normal precautions in Vietnam. 
Read the Safety and Security section on the country information page.
If you decide to travel to Vietnam:
Vietnam is on the rise as a popular travel destination for American and international travelers. Travelers trek to Vietnam seeking beautiful traditions, breathtaking landscapes and delicious food. Traveling to Vietnam will give tourists, especially US passport holders many extraordinary experiences. However, with every beautiful experience abroad comes a bit of culture shock. There are some things to note before you plan the best trip ever.


Six Vietnamese destinations have made it to the list of top 500 places that Lonely Planet says you must visit.
Two of the destinations are located in the north – the Hanoi Old Quarter, ranked 31th, and Ha Long Bay, ranked 65th in the Ultimate Travelist 2015.
Two places in the central region listed in the top 500 are the historic town of Hoi An, ranked 83th, and Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in Quang Binh Province, ranked 168th.
The tunnels of Cu Chi, an immense network of connecting underground tunnels located in the Cu Chi District of Ho Chi Minh City, and Phu Quoc Island off southern Vietnam coast are also in the list, at 306th and 418th places.
Note: In comparison, Malaysia has three spots on the list, Singapore has two, and Thailand has eight. 
Last years, (2014) foreign arrivals to Vietnam hit more than 7.8 million, up 4 percent from 2013.
Between January and July this past years (2015), the figure was around 4.4 million, a 9.4-percent decrease annually.
Lonely Planet said the rankings were compiled from the highlights found in every one of its famous guidebooks throughout the years.
The Temples of Angkor in Cambodia topped the list this years2015). Described as the “Hindu heaven on earth,” this complex of more than 1,000 temples, shrines and tombs that form a virtual city of spires in the jungles of northern Cambodia, takes the crown.
In response to a question about the appeal of Vietnam to travelers, a Lonely Planet spokesperson pointed out the fact that the guidebook dedicated to Vietnam, with many recommendations, is currently in its 14th edition, with the next edition due for publication in July 2016 and perhaps, again 2018.

Vietnam 2019 (with Photos): Top 20 Places to Stay in Vietnam - Vacation Rentals, Vacation Homes - Airbnb Vietnam

Looking for a place to stay in Vietnam? Book unique homes from local hosts and experience the city of choice, like you live there.

Telephony Services: Vietnam is putting considerable effort into modernization and expansion of its telecommunication system. Domestically, all provincial exchanges are digitalized and connected to Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City by fiber optic cable or microwave radio relay networks. Main lines have been substantially increased, and the use of mobile telephones is growing rapidly. As of 2012, there were 134 million mobile phone subscribers, making Vietnam's rank 6th in the world.
Two satellite earth stations are in use: Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region).
The incumbent operator is the Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group, which spun off from the Department General of Posts and Telecommunications after the separation of regulatory and commercial functions of the latter in 1990. Following the creation of a separate regulatory entity, market segments were opened to competition, starting with mobile services in 1995. The international services market, considered the most lucrative, was opened to other providers in 2000:
Mobile Nets:At the beginning of 2013, S-Fone and Beeline services are temporarily shut down due to hard competitions with other mobile operators. Beeline, a mobile operator found by Global Telecommunications Corporation or G-Tel and VimpelCom came to the market in 2009. A company with cooperation between companies from Vietnam and Russia ended its service by the end of the year 2012 as a result of G-Tel became the owner of Beeline after VimpelCom sold all stocks to its partner. Earlier in 2010, SK Telecom decided to pull out of the Vietnam mobile market when stopping cooperation with SPT - Saigon Postel Corp. in S-Fone.
Broadcast media: The government controls all broadcast media exercising oversight through the Ministry of Information and Communication. The government-controlled national TV provider, Vietnam Television, operates a network of 9 channels with several regional broadcasting centers. The programming is relayed nationwide via a network of provincial and municipal TV stations. Vietnam law limits access to satellite TV, but many households are able to access foreign programming via home satellite equipment.
  • Broadcast stations: six (plus 61 provincial TV stations) (as of 2006)
iNet: Although basic Internet services had existed in Vietnam since the early nineties, the first commercial Internet Service Provider (ISP) opened for business in 1997. Since 1997 Vietnam has been connected by two gateways: one in Hanoi which connects with Hong Kong and Australia, and the other in Ho Chi Minh City, which connects with the United States, by Sprint.
Vietnam ranks 16th in the world in terms of number of internet users, far above any of its neighboring SE Asian nations.
There are five ISPs operating: Netnam Company, Vietnam Data Communication Company (VDC) under VNPT, Corporation for Finance and Promoting Technology (FPT), Saigon Post and Telecommunications Services Corporation (Saigon Postel Corporation, SPT) and Viettel Company (Viettel). In the large cities, fiber service is widely available.
FY, Users, Nat Pop(%), Intn'l & Domestic Bandwidth (Bit/s)
201231,200,00035.62311,176415,396
PerMaierbrugger, Arno (3 July 2013). "Internet usage in Vietnam takes off" Inside Investor. Retrieved 24 July 2013.


RE: CIA World Fact Book Vietnam


I think I can do one better, however...
Cape Verde, Africa
Cape (Cabo) Verde (CV) Islands, Africa, my birth place... I was born in Nova Sintra, Brava, CV.
lived there for the first 10 years of my life (the formative years).

Cabo Verde Islands, Africa
Explore Cabo Verde holidays and discover the best time and places to visit. | Jutting up from the Atlantic, some 310.686 miles (500km) west of Senegal, this stunning island nation is a well kept 'secret' vacation destination...

Cape Verde, or Cabo Verde, is a nation on a volcanic archipelago off the northwest coast of Africa. It’s known for its Creole (Krioulu) Portuguese-African culture, traditional morna music and numerous beaches. Its largest island, Santiago, is home to the current capital, Praia. Santiago is also home to the old capital, Cidade Velha, with clifftop fortress Forte Real de São Felipe. Feature are: Sal, Boa Vista, Praia, São Vicent. Three of the Cape Verdean islands, Sal, Boa Vista and Maio, are fairly flat, sandy, and dry; the others are generally rockier with more vegetation. We just got around to writing down our language, Krioulu, so, bare with us.

The islands in the Barlavento (windward) islands group are Santo Antão, São Vicente, Santa Luzia, São Nicolau, Sal, and Boa Vista. The islands in the Sotavento (leeward) islands group are Maio, Santiago, Fogo, and Brava. All but Santa Luzia are inhabited. This is a sortable list of the islands of Cape Verde and a map...

CV Travel Guide
Best island(s) to visit:
On your third week, take in the dining and drinking scene in Praia, the buzzing capital of Cabo Verde. After a night of live music, check out other parts of ...

* Sal. With golden sandy beaches sinking into azure waters, Sal is best described as a beach lover's paradise. ... I visited Sal on my way to Lisbon. At the time they had the only airport, now there are six serving the tourist trade. Nice beaches, the Brits love it here.
* Boa Vista. ...
* Santiago. ... Has Praia the capital city, as aforementioned and the Americans love it here...
* Fogo/ Brava. ... Fogo has an active volcano. The Germans love it here, namely Brava... Starbucks buys coffee from here, namely Fogo, their prestigious small batch series... the best island, of course is Brava, I am partial, admittedly as aforementioned, I was born here...
* São Vicente. ... Visited here on my way to Lisbon Portugal. The Canadians love it here...
* Santo Antão. ...
* Maio.

Best Time To Go TO CV: The islands are just off the Saharan Desert, so it's dusty. During the summer (July – September) it is normally the hottest time with the most rain days of the year in Cape Verde. In the summer the temperature is high and there is little wind. In the period, between October and June it's their dry season with also more wind and more pleasant temperatures (CV Climate & weather: cooler evenings, mornings etc & best time to go...)

Top Things To Do: Fado Crioula hosts jam sessions, film screenings, ar…. ... Just inland and a few blocks east of the beach, Cape Fruit serves creative salads, hummus and grilled veggie sandwiches and fresh tropical fruit juices. ... Cabo Verde's highest peak (2829 m/ 9,382 ft), the conical, cinder-clad Mt ...

Download the CV eBook for more information. By Lonely Planet Magazine. circa, 12 June 2012.
BBC Mini Guide for CV By Lonely Planet Magazine. circa 12 June 2012. This island nation off West Africa may seem small on a map, but it manages to cram in a variety of landscapes – from ...

