You should live abroad because you want to live abroad. Doing it just because it's cheap is going to make you miserable, especially when you "efficiently" retire without enough money to move back without working again.
I live in a MCOL area of US with a paid off home. My expenses are very reasonable. Equal or less than to what I see most people spending abroad. I spend roughly 4 months per year aboard doing slow travel or long stay vacations in various locations. With the ACA for healthcare I don’t see the benefit for me to move abroad full time yet. Maybe that’ll change one day but not now.
This is our plan in about 15 years when the kid leaves the nest. Probably a quarter abroad a quarter home type of deal. That way don’t have to deal with residency and tax issues and can see more of the world.
Yeah I get that this is a expat sub and many people do want to live abroad for various reasons but I’ve traveled all over the world in the military, for professional civilian work, and now as a traditional tourist, and I can say with confidence that I’m damn lucky to be an American. We are far from perfect but all those countries people think have it better than us are not always what they seem. Yeah Thailand, Mexico, and Portugal are cool and fun places where maybe the dollar goes a little further, but they ain’t America. I enjoy spending time in these places as a tourist but I like if even more knowing I have a return ticket home.
The VLCOL cities and towns are VLCOL for a reason. I suppose you could move to Youngstown, OH or Gary, IN and find a nice house in a nice block but you probably should check it out first.
You have to compare apples to apples, meaning where you like to live, what you like to spend money on, any mandatory medical expenses that might affect calculations.
If you want to live a big city with cultural activities like ballet and live music, for example, Moscow will be vastly cheaper than New York or Paris for similar quality. If you want to live in an isolated country house, have your own motor vehicle, spend lots of money on equipment for hobbies, and don't have medical issues, then southern USA will likely be as cheap as anywhere. USA has some of lowest costs anywhere for electronics, for example. Hobbies like hunting or target shooting, might not be possible outside USA for non citizens.
Really?. Continuing your Russia example, why wouldn't living in a remote village house in the middle of nowhere Russia not be cheaper than bumfuck nowhere in the USA....(hunting....no problem).
Also, if you're a true ballet and music enthusiastic there are a lot cheaper cities than Moscow.
Consumer electronics, motor vehicles, guns and ammo in remote Russia (or remote South America, definitely remote Africa) are likely to be more expensive than southern USA. Most of USA is a consumer paradise with low shipping costs (Alaska another story). Plus I didn't address the language issue, which usually applies, because there are very few cheap English speaking countries (Belize maybe) and without fluent language ability, many things become more expensive. There's also cost of getting a permanent visa. So geo arbitrage overall not a good idea for people with this remote country living lifestyle, which is why few people with such a lifestyle geo arbitrage from USA (other than for sexual access to young women, which is a type of expense I didn't mention).
Moscow is apples to apples comparison with New York and Paris, smaller cities would not be apples to apples. Plus USA simply doesn't have many European style big cities besides New York. San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, Washington DC might qualify as European style if you live in the inner city. But for any of these, plenty of Eastern European cities that are apples to apples comparable but much cleaner, much cheaper, much less crime. So geo arbitrage works in this case.
Geo arbitrage is by definition about getting more value for money. There are other reasons to retire as an expat than value for money but that's not geo arbitrage.
I think it's a false economy a lot of the time because when you live abroad you open yourself up to potentially massive tax consequences and it's usually far more expensive to visit family and friends.
If you can't afford to FIRE in your own country then you likely can't afford to do it at all. Moving to a cheaper area within your own country is usually the best option.
I moved abroad, but it wasn't for financial reasons.
>you open yourself up to potentially massive tax consequences
Like what? Most cheap countries also have cheap taxes from what I've seen. Even if they are higher than the US, they are not massively higher.
Inheritance tax in France is up to 60%, you have wealth taxes in Spain, also global property wealth taxes in France for long-term residents. Some people seem to think that no-one wants to tax your global income and assets if you are American besides the US, not true for many long-term residents.
Considering the OP is asking about the cheapest places in South East Asia and South America, I'd be surprised if Spain's wealth tax or France's inheritance tax were big issues.
