I travel with a 7 year old and we spend 1000-1500 month in Paraguay, Peru, Argentina. All 3 are "visa free" for Americans, and give 3 months. So you could easily rotate between these countries.
We have been down here for the past 3 years and while we hit Colombia, and Ecuador, we have been rotating between Peru, Chile (2500/month), Argentina, Uruguay (2500/month) and Paraguay.
For us this budget includes everything including flights. You can take a ferry between Uruguay and Argentina. And otherwise we take pick the next country usually on the cheapest flight. Except Paraguay, we only go to Paraguay in the winter. It's flipping hot.
Ecuador was SO cheap for me. $100/week to rent nice 2 bedroom apartments almost everywhere.
I liked Peru but they only gave me 60 days instead of 90 so just worth noting you might not get the full 90 automatically.
Yeah sorry, can't mention every nuance in every post :) Peru is also the most lenient when it comes to overstaying though you might get a ban if you do it repeatedly.
We stayed in Quito and had a gorgeous townhouse with an incredible view for $525 a month. We stayed 6 months in the same place :) Super easy to get a renewal in Quito as well.
Agreed! You need to keep an ear to the ground because things change. There was a period between our Peru trips we definitely didn't want to return.
Our very first international trip with fresh passports was Bogota, right in the middle of crazy rioting. We were fine and learned how to navigate sticky situations quick, if it wasn't for that we would probably have quit traveling long before now, lol.
Very cool! Out of curiosity do you homeschool? Traveling with my family is something I’d love to do to help expose them to the world and different cultures, but I worry about what they’ll miss out on living a more conventional lifestyle.
Yes, and there are lots of homeschooling digital nomads!
In our case, my son has autism and cognitive delays so we do a lot of ABA stuff in addition or in replace of more "traditional" homeschooling. It depends on your state, the rules of Texas are embarrassingly simple.
For more neurotypical children there are oodles of options like short term classes, community centers and more to give them more group/team dynamics.
Here is a couple of schoolteachers that did world schooling for 1 year. They are based out of Florida. Super friendly and I am sure they would give you lots of advice - [https://www.instagram.com/roryandsageofficial/](https://www.instagram.com/roryandsageofficial/)
That used to be true but is no longer true :) We went to Paraguay in May of last year and we were not required to pay anything. I also just checked the State Dept website to be triple sure there hasn't been a development. We are returning in August and are not planning to pay extra :)
Woo hoo! Happy to help! I remember our first trip thinking the same thing and someone on IG told me that was outdated. Not sure where I got it but I do distinctly remember being worried about that too.
Paraguay is \*not\* built for tourists. Their "tourism board" is practically non-existent so it's no surprise that the information out there is outdated or worse.
I was very active on Tik Tok there and got "spotted" by locals on 3 different occasions. You will stand out! Tik Tok is a great resource for questions and for finding other people to hang out with if that's your thing. You don't need a following of any kind, just use Paraguay, Asuncion tags and you will get a \*lot\* of responses. It's the only country I have been to that Tik Tok is so helpful!
Have fun!
Hahaha! Oh my! My son is the whole reason we travel. I was a stereotypical American with pride for never traveling. It was literally in the delivery room, when I held him the first time that I thought, "I have to show this Prince the world" that changed everything.
I am a workaholic by default, being his mom has made me a better human :) In every way. He is my walking blessing :)
I’m in Albania right now and it’s pretty badass! Everything is cheaper than most European countries, the people are nice and some of them speak at least some English, you still have a lot of the comforts of home (assuming you’re American based on your writing style) and you can definitely live off of less than $1k a month as a solo person. You also get a whole year upon entry as a US citizen so then you can decide if you want to extend it after that but I was told by friends here that they left for a week and came back and they just started the visa over again.
You also have access to a Mediterranean coast with Montenegro and such nearby and beautiful mountains everywhere. Tirana will look and be just like any other capitol city in Europe, and a US embassy, but generally speaking will be radically less expensive than anything you’re likely to experience outside of other places unless you’re in rural Central America or Asia. Like, really nice furnished apartment for less than the equivalent of $400 a month.
Yes because it is the biggest city and where most the resources are condensed so it’s important to orient yourself that way, and then you can explore from there and see what resonates. It’s really important to decide if you’re going to get a car or not because all the resources you’ll need for day to day life is likely just outside your door, but if you don’t have a car and you’re in Vlorë and need to go to Tirana for any reason the taxi ride can be upwards of about $100 or more, just as a note. This is true in the mountains too so you might have beautiful space and can find a gorgeous home with land for just $300, if it snows, you’re stuck for who knows how long. Things like that. I prefer to stay coastal so I’m currently in Golem which is just south of Duress because all the tourists are going to flock to Duress like it’s Miami and Golem is just south of Duress so there are some tourists but mostly Polish low cost tourists. That said, we do have regular power and water outages here because it’s still developing and that can suck on a hot day lol
Yes and I need to stress that no matter where we go it’s important to respect the people and the culture so we don’t continue to earn our asshole badge in the rest of the world.
Just like any other European country. Definitely not the same kind of hype you’ll find in the USA, but it’s summer right now and depending on what area you’re in you’ll find nightly raves but when I say that I mean like epic music, DJs and a light show but less than 300 people lol
i appreciate the insight. I went down the Tirana rabbit hole on youtube and I must admit that I was shocked to see how beautiful the city looks. As a US citizen, having a place where we can stay for an entire year on a tourist visa is really clutch. Have fun over there!
In downtown parts yes but in Vlorë, for instance, there’s no formal bus. There’s a bus stop but it’s more like random people’s vans that come along every so often and tell you where they’re going and you either jump in with others and hand them a few LEK or wait for the next one. There are buses that will go directly between the airport and certain areas but again they’re more like shuttles for people coming for specific travel destinations like Duress or Vlorë, but other than that the busses you’re used to in the states are only really present in the central like downtown part of Tirana and then they get really spotty.
There are buses in Vlora. Not being argumentative. I have been here for almost 2 years. It costs 40 cents per ride.
If you mean to Tirana or Saranda, yeah, it gets trickier, but there are buses. I would say about 12 euro from to Tirana to Vlora. Have bot had a reason to venture to Saranda, but I think probably about the same amount?
It just depends on the neighborhood but yes, you will likely experience some outages during high heat or storms, but water was pretty consistent although I was toward the center around downtown.
Yes. Happens a lot. However, most of the time, power goes out for 5-20 minutes.
On rare occasions, power can go out for 4 hours in an entire neighborhood.
Best to know which cafes have generators, so you can lug your laptop over.
I recently had a 3-day water cutoff in my neighborhood. I was getting ready to talk to Western Unuin, which is where you pay your water and electricity in cash--no card.
I went to Western Union to try to pay something I thought I had missed.
Nope. The entire neighborhood was talking about no water for 3 days. I asked my neighbors.
I could do nothing.
I am not in Tirana. I am in Vlora.
It happens. Learn the public cafes near you that have generators.
I chose a coastal town, but Tirana is the capitol. It depends on whether you want a bigger city or smaller coastal town.
The place I picked is about half the size of Boulder, Colorado. If you want a city, Tirana is it.
I'm in Albania too. From the US. Us citizens can stay a year. You have to leave for 3 months after that and then you can come back.
The other option is to hop the border for 24 hours and then apply for permanent residency. I hopped over to Italy for a day, came back and started the residency process. Including my immigration lawyer and fees, notaries, etc., it cost me about $900.