CV: Sun, Fun, Beaches, Culture, Nature & NO Stress! Cape Verde (Cabo Verde) is an archipelago of 10 islands in the mid-Atlantic Ocean. ◉ Find here all ... Enjoy a wonderful holiday on the subtropical Cape Verde islands. Enter a world .... in top-10 best of the world" -Lonely Planet- "Cape Verde ...

List of islands of Cape Verde - Wikipedia

The islands in the Barlavento group are Santo Antão, São Vicente, Santa Luzia, São Nicolau, Sal, and Boa Vista. The islands in the Sotavento group are Maio, Santiago, Fogo, and Brava. All but Santa Luzia are inhabited.
Cost Per Month Exchange rate at this writing was $1 USD = 96.4918 CVE, very favorable and affordable per Xe.com

Cost of Living in Cape Verde

Average prices of more than 40 products and services in Cape Verde. Prices of restaurants, food, transportation, utilities and housing are included.
So, $1,000 USD = 96,491.77 CVE! So, $200 (19,298.46 CVE) 1/2 of the aforemention, $400 easy, peasy you'd live like a king although I lived quite well. Could easily live on $150 (14,473.77 CVE) 1/2 of the aforementioned $300 a month. there's a handy dandy exchange rate chart at Xe.com

Also $1,000 (96,491.77 CVE) a month is a LOT! When I lived in London or Lisbon for $1 + /day I didn’t even spend that much….

Visa: You must pay for your entry visa on arrival in the Cape Verde Islands, and should not apply online via the TUI website. Entry visas can be paid in cash at passport control at a cost of 25€ per person.

TOURIST TAX IN CAPE VERDE SINCE 1ST OF MAY (2013). Tourists must now pay a tax to stay overnight at Cape Verde's hotels or related establishments. The tax applies for 16 years old or older individuals and it costs 2 Euros (220 escudos) per night up to a maximum of 10 nights per each hotel. May 6, 2013

RE: CIA World Fact Book Cabo Verde
Exercise normal precautions in Cape Verde. 
Read the Safety and Security section on the country information page.

Thailand
* Monthly Budget (Numbeo): $650
* Our Monthly Budget: $3,540
* Rent / Month (Numbeo): $442
* Our Rent / Month: $1,500
* Utilities / Month (Numbeo): $54
* Our Utilities / Month: $145

Visa Situation: 30 Days on arrival. Extend 30 days at a time up to 90 days total. Then must do border run. Some embassies abroad offer 3 month visa

Internet Speed: Fast (100mbps+)

Thailand is the only other place we’ve ever rented a luxury private pool villa. We have lived in Koh Samui, Koh Tao, Koh Phangan and a short period in Bangkok (on many different occasions) and out side of the most pricey tourist destinations like Phuket and/or Pattayya.

There are quite a few villa accommodation options in Koh Samui and Phuket, with fewer in Koh Phangan and very few in Koh Tao. Bangkok has plenty of beautiful apartments available as well and of course, Chiang Mai (a place we’ve only visited, but never lived in) is currently the Digital Nomad mecca. Costs re artificially kept down by the government and Monarchy.



Live in Thailand $1,000 per month
We know from our friends’ experiences, who've been here since the 1970s that it’s quite easy to find a nice 1-2-3 bedroom place in Chiang Mai ( the former capital) for $200 / month or less including all bills and amenities. That’s pretty amazing and is why Chiang Mai is on the list of the cheapest places to live. The internet in Chiang Mai is blazing fast and there are probably more bloggers and web entrepreneurs here than anywhere else.

As aforementioned, I have some friends whom I worked with in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia/ Kuwait/Iraq & Afghanistan for  FMS Contracts on behalf of PanNesma Co. Ltd. (Royal Navy/AirForce) - Vinnell Arabia (SANG-Nat'l Guard)/ ITT-Fed. Srvcs. Int'l. Co. Ltd. - MEO, (TAC-SWA-CAA), various technical projects, back in the 1990s and again, in 2000's for 'bout 2-1/2 to 3 + years eac. time, who are now RED -- retired in metro Chiang Mai/ Bangkok, Thailand/ Sydney, AU beautiful places, though at times, pricey (especially Bangkok & Sydney). I do, however, visit from time to time. At times, too upetty for my tastes, though...

Our favorite island to visit in Thailand was probably Koh Phangan. We rented a little beach bungalow here for a month and it cost us around $600. But for actually living, I think that the best options are Koh Samui (if you want island life) or Chiang Mai and Bangkok (if you want city life).



There are quite a few villas and more basic accommodations in Koh Samui. If you choose to book through Airbnb, you’ll probably find the prices to be quite high. Try to contact the owner outside of the platform to negotiate a price, just beware of Airbnb scams before sending any money.

Live in Thailand $1,000 per month one of the cheapest places to live!

View From Our villa in Koh Samui, pictured above.

There are quite a few digital nomads and expats living in Bangkok and it’s probably one of our favourite cities in the world. For living, the best areas are Silom and Sukhumvit where there are great gyms, restaurants and cafes as well as plenty of parks and green space to escape the traffic. There are endless things to do in Bangkok, you’ll never be bored. Visited back circa 2003-4 with my wife (her sister) and my daughter, also went to Pattayya. Loved 'Walking Street' and an off shore island nearby accessible by boat. Wife, unbeknownst to me, apparently booked a tour from Bangkok to Pattayya...

Thailand obtained internet access in 1996, the third country in Southeast Asia to do so. Forty-one million people have regular access, just under two-thirds of the population as of June 2016. According to a survey by Ookla in 2015, Thailand also has the sixth fastest internet speed at 18.9 Mbit/s behind Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, and China.

There are three fixed-line telephone operators in Thailand: state-owned TOT Public Company Limited, True Corporation, and TT&T (TT&T teamed up with CAT Telecom to provide telephony & telecom services, unlimited 2 Mbit/s ..... Thai officials claim the changes protect people's rights from being violated on social and digital media while enhancing the digital economy ... "Angry Thai inet users 'bring down ICT's website'" sorry!? Now 3BB). As of 2014, there were 5,687,038 fixed-line subscriptions. That number has been in decline since 2008. the likes of Jasmine International used to be joint with TT&T and operated under the name "Maxnet". Now operates under the name "3BB". (Three Broadband)....

Thailand saw a rapid growth in the number of broadband users in 2005 with the initiation of unmetered broadband in 2004. There are 3,399,000 (2012) internet hosts in Thailand, the highest in Southeast Asia.

Thais spend an average of 16 hours on the internet per week.

What are all the Mobile Operators in Thailand? Glad you asked.... and they're: * AIS or Advanced Info Service. Brands: 12Call, YOU!, mPay. Parent : Intouch Holdings, Temasek. * DTAC. * True Move. * MyCAT – From CAT. * Line Mobile – From DTAC. And More...




Interested in Living in Thailand? See Also:
The Ultimate Digital Nomad Guide to Koh Samui
Our Week in Bangkok: A Haven For Digital Nomads
A Digital Nomad Guide to Living in Bangkok
A Digital Nomad Guide to Living in Chiang Mai
Silom Road Bangkok – All You Need to Know

RE: CIA World Fact Book Thailand
Exercise normal precautions in Thailand. Some areas have increased risk. Read the entire Travel Advisory. Read more...
Read the Safety & Security Section on the country in question, information page.


India
* Monthly Budget (Numbeo): $309
* Our Monthly Budget: $900 (travelling)
* Rent / Month (Numbeo): $152
* Our Rent / Month: N/A
* Utilities / Month (Numbeo): $16
* Our Utilities / Month: N/A

Visa Situation: 60 Days e-visa. 6 month Tourist Visa. Cannot stay in India for more than 6 months in a 1 year period.

Internet Speed: Fast (100mbps+)

You won’t find “Our Monthly Budget” or “Our Utilities” in the above list of prices because we’ve never actually lived in India. We’ve traveled the country for nearly 6 months in total, but we never had the urge to settle any temporary roots in this beautiful, chaotic and spiritual place. But, it’s definitely one of the cheapest places to live in the world.

India has always been one of our favorite destinations as it epitomizes everything we love about travel. The country puts together an addicting blend of culture, chaos, religion, history, architecture and cuisine and mixes it into a formula that’s as intoxicating as the sandalwood incense that always brings me right back to India whenever I smell it.



Budget backpacking guide to India
If we were to live in India for an extended period of time, without a doubt it would be in Goa. Here, everything is a bit more liberal, the men are used to seeing women in bathing suits, there’s less harassment and there’s a slower beach vibe.