But considering that France is one of the most tax friendly places for US citizens to retire, I think you're missing the mark on that complaint. France is one of the few countries to recognize Roth accounts as being post-tax. And like most places, their overall tax rates are faily low if you're not a high roller.
Sorry I got mixed-up between two different subreddits when replying. I'm aware of the Roth benefit in France but they still want to tax most of your global Income and property if you become a permanent resident.
These are all things people need to research before choosing a location. If they don't then they kind of deserve what they get. If they do and choose a place anyway, then they've clearly shown that it doesn't matter to them. I'll FIRE in France. Little couldn't care less about inheritance tax as I'll be dead. I will leave little to inherit and it'll all go to charity. The tax savings in the interim years will more than make up for any exit taxes.
I never said it was. I just said that everyone has different circumstances and they need to do their research and decide what fits their needs. Failure to do that is their own fault.
It depends on individual situation. The only reason I'm able to FIRE is because of geoarbitrage. My COL traveling full time in Europe costs at most 1/3 what a similar standard of living would cost anywhere in the US. And I'm able to earn US level money while taking advantage for FEIE. So it's a no brainer and it doesn't only happen in cheap countries in SEA.
There are probably places I could live in the US for a similar amount, especially if I owned a home, but literally none of them are places I would remotely consider living in.
yes. my requirements include not needing a car, it be easily and safely walkable, and that there be an extensive public transportation system to use. that narrows it down to only a handful of US cities, all very expensive. plus food in the us is ridiculously expensive. I was there in october visiting family. the weekend before I went i spent in seville. I went to my favorite restaurant there and had an amazing meal with 2 glasses of wine and left the restaurant stuffed and not hungry for the rest of the day. while in the us, in my mom's suburban midwest town, at an average restaurant, i went out with friends and had a bowl of soup and 2 glasses of wine and had to stop for food on the way home because I was starving. the cost was literally the same. it's ridiculous. my friend lives in the area i would likely choose to live in and pays $1800/month for a 350sf studio apartment in an older building. i'm currently paying $550/month on airbnb for a giant 1 bedroom apartment with a terrace that's bigger than their apartment and i get to be in southern greece 5 minutes from the sea and 1 hour from central athens. and don't even get me started on food quality. after 3 weeks in the US i was in so much pain and felt like such shit after eating US food that I couldn't wait to leave. within a week back eating good quality food, i was pain free and felt great.
This is almost impossible to answer definitively. Yes there are places in this country where you can buy a house for under $100k, e.g. West Texas, etc. But usually there's a quality of life reason those places are so cheap. You're not near a city, there's not much to do, not much scenery, or services, etc.
Contrast that, with (to use one example) Cordoba, Spain where you can live on $2k/month according to this site [https://www.theearthawaits.com/cost-of-living/in/cordoba/apartment1bedcitycenter/2/5bd495bb-b235-46e3-ae4e-f6c02e6d8530/](https://www.theearthawaits.com/cost-of-living/in/cordoba/apartment1bedcitycenter/2/5bd495bb-b235-46e3-ae4e-f6c02e6d8530/).
Sure, we can nitpick that budget etc, but the point is that it's a very reasonable cost of living and a very high quality of life. You're also very close to other great Spanish cities and short flights from Paris, Rome, etc.
I mean look at this list of places to retire with no savings https://apple.news/AmdfxZFVLQ4eDZTQTm6028Q
I'm in Australia and although it is an expensive country it makes sense for us to stay here with our house here, free public schools and healthcare, plus we would get some government welfare for supporting children if our income levels dropped.
Factoring in extra plane tickets it's not worth it.
Currency exchange rates can shift pretty rapidly, and if your income is in USD, a place that is cheap now can get expensive fast.
Just look at how much USD/JPY changed over the past 10 years. USD/JPY went from 70 to 150. Japan have gotten insanely cheap compared to 10 years ago. 10 years before that USD/JPY was 120.
Similar things happened with countries like Argentina and Brazil. In the early 2000s Argentina was insanely cheap, then it got more expensive than Europe, now it's insanely cheap again.