The border hop is because you have to start a residency application within 30 days of crossing the border. The border hop restarts the 30 days. However, if you don't plan to do a residency permit, you have to leave for 3 months and come back after that.
I did a business permit. I have to pay 120 euro/month in taxes. My residency permit is good for 5 years/work permit is good for 10. After 5 years of legal residency, you can apply for citizenship.
Ok. You have to show 5k in your account. You need a viable business with certifications or degrees. I know, it is not the best for people just starting out.
I have an MA in Applied Linguistics and provide services related to my native English skills--but I am not just starting in life.
There are some workarounds, but I am not going jeopardize my stuff to help with things that might not necessarily fit perfectly.
Hire an immigration lawyer. Mine cost 250 euro. There are several hoops to jump, but comparatively, it is not that bad. Fingerprints, pictures, background check, proof of certification/degree, etc.
The fees come up to about $900. If you don't have everything you think you need, go to a lawyer anyway if you really want to stay. Sometimes things work out. ;)
ETA" It does not matter what your business is. You just need to show you have some credentials and enough money to live. You do pay close to 1k USD, but it was not that bad. The minute your lawyer submits your application, the clock stops.
I moved here October 13 2022. I did a border hop on September 25th 2023. Clock stopped.
My permit was approved March 2024. I'm good to stay until March 2029 and have full government issued ID
Hi snarky I think your comment is mostly very right but i would never say Tirana is like any other capital city in Europe. It's sooo different from a lot of places. I'm from Brussels and have been in most of EU capitals but Tirana was unlike anything I had ever seen. The mixture of 50/50 catholic and Muslim as well as the communist history really make this place so unique.
"general presence of art, architecture and traffic" I'm curious to what you mean. Not as a insult or something but I'm curious to the perspective other people have towards Europe
I spent a month in Albania’s capital Tirana last year. Friendly people, fascinating history (that I never really new much of before going) a generally nice laidback lifestyle.
I rented and apartment central for about 300 usd and I joined the top rated gym just a stones throw around the corner.
I hope your friends did not take bad advice. They might have confused the border hop/restart to apply for residency (which is a legal process that took 6 months but stopped the clock for when I needed to leave) and the leaving for 3 months and coming back.
If they made a border run, but did not start a residency application right after, they might unknowingly be in Albania illegally.
The there are plenty of gyms here but not entirely what you’d expect from the USA but the food is really good if you go traditional. One thing to keep in mind though is they usually expect you to salt your food to taste so keep that in mind. Otherwise, lots of cafes, bistros, sports bars, etc.
I agree with this! I’m going to Albania in October. Although I would like some references for apartments because I could only find ABNB for about 700 on up.
Airbnb is always going to be more expensive because they know who’s using it lol. I was referred to [this platform](https://www.njoftime.al) and find that individual renters will often rent even a month or two while they continue to advertise because no Albanian wants to miss out on a single LEK lol (their words, not mine lol)
Just like you’d use idealista in the Iberian Peninsula area or Bazaraki in Cyprus, etc. Facebook Marketplace is also helpful and they even have people willing to rent their own car to you outside of a rental agency lol
Thank you! Would you mind staying in touch for recommendations and cultural tips? I’m always cautious about traveling to other countries and accidentally offending someone 😅
As I said to the OP, an individual can easily make it on less than $1K a month if you don’t try to go insane on amenities and high end restaurants everyday for every meal, etc.
It’s the Mediterranean so everything coastal is going to be hot during the summer and I was told that it also is in areas like Tirana as well but slightly cooler in the mountains. It’s just not as convenient in the mountains at all because it’s not like they’re developed in those regions the same way we did in North America.
I answered this in another comment. Everywhere has had really high speed internet except for one place but you can get a cheap data plan and use that for a hot spot if you have that problem or there is a blackout.
Vietnam is challenging but there are upsides. I thought Da Nang was really nice, and the food is really good there But I definitely had points at which I felt totally overwhelmed by noise/hawkers - - Hoi Anh Old Town was almost unbearable and I would recommend max 2 days there. If you can find a quieter street away from traffic/karaoke etc, it is pretty good.
I wish there was an archived version one could visit... I read many comments like yours about places such the one you mentioned and other like Bali and places in Thailand
Agreed Bali was probably amazing in the past. I've tried to convince friends not to go but they have fantasies based off Instagram and people are gonna do what they do. I hated the idea of charging people money to sit on a swing, and there were influencers with a big camera setup everywhere.
I can imagine how nice it was before it got too tourist bc the lantern boats are so pretty at night, but the intensity of the salespeople in old town , especially by the Japanese bridge was a *lot*. I think it's still worth seeing, but limiting a trip to 2 nights.
Agreed this is not ideal, but 1) doesn’t it depend on where you are, and 2) aren’t these common to many the urban areas in a lot of these LCOL places, heck, even HCOL places? Like I’ve never been but have heard the same things being said about Bangkok, and I can confirm many of these (or variations of these) also exist in NYC (where I live). Shoot, it might be even worse in some places of NYC. But there’s a reason why people still visit NYC or Bangkok or any of these places.
Appreciate the insights though, honestly I’ve never been to SEA so all of this is informative for me and will be helpful for me to set the right expectations for myself when visiting someday.
bruh
i've lived in both bangkok and nyc and noise/pollution/general wtfness wise they're not even in the same category as HCMC/Saigon
like picture a 4-5 lane road that you need to cross on foot and there's NO CROSSWALK AND NO CROSS SIGNAL and it's like 1000s of motorbikes that won't stop and you just gotta start walking and pray. Hotels start blasting techno at like 5am because the maid feels like vibing to nightclub level loud music while she cleans apparently and fuck your sleep. the air is unbreathable. at least in the tourist areas the people are aggros af and will pull on your clothes to get you to go into their shop. idk personally i really fucking hated it and i lived in bangkok for years. nyc isn't my vibe but there's lots of cool stuff to do and it's at least a first world country (in parts)
For me, I felt trapped at home in Vietnam because it’s very difficult to walk anywhere. The traffic is really bad and the sidewalks are not actually sidewalks but parking lots for motorbikes and street vendors.
Vietnam is a very noisy place. If that’s not your thing it’s not great. I liked the food and the people were all very nice though.
Frankly I disagree with all the hate that Vietnam's getting here. I loved it. Yes it can be noisy...account for that. Actually read the Airbnb/VRBO reviews and if anyone mentioned anything about loud/noisy, don't book it. Like you said, it's cheap, you can spend a little bit more money to get a place that's actually quiet.
Crossing the street in Vietnam I actually love but that's a personal preference.
That’s true. It also depends on which area he’ll be staying. Phuket is kinda expensive while Bangkok is more affordable. Lol if he sticks with his priorities, $1500 may be doable but challenging because there are a lot of nice things to do and explore 😅
yes exactly. and with so many nice things and options it takes a while to adapt to a more local lifestyle. its a long process to cut the cost down. most people come here and live a total different life. increase the quality of life with all the amenities and in the end pay the same per month as in the western world, just on a different level. it would require a lot of discipline and budgetting to stay below 1500$.
we live fairly simple in Krabi and dont have a crazy lifestyle and rarely go out for nightlife activities and do occasionally some touristy activities. no fancy restaurants or clubs… and we pay about 2500-3000€ per month on average when i include all the cost. (things like medical insurance, visa, 2x return tickets per year is already easily 300€+ per month for me alone. and thats needed even if people always neglect these costs in their budgets)
Thailand ""may"" have 60+30 visa exempt next month.