We have friends who have lived in Goa for years and they love it. There is plenty of night life, lots of restaurants (Indian food is a reason to move to India in itself) and the Wi-fi is decent. There are also quite a few accommodation options and India is definitely the one of the cheapest places to live that’s included in this list.

Even if you’re booking on Airbnb (typically more expensive), there are still dozens of nice apartments available for under $400 USD per month. By searching in Facebook groups and online communities, you could easily find a nice one-bedroom here for under $200 / month. There are also some gorgeous luxury pool villas available for around $1500 / month.

Worked in support of Vodafone – Idea. Vodafone and Idea are merging and have become largest telecom company in India. ...

Want to read more about India Travel? See Also:
The Ultimate Guide to Backpacking India
How to Prepare For Travel in India

And, check out this post from our friend Rachel who shares what a day in the life of an expat in Goa an x-colony of Portugal, looks like.

RE: CIA World Fact Book India
Exercise increased caution in India due to crime and terrorism. Some areas have increased risk. Read the entire Travel Advisory. Read more...
Read the Safety & Security Section on the country in question, information page.


China
* Monthly Budget (Numbeo): $679
* Our Monthly Budget: $900
* Rent / Month (Numbeo): $620
* Our Rent / Month: $400
* Utilities / Month (Numbeo): $60
* Our Utilities / Month: $75

Visa Situation: 90 – 180 days visa apply beforehand with LOI & Proof of travel. Non-extendable

Internet Speed: Decent (20mbps+) *Many blocked websites. Get a VPN.

China is probably one of the most underrated backpacking destinations on Earth, but what about the fact that it’s also one of the cheapest places to live? We spent over a year living and teaching English in the beautiful city of Yangzhou in eastern China.

We also had friends who lived on the outskirts of Shanghai and loved it. There are some obvious downsides to living in China. The pollution comes to mind first. There were some days, even in Yangzhou, that we couldn’t see 10 feet in front of us because the smog was so bad. This problem is even worse in Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu.

Cheap Countries To Live




Moving into our Apartment in Yangzhou China
Most of the time though, the skies where we were living were clear and there are parts of China that are further away from industry and suffer from little or no air pollution. For the most part though, travelers, teachers and expats focus their time on the east coast of China. This is where there are the largest cities and the most amenities.

China is an incredible destination. There’s a lot of history here, a great vibe, friendly people and some of the best cuisine on the planet. We absolutely loved our time living in Yangzhou and we were able to live on far less than $1,000 per month (even as a couple).

Dining out in China is really cheap. You can usually have a filling meal for under $5 in a restaurant, while some delicious street food meals (like dumplings, cold noodles and stir fry) can sometimes be found for $2 or less.

For teachers looking to live abroad and earn money, China is probably the best destination in the world for availability of work and quality of life. There are plenty of teaching jobs in China paying between $1,500 – $5,000 per month and most contracts include accommodation, flights, insurance and bonuses. Not interested in actually moving to China to teach? You can teach English online!

Interested in Living in China? See Also:
Teaching English in China: How to Save $21,000 in a Year
10 Reasons To Teach for Shane English School in Yangzhou
Is China Cheap? The Cost of Living in China Revealed
The Ultimate Guide to Travelling in China

Also, have a look at these two posts from our friends Drew and Julie over at Drive On The Left who are living in Shenzhen:

A Day in Our Shenzhen Expat Life
After 6 Months As a Shenzhen Expat

China has been on the internet intermittently since May 1989 and on a permanent basis since 20 April 1994. In 2008 China became the country with the largest population on the Internet and has remained so since. As of July 2016, 730,723,960 people (53.2% of the country's total population) were internet users.

A majority of broadband subscribers are DSL, mostly from China Telecom and China Netcom. The price varies in different provinces, usually around US$5 – $20/month for a 4M - 100M ADSL/Fiber.(price varies by geographic region)[citation needed]

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This is a file from the Commons is a freely licensed media file repository. Wikimedia Commons. Information from its description page there is shown below. You can help.

As of June 2011, Chinese internet users spent an average of 18.7 hours online per week, which would result in a total of about 472 billion hours in 2011.

I have a friend, whom I've worked Customer care Engineering with for Lucent Tech. both in Westford MA USA and Beijing China, he lives in the capital city who says that ..."although they have a communist government, practically and pragmatically it doesn't effect the common folks," when questioned on the subject.

Worked on behalf of China TelecomChina Unicom and of course China Post, their parent company of sorts... and help design/ build their infrastructure...

RE: CIA World Fact Book China
Exercise increased caution in China due to arbitrary enforcement of local laws as well as special restrictions on dual U.S.- Chinese nationals. Read More...
Read the Safety & Security Section on the country in question, information page.


Malaysia
* Monthly Budget (Numbeo): $522
* Our Monthly Budget: N/A
* Rent / Month (Numbeo): $553
* Our Rent / Month: N/A
* Utilities / Month (Numbeo): $52
* Our Utilities / Month: N/A

Visa Situation: 90 days on arrival. Extendable once or border run / return flight

Internet Speed: Fast (500mbps+)

As of Q1 2017, Malaysia's average internet speed is 8.9 megabits per second (Mbit/s), and shows a 40% year-on-year increase in broadband speed; Malaysia is ranked 62nd place worldwide by the Akamai State of the Internet Report 2017. Albeit the country's internet is one of the slowest and most expensive in the world.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission sets a low threshold for broadband. It defines broadband as:

* Any service beyond the scope of existing PSTN/ISDN and 2G cellular networks * With data rates that exceed the normal voice-related speed (56 kilobits per second (kbit/s) for PSTN and 64 kbit/s for ISDN)

This definition is far below the primary rate interface lower limit defined by the International Telecommunications Union in ITU-R F.1399.

In 2005 the National Public Policy Workshop (NPPW) proposed a strategy to increase the uptake of Information and communications technology (ICT) and the Internet. Among the outcomes of the NPPW was the High Speed Broadband initiative launched in 2010. As of July 2012 Internet users in Malaysia reached 25.3 million. Out of that number, there are 5 million broadband users, 2.5 million wireless broadband users and 10 million 3G subscribers.



While we’ve never actually lived in Malaysia, we’ve always wanted to spend a few months in Kuala Lumpur and I have. Ever since we fell in love with this buzzing capital during our first trip back in 2008 – 2009, we’ve wondered what it would be like to live in Malaysia for an extended period of time.

There are plenty of great places to choose to live in Malaysia, with the most popular ones for digital nomads being Kuala Lumpur and Penang. You can find decent prices on apartments on Airbnb and in local Facebook groups, but they’re definitely a bit pricier in the capital.

If we were to move to Malaysia, we would probably choose to base ourselves in KL. There are great accommodation options, excellent public transport and tons of bars, restaurants, cafes and nightlife.

Also, KL makes for possibly the best base in this list if you’re looking to travel to Asia and the rest of the world. This is one of the most affordable and well-connected airports and if you keep your eye on AirAsia.com for deals, sometimes you can fly to other countries in Southeast Asia for as little as $10. This is one of the cheapest places to live, and fly from!



Cheapest places to live - Malaysia
Malaysia recently implemented the MM2H Plan (My Malaysian Second Home) to try to encourage foreign investment and expat retirement in the country. If one were to invest $100,000, they could be fast-tracked to Malaysian residency and eventually citizenship.

Even if you don’t want to become a resident, the visa situation here is great. Most countries get 3 months on arrival and you can extend for 60 days more for around $23. But, because flights are so cheap to nearby countries like Thailand and Singapore, many expats just choose to have a quick “vacation” in another Asian nation before returning to Malaysia for a new 90 day stamp.

From its beginnings in 1995, the Internet in Malaysia has become the main platform for free discussion in Malaysia's otherwise tightly controlled media environment.[1] As of Q1 2017, Malaysia has broadband penetration rates of 103.6% (per 100 inhabitants) and 81.8% (per 100 households)

Worked herein in support of Telekom Malaysia...

RE: CIA World Fact Book Malaysian
Exercise normal precautions in Malaysia. Some areas have increased risk. Read the entire Travel Advisory. Read More...
Read the Safety & Security Section on the country in question, information page.