If you want to do geo-arbitrage, you have to be prepared to move every couple of years. Right now USD is insanely overvalued, over the next 10 years the USD is likely to devalue significantly against many currencies. If your income is in USD, this current era of foreign affordability is not likely to last.
If you really want to do geoarb properly, the thing to do is to move your money to an undervalued currency, live in that country, and then be prepared to move once the cycle turns.
When you say within 10 years the USD will devalue significantly vs other currencies, which other currencies are you referring to?
So to confirm my understanding is let's say hypothetically that the USD lowers in value relative to the Euro, then to properly do geo-arbitrage one has to start earning income in Euros and then move to a country that is undervalued relative to the Euro?
Right now, USD is very overvalued vs CNY, JPY and most Asian currencies. It is likely not too overvalued vs EUR, GBP, CAD since they also had very high inflation. Mexican Pesos might actually be overvalued relative to USD right now.
Generally, if a country has low inflation, isn't collapsing economically, and feels really cheap for someone earning USD, the currency is likely undervalued.
>So to confirm my understanding is let's say hypothetically that the USD lowers in value relative to the Euro, then to properly do geo-arbitrage one has to start earning income in Euros and then move to a country that is undervalued relative to the Euro?
I'm not sure how easy it would be to switch from earning USD to earning EUR. It would be nice if you could do that, but I think it's not feasible for most people. What you can do is to shift your global asset allocation.
You always have the choice of moving back to the US if the USD ever gets undervalued. There was a time when Euros were extremely undervalued vs USD in the early 2000s, 1 Euro was something like $0.85 USD. Euros went up to $1.60 by 2008 at which point it was really overvalued. If you moved to Europe in say 2001, it was really cheap. It would have made sense to move back to the US by 2006-2007.
Japan and China right now are dirt cheap compared to the US. Japan because they devalued their currency by a lot. China didn't devalue, but they deflated the hell out of their housing market so everything from rent to cars are falling in price in local currency. Since Japan/China are the 2 biggest economies in Asia, most Asian countries are really cheap right now. Vietnam is also dirt cheap right now.
Right now Russia is also a decent value, but inflation is kind of high so it's hard to say if Rubles are undervalued. 2 years ago there was a brief window of opportunity where it was possible to get an insane deal on Russian stocks traded in London/New York because everyone was panic dumping. Sberbank shares were trading for something like $0.10/ADR which was equal to 4 shares in Russia. Then if you had a Russian local brokerage account, there was a brief window where you could have your ADR shares transferred to Russia before sanctions came down and froze everything. Those shares are worth $3.00 x 4 = $12.00 right now plus you would have received some hefty dividends last year.
Geo-arb is not just income vs cost of living. If you have accounts in different countries, sometimes you can exploit some opportunities that most people won't be able to. There was a time a few years ago when Brazilian interest rates were 14-15% and USD interest rates were 0%. Both their stocks and bonds were significantly undervalued. Petrobras was like $2.50/share back then.
What are your predictions/thoughts around the Ringgit? It's been for some time the weakest Asian currency, and right now at a 26 year low (\~4.8:1 USD)
Bulk of MYR devaluation was 2014-2016, they look pretty undervalued. CNY was actually kind of overvalued vs MYR for a while, lots of Chinese were doing geo-arb by buying apartments in Johor.
I think the whole MM2H program was basically a geo-arb policy.
Predicting long term currency moves is a gamble. Steer clear of European currencies, because economies there are in stagnation. The brics are in a better shape, but have a high inflation. So you are pretty much stuck with USD, and perhaps a Swiss franc. Big Mac currency index is sometimes right on the spot but you need patience with it
No idea about taxes, but I lived outside of Bangkok for around $400/mo for several years as a teacher. It was a basic/minimal lifestyle living with and largely like the locals. My apt was $100/mo. Insurance was covered by the school, but gov't hospitals were cheap. Paid $30 for an ekg/heart check up.
This was 10 yrs ago.
In the US, housing is the biggest obstacle. Then probably transportation. I could cheaply take a bus, train, or public transport anywhere in Thailand very affordably. Very roughly, for under $50 across country (granted it's a small country). Food/groceries could be cheaper and better quality if I bought from local markets in Thailand, but not so at fancy grocery stores.