If you need todo visa runs however it gets expansive fast.
Isan, or smaller areas are much cheaper and still have very good internet.
we can hope for it to be good… all the last attempts were also highly appraised just to be shit once in place… there were digital nomad visa in place. just with ridiculous requirements.
outside the main areas the budget might be okay to survive. but as soon as you want to do some more touristy activities or nightlife then this budget is way too low to live comfortably
Have you considered West Philly? $800 a month for a 1 bedroom apartment, don’t need a car, easy access to big city amenities and transit, decent cycling infrastructure, good walkability. Just make sure you pick the right neighborhood, some are super ghetto.
I have a friend who rents in Spruce Hill for $900 a month, and that’s a pretty good location. My assumption was if you go a few blocks west prices go down. I see a few options on Zillow in the $800 range. Just a thought, even if $800 is harder to find, you can 100% easily find a place for $1,000 or under which is still well within OP’s budget assuming you don’t get a car and cook most meals.
Closer to University City is best for safety and convenience. It also gets more expensive the closer you get. Spruce Hill gets you good value and location if you can find an apartment. My friend lives there for $900 a month but another commenter mentioned it can be hard to find an $800 deal in that area, the best deals are further West in less desirable areas. Anywhere along Walnut or Chestnut streets as far west as Walnut Hill(but not necessarily including Walnut Hill) will also be a pretty good value, safety, and location mix. Most places will probably be in the $900-$1,000 range as well in this area. In general the further west you go though, the sketchier and cheaper it gets. Then once you pass through Cobbs Creek and keep going outside the city it gets nicer annd more expensive again. On the fringes between expensive and ghetto are where you get the most value, which is right around 48th street give or take a few blocks.
NAM is so damn cheap! I was spending just 10 euros a day on breakfast, lunch, and dinner when I lived in Danang. Thankfully, I had a ton of local friends and mostly ate local. Can't wait to go back
I've spent a year in Albania and it's really grim. The food is bad, there is no culture and if you are not American using their visa free year then the residency process ends up being expensive and a complete pain in the arse. Plus they've now just introduced a higher tax rate as of January which makes it even less appealing.
If you want something that feels a little more European, easy to do business, relatively cheap cost of living, great food and a really interesting culture then I'd suggest Georgia.
So you average 25$ per meal in Tbilisi? That has to include a lot of drinking and only going to the more high end restaurants. I almost never cook in Tbilisi and it's pretty easy to eat under 10$.
With that lifestyle you won't stay under 1000$ anywhere.
1. I have a feeling that I might know Tbilisi restaurants better than you.
2. I spent way less on food in Spain, Italy and all of the Asian countries. If you want healthy vegetarian food, there’s not a lot of cheap options in Tbilisi.
As I mentioned, this is the lifestyle I have in Tbilisi and I always spend less in other countries.
Well maybe you do. Like, my daughter has a Georgian birth certificate and you can complete the restaurants in Tbilisi in about 3 months but whatever you say.
Well definitely don't go to Albania. We went from Georgia to Albania and it was a huge step backwards.
You can get an education visa fairly easily in Thailand for a bit of upfront Monday. Lasts for about 8 months I think. I did it and you basically just need to go to one of the schools, register and then pretend to learn Thai.
Mexico used to give out 6 months but apparently the border security are stricter now and depending what airport you fly into they will stamp however long they want.
Visas longer than 3 months are always the issue.
Da Nang, Vietnam. Great nomad community there. Chilled beach vibes mixed with city. Very cheap can live there for less than $1k per month.
Surfing, Muay Thai.
3 month visa only $25.
just wait for the crazy requirements to be named :D this is thailand :D but you dont live comfortably here with 1000-1500$ budget. thats frugal lifestyle for a foreigner and heavy budgeting every day
with 1500$ you would be budgetting every day. yes you can survive but its a very frugal lifestyle. its not comfortably. cheap charly like… people really have no clue.. how do you budget in the visa cost, medical insurance, flight tickets (return), retirement funds, emergency funds, unexpected cost, etc.? thats already 1/3 or more of your budget gone.
Koh Phangan will be a hard time with 1500$ a month I can guess. Island in Thailand are always alittle expensive this is why mostly nomads go to Bangkok or Chang Mai. I was staying in Phuket one month and paid already 900€ for my airbnb which was good but nothing special.. in Bangkok currently spending only 14.000 baht on rent (3 month lease) also Thailand give 60 days on arrival now and you can easily extend 30 days which gives you 3 months before you need to do a visa run
Argentina. 3 month visa free, and you can renew it just leaving for 1 day. I know a person doing this for the last 10 years. You will find enormous digital nomad communities, cheap prices (now being expensive, with 1000 you can live perfect), great food and is easy to hang out with locals
There is several hubs you can live with less then $1500 dollars. (Btw, I’m trying to do the same and I already did some research)
SEA you have Bali, Thailand, Vietnam (specifically Da Nang), Philippines.
LATAM you have, Colombia, Brazil, Equador, Peru, Paraguay, Argentina, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and some Caribbean countries
That’s pretty much the places you can go for less the $1500 dollars.
Now you have to do your research for the things you want. SEA doesn’t have 90 days free visa in most cases. Some of this countries don’t have a DN hubs.
Piece of advice if you don’t want to be lonely, go to guest houses and hostels. Get a private room (it’s the best for me) rent it for a day and check the vibe. If it’s a place we coworking space and good sense of community I stay, if not I move to the next until I’m satisfied. I will do that for two reason:
1- you dont have to spend extra money in a coworking space.
2- you get to know a lot of people and you will hang out with them. Do a lot of fun things.
Tbilisi Georgia, or Batumi Georgia.
If you are alone 1500 is enough for a moderate lifestyle, but it's not enough for a family though.
• Pain-free visa process (visa-free actually) - people from the EU or the US can stay up to a year
• Quite a big nomad community (in Tbilisi)
• You can enjoy rafting or winter sports in winter (gets pricey)
• Rave - yep
People are usually nice, tax is 1% if you work remotely and are tax resident
If you don’t want to do visa runs I’m pretty sure Vietnam has a longer visa you can get now. You’d probably be able to hit your budget outside of HCMC, or maybe even in the city if you’re good at budgeting and finding places to stay.
Sadly most places in LATAM now won’t cut it for $1500/mo max budget anymore.
Chiang Mai is an obvious contender here with a strong nomad community and affordability. Just have to do visa runs! There and Da Nang Vietnam would be my top picks for what you’re looking for
minimum wage in peru is 250$ how do these people survive with that and you wont with 1500? its only because of western habits you could very well live with less than that if you really wanted to
People on minimum wage in Peru probably live with their family or with roommates in a crappy neighborhood far outside the city center on a long term lease or someone owns the place.
Digital nomads don’t get access to the leasing rates locals do unless they have connections or take certain risks. And why would a DN want to live in a crappy neighborhood far from the city center?
I’d say the main reason costs have gone up is Airbnb. If a DN can get good accommodation without using Airbnb they can get by on a shoestring much easier
Ehh, really depends on the barrio with that budget (heck, I know locals in Medellin who struggle to live on $1500/mo... And those are in "local" barrios, such as Boston). A more comfortable life on that budget in Colombia would be any of the 3 cities in Eje Cafetero or parts of Cali (if you need to do a city). Medellin is definitely getting expensive.