Philippines
* Monthly Budget (Numbeo): $486
* Our Monthly Budget: N/A
* Rent / Month (Numbeo): $346
* Our Rent / Month: N/A
* Utilities / Month (Numbeo): $77
* Our Utilities / Month: N/A

Visa Situation: 90 days on arrival. Extendable indefinitely (easy visa situation)
Internet Speed: Slow (Generally 5mbps +/-)

The Akamai Technologies Q1 2017 State of the Internet report contained information that, though average internet connection speed had increased 20% year-on-year, the Philippines, at 5.5 Mbit/s, once again had the lowest average connection speeds among surveyed Asia Pacific countries/regions. The report noted that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte had approved a plan with a three to five-year timeline for completion to deploy a national broadband network at an estimated cost of US$1.5 billion to $4.0 billion.

Internet in the Philippines first became available on March 29, 1994, with the Philippine Network Foundation (PHNet) connecting the country and its people to Sprint in the United States via a 64 kbit/s link. As of 2016, more than 44,000,000 people used the internet in the country, accounting for 43.5% of the total population.

According to AGB Nielsen Philippines, about one of three Filipinos in the Philippines have access to the internet.

A year after the connection, the Public Telecommunications Act of the Philippines was made into law. Securing a franchise is now optional for value-added service providers. This law enabled many other organizations to establish connections to the Internet, to create Web sites and have their own Internet services or provide Internet service and access to others.

However the growth of the Internet in the Philippines was hindered by many obstacles including unequal distribution of Internet infrastructure throughout the country, its cost and corruption in the government. But these obstacles did not altogether halt all the developments. More connection types were made available to more Filipinos. Increasing bandwidth and a growing number of Filipino Internet users were proof of the continuing development of the Internet in the country.

The Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, codified as Republic Act No. 10175, criminalized cybersquatting, cybersex, child pornography, identity theft, illegal access to data and libel. The act has been criticized for its provision on criminalizing libel, which is perceived to be a curtailment in freedom of expression. After several petitions submitted to the Supreme Court of the Philippines questioned the constitutionality of the Act, the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order on October 9, 2012, stopping implementation of the Act for 120 days.

A Magna Carta for Philippine Internet Freedom was filed in the Philippine legislature in 2013 to, among others, repeal Republic Act No. 10175. The Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act No 10175 were promulgated on August 12, 2015.

If you’re looking for a country with plenty of options of where to live, then the 7,000+ island archipelago of the Philippines is probably right up your alley. You could spend a few months in Palawan, then move to Cebu for a bit, Luzon and continue island hopping and living in different places for years, for example and never return to the same place twice. If you like the big Cities, Manila, Cebu & Davao City are right up your alley as well. Love the Pearlfarm Resort, just out side of Davao in Samal Island.



The cheapest places to live in the Philippines
A friend of ours currently lives in Cebu and him and his girlfriend pay just $170 per month for a one bedroom apartment. Another, friend of ours currently lives in Cebu and him and his girlfriend pay just $130 per month for a one bedroom apartment. Another friend of ours currently lives in Davao and him and his girlfriend pay just the same $120 per month for a one bedroom apartment. The cost of living in the Philippines is incredibly low and there are hundreds of places you could visit on holiday (including the best Philippines beaches!) within a 30 minute domestic flight,radius.

I have lived in Davao City, Mindanao and it's suburbs at Emily Homes Cabantian SubdivisionDavao City, on Numbers Street. The house is still there inhabited by in-laws and friends. I visit every other year, if I'm overseas working or nearby travelling to see my in-laws and or wife and daughter, if they're in town visiting family and friends.

If I choose to stay in city I'm usually at Marco Polo Hotel & Resort -- DAVAO ...if NOT, I can be found, just outside of the city at, THE PEARL FARM BEACH RESORT Samal Island, Philippines | A Private retreat unlike any other | Luxurious Comfort | Reserve online and get instant confirmation.

One downside to the Philippines would be that the cuisine isn’t as diverse as some of its South Asian neighbors, and the internet isn’t the greatest and that depends on how you define these things and in what metro area you're in. But it’s one of the most affordable places to live, the people here are extremely friendly and if you’re into scuba, it boasts some of the best diving in the world, check out Kontiki Resorts (Thailand & Philippines), their PADI -- Certified Divers & Diving Courses  in Maribago Beach, Mactan island, for example just down the road from the Cebu International Airport.

I have lived in this particular hotel & resort, when I first visited the Cebu Philippines, area back in 1995-96. Met my wife here, she was the bookkeepper.




RE: CIA World Fact Book Philippines
Exercise normal precautions in Philippines. Exercise increased caution in some areas of the Philippines due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, and a measles outbreak. Some areas have increased risk. Read the entire Travel Advisory. Read More...
Read the Safety & Security Section on the country in question, information page.

Read More About The Philippines:
Ultimate Travel Guide to The Philippines
Top 10 Best Philippines Beaches

Bonus! As mentioned Vietnam is also incredibly affordable and Hoi-An, Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi and Danang are all popular spots for remote workers and those wanting to spend a longer time in Vietnam.


Grenada
* Monthly Budget (Numbeo): $950
* Our Monthly Budget: $3,500
* Rent / Month (Numbeo): $439
* Our Rent / Month: $1,300
* Utilities / Month (Numbeo): $71
* Our Utilities / Month: $160

Visa Situation: 90 days on arrival. Extendable 90 days at a time up to 1 year, then you must do a border run. Repeatable indefinitely

Note(s): (1) The Philippine Travel Tax is a fee imposed by the government for Filipinos traveling abroad. The full travel tax is P1,620 for passengers on economy class plane tickets and P2,700 when flying first class - Jan 1, 2019. Travel Tax should be included in the ticket price. This tax is to be paid by Philippines nationals (except OFWs) and foreigners who have stayed more than a year in the Philippines. Unfortunately airlines still have problems with all the exception, exemptions and reductions.

(2) The current NAIA Terminal Fee is P550 for international flights, and P200 for domestic. Under the plan, these would become P750 for international and P300 for domestic. ... Overseas Filipino workers will still be exempt from terminal fees, Monreal said.Oct 31, 2018.

The processing fee is 200 pesos per child. This amount corresponds to the processing fee for your child's Reduced Travel Tax Certificate, which entitles him or her to a 50% discount on Philippine Travel Tax. You will pay only 810 pesos plus the 200 pesos for a total of 1,010 pesos per child.Apr 10, 2012

(3) The Iloilo Airport Passenger Terminal Fee is P700 per person for international flights. If you are on a domestic flight, the terminal fee should already be paid for / included in the plane ticket price, at the time of booking - Jan 1, 2019.

(4) Reduced Philippine Travel Tax for children aged below 11 years old ...

(5) Senior Citizens' Privileges in Domestic Air Transport and Other Services of Philippine Airlines. 1. The 20% discount is applicable to Regular Domestic Fares only and NOT applicable to International and Promotional fares. ... The VAT exemption is applicable to Domestic Fares only.

(6) SUMMARY - Passenger Facility Charges: Passenger Facility Charges (PFCs) of up to $18 USD may apply depending upon the itinerary chosen. Prices can be as low as $4.50. Federal Excise Tax: A federal excise tax of 7.5% is charged on airfare. Segment Fee: A segment fee of up to $4.00 USD does apply per flight segment.Jan 11, 2018

For example, if you're flying in a light jet, which costs about $2,600 per hour, on a two-hour flight, you will be quoted $5,200. Your flight will also incur five additional fees: Landing fees vary by airport and usually depend on the size and weight of the aircraft. Expect fees to be in the $100 to $500 range.Mar 30, 2011

(7) Paying the Departure or Exit Tax at the Airport. If the departure tax for Costa Rica as an example, was not included in your airline ticket purchase price it must be paid before you check in at the airline counter for your flight.


Internet Speed: Fast (100mbps)

Our current home (at this time of writing) and our favourite island on Earth. The lush, spicy Caribbean island of Grenada has everything one could ask for, similar to my hometown Nova Sintra the island of Brava, Cape Verde Islands Africa ( another favorite destination with ancestral familial bed-n-breakfast housing and deeded landtrack cared foe by sharecroppers going back centuries). Lovely people, breathtaking beaches, pristine nature, a decent amount of international restaurants and an intoxicating vibe.

It’s no wonder why Deniece and I have set up shop here on 4 different occasions currently spanning 2 to 4 years in total in the country, as home base.
Worked in support of PLDT...



