Getting Disillusioned with Costs of Living Abroad

[Jester]

I currently live in a fully furnished apartment for $300 a month in Mexico, with Satellite TV and a private parking space included.

I highly recommend Mexico for cheapskates. For $350 I could get an unfurnished apartment in Playa. In TJ, its about $300 for the same apartment.

Mr Peabody that does sound like an excellent deal.

DJ, those figures are exactly what I found in Las Playas de Tijuana. $350 was 3rd floor walkup flat, partial ocean view, 2 or 3 bedrooms, new construction (not US standards but serviveable), gated tandem parking, across quiet road from luxury development and quiet deserted public beach.

[Jester]

BUY ALL YOUR ELECTRONICS IN AMERICA! In Europe you'll pay VAT in much of South America you have tariffs for things not made locally.

If you don't mind owning a used car, then you'll find some bargains in most countries. New cars are another story. Credit is EASY in America, its not that credit is non-existent in developing countries, its a bit harder to get. Though being a "Gringo" credit is likely to be extended to you if you want it.

Living on $400-$500US is possible but like I said, creature comforts will be voided and the majority of women you'll have access too will be short and dark.

If that doesn't bother you, then forget anything we're sayin and GET IT DONE!

+1

+1 for this thread - one of the best ever

[celery2010]

$400 a MONTH????


Even at the ABSURDLY low rates:

$100-$150 for rent (this is absolutely rock bottom) ($3- $4 a day!!)

$1 per meal= $100 month (no money for drinks, no money for snacks, water or dessert)

Total: $200 to $250

That leaves $150-$200 for

transportation (buses, taxis, moto-taxis, etc)
entertainment
WATER!!
snacks (chips, fruit, dessert, etc)
cell phone
internet access fees
miscellaneous things you might need like toothpaste, tissue, shampoo, drinks
travel fees
alcohol
movies
dates

emergency expenses- health care, antibiotics, mosquito repellant, aspirin

I highly recommend you try to have a $750- $1200/month income befor you try to live abroad. Easy enough through even easy online sources of income would easily cover this.

Plus once you get abroad, you really want to cook your own meals, when it only costs $2 to eat out? Or take the bus, when a taxi ride home is $3? Or miss out on a night on the town that cost less than $10? Or not be able to go out on a date because your "budget" won't allow of it?

I live "like a local" but it is really not as bad as i thought it would be and i live off of about $500 a month. My wife brings in about $300 a month.This is U.S.D. i'm talking about here and if i lived alone making what i make i could easily pay my own rent and still have a good social and dating life for sure but of course i'm looking to make money online or to have other incomes besides teaching and i could be making a lot more than what i'm making teaching were i'm teaching.My school is shitty and it is run by a women that has no idea how to run the place and has not been paying the teachers on time like she should.Plus when you first start out have some money all ways stacked in a bank account this way you are not living from check to check.$2000 reais a month which is about $1000 U.S.D. you'll live OK in Brazil for sure.

That's because you're MARRIED!! No budget to go out several nights a week. No expensive dates. Little money spent on alcohol, taxis, nightclub fees, etc.

That right there is $200-$300 a month.

Like i said, if you just want a roof over your head, 3 meals, ride the chicken bus everywhere, live like the locals, maybe you can do that for $200 to $400 a month. But most people do activities, go out to eat, go out at night, take the subway and taxis and start doing things they may not normally do when the price is cheap enough.

[djfourmoney]

$400 a MONTH????


Even at the ABSURDLY low rates:

$100-$150 for rent (this is absolutely rock bottom) ($3- $4 a day!!)

$1 per meal= $100 month (no money for drinks, no money for snacks, water or dessert)

Total: $200 to $250

That leaves $150-$200 for

transportation (buses, taxis, moto-taxis, etc)
entertainment
WATER!!
snacks (chips, fruit, dessert, etc)
cell phone
internet access fees
miscellaneous things you might need like toothpaste, tissue, shampoo, drinks
travel fees
alcohol
movies
dates

emergency expenses- health care, antibiotics, mosquito repellant, aspirin

I highly recommend you try to have a $750- $1200/month income befor you try to live abroad. Easy enough through even easy online sources of income would easily cover this.