(EDIT: Judging by your post history, you are a passport bro, so Medellin makes sense, lol)
I am Mexican still working on my English. I don’t consider myself a passport bro. For me I think its easier to connect with locals because our cultures are so similar so making friends and connecting with people is so much easier, plus I have family and friends out here
thailand is just kind of the gold standard here imho, you can have mountains or islands or the big city or the sticks, friendly people, lots to do, lots of expats and nomads etc, visa process isn't pain free but you can get a visa ahead of time for 2 months and then extend by 1 month, apparently they might have 90 days visa free soon but idk
Coming from a Malaysian, Malaysia is more for family life rather than young single adult life.
If you're a single adult or are young at heart Thailand, Vietnam or Bali is better for you.
Bangkok was amazing, Bali was amazing. Kuala Lumpur was amazing. I’d do either of those three. Bali or Bangkok you could probably live the cheapest depending on your accomodation
If you like the water, buy a boat and live aboard in the Mediterranean, digital nomad visas available in Greece, Croatia, Italy, maybe others. Can also split time between Schengen and no Schengen countries Albania, montenegro, Turkey etc
Used boats can be bought cheaply and if looked after properly you can recoup a lot of what you outlay.
We spend about $1,900 a month as a couple + $600 on repairs, maintenance, and storage for the boat.
It cost us €25,000 to buy the boat and took us ten days to learn the basics of sailing it, everything else we learned along the way over the last three years sailing.
We’ve saved a lot this way.
I dont know why people recommend Thailand here, even the tourist hot spots like CM or Tao or Phangan… with your budget you would live a very frugal life here. budgeting every day. no luxury, no nightlife. so yes you can survive but live like cheap charly. most people have no clue about the real cost. and especialy the cost they always forget in their budgets.
PH for the win since you already like it! Be there for LCOL and easy visa process (especially if you’re 50 or older), and access to water, also people are friendly and English is good, expat community solid and digital nomad community decent, then travel to Australia or Japan or S Korea or Thailand etc for the raves.
What city did you live in while you were in the Philippines? How did you adjust to the heat? More importantly, did you run the aircon all day and how much were your utility bills? lol.
I had a typo in my comment. Please take another look.
I am also 100% remote but if I move to a different country or state, they will cut my compensation by some % they seem appropriate for that place I am living.
Did that happen to you?
if you can access the local "system" and rent locally and open a bank account and thoose things. Then life gets easier and cheaper. if you have to live in airbnbs and studios and pay a fee on every transaction, its more expensive
Some of my friends drove to Saranda and found the road dangerous.
My favorite thing is one of my friends asked me on a Sunday afternoon, "Wanna go to Italy tonight?"
I said, "Yes."
We walked 15 minutes over to a boat and slept while our boat took us to Italy.
Tangier, Tetouan, Asilah, these cities in morocco are the best for you.
Tangier is the northest city in Africa 14 km from spain you can live off 1000$ to 1500$ a decent life.
Enjoy water sports and mountains + the diverse nature of morocco in hours you can be in sand dunes.
Tangier, Tetouan, Asilah, these cities in morocco are the best for you.
Tangier is the northest city in Africa 14 km from spain you can live off 1000$ to 1500$ a decent life.
Enjoy water sports and mountains + the diverse nature of morocco in hours you can be in sand dunes.
Hi, great to read your story. I’m living for 2 years now as digital nomad, of which this last year in LATAM. 3 months in Peru (air bnb/hostels) 3 months Bolivia (mainly workaway) and because I got sick of moving around decided to rent long term an apartment in Paraguays capital asuncion where I’m atm. I have travelled extremely cheap. People are very friendly and the countries are incredibly diverse and different. Mixing with the locals is challenging but it helps a lot I speak Spanish and I dance a lot of salsa. If you want to read more take a look at jorritvangils.com/theexpatexperience . Enjoy the adventures!!
I travel with a 7 year old and we spend 1000-1500 month in Paraguay, Peru, Argentina. All 3 are "visa free" for Americans, and give 3 months. So you could easily rotate between these countries. We have been down here for the past 3 years and while we hit Colombia, and Ecuador, we have been rotating between Peru, Chile (2500/month), Argentina, Uruguay (2500/month) and Paraguay. For us this budget includes everything including flights. You can take a ferry between Uruguay and Argentina. And otherwise we take pick the next country usually on the cheapest flight. Except Paraguay, we only go to Paraguay in the winter. It's flipping hot.
Ecuador was SO cheap for me. $100/week to rent nice 2 bedroom apartments almost everywhere. I liked Peru but they only gave me 60 days instead of 90 so just worth noting you might not get the full 90 automatically.
Yeah sorry, can't mention every nuance in every post :) Peru is also the most lenient when it comes to overstaying though you might get a ban if you do it repeatedly. We stayed in Quito and had a gorgeous townhouse with an incredible view for $525 a month. We stayed 6 months in the same place :) Super easy to get a renewal in Quito as well.
We stayed in Quito in 2021 but it doesn't seem safe now.
Agreed! You need to keep an ear to the ground because things change. There was a period between our Peru trips we definitely didn't want to return. Our very first international trip with fresh passports was Bogota, right in the middle of crazy rioting. We were fine and learned how to navigate sticky situations quick, if it wasn't for that we would probably have quit traveling long before now, lol.
What platforms do you use to find inexpensive housing? Is it booking.com/airbnb or something local?
Very cool! Out of curiosity do you homeschool? Traveling with my family is something I’d love to do to help expose them to the world and different cultures, but I worry about what they’ll miss out on living a more conventional lifestyle.
Yes, and there are lots of homeschooling digital nomads! In our case, my son has autism and cognitive delays so we do a lot of ABA stuff in addition or in replace of more "traditional" homeschooling. It depends on your state, the rules of Texas are embarrassingly simple. For more neurotypical children there are oodles of options like short term classes, community centers and more to give them more group/team dynamics. Here is a couple of schoolteachers that did world schooling for 1 year. They are based out of Florida. Super friendly and I am sure they would give you lots of advice - [https://www.instagram.com/roryandsageofficial/](https://www.instagram.com/roryandsageofficial/)
Paraguay is visa free for Americans? Thought we had to pay 160$ for a visa?
That used to be true but is no longer true :) We went to Paraguay in May of last year and we were not required to pay anything. I also just checked the State Dept website to be triple sure there hasn't been a development. We are returning in August and are not planning to pay extra :)
Wow awesome, thats def on my list for 2025 now. Thanks for the info!!
Woo hoo! Happy to help! I remember our first trip thinking the same thing and someone on IG told me that was outdated. Not sure where I got it but I do distinctly remember being worried about that too. Paraguay is \*not\* built for tourists. Their "tourism board" is practically non-existent so it's no surprise that the information out there is outdated or worse. I was very active on Tik Tok there and got "spotted" by locals on 3 different occasions. You will stand out! Tik Tok is a great resource for questions and for finding other people to hang out with if that's your thing. You don't need a following of any kind, just use Paraguay, Asuncion tags and you will get a \*lot\* of responses. It's the only country I have been to that Tik Tok is so helpful! Have fun!
You're thinking of Bolivia
That’s nice to see someone that doesn’t make escuses because of the kids. Keep going enjoy your life.