A Luxury House Sit in Grenada
For us, the island is great, but for some it may seem a bit too rustic and there aren’t a lot of “sights,” (same with my birthplace Brava Cape Verde). If there’s anything lacking from Grenada, I would say it would be wine (unlike Brava Cape Verde, it’s expensive and poor variety) and customer service (if, any typically grumpy and very slow). Other than that, the 'Isle of Spice' has it all. The visa situation is easy, there are plenty of amenities, a good (but expensive) selection of groceries and nice apartments available.

If you want to live down in Grand Anse and L’Anse Aux Epines (the main beach / tourist areas), then you’ll probably pay at least $1,000 per month or more for an apartment. But if you rent a bit further up island (like us), you can find some decent 1 bedroom places for around $400 / month.

Currently we’re staying in a beautiful 3 bedroom house right on the water with a private pool for just $1,300 per month. We definitely got a good deal because we know the owners, but during our research, we found many apartments under $1,000. Some right on the sea for $1,200 or less and a few smaller, more basic places for under $400.



Living, Going to School and Working Remotely
Thanks to the university on the island (with many American students) and a large yachting community, Grenada has just enough of the things you miss from home, while still feeling like an authentic Caribbean island. I'm studying to be a doctor nearby by, someday I'll have an MD at the St. 
George's University School of Medicine... magna cum laude.



Interested in reading more about living in Grenada? See our articles here:

RE: CIA World Fact Book
Exercise normal precautions in Grenada.
Read the Safety & Security Section on the country in question, information page.

Interested in reading more about living in Grenada? See our articles here:
Cost of Living in Grenada
Working and Living in Grenada: An Update From the Caribbean
Guide to The Best Beaches in Grenada
Ultimate Travel Guide to Grenada
Living in Grenada – Housesitting and Our Need For a Homebase  ( Aside from the Fazenda or Hacienda at Nova Sintra Brava, Cape Verde Islands Africa )
61 Awesome Things To Do in Grenada

Mexico
* Monthly Budget (Numbeo): $385
* Our Monthly Budget: $2,300
* Rent / Month (Numbeo): $464
* Our Rent / Month: $400 – $1,500
* Utilities / Month (Numbeo): $29
* Our Utilities / Month: $34

Visa Situation: 6 months on arrival. Extendable 6 months at a time indefinitely

Internet Speed: Fast (100 mbps)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): Two (2010) - LIME (Cable & Wireless - www.time4lime.com, or www.lime.com/) and Flow (Columbus Communications - www.flowgrenada.com).
Internet subscriptions: 13,000 (December 2009)
Internet users: 40,000 (December 2009)


Mexico is another place where you have so many great options for living. Many digital nomads seem to congregate around Oaxaca and Playa del Carmen in the south, but we prefer Puerto Vallarta and the nearby surf towns of San Pancho and Sayulita when on the west coast.

Oaxaca is located in Southeastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Guerrero to the west, Puebla to the northwest, Veracruz to the north, Chiapas to the east. To the south, Oaxaca has a significant coastline on the Pacific Ocean.

The state is best known for its indigenous peoples and cultures. The most numerous and best known are the Zapotecs and the Mixtecs, but there are sixteen that are officially recognized. These cultures have survived better than most others in Mexico due to the state's rugged and isolating terrain. Most live in the Central Valleys region, which is also an economically important area for tourism, with people attracted for its archeological sites such as Monte Albán, and Mitla, and its various native cultures and crafts. Another important tourist area is the coast, which has the major resort of Huatulco and sandy beaches of Puerto Escondido, Puerto Ángel, Zipolite, Bahia de Tembo, and Mazunte. Oaxaca is also one of the most biologically diverse states in Mexico, ranking in the top three, along with Chiapas and Veracruz, for numbers of reptiles, amphibians, mammals and plants etc.
Many digital nomads seem to congregate around Yucatán Peninsula, namelya Cancun and Cozumel in the south, but we prefer Cancun and the nearby suburban surf towns and places when on the west coast.

The Yucatán Peninsula comprises a significant proportion of the ancient Maya lowlands (although the Maya culture extended south of the Yucatán Peninsula, through present Guatemala and into Honduras and highland Chiapas), and was the center of the Mayan civilization. There are many Maya archaeological sites throughout the peninsula; some of the better-known are Chichen Itza, Coba, Tulum and Uxmal. Indigenous Maya and Mestizos of partial Maya descent make up a sizable portion of the region's population, and Mayan languages are widely spoken there. So there are a few places of interest to visit.

Mérida is the capital and largest city in Yucatan state in Mexico, as well as the largest city of the .... To the east is the state of Quintana Roo, to the west is the state of Campeche, ..... It joins Mérida with Chichén Itzá, Valladolid and ultimately Cancún. ... Proximity to American cities like Houston allow local Doctors to crosstrain ...

Alternatively, I like traditional cities with local "touch" as much as possible. Do you? We’d probably live in Guanajuato, Merida or Valladolid. There are just too many great options in Mexico!

Yucatán officially the Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán is one of the 31 states which, with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 106 municipalities, and its capital city is Mérida. .... In 525, the Chanés (Mayan tribe that preceded the Itza), moved to the east of the peninsula, founding ...

I am planning 4 days in Merida or Valladolid. ... Teotihuacan Pyramids Private Day Trip with Archeologist from Mexico City.

For North Americans, the visa situation is excellent, there are plenty of apartments available for under $300 per month, the food is incredible, the people are some of the friendliest on earth and there’s an amazing culture and history here. Mexico is definitely in a place of its own.



Mexico is one of the cheapest places to live near the beach
We’ve lived in Manzanillo and San Pancho so far, but if we were to return we would definitely put down roots in Puerto Vallarta for a few months. We love this city. The touristy part of town is okay, but it gets a bit exhausting after a while. We like centro the most. I like Encenadas on the west coats, I like is style of living.

Ensenada is a port city on the Pacific coast of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. At its heart is the harbor and waterfront area with the Malecón promenade. Once a casino, the Riviera de Ensenada is now a cultural center. The nearby Museum of History and the Regional Historical Museum trace the area’s people, culture and past. Migrating gray whales visit the waters offshore. Southwest of the city is La Bufadora blowhole.

Leaving the tequila salesmen and two-for-one margaritas behind, the grid like cobblestone streets and colorful neighbourhoods of López Mateos and Agua Azul are our favourites, as well. We have never lived in PV, but we’ve planned to on numerous occasions.

During our apartment shopping, we found plenty of beautiful little places, right in centro for between $300 – $800 per month. We met one American expat there who had a small little studio apartment in a cool neighbourhood for just $120 / month.

Worked for TELMEX here... (Telmex picked up the tab, sweet!)

Interested in living in Mexico? Read our articles here:
A Digital Nomad Guide to Living in Manzanillo
Mexico – The Best Digital Nomad Spot For North Americans
Our First Thoughts About San Pancho

Also, have a look at these posts from our fellow blogging / digital nomad friends:
The Cost of Living in Puerto Vallarta
The Cost of Living in Oaxaca City
How to Find Cheap Apartments in Playa del Carmen

RE: CIA World Fact Book Mexico
Exercise increased caution in Mexico due to crime. Some areas have increased risk. Read the entire Travel Advisory. Read More...
Read the Safety & Security Section on the country in question, information page.






Colombia

* Monthly Budget (Numbeo): $446
*Our Monthly Budget: $3,240 (Travel)
* Rent / Month (Numbeo): $320
* Our Rent / Month: N/A
* Utilities / Month (Numbeo): $63
* Our Utilities / Month: N/A

Visa Situation: 90 Days on arrival + Extend 90 days up to 180 days max per year

Internet Speed: Fast (100mbps) *Can be slow outside of major cities

We visited Colombia in 2016 and we completely fell in love with it. We met some great friends there who we’re still in contact with today. We explored the rainforest, hiked to waterfalls, got lost in the streets of Medellin and found ourselves wanting to live in Cartagena.

Of course, as with living in many South and Central American cities, there is often a stigma around safety and security in this part of the world. While we did feel safe in most of Colombia, if we were to live here we would definitely be sure to choose a good area and heed advice from the locals on where, and where not to go.



Cartagena Travel Architecture
Having said that, Colombia really doesn’t fully deserve its reputation of old. Today, the country is doing its best to shed the tumultuous past and it had a lot to offer travellers and expats alike.

We met an American couple who moved to Medellin and purchased a beautiful apartment and they were very happy with their lives there. If we were to move to Colombia, we’d likely choose the beautiful Caribbean coastal town of Cartagena, or perhaps Medellin due to its entrepreneurial scene.