Plus once you get abroad, you really want to cook your own meals, when it only costs $2 to eat out? Or take the bus, when a taxi ride home is $3? Or miss out on a night on the town that cost less than $10? Or not be able to go out on a date because your "budget" won't allow of it?

I live "like a local" but it is really not as bad as i thought it would be and i live off of about $500 a month. My wife brings in about $300 a month.This is U.S.D. i'm talking about here and if i lived alone making what i make i could easily pay my own rent and still have a good social and dating life for sure but of course i'm looking to make money online or to have other incomes besides teaching and i could be making a lot more than what i'm making teaching were i'm teaching.My school is shitty and it is run by a women that has no idea how to run the place and has not been paying the teachers on time like she should.Plus when you first start out have some money all ways stacked in a bank account this way you are not living from check to check.$2000 reais a month which is about $1000 U.S.D. you'll live OK in Brazil for sure.

That's because you're MARRIED!! No budget to go out several nights a week. No expensive dates. Little money spent on alcohol, taxis, nightclub fees, etc.

That right there is $200-$300 a month.

Like i said, if you just want a roof over your head, 3 meals, ride the chicken bus everywhere, live like the locals, maybe you can do that for $200 to $400 a month. But most people do activities, go out to eat, go out at night, take the subway and taxis and start doing things they may not normally do when the price is cheap enough.

He really does live like a local, they live in a favela and he gets treated like the local Black population too....

http://blackwomenofbrazil.co/2013/10/17 ... o-problem/

Overall however he must be credited with being Happier Abroad despite that seemingly minor issue. He is married, speaks the local language and is working.

Bahia also one of the best Carnival celebration when most people outside of Brazil think Rio, Sao Paulo and maybe Recife.

[kai8482]

I've got a plane ticket to south America for next year, but I'm really questioning whether I will be able to afford to live there long term. It seems it's not such a cheap place anymore (are there any left?).

For example this website shows the low-end cost of living in a Bolivian city. http://www.southamericaliving.com/cost- ... a-bolivia/
I thought Bolivia was the cheapest country in South America, but this website breaks down that even the low end cost of living is more than $700. If I wanted to live long-term in south america I'd be working my a** off the whole time to make ends meet, and it wouldn't be much different from home in that regard.

What can a guy do these days? Is there anywhere that has reliable internet where a guy can live decently with an online income of less than $400 per month?

I personally don't think 400 is going to cut it unless you plan on living in a not so decent barrio. Don't get me wrong there are some nice women in the barrios but for your sake it, i don't think you'd like it to much. I think around 1k a month is what you need to live comfortably.

PUH-lease tell me your not just going to pick a country and move there? you should scout around a bit, yea that cost money but you'd be saving yourself a lot of heart-ache. What if you get there and you can't adjust to the culture, or can't pick up the language or meet new people or something.

[davewe]

The biggest savings aren't in the daily life costs, though those can be plenty less as well. The biggest savings are in government and infrastructure:
1. Taxes. OK, if you are young and don't earn much, this may not be a big issue. But if you have a decent income, income tax + ss/medicare + state taxes + sales tax are huge. And if you are a mortgage holder, property tax in my state is nuts! So all those areas you will save abroad big time.
2. Healthcare. This isn't about Obamacare - health insurance was flat expensive beforehand. Even with my employer paying most of my premiums it' still expensive, and if you are unemployed or self-employed it's crazy, especially with a family. Another big savings in many other countries.
3. Transportation infrastructure. If you live in a place like Manila or Cebu do you really want to own a car? I wouldn't. But the good news is that inexpensive cabs, trikes, and jeepneys go everywhere cheaply.

Just as important is that you don't feel you have to keep up with the Joneses. In the US you feel like you must own a car, and the best car you can afford. Outside of my mortgage, my car is my largest expensive. I could take public transportation to work but that would be a 1 1/2 hour commute each way. So I rationalize a big car payment cause I have to commute, have a good paying job, etc. In a 3rd world country where most locals and even expats don't own a car, you won't have to either.