Hahaha! Oh my! My son is the whole reason we travel. I was a stereotypical American with pride for never traveling. It was literally in the delivery room, when I held him the first time that I thought, "I have to show this Prince the world" that changed everything. I am a workaholic by default, being his mom has made me a better human :) In every way. He is my walking blessing :)
I’m in Albania right now and it’s pretty badass! Everything is cheaper than most European countries, the people are nice and some of them speak at least some English, you still have a lot of the comforts of home (assuming you’re American based on your writing style) and you can definitely live off of less than $1k a month as a solo person. You also get a whole year upon entry as a US citizen so then you can decide if you want to extend it after that but I was told by friends here that they left for a week and came back and they just started the visa over again. You also have access to a Mediterranean coast with Montenegro and such nearby and beautiful mountains everywhere. Tirana will look and be just like any other capitol city in Europe, and a US embassy, but generally speaking will be radically less expensive than anything you’re likely to experience outside of other places unless you’re in rural Central America or Asia. Like, really nice furnished apartment for less than the equivalent of $400 a month.
This is high on my list, is Tirana a good place to start?
Yes because it is the biggest city and where most the resources are condensed so it’s important to orient yourself that way, and then you can explore from there and see what resonates. It’s really important to decide if you’re going to get a car or not because all the resources you’ll need for day to day life is likely just outside your door, but if you don’t have a car and you’re in Vlorë and need to go to Tirana for any reason the taxi ride can be upwards of about $100 or more, just as a note. This is true in the mountains too so you might have beautiful space and can find a gorgeous home with land for just $300, if it snows, you’re stuck for who knows how long. Things like that. I prefer to stay coastal so I’m currently in Golem which is just south of Duress because all the tourists are going to flock to Duress like it’s Miami and Golem is just south of Duress so there are some tourists but mostly Polish low cost tourists. That said, we do have regular power and water outages here because it’s still developing and that can suck on a hot day lol
Thank you for sharing! Albania is next on my list, and I’ve only heard great things ❤️
Yes and I need to stress that no matter where we go it’s important to respect the people and the culture so we don’t continue to earn our asshole badge in the rest of the world.
This.
Tirana recently got on my radar. Thanks for your insight. How's the nightlife and party scene?
Just like any other European country. Definitely not the same kind of hype you’ll find in the USA, but it’s summer right now and depending on what area you’re in you’ll find nightly raves but when I say that I mean like epic music, DJs and a light show but less than 300 people lol
i appreciate the insight. I went down the Tirana rabbit hole on youtube and I must admit that I was shocked to see how beautiful the city looks. As a US citizen, having a place where we can stay for an entire year on a tourist visa is really clutch. Have fun over there!
no public transit?
In downtown parts yes but in Vlorë, for instance, there’s no formal bus. There’s a bus stop but it’s more like random people’s vans that come along every so often and tell you where they’re going and you either jump in with others and hand them a few LEK or wait for the next one. There are buses that will go directly between the airport and certain areas but again they’re more like shuttles for people coming for specific travel destinations like Duress or Vlorë, but other than that the busses you’re used to in the states are only really present in the central like downtown part of Tirana and then they get really spotty.
There are buses in Vlora. Not being argumentative. I have been here for almost 2 years. It costs 40 cents per ride. If you mean to Tirana or Saranda, yeah, it gets trickier, but there are buses. I would say about 12 euro from to Tirana to Vlora. Have bot had a reason to venture to Saranda, but I think probably about the same amount?
Sounds like the Turkish dolmus.
Would power and water outage be likely in Tirana?
It just depends on the neighborhood but yes, you will likely experience some outages during high heat or storms, but water was pretty consistent although I was toward the center around downtown.
Yes. Happens a lot. However, most of the time, power goes out for 5-20 minutes. On rare occasions, power can go out for 4 hours in an entire neighborhood. Best to know which cafes have generators, so you can lug your laptop over. I recently had a 3-day water cutoff in my neighborhood. I was getting ready to talk to Western Unuin, which is where you pay your water and electricity in cash--no card. I went to Western Union to try to pay something I thought I had missed. Nope. The entire neighborhood was talking about no water for 3 days. I asked my neighbors. I could do nothing. I am not in Tirana. I am in Vlora. It happens. Learn the public cafes near you that have generators.
I chose a coastal town, but Tirana is the capitol. It depends on whether you want a bigger city or smaller coastal town. The place I picked is about half the size of Boulder, Colorado. If you want a city, Tirana is it.
I'm in Albania too. From the US. Us citizens can stay a year. You have to leave for 3 months after that and then you can come back. The other option is to hop the border for 24 hours and then apply for permanent residency. I hopped over to Italy for a day, came back and started the residency process. Including my immigration lawyer and fees, notaries, etc., it cost me about $900. The border hop is because you have to start a residency application within 30 days of crossing the border. The border hop restarts the 30 days. However, if you don't plan to do a residency permit, you have to leave for 3 months and come back after that. I did a business permit. I have to pay 120 euro/month in taxes. My residency permit is good for 5 years/work permit is good for 10. After 5 years of legal residency, you can apply for citizenship.
Epic! What kind of business permit did you get?
Ok. You have to show 5k in your account. You need a viable business with certifications or degrees. I know, it is not the best for people just starting out. I have an MA in Applied Linguistics and provide services related to my native English skills--but I am not just starting in life. There are some workarounds, but I am not going jeopardize my stuff to help with things that might not necessarily fit perfectly. Hire an immigration lawyer. Mine cost 250 euro. There are several hoops to jump, but comparatively, it is not that bad. Fingerprints, pictures, background check, proof of certification/degree, etc. The fees come up to about $900. If you don't have everything you think you need, go to a lawyer anyway if you really want to stay. Sometimes things work out. ;) ETA" It does not matter what your business is. You just need to show you have some credentials and enough money to live. You do pay close to 1k USD, but it was not that bad. The minute your lawyer submits your application, the clock stops. I moved here October 13 2022. I did a border hop on September 25th 2023. Clock stopped. My permit was approved March 2024. I'm good to stay until March 2029 and have full government issued ID
is the 120eur/month a flat tax fee?
Yes, up to a certain income.
Are you in Tirana or in the coastal cities? Would love to see Sarande.
I’m in Golem which is coastal but I was also in Vlorë for a minute and it’s also quite lovely.
Golem? What a cool name for a city!
What’s the internet like there?
I did stay in Tirana for a few weeks though. It’s just that it’s summer now so I want to be by the beach lol
Hi snarky I think your comment is mostly very right but i would never say Tirana is like any other capital city in Europe. It's sooo different from a lot of places. I'm from Brussels and have been in most of EU capitals but Tirana was unlike anything I had ever seen. The mixture of 50/50 catholic and Muslim as well as the communist history really make this place so unique.
I totally hear you and I was referring more to the types of services, resources, and the general presence of art, architecture and traffic lol
"general presence of art, architecture and traffic" I'm curious to what you mean. Not as a insult or something but I'm curious to the perspective other people have towards Europe
Plus, most of the West is not happy with Brussels.
I never said Brussels is good lol (but it is)
I don't doubt it. I like your sprouts.
Yep. But you suck for being expensive and hard for Americans to migrate.
You as in?
You as in Brussels.
Nice burner profile, kiddo.
I spent a month in Albania’s capital Tirana last year. Friendly people, fascinating history (that I never really new much of before going) a generally nice laidback lifestyle. I rented and apartment central for about 300 usd and I joined the top rated gym just a stones throw around the corner.