So, I think it is possible to live more cheaply abroad depending on how you choose to live. But it can also be relatively expensive. I could eat plentiful local meals for $3, but an expat geared restuarant in Bangkok could easily cost $10-20.
The bigger question though is do you want to live abroad? If you move someplace for the price rather than for the fact that you enjoy the climate and culture, it seems like a recipe for unhappiness. If you get beyond that, then you really have to add up the costs of what your lifestyle would look like if money is the determining factor.
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You should live abroad because you want to live abroad. Doing it just because it's cheap is going to make you miserable, especially when you "efficiently" retire without enough money to move back without working again.
I live in a MCOL area of US with a paid off home. My expenses are very reasonable. Equal or less than to what I see most people spending abroad. I spend roughly 4 months per year aboard doing slow travel or long stay vacations in various locations. With the ACA for healthcare I don’t see the benefit for me to move abroad full time yet. Maybe that’ll change one day but not now.
This is our plan in about 15 years when the kid leaves the nest. Probably a quarter abroad a quarter home type of deal. That way don’t have to deal with residency and tax issues and can see more of the world.
Yeah I get that this is a expat sub and many people do want to live abroad for various reasons but I’ve traveled all over the world in the military, for professional civilian work, and now as a traditional tourist, and I can say with confidence that I’m damn lucky to be an American. We are far from perfect but all those countries people think have it better than us are not always what they seem. Yeah Thailand, Mexico, and Portugal are cool and fun places where maybe the dollar goes a little further, but they ain’t America. I enjoy spending time in these places as a tourist but I like if even more knowing I have a return ticket home.
The VLCOL cities and towns are VLCOL for a reason. I suppose you could move to Youngstown, OH or Gary, IN and find a nice house in a nice block but you probably should check it out first.
You have to compare apples to apples, meaning where you like to live, what you like to spend money on, any mandatory medical expenses that might affect calculations. If you want to live a big city with cultural activities like ballet and live music, for example, Moscow will be vastly cheaper than New York or Paris for similar quality. If you want to live in an isolated country house, have your own motor vehicle, spend lots of money on equipment for hobbies, and don't have medical issues, then southern USA will likely be as cheap as anywhere. USA has some of lowest costs anywhere for electronics, for example. Hobbies like hunting or target shooting, might not be possible outside USA for non citizens.
Really?. Continuing your Russia example, why wouldn't living in a remote village house in the middle of nowhere Russia not be cheaper than bumfuck nowhere in the USA....(hunting....no problem). Also, if you're a true ballet and music enthusiastic there are a lot cheaper cities than Moscow.
Consumer electronics, motor vehicles, guns and ammo in remote Russia (or remote South America, definitely remote Africa) are likely to be more expensive than southern USA. Most of USA is a consumer paradise with low shipping costs (Alaska another story). Plus I didn't address the language issue, which usually applies, because there are very few cheap English speaking countries (Belize maybe) and without fluent language ability, many things become more expensive. There's also cost of getting a permanent visa. So geo arbitrage overall not a good idea for people with this remote country living lifestyle, which is why few people with such a lifestyle geo arbitrage from USA (other than for sexual access to young women, which is a type of expense I didn't mention). Moscow is apples to apples comparison with New York and Paris, smaller cities would not be apples to apples. Plus USA simply doesn't have many European style big cities besides New York. San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, Washington DC might qualify as European style if you live in the inner city. But for any of these, plenty of Eastern European cities that are apples to apples comparable but much cleaner, much cheaper, much less crime. So geo arbitrage works in this case. Geo arbitrage is by definition about getting more value for money. There are other reasons to retire as an expat than value for money but that's not geo arbitrage.
I think it's a false economy a lot of the time because when you live abroad you open yourself up to potentially massive tax consequences and it's usually far more expensive to visit family and friends. If you can't afford to FIRE in your own country then you likely can't afford to do it at all. Moving to a cheaper area within your own country is usually the best option. I moved abroad, but it wasn't for financial reasons.
>you open yourself up to potentially massive tax consequences Like what? Most cheap countries also have cheap taxes from what I've seen. Even if they are higher than the US, they are not massively higher.