We did some apartment shopping in Cartagena and while it’s hard to find anything in the old town for under $1500 / month, there are some lovely apartments along the beach for under $1,000 and further away from the coast for $500 or less.

There are so many things to do in Colombia and now, with budget airlines like Wingo and Viva Colombia opening up, it’s actually quite affordable to fly both domestically and internationally from Medellin and Bogotá.



Living in Medellin Colombia as a digital nomad

Interested in Colombia? Check out our articles:
The Ultimate Digital Nomad Guide to Living in Medellin
10 Cool Things To Do in Medellin
Medellin, Colombia – Our First Impressions and Experiences
Cartagena: Too Touristy, or Justifiably Popular?

Worked in support of the local phone company here in Colombia, TELECOMA 4G LTE, 5G
Best plans for mobile in Columbia Using Cell-phones & Colombia carriers-plans
Telefonía celular y fija, Televisión HD e Internet | Claro Colombia Claro: Columbia is a Colombian telecommunications operator, owned by Mexican group América Móvil. Claro is the largest provider of mobile phone services in the country – as of December 2011, 28,818,791 of Colombia's 46,200,421 mobile phone subscribers (62.38%) were with Claro's predecessor, Comcel. Claro Colombia (previously Comcel, Telmex Colombia). 8 May 2018, Claro Colombia launches LTE-A in 199 municipalities. 19 Jan 2018, Claro, Nokia stage ... soonest to launch 5G when ROI is reached...

RE: CIA World Fact Book Colombia
Exercise increased caution in Colombia due to crime and terrorism. Some areas have increased risk. Read the entire Travel Advisory. Read More...
Read the Safety & Security Section on the country in question, information page.


Chile
* Monthly Budget (Numbeo): $676
* Our Monthly Budget: N/A
* Rent / Month (Numbeo): $483
* Our Rent / Month (2 weeks): $420
* Utilities / Month (Numbeo): $134
* Our Utilities / Month: Included in Rent

Visa Situation: 90 Days on arrival. Extend for 90 more days for $100 or border run to Argentina.

Internet Speed: Fast (150mbps) *Much slower outside of major cities

After travelling around South America for a few months, we decided to rent an apartment in Valparaiso, Chile and work for Telfónica SA for a bit. Just a bit short of an hour from the capital of Santiago, Valparaiso if traffic allows, is an edgy and colorful bohemian port city with enough going on to spend a few months.

This town is hilly, so if you choose to live here, you’ll likely shed some pounds just walking to and from the grocery store. There are some areas that you have to be careful here, but we mostly hung out around Cerro Concepcion and didn’t stay out too late.

There are also buses to pretty much anywhere, taxis on every corner and UBER works great here, so if you’re ever nervous about walking in the dark you always have other options.



Dancing on the streets of Santiago Chile
Dancing on the streets of Santiago. This city had a great vibe.

We enjoyed the funky vibe of Valparaiso and there were a few good restaurants and cafes. The wine is tasty (not as good as Argentina in our opinion, based on personal tastes) and the streets are covered in graffiti and street art, which is great (Reminds me of NYC NY).

Cheap domestic airlines like Latam and Sky make it really easy to hop down south to Torres Del Paine National Park or up north to the Atacama Desert, all with a stop in the capital of Santiago.

We also liked Santiago a lot, but we found that Valparaiso was more charming and had better prices on apartments. We rented a nice 1 bedroom with a stunning view over the natural harbor for around $800 / month, but there were much cheaper ones available, particularly in less central neighbourhoods. (Telfónica SA picked up the tab, sweet!)

If we were to move back to Chile, we’d return to Valparaiso for sure. If we had to choose one place to live in the far south of South America, it would be Mendoza, Argentina, but it didn’t quite make this list because it’s a little bit out of the $1,000 / month range.

Mendoza is a city in Argentina’s Cuyo region and the heart of Argentina's wine country, famed for Malbecs and other red wines. Its many bodegas (wineries) offer tastings and tours. The city has wide, leafy streets lined with modern and art deco buildings, and smaller plazas surrounding Plaza Independencia, site of subterranean Museo Municipal de Arte Moderno, displaying modern and contemporary art.

Read More: A Guide to Valparaiso – Chile’s Colourful Street Art Capital

RE: CIA World Fact Book Chile
Exercise normal precautions in Chile.
Read the Safety & Security Section on the country in question, information page.

Georgia
* Monthly Budget (Numbeo): $396
* Our Monthly Budget: N/A
* Rent / Month (Numbeo): $312
* Our Rent / Month: N/A
* Utilities / Month (Numbeo): $53
* Our Utilities / Month: N/A

Visa Situation: Visa free entry for 1 year.

Internet Speed: Decent (35mbps)

Georgia is quickly becoming one of the world’s new digital nomad hotspots. Largely due to the excellent visa situation and online working visas available. You can arrive in Georgia and get stamped for 1 year, plus you can apply to open businesses here and get fast tracked to citizenship.

Many mobile entrepreneurs choose to open bank accounts and companies in Georgia, and it’s easy to see why. Not only do the local immigration laws help make it a desirable destination, but also the city of Tbilisi is fantastic and the surrounding countryside is stunning.



We visited here back in 2011 and really fell in love with the city of Tbilisi. It was one of the first places we visited while we were full-time travelers that we actually considered living in. It’s relatively progressive, modern but with ancient touches, well laid out and oh so much fun.
Tbilisi is the capital of the country of Georgia. Its cobblestoned old town reflects a long, complicated history, with periods under Persian and Russian rule. Its diverse architecture encompasses Eastern Orthodox churches, ornate art nouveau buildings and Soviet Modernist structures. Looming over it all are Narikala, a reconstructed 4th-century fortress, and Kartlis Deda, an iconic statue of the “Mother of Georgia.”

Tbilisi remains one of our favorite cities in the world and while the surrounding countryside in Georgia is what most travelers prefer to explore, if we were to live there we’d set up roots in the capital for sure.

If you love wine, funky bars, beautiful architecture, stunning old churches and decent Wi-fi, excellent value for money and a young, fun vibe, then Tbilisi is likely one of your best choices in Eastern Europe.

We did a considerable amount of apartment shopping in the capital and strongly considered moving to Tbilisi before eventually deciding on Grenada instead as a long-term base. We were mostly looking on Airbnb and even though that platform is known to have inflated apartment prices, we still found some amazing looking 1-bedroom places in a good area of town for under $500 / month!

If you bump your apartment budget up to $1,000 per month, you can start getting into some real luxury, especially if you’re signing a year-long lease and not going through a vacation rental website like Airbnb or VRBO.

Tbilisi, like any other capital... * Take a stroll through the old town. ... * Take a Sulphur Bath. ... * Visit The Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi. ... * Visit the Mtatsminda Park for the stunning view over the city. ... * Try the local cuisine. ... * Take the cable car to the Mother, Georgia Statue. ... * Try the local candy. ... * Watch the puppet show. And More...

With a growing digital nomad crowd, blazing fast wi-fi, decent flight connections and plenty to see and do, Georgia is many digital nomads first choice in Europe.
https://psimonmyway.com/wifi-cafes-in-tbilisi/ Here are 10 of the best wifi cafes of the city to work in! ... It's a good place to try after a long and nostalgic walk around the old town, to dress up etc. ...
https://www.glassdoor.com/Job/tbilisi-jobs-SRCH_IL.0,7_IC3901219.htm ~111 jobs at Tbilisi at the moment (Good Luck Job Hunting!)...

Worked for TELECOMA here...4G-5G... Assigned to one or more of the following, three cellular telephone/ telecom networks: MagtiCom LTD, Silknet JSC, and Mobitel Georgia (Russian Beeline group). The cellular network market counts more than 3,000,000 active customers in total...



Bulgaria
* Monthly Budget (Numbeo): $461
* Our Monthly Budget: N/A
* Rent / Month (Numbeo): $254
* Our Rent / Month: N/A
* Utilities / Month (Numbeo): $99
* Our Utilities / Month: N/A

Visa Situation: 90 days on arrival. No more than 90 days / 6-month period.

Internet Speed: Fast (100mbps+)
There’s just something about Bulgaria. Perhaps it’s because the locals are so ailak (a Plovdivian word for chilled out), or maybe it’s the fact that the vineyards here produce some of the best wine we’ve ever tasted. Whatever it is, we really didn’t want to leave Bulgaria.