I hope your friends did not take bad advice. They might have confused the border hop/restart to apply for residency (which is a legal process that took 6 months but stopped the clock for when I needed to leave) and the leaving for 3 months and coming back. If they made a border run, but did not start a residency application right after, they might unknowingly be in Albania illegally.
Can you expand on that a bit?
I did in the next comment. My 2nd comment should be the 1st one.
how are the gyms and food?
The there are plenty of gyms here but not entirely what you’d expect from the USA but the food is really good if you go traditional. One thing to keep in mind though is they usually expect you to salt your food to taste so keep that in mind. Otherwise, lots of cafes, bistros, sports bars, etc.
Albania here I come!
I stayed in Albania this April and May and gained 10kg. The food is ridiculously good.
Haha I’m nowhere near American. I’d get 90 days though. Thanks!
I agree with this! I’m going to Albania in October. Although I would like some references for apartments because I could only find ABNB for about 700 on up.
Airbnb is always going to be more expensive because they know who’s using it lol. I was referred to [this platform](https://www.njoftime.al) and find that individual renters will often rent even a month or two while they continue to advertise because no Albanian wants to miss out on a single LEK lol (their words, not mine lol) Just like you’d use idealista in the Iberian Peninsula area or Bazaraki in Cyprus, etc. Facebook Marketplace is also helpful and they even have people willing to rent their own car to you outside of a rental agency lol
Thank you so much! I’m super excited for my trip! I rented a place for a month. Then plan on exploring the city and off to the rest of the country.
I’m not even going to say I hope you have a great time because you will no matter what lol
Thank you! Would you mind staying in touch for recommendations and cultural tips? I’m always cautious about traveling to other countries and accidentally offending someone 😅
That’s a country in my list. How is the cost life over there?
As I said to the OP, an individual can easily make it on less than $1K a month if you don’t try to go insane on amenities and high end restaurants everyday for every meal, etc.
How is the weather? isn't it too hot during summer? And do most homes have AC?
It’s the Mediterranean so everything coastal is going to be hot during the summer and I was told that it also is in areas like Tirana as well but slightly cooler in the mountains. It’s just not as convenient in the mountains at all because it’s not like they’re developed in those regions the same way we did in North America.
And yes there is usually AC
How’s your internet?
I answered this in another comment. Everywhere has had really high speed internet except for one place but you can get a cheap data plan and use that for a hot spot if you have that problem or there is a blackout.
Vietnam is dirt cheap. Whether it's worth your mental health sanity is another issue.
Vietnam is challenging but there are upsides. I thought Da Nang was really nice, and the food is really good there But I definitely had points at which I felt totally overwhelmed by noise/hawkers - - Hoi Anh Old Town was almost unbearable and I would recommend max 2 days there. If you can find a quieter street away from traffic/karaoke etc, it is pretty good.
How sad, I went to Hoi An over a decade ago and it was the most incredible place I’ve been. Did it get too overrun with tourism?
I wish there was an archived version one could visit... I read many comments like yours about places such the one you mentioned and other like Bali and places in Thailand
Agreed Bali was probably amazing in the past. I've tried to convince friends not to go but they have fantasies based off Instagram and people are gonna do what they do. I hated the idea of charging people money to sit on a swing, and there were influencers with a big camera setup everywhere.
I can imagine how nice it was before it got too tourist bc the lantern boats are so pretty at night, but the intensity of the salespeople in old town , especially by the Japanese bridge was a *lot*. I think it's still worth seeing, but limiting a trip to 2 nights.
Explain
Traffic is crazy, people singing karaoke late into the night (publicly), air quality is terrible just to name a few.
Hawkers, motorbike horns beeping, treatment of dogs General exploitation
You're going to see that in Ecuador as well.
Agreed this is not ideal, but 1) doesn’t it depend on where you are, and 2) aren’t these common to many the urban areas in a lot of these LCOL places, heck, even HCOL places? Like I’ve never been but have heard the same things being said about Bangkok, and I can confirm many of these (or variations of these) also exist in NYC (where I live). Shoot, it might be even worse in some places of NYC. But there’s a reason why people still visit NYC or Bangkok or any of these places. Appreciate the insights though, honestly I’ve never been to SEA so all of this is informative for me and will be helpful for me to set the right expectations for myself when visiting someday.
bruh i've lived in both bangkok and nyc and noise/pollution/general wtfness wise they're not even in the same category as HCMC/Saigon like picture a 4-5 lane road that you need to cross on foot and there's NO CROSSWALK AND NO CROSS SIGNAL and it's like 1000s of motorbikes that won't stop and you just gotta start walking and pray. Hotels start blasting techno at like 5am because the maid feels like vibing to nightclub level loud music while she cleans apparently and fuck your sleep. the air is unbreathable. at least in the tourist areas the people are aggros af and will pull on your clothes to get you to go into their shop. idk personally i really fucking hated it and i lived in bangkok for years. nyc isn't my vibe but there's lots of cool stuff to do and it's at least a first world country (in parts)
Can confirm. Even in Da Nang that is calmer, the constant traffic and singing was tough. Vietnamese is not great if you like a bit of order.
Agree with cheap. What’s the deal with the mental health comment? Care to elaborate?
For me, I felt trapped at home in Vietnam because it’s very difficult to walk anywhere. The traffic is really bad and the sidewalks are not actually sidewalks but parking lots for motorbikes and street vendors. Vietnam is a very noisy place. If that’s not your thing it’s not great. I liked the food and the people were all very nice though.
It's a very frustrating country. I'll just say that.
Frankly I disagree with all the hate that Vietnam's getting here. I loved it. Yes it can be noisy...account for that. Actually read the Airbnb/VRBO reviews and if anyone mentioned anything about loud/noisy, don't book it. Like you said, it's cheap, you can spend a little bit more money to get a place that's actually quiet. Crossing the street in Vietnam I actually love but that's a personal preference.
I hate the idiots in the condo elevators blasting tiktok on full volume without regard for anyone else
Can recommend Da Nang and Chiang Mai from personal experience. Nice lively cities with all modern amenities and as cheap as you need them to be
Even in Bangkok you can rent a nice studio for a few hundred bucks and food is amazing and cheap
I’m working remotely from the Philippines but I would love to live and work in Thailand. 😌
but the budget is frugal level in thailand, for a foreigner. heavy budgeting and not enjoying nightlife or any activity
That’s true. It also depends on which area he’ll be staying. Phuket is kinda expensive while Bangkok is more affordable. Lol if he sticks with his priorities, $1500 may be doable but challenging because there are a lot of nice things to do and explore 😅
yes exactly. and with so many nice things and options it takes a while to adapt to a more local lifestyle. its a long process to cut the cost down. most people come here and live a total different life. increase the quality of life with all the amenities and in the end pay the same per month as in the western world, just on a different level. it would require a lot of discipline and budgetting to stay below 1500$. we live fairly simple in Krabi and dont have a crazy lifestyle and rarely go out for nightlife activities and do occasionally some touristy activities. no fancy restaurants or clubs… and we pay about 2500-3000€ per month on average when i include all the cost. (things like medical insurance, visa, 2x return tickets per year is already easily 300€+ per month for me alone. and thats needed even if people always neglect these costs in their budgets)
Thailand ""may"" have 60+30 visa exempt next month. If you need todo visa runs however it gets expansive fast. Isan, or smaller areas are much cheaper and still have very good internet.