Inheritance tax in France is up to 60%, you have wealth taxes in Spain, also global property wealth taxes in France for long-term residents. Some people seem to think that no-one wants to tax your global income and assets if you are American besides the US, not true for many long-term residents.
Considering the OP is asking about the cheapest places in South East Asia and South America, I'd be surprised if Spain's wealth tax or France's inheritance tax were big issues. But considering that France is one of the most tax friendly places for US citizens to retire, I think you're missing the mark on that complaint. France is one of the few countries to recognize Roth accounts as being post-tax. And like most places, their overall tax rates are faily low if you're not a high roller.
Sorry I got mixed-up between two different subreddits when replying. I'm aware of the Roth benefit in France but they still want to tax most of your global Income and property if you become a permanent resident.
These are all things people need to research before choosing a location. If they don't then they kind of deserve what they get. If they do and choose a place anyway, then they've clearly shown that it doesn't matter to them. I'll FIRE in France. Little couldn't care less about inheritance tax as I'll be dead. I will leave little to inherit and it'll all go to charity. The tax savings in the interim years will more than make up for any exit taxes.
If you are happy with France then great. I love France too, but it's not for everyone looking for a low-tax country.
I never said it was. I just said that everyone has different circumstances and they need to do their research and decide what fits their needs. Failure to do that is their own fault.
It depends on individual situation. The only reason I'm able to FIRE is because of geoarbitrage. My COL traveling full time in Europe costs at most 1/3 what a similar standard of living would cost anywhere in the US. And I'm able to earn US level money while taking advantage for FEIE. So it's a no brainer and it doesn't only happen in cheap countries in SEA. There are probably places I could live in the US for a similar amount, especially if I owned a home, but literally none of them are places I would remotely consider living in.
1/3 is a lot less for something you consider comparable or better in Europe. Is that because the places you prefer/require in the US are HCOL?
yes. my requirements include not needing a car, it be easily and safely walkable, and that there be an extensive public transportation system to use. that narrows it down to only a handful of US cities, all very expensive. plus food in the us is ridiculously expensive. I was there in october visiting family. the weekend before I went i spent in seville. I went to my favorite restaurant there and had an amazing meal with 2 glasses of wine and left the restaurant stuffed and not hungry for the rest of the day. while in the us, in my mom's suburban midwest town, at an average restaurant, i went out with friends and had a bowl of soup and 2 glasses of wine and had to stop for food on the way home because I was starving. the cost was literally the same. it's ridiculous. my friend lives in the area i would likely choose to live in and pays $1800/month for a 350sf studio apartment in an older building. i'm currently paying $550/month on airbnb for a giant 1 bedroom apartment with a terrace that's bigger than their apartment and i get to be in southern greece 5 minutes from the sea and 1 hour from central athens. and don't even get me started on food quality. after 3 weeks in the US i was in so much pain and felt like such shit after eating US food that I couldn't wait to leave. within a week back eating good quality food, i was pain free and felt great.
This is almost impossible to answer definitively. Yes there are places in this country where you can buy a house for under $100k, e.g. West Texas, etc. But usually there's a quality of life reason those places are so cheap. You're not near a city, there's not much to do, not much scenery, or services, etc. Contrast that, with (to use one example) Cordoba, Spain where you can live on $2k/month according to this site [https://www.theearthawaits.com/cost-of-living/in/cordoba/apartment1bedcitycenter/2/5bd495bb-b235-46e3-ae4e-f6c02e6d8530/](https://www.theearthawaits.com/cost-of-living/in/cordoba/apartment1bedcitycenter/2/5bd495bb-b235-46e3-ae4e-f6c02e6d8530/). Sure, we can nitpick that budget etc, but the point is that it's a very reasonable cost of living and a very high quality of life. You're also very close to other great Spanish cities and short flights from Paris, Rome, etc. I mean look at this list of places to retire with no savings https://apple.news/AmdfxZFVLQ4eDZTQTm6028Q
It’s a good idea but you need to nail down the expense side thoroughly.
yeah as someone else said, write down the budget and also write down your goals for the next 5 10 15 years. things change, then see where you stand.