Our favorite place for sure was Plovdiv, but many people choose to live in the capital of Sofia. This village / city had such a youthful, fun vibe and we were there during the winter, when most things are closed, yet still we loved it.

During the summer months, we were told that the city comes alive with wine festivals, parties, concerts and street markets. The nearby vineyards are just a quick drive away and there are plenty of old world wine shops and wine bars in town to taste the local varietals.

One of the things we loved most about Bulgaria is that, while the wages aren’t particularly high compared to other European countries, the cost of living is so low that most Bulgarians are able to afford a pretty great life and you often see them out for lunch and dinner because the restaurants and bars are so affordable.



Cheap Countries To Live
We also considered moving to Plovdiv for a temporary base last year and when shopping around for apartments, we were amazed at the value for money. Depending on where you choose to live, there are plenty of apartments in Plovdiv for under $500 on Airbnb.

A local friend of ours told us that Airbnb is a rip-off in Plovdiv and if we ever wanted to book one, to check the local Facebook groups and real estate agents to find a better deal with a 1-year lease. I’m sure you could find a very nice 1-bedroom apartment in Plovdiv, outside of the old town for $400 per month.

Read More:
Plovdiv – A Must-Visit Balkan City
10 Things To Do in Plovdiv

RE: CIA World Fact Book Georgia
Exercise normal precautions in Georgia. Some areas have increased risk. Read the entire Travel Advisory. Read More...
Read the Safety & Security Section on the country in question, information page.

Croatia
* Monthly Budget (Numbeo): $650
* Our Monthly Budget: N/A
* Rent / Month (Numbeo): $275
* Our Rent / Month (2 weeks): $420
* Utilities / Month (Numbeo): $197
* Our Utilities / Month: Included in Rent

Visa Situation: 90 Days Max in any 6 month period

Internet Speed: Fast (80mbps+)
Croatia is actually one of the more expensive countries on this list and you would probably be a bit pressed to live on $1,000 in Dubrovnik or Zagreb, but we lived in a nice apartment in Split for 2 weeks and found it to be of a decent value.

Our small one bedroom place cost around $800 / month, but you could easily find places for quite a bit less if you were to go a bit further away from the old town. Numbeo says there are apartments for $275 per month, but we weren’t able to find anything livable for less than $400.

Split is a beautiful city set right on the Mediterranean sea. The best part of it really is the old town which looks like something right out of Game of Thrones (most of which is filmed in nearby Dubrovnik).



A Guide to Travelling in Split, Croatia
A View Of Split Town From The Sea, picture above

In the theme of keeping under $1,000 per month, you wouldn’t be able to go out for dinner all that often because many restaurants (even on the budget end) charge around €18 – €20 for a meal. We did find one nice little family run place called Konoba that served up delicious sandwiches, soups and stews for around €12.

When we lived in Split, we would get lost in the breathtaking ancient town or climb up the nearby Marjan hill to have views over the town and the harbor. There are plenty of nearby beaches and islands, lots of sites and a very large expat community here. There are a few Facebook groups for Split where locals and expats meet up and plan events.

With super fast wi-fi, great restaurants and bars, a good nightlife scene and plenty of expats, Split is definitely a understated nomad hot spot that you may want to check out.

Read More: A Guide to Travelling in Split, Croatia

RE: CIA World Fact Book Croatia
Exercise normal precautions in Croatia.
Read the Safety & Security Section on the country in question, information page.






Greece
* Monthly Budget (Numbeo): $812
* Our Monthly Budget: $3,240
* Rent / Month (Numbeo): $353
* Our Rent / Month: $600
* Utilities / Month (Numbeo): $205
* Our Utilities / Month: Included in Rent

Visa Situation: Schengen Visa. Max 90 days in any 180 day period.

Internet Speed: Slow (10mbps+)
As far as value for money goes, I think Greece probably takes the cake on this list. Indonesia has the most accommodation options, but it’s kind of expected to have great value for money in Asia. If you’re looking to live in Europe, but enjoy the lower prices of Asia and Central America, then Greece is the place for you.





With so many islands to choose from, I would really have a hard time deciding where to live in Greece. Crete, Santorini, Athens, Kefalonia, Chios, LesvosCorfu, and Ios… how could one decide?

I have a friend whom I worked with in Kuwait/Iraq for ITT-Fed. Srvcs. Int'l. Co. Ltd., TAC-SWA-CAA, back in the 2000's for about 2 1/2 - 3 years who is now RED -- retired in Santorini, a beautiful place though pricey. I do visit from time to time. Too upetty for my tastes...

What is it like to live in Santorini - Quora.
Practically of living and working in Santorini.
Cost of Loving erh ah, I mean Living in Santorini.
Seven (7) things to know, before movin' to Santorini.

We rented an apartment in Zakynthos and loved it. The only downside to this stunning Mediterranean island was the garbage that was piling up because there was no proper disposal in place on the island.



Places to visit in Greece-Zakinthos- Aside from that, I would definitely move back to Zakynthos. Our modern studio apartment here was just $20 / night (we paid a nightly rate because we didn’t stay a full month) and I’m sure that if we told the owner that we wanted to stay for a month or more, we could have got it down to $400 or less per month.

The same goes for pretty much every island in Greece, particularly outside of the high season. We’ve found amazing apartments even on Booking.com and Airbnb for under $20 / night or $400 / month. Amazing.

On top of that, the food in Greece is incredibly good value, especially considering the meal portions are massive and you are often given free appetizers and deserts with every meal.

The weather in Greece is perfect. It gets extremely hot in the summer, but the winters are mild, especially compared to our home country of Canada!

With so much history, culture, wine, olive oil, cheese and likely the most hospitable people we’ve ever met in our travels, Greece is one of our top choices for digital nomads. The only issue is the wi-fi, which can be a bit slow in some places.

If you do choose to live in Greece, consider upgrading your wi-fi to the fastest possible plan and always have a SIM card with 4G internet in case your landline goes out.

Read More About Greece:
Zakynthos, Greece: Our Last Minute Travel Decision
Top 15 Best Beaches in Greece
14 Best Places to Visit in Greece

RE: CIA World Fact Book Greece
Exercise normal precautions in Greece.
Read the Safety & Security Section on the country in question, information page.

Portugal (My Motherland)
* Monthly Budget (Numbeo): $648
* Our Monthly Budget: N/A
* Rent / Month (Numbeo): $915
* Our Rent / Month: N/A
* Utilities / Month (Numbeo): $54
* Our Utilities / Month: N/A

Visa Situation: Schengen Visa. Max 90 days per 180 day period

Internet Speed: Fast (50mbps+)
We’ve tried to move to Portugal on two separate occasions and for some reason it has never worked out for us. There always seems to be something that comes up or our plans just don’t pan out.

This last time, we had shopped around for apartments in Lisbon for months and when we finally found one we loved, it turned out to be an Airbnb scam that nearly cost us $3,300!

During our months of shopping however, we found a beautiful 2 bedroom place a bit outside of town for $700 per month, but there were smaller one bedrooms for far less.

To stay under $1,000 per month while living in Lisbon would be hard. You’d have to live a bit further out of town in a studio or 1-bedroom and take local transport a lot (or walk), only going out for meals once or twice per week.



Cheap Countries To Live In 2018-19 -- Lisbon Portugal
Nevertheless, Portugal has to make this list because it’s one of the top choices for digital nomads these days. The Wi-fi is fast, there’s a massive (and growing) expat community, there are great restaurants, tons of nightlife and blazing fast Wi-fi.

There are also some lovely coastal cities and beaches within a 2 hour drive of the capital and excellent flight connections mean that Europe, Asia, North and South America are all within reach.

One day we’ll make it to Lisbon and we’ll stay for a few months. I lived here in a Government run Posada or Paradores for a short time as a kid back in 60's on my way to America.

RE: CIA World Fact Book Portugal
Exercise normal precautions in Portugal.
Read the Safety & Security Section on the country in question, information page.




In Conclusion
Keeping this list down under $1,000 really limited some great places that are a bit more expensive, but definitely worth considering if you’re looking to spend an extended period of time in one place.

Destinations like Malta, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Wilhelmshaven, Hamburg and Berlin in Germany amongst other places like metro Istanbul, Turkey definitely make our list of favorite places in the world to live, but in most cases it would be too difficult to live on under $1,000 per month in these countries.