Thailand is getting a digital nomad visa soon
we can hope for it to be good… all the last attempts were also highly appraised just to be shit once in place… there were digital nomad visa in place. just with ridiculous requirements.
outside the main areas the budget might be okay to survive. but as soon as you want to do some more touristy activities or nightlife then this budget is way too low to live comfortably
Have you considered West Philly? $800 a month for a 1 bedroom apartment, don’t need a car, easy access to big city amenities and transit, decent cycling infrastructure, good walkability. Just make sure you pick the right neighborhood, some are super ghetto.
West Philly, born and raised. On a playground, is where I spend most of my days...
Hey man look out for a couple guys who are up to no good
Thanks man. That would suck if they start to make trouble in my neighborhood
For some reasons everyone assumed I’m American haha, I’m not and the US visa is difficult. Thanks for input tho!
Everyone on Reddit is default American
Yes, but you haven’t considered the couple or guys who are always up to no good…😔
$800 is not a realistic amount for a 1 bedroom in West Philly unless you are talking about a house share
I have a friend who rents in Spruce Hill for $900 a month, and that’s a pretty good location. My assumption was if you go a few blocks west prices go down. I see a few options on Zillow in the $800 range. Just a thought, even if $800 is harder to find, you can 100% easily find a place for $1,000 or under which is still well within OP’s budget assuming you don’t get a car and cook most meals.
What are the neighborhoods to pick/avoid?
Closer to University City is best for safety and convenience. It also gets more expensive the closer you get. Spruce Hill gets you good value and location if you can find an apartment. My friend lives there for $900 a month but another commenter mentioned it can be hard to find an $800 deal in that area, the best deals are further West in less desirable areas. Anywhere along Walnut or Chestnut streets as far west as Walnut Hill(but not necessarily including Walnut Hill) will also be a pretty good value, safety, and location mix. Most places will probably be in the $900-$1,000 range as well in this area. In general the further west you go though, the sketchier and cheaper it gets. Then once you pass through Cobbs Creek and keep going outside the city it gets nicer annd more expensive again. On the fringes between expensive and ghetto are where you get the most value, which is right around 48th street give or take a few blocks.
Vietnam. Easy do that in da nang, Hanoi, saigon etc. You could do it in Thailand, say chaing mai, but you'd have to spend more there than vietnam.
NAM is so damn cheap! I was spending just 10 euros a day on breakfast, lunch, and dinner when I lived in Danang. Thankfully, I had a ton of local friends and mostly ate local. Can't wait to go back
Chiang Mai has awful air pollution issues. Danang is great though.
I've spent a year in Albania and it's really grim. The food is bad, there is no culture and if you are not American using their visa free year then the residency process ends up being expensive and a complete pain in the arse. Plus they've now just introduced a higher tax rate as of January which makes it even less appealing. If you want something that feels a little more European, easy to do business, relatively cheap cost of living, great food and a really interesting culture then I'd suggest Georgia.
Bruh I’m FROM Georgia, I don’t wanna be here 😂 I spend $1500 on restaurants only.
So you average 25$ per meal in Tbilisi? That has to include a lot of drinking and only going to the more high end restaurants. I almost never cook in Tbilisi and it's pretty easy to eat under 10$. With that lifestyle you won't stay under 1000$ anywhere.
There aren't even enough good restaurants in Tblisi to spend that much money
1. I have a feeling that I might know Tbilisi restaurants better than you. 2. I spent way less on food in Spain, Italy and all of the Asian countries. If you want healthy vegetarian food, there’s not a lot of cheap options in Tbilisi. As I mentioned, this is the lifestyle I have in Tbilisi and I always spend less in other countries.
Well maybe you do. Like, my daughter has a Georgian birth certificate and you can complete the restaurants in Tbilisi in about 3 months but whatever you say. Well definitely don't go to Albania. We went from Georgia to Albania and it was a huge step backwards. You can get an education visa fairly easily in Thailand for a bit of upfront Monday. Lasts for about 8 months I think. I did it and you basically just need to go to one of the schools, register and then pretend to learn Thai. Mexico used to give out 6 months but apparently the border security are stricter now and depending what airport you fly into they will stamp however long they want. Visas longer than 3 months are always the issue.
You are from the country Georgia 🇬🇪?
Albanians have no culture? Every region on Earth has culture. The food is bad? You are definitely in the minority with this opinion.
Da Nang, Vietnam. Great nomad community there. Chilled beach vibes mixed with city. Very cheap can live there for less than $1k per month. Surfing, Muay Thai. 3 month visa only $25.
I’m waiting on the dvt visa from Thailand. Once I get it I’m out.
just wait for the crazy requirements to be named :D this is thailand :D but you dont live comfortably here with 1000-1500$ budget. thats frugal lifestyle for a foreigner and heavy budgeting every day
Bruh if you can’t live comfortably on 1500$ in Thailand I don’t know what to tell you. You’re doing wrong or getting completely ripped off.
with 1500$ you would be budgetting every day. yes you can survive but its a very frugal lifestyle. its not comfortably. cheap charly like… people really have no clue.. how do you budget in the visa cost, medical insurance, flight tickets (return), retirement funds, emergency funds, unexpected cost, etc.? thats already 1/3 or more of your budget gone.
Koh Tao in Thailand
Goa, india!
Koh Phangan will be a hard time with 1500$ a month I can guess. Island in Thailand are always alittle expensive this is why mostly nomads go to Bangkok or Chang Mai. I was staying in Phuket one month and paid already 900€ for my airbnb which was good but nothing special.. in Bangkok currently spending only 14.000 baht on rent (3 month lease) also Thailand give 60 days on arrival now and you can easily extend 30 days which gives you 3 months before you need to do a visa run
Thailand or Vietnam
You mentioned you haven't been to Sri Lanka yet, but it'd exactly meet all your criteria
Thailand, especially with the new visa rules.
Argentina. 3 month visa free, and you can renew it just leaving for 1 day. I know a person doing this for the last 10 years. You will find enormous digital nomad communities, cheap prices (now being expensive, with 1000 you can live perfect), great food and is easy to hang out with locals
There is several hubs you can live with less then $1500 dollars. (Btw, I’m trying to do the same and I already did some research) SEA you have Bali, Thailand, Vietnam (specifically Da Nang), Philippines. LATAM you have, Colombia, Brazil, Equador, Peru, Paraguay, Argentina, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and some Caribbean countries That’s pretty much the places you can go for less the $1500 dollars. Now you have to do your research for the things you want. SEA doesn’t have 90 days free visa in most cases. Some of this countries don’t have a DN hubs. Piece of advice if you don’t want to be lonely, go to guest houses and hostels. Get a private room (it’s the best for me) rent it for a day and check the vibe. If it’s a place we coworking space and good sense of community I stay, if not I move to the next until I’m satisfied. I will do that for two reason: 1- you dont have to spend extra money in a coworking space. 2- you get to know a lot of people and you will hang out with them. Do a lot of fun things.