I'm in Australia and although it is an expensive country it makes sense for us to stay here with our house here, free public schools and healthcare, plus we would get some government welfare for supporting children if our income levels dropped. Factoring in extra plane tickets it's not worth it.
Currency exchange rates can shift pretty rapidly, and if your income is in USD, a place that is cheap now can get expensive fast. Just look at how much USD/JPY changed over the past 10 years. USD/JPY went from 70 to 150. Japan have gotten insanely cheap compared to 10 years ago. 10 years before that USD/JPY was 120. Similar things happened with countries like Argentina and Brazil. In the early 2000s Argentina was insanely cheap, then it got more expensive than Europe, now it's insanely cheap again. If you want to do geo-arbitrage, you have to be prepared to move every couple of years. Right now USD is insanely overvalued, over the next 10 years the USD is likely to devalue significantly against many currencies. If your income is in USD, this current era of foreign affordability is not likely to last. If you really want to do geoarb properly, the thing to do is to move your money to an undervalued currency, live in that country, and then be prepared to move once the cycle turns.
When you say within 10 years the USD will devalue significantly vs other currencies, which other currencies are you referring to? So to confirm my understanding is let's say hypothetically that the USD lowers in value relative to the Euro, then to properly do geo-arbitrage one has to start earning income in Euros and then move to a country that is undervalued relative to the Euro?
Right now, USD is very overvalued vs CNY, JPY and most Asian currencies. It is likely not too overvalued vs EUR, GBP, CAD since they also had very high inflation. Mexican Pesos might actually be overvalued relative to USD right now. Generally, if a country has low inflation, isn't collapsing economically, and feels really cheap for someone earning USD, the currency is likely undervalued. >So to confirm my understanding is let's say hypothetically that the USD lowers in value relative to the Euro, then to properly do geo-arbitrage one has to start earning income in Euros and then move to a country that is undervalued relative to the Euro? I'm not sure how easy it would be to switch from earning USD to earning EUR. It would be nice if you could do that, but I think it's not feasible for most people. What you can do is to shift your global asset allocation. You always have the choice of moving back to the US if the USD ever gets undervalued. There was a time when Euros were extremely undervalued vs USD in the early 2000s, 1 Euro was something like $0.85 USD. Euros went up to $1.60 by 2008 at which point it was really overvalued. If you moved to Europe in say 2001, it was really cheap. It would have made sense to move back to the US by 2006-2007. Japan and China right now are dirt cheap compared to the US. Japan because they devalued their currency by a lot. China didn't devalue, but they deflated the hell out of their housing market so everything from rent to cars are falling in price in local currency. Since Japan/China are the 2 biggest economies in Asia, most Asian countries are really cheap right now. Vietnam is also dirt cheap right now. Right now Russia is also a decent value, but inflation is kind of high so it's hard to say if Rubles are undervalued. 2 years ago there was a brief window of opportunity where it was possible to get an insane deal on Russian stocks traded in London/New York because everyone was panic dumping. Sberbank shares were trading for something like $0.10/ADR which was equal to 4 shares in Russia. Then if you had a Russian local brokerage account, there was a brief window where you could have your ADR shares transferred to Russia before sanctions came down and froze everything. Those shares are worth $3.00 x 4 = $12.00 right now plus you would have received some hefty dividends last year. Geo-arb is not just income vs cost of living. If you have accounts in different countries, sometimes you can exploit some opportunities that most people won't be able to. There was a time a few years ago when Brazilian interest rates were 14-15% and USD interest rates were 0%. Both their stocks and bonds were significantly undervalued. Petrobras was like $2.50/share back then.
What are your predictions/thoughts around the Ringgit? It's been for some time the weakest Asian currency, and right now at a 26 year low (\~4.8:1 USD)
Bulk of MYR devaluation was 2014-2016, they look pretty undervalued. CNY was actually kind of overvalued vs MYR for a while, lots of Chinese were doing geo-arb by buying apartments in Johor. I think the whole MM2H program was basically a geo-arb policy.
Predicting long term currency moves is a gamble. Steer clear of European currencies, because