I have a friend whom I worked with in Kuwait/Iraq for ITT-Fed. Srvcs. Int'l. Co. Ltd., TAC-SWA-CAA, back in the 2000's for about 2 1/2 - 3 years who is now RED -- retired to metro Istanbul, Turkey, a beautiful place though somewhat pricey. Too upetty for my tastes...  I do, however, visit from time to time.


The prices that we listed in this article for rent are mostly on vacation rental prices, so if they seem a bit high, just know that you can definitely get lower prices if you sign a 6-month or 1-year lease, rather than booking shorter-term.



Travelling to Rome where to eat
Rome Makes Our List of Favorite Cities To Live, But its More Than $1,000 / Month
The main things we look for when considering a place to spent a few months is nature, restaurants, activities, expat community, Wi-fi, bars and overall vibe. Different people will definitely have a different idea of what makes the ideal temporary home.

The great thing about being a travel blogger and living the life of a digital nomad is that you can live pretty much anywhere you want. Deciding on a new temporary base is just as fun as planning your next big trip!

What neighborhood will you choose, where will you meet new friends, what local culture will you fall in love with, where will you eat and what will your apartment be like? These are all things that make finding a new home a thrilling experience.

By keeping possessions to a minimum and spontaneity to a max, you can easily move every couple of months and experience a new adventure wherever you go.

These are just a few of our favorite places to live in the world. What are your favorites? Share in the comments below and let us know why you enjoy those places, what the internet speed is like and how much you spend per month!

Twenty-20-Places-Where-you-can-w/200k & retire and feel like you're rich

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Colombian street with text overlay 15 Countries Where You Can Live On $1,000 Per Month Or LessGrenada, Indonesia, Colombia and Portugal with text overlay The Best Countries For Digital NomadsCheap Counties with text overlay Live In These Countries For Less Than $1,000 Per Month

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24 thoughts on “15 Cheapest Places To Live – $1,000 Per Month or Less”
 Mark says:
May 16, 2018 at 9:26 am
I can’t find Vietnam? It must have fallen off the list by mistake! 😛

$400 easy, although I live quite well. Could easily live on $300 a month.

Also $1,000 a month is a LOT! When I lived in London I didn’t even spend that much….

Reply
Deniece S. says:
May 16, 2018 at 12:25 pm
Hey Mark,

You’re totally right, Vietnam should be on here. Mick got to 15 countries and then realized he missed Vietnam! Glad you’re able to live there off of $300.

How were you living in London for so little? What type of accommodation? Shared? Where? Did you go out? Drink? Do you pay for transport? etc.

$1,000 a month for a couple to live abroad with all expenses isn’t much at all in my opinion! When we were living in Canada, we spent sooo much money, just spending on the basics. And going by the cost of living in London, I have no idea how you could live off of less than $1,000 without just scraping by…but I am curious to know 😉

Cheers!
Dariece

Reply
 Mark says:
May 20, 2018 at 2:26 am
Oh did you mean $1,000 between two people? So actually $500 a month. That’s fairly normal, yeah.

Yes well in London I was sharing a $600 room, so $300 rent a month and then obviously cycling everywhere so the only other money I needed was for food, maybe $100 a month. Oh and $10 a month for airtime. Sometimes I would drink at weekends but only in parks or at home because only a fool would pay London bar prices.

The majority of people I know in London earn around $1,000 a month or less. The UK government is very good at hiding the level of poverty in London.

But then again the vast majority (more than 80%) of the world live on less than $300 a month.

Reply
 Deniece S. says:
May 22, 2018 at 6:35 am
Thanks for the details Mark Glad to hear you were able to live in an expensive city for so little!

Reply
 Sally says:
May 16, 2018 at 11:39 am
Love this- Thanks for sharing! You make me want to pack up now 😉 I didn’t realize Georgia was a traveler hot-spot. How safe is Georgia these days?

Reply
 Richard "Dick" M. says:
May 16, 2018 at 12:22 pm

I certainly go for Tbilisi, it’s definitely one of my favourite capital cities. I was there in summer 2015. Loved the people & the wine & the mountains are fab, too.
But you still haven’t included Nepal. I’ve just returned from 7 weeks there,(my 3rd visit), and its even cheaper than India, & far more friendly than some of the places I stayed in, in it’s larger southern neighbour.
Accommodation is very affordable, even on a daily, as opposed to long term basis. Food is ridiculous cheap, as is transport.
Glad you included my home country, Bulgaria. Pensioners here have to live on very low amounts, about a quarter or less than the UK pension, so food, electric & water is correspondingly low, making it very easy for ex-pats to live a life with a higher standard of living, than in the UK.
Regards,
Roaming Richard "Dick"

Reply
 Sean Mullins says:
May 16, 2018 at 5:50 pm

+1 on Nepal. I must admit I couldn’t imagine actually living in India, but Nepal, for a few months, for sure.

Reply
 Chrissy B. says:
May 16, 2018 at 1:35 pm

This is great, I never knew there were so many options. My question(s) is what else is factored in for monthly cost. Besides the lodging and utilities, what other costs come into play? What about transportation, I know some places have great public transportation, but I would think more remote places you’d need a car. Thanks again, love all the info.

Reply
 Amanda E. says:
May 16, 2018 at 8:07 pm

Hi guys

Great list. I am currently living in Bangkok, have lived in Vietnam and China – definitely agree, all super cheap locations. Bangkok is so cheap, I am staying in an Airbnb outside of the tourist area and pay $180USD a month, large room and balcony overlooking trees, it’s so peaceful. My electric and water is extra, about another $100USD per month. Prices of transport and food also pretty cheap. Chiang Mai is also amazing. Highly recommend Thailand to everyone. My next destination is Mexico so happy to see it’s on the list. So many places I want to see there.

Thanks guys

Reply
 Sarah says:
May 17, 2018 at 5:15 am

Are there any countries that you’ve mentioned where they would prefer to be paid in actual USD$ rather than their own currency? They prefer $$ in Mexico but there’s an obvious reason for that…

Reply
 Kareemah says:
May 24, 2018 at 5:50 pm
You should have also included Spain on the list.

Reply
 Kevin H. says:
May 25, 2018 at 11:03 pm

Absolutely LOVE this article. Since we’ve just retired (58 & 55 yrs old) we plan to travel a lot and your blog is inspirational. Lots of treks in Kyrgyzstan for a month is next up for my photography – so thanks for those very helpful blog posts and videos too !

One comment though : having lived in China (Shanghai & HK) for over 20 years I can say that I have *never* seen pollution down to anything like even 100m in Shanghai. There is pollution here (typically the API app I use rates it at about twice London’s level) but it’s usually seasonal (humidity in Summer, coal burning in Northern China in late Winter/early Spring) and there are many many lovely `Blue Sky’ days !

Reply
 Chiris W. says:
June 6, 2018 at 10:02 am

How about Sri Lanka?
$250 easy, you can rent a nice house with sea view
i think you missed it

Reply
 Joy M. says:
July 10, 2018 at 8:25 am

Great post, very insightful. If you guys haven’t visited Africa much, I’d say that a 1,000$ budget for two would be easily achievable here. I’m a Kenyan by citizen and lived here my whole life, so I’ve witnessed the growing tourist/expat population over the years. We often joke how the clubs are always filled with white guys now haha. Probably because every company from abroad looking to establish in Africa always has Nairobi in its top 5 list. In this city particularly, accommodation is relatively easy to find, there are tons of great local and international bars/restaurants, apps like Uber and Airbnb are here too, and our WiFi is super fast too! 🙂 Come down here sometime.

Reply
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 hiba says:
October 17, 2018 at 12:29 am
Hello,

Thank you for this amazing post! extremely helpful and informative. What about Turkey? the visa situation is very easy and the country offers both the vibrant city life and the less busy small town life by the sea. Would love to know if you’ve ever considered living there or did any research regarding cost of living.

Thank you

Reply
 Marya says:
October 20, 2018 at 1:25 pm

Thank you for this post, super inspired. I just returned from 9 days in Rome and the Amalfi coast and we spent $4700, including flights for two. Our trip to Thailand last year was 13 days and $7500. We stayed in one fancy place our last night and one super cheap tree house the night before. Clearly we need to learn to budget better.

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 shawn says:
January 26, 2019 at 9:58 pm
out of all the countries which one was your favorite ?

Reply
 Deniece Swift says:
January 27, 2019 at 6:57 am
hmmm, tough question! We love Mexico, Greece and Thailand

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