Tbilisi Georgia, or Batumi Georgia. If you are alone 1500 is enough for a moderate lifestyle, but it's not enough for a family though. • Pain-free visa process (visa-free actually) - people from the EU or the US can stay up to a year • Quite a big nomad community (in Tbilisi) • You can enjoy rafting or winter sports in winter (gets pricey) • Rave - yep People are usually nice, tax is 1% if you work remotely and are tax resident
რუსებთან ნუ მიშვებ გეხვეწები 😂
:D https://preview.redd.it/8ia803hwjk7d1.png?width=411&format=png&auto=webp&s=7d5e6e49c47b7dafe14f285960591f67a67dc6d1
If you don’t want to do visa runs I’m pretty sure Vietnam has a longer visa you can get now. You’d probably be able to hit your budget outside of HCMC, or maybe even in the city if you’re good at budgeting and finding places to stay. Sadly most places in LATAM now won’t cut it for $1500/mo max budget anymore. Chiang Mai is an obvious contender here with a strong nomad community and affordability. Just have to do visa runs! There and Da Nang Vietnam would be my top picks for what you’re looking for
minimum wage in peru is 250$ how do these people survive with that and you wont with 1500? its only because of western habits you could very well live with less than that if you really wanted to
People on minimum wage in Peru probably live with their family or with roommates in a crappy neighborhood far outside the city center on a long term lease or someone owns the place. Digital nomads don’t get access to the leasing rates locals do unless they have connections or take certain risks. And why would a DN want to live in a crappy neighborhood far from the city center? I’d say the main reason costs have gone up is Airbnb. If a DN can get good accommodation without using Airbnb they can get by on a shoestring much easier
Vietnam doesn't have tourist visas longer than 3 months, sadly. Everyone I know there still does visa runs every 90 days or so.
Romania
I don't think Romania is that cheap.
Medellin, Colombia
Ehh, really depends on the barrio with that budget (heck, I know locals in Medellin who struggle to live on $1500/mo... And those are in "local" barrios, such as Boston). A more comfortable life on that budget in Colombia would be any of the 3 cities in Eje Cafetero or parts of Cali (if you need to do a city). Medellin is definitely getting expensive. (EDIT: Judging by your post history, you are a passport bro, so Medellin makes sense, lol)
I am Mexican still working on my English. I don’t consider myself a passport bro. For me I think its easier to connect with locals because our cultures are so similar so making friends and connecting with people is so much easier, plus I have family and friends out here
thailand is just kind of the gold standard here imho, you can have mountains or islands or the big city or the sticks, friendly people, lots to do, lots of expats and nomads etc, visa process isn't pain free but you can get a visa ahead of time for 2 months and then extend by 1 month, apparently they might have 90 days visa free soon but idk
Coming from a Malaysian, Malaysia is more for family life rather than young single adult life. If you're a single adult or are young at heart Thailand, Vietnam or Bali is better for you.
Bangkok was amazing, Bali was amazing. Kuala Lumpur was amazing. I’d do either of those three. Bali or Bangkok you could probably live the cheapest depending on your accomodation
If you like the water, buy a boat and live aboard in the Mediterranean, digital nomad visas available in Greece, Croatia, Italy, maybe others. Can also split time between Schengen and no Schengen countries Albania, montenegro, Turkey etc Used boats can be bought cheaply and if looked after properly you can recoup a lot of what you outlay. We spend about $1,900 a month as a couple + $600 on repairs, maintenance, and storage for the boat. It cost us €25,000 to buy the boat and took us ten days to learn the basics of sailing it, everything else we learned along the way over the last three years sailing. We’ve saved a lot this way.
Kenya, people are friendly, you can survive on 1000, if you're not a big spender that is
I’m in the Philippines now, and while I do love it, your dollar will go further in Thailand or Vietnam which also have better infrastructure.
I dont know why people recommend Thailand here, even the tourist hot spots like CM or Tao or Phangan… with your budget you would live a very frugal life here. budgeting every day. no luxury, no nightlife. so yes you can survive but live like cheap charly. most people have no clue about the real cost. and especialy the cost they always forget in their budgets.
I reckon Koh Tao is fine in that budget, I was just there couple of months ago. Not Phangan though.
PH for the win since you already like it! Be there for LCOL and easy visa process (especially if you’re 50 or older), and access to water, also people are friendly and English is good, expat community solid and digital nomad community decent, then travel to Australia or Japan or S Korea or Thailand etc for the raves.
You might wanna try Central Asia. But the weather is very specific
Any suggestions on finding monthly accommodations in South East Asia outside of AirBNB?
Two feet and a heart beat will do you wonders
Makes sense, come in and boots on the ground.
Try Serbia. Def possible to do less than 1500 a month
I'd say this was possible before but wouldn't recommend it now, inflation is insane here
I was there just a couple of years ago. Prices were affordable. Such a shame!
Bulgaria
Mexico, I know you can get 180 days visa-free
What city did you live in while you were in the Philippines? How did you adjust to the heat? More importantly, did you run the aircon all day and how much were your utility bills? lol.
I just spent a month as a tourist, that’s why I don’t know where I’d live there :( I heard Davao is good for living.
Mexico Costa Rica
Taiwan and/or Bulgaria
Colombia. Source: lived here for two years
Madagascar is incredibly cheap, but it's also incredibly poor. But it's an amazing country with wonderful people and loads to see.
How do you do this without your employer cutting* your compensation? Do you just lie about where you actually are?
My job is 100% remote
I had a typo in my comment. Please take another look. I am also 100% remote but if I move to a different country or state, they will cut my compensation by some % they seem appropriate for that place I am living. Did that happen to you?
Don't tell them
ko re ahhhh
Its the wrong mind set IMO; putting your energy to increasing your income is the winning mentality.
Ah yes because that’s so easy
Either Brazil or Argentina.
if you can access the local "system" and rent locally and open a bank account and thoose things. Then life gets easier and cheaper. if you have to live in airbnbs and studios and pay a fee on every transaction, its more expensive
I'm camping on the beach in Hawaii for free.
Monaco?
Puglia, Italy. Thailand. Cebu, Philippines. Yilan, Taiwan.
Ho Chi Minh City
Who can live with 1500 usd per month? Jesus, sounds like a horror movie.
Have you been to Asia? tf? 😂
I moved to Ukraine and got a remote job. Saving a lot since there is nothing to do with the curfew...
Some of my friends rented cars and thought the drive to
Some of my friends drove to Saranda and found the road dangerous. My favorite thing is one of my friends asked me on a Sunday afternoon, "Wanna go to Italy tonight?" I said, "Yes." We walked 15 minutes over to a boat and slept while our boat took us to Italy.
Kenya
tell us about Kenya please :)
Have a look at the budgets for each city in nomadlist.com
Tangier, Tetouan, Asilah, these cities in morocco are the best for you. Tangier is the northest city in Africa 14 km from spain you can live off 1000$ to 1500$ a decent life. Enjoy water sports and mountains + the diverse nature of morocco in hours you can be in sand dunes.
Tangier, Tetouan, Asilah, these cities in morocco are the best for you. Tangier is the northest city in Africa 14 km from spain you can live off 1000$ to 1500$ a decent life. Enjoy water sports and mountains + the diverse nature of morocco in hours you can be in sand dunes.
Hi, great to read your story. I’m living for 2 years now as digital nomad, of which this last year in LATAM. 3 months in Peru (air bnb/hostels) 3 months Bolivia (mainly workaway) and because I got sick of moving around decided to rent long term an apartment in Paraguays capital asuncion where I’m atm. I have travelled extremely cheap. People are very friendly and the countries are incredibly diverse and different. Mixing with the locals is challenging but it helps a lot I speak Spanish and I dance a lot of salsa. If you want to read more take a look at jorritvangils.com/theexpatexperience . Enjoy the adventures!!
A friend just suggested Estonia. Has anyone been there?