Between those 3 major areas, I am cutting my expenses by nearly half. On top of that, cheaper rent or ownership and cheaper foods (local foods) go a long way to change your lifestyle. Of course that doesn't mean I can live for $400/month. But I figure I can live on 40% of what I spend now and live great!

[rudder]

I've looked into things a bit more, and have to conclude that most of the websites suggesting these prices probably have a completely different person in mind than me.

For all the folks on the net saying you need your Gringo, Mcmansion $2000/month lifestyle. I'll have you know you're talking to someone who picked scorpions out of his bed in central Mexico, and who bought a bunch of bulk grains and beans, and didn't eat out once during a whole year in the US.

I'll cut you some slack if you're up there in age, as I know those "creature comforts" become more and more important as time passes.

I've also got an American friend who has been living in Chile (Yes Chile! One of the most expensive countries in South America) on $350 a month. (How-to ebook pending). We read these expat forums and scratch our heads wondering how people can even spend thousands of dollars a month. Do you drink daily at hotel bars? Hit up all the most expensive clubs every weekend? Golf lessons? Spas? Pedicures? Frappaccinos? P4P? Massages? P4P? Kids? Eat out every meal? Chofer? Maid? Wining and dining foreign, materialistic princesses? Where's all the money going?!

[Ghost]

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[djfourmoney]

I've looked into things a bit more, and have to conclude that most of the websites suggesting these prices probably have a completely different person in mind than me.

For all the folks on the net saying you need your Gringo, Mcmansion $2000/month lifestyle. I'll have you know you're talking to someone who picked scorpions out of his bed in central Mexico, and who bought a bunch of bulk grains and beans, and didn't eat out once during a whole year in the US.

I'll cut you some slack if you're up there in age, as I know those "creature comforts" become more and more important as time passes.

I've also got an American friend who has been living in Chile (Yes Chile! One of the most expensive countries in South America) on $350 a month. (How-to ebook pending). We read these expat forums and scratch our heads wondering how people can even spend thousands of dollars a month. Do you drink daily at hotel bars? Hit up all the most expensive clubs every weekend? Golf lessons? Spas? Pedicures? Frappaccinos? P4P? Massages? P4P? Kids? Eat out every meal? Chofer? Maid? Wining and dining foreign, materialistic princesses? Where's all the money going?!

Did I say you couldn't live on $400 a month, you could but I told you what would happen and you seemingly ignored it.

I can find a bunch of people to corroborate living on the least amount possible, the Hobo traveler is one of them.

The truth is you can do that in America. Rent in rural areas is a joke, I doubt you would get $200 for rent, but it can for sure be done under a thousand, how do you think some of these people on SSI only get by?

The point of being an expat is to reduce your cost of living while still enjoy life.

If constantly penny pinching is your ideal of fun, then have at it.

Like I said, between $1200-$1500 in an expensive country like Brazil gets you a decent apartment, all the modern conveniences and even a car.

In Central America that can be done for less if you opt for a used car (no payments).

But if you wanna live like a loner and ride the chicken bus, I guess that's okay too.

[rudder]

Cars really aren't necessary (at least in Latin America). It's not like the USA.. Heck, even in the village of 900 people where I stayed in Mexico this summer, there was a minibus running through every 20 minutes! Public transportation is great in other countries, and can also be a great way to meet people.

[djfourmoney]

Cars really aren't necessary (at least in Latin America). It's not like the USA.. Heck, even in the village of 900 people where I stayed in Mexico this summer, there was a minibus running through every 20 minutes! Public transportation is great in other countries, and can also be a great way to meet people.

Then you're goals are not anywhere near ours or anybody I know, this question is likely better answered by those on Lonely Planet. These are the cheapskate, backpacker types.

While you can get some mileage out of being a Gringo living like one of the lower middle class locals (ie no car, taking the bus). The truth is, the overall talent level you'll find lacking.

So by all means live like a local, rent an apartment with only part-time running hot water, intermittent electricity (all realities down there) and use public transportation.

You could do it on $400-$500 a month easy, you'll be eating beans, rice, some veggies and fruits, maybe chicken.

The majority of us will not want to live that life, but your welcome too.

Have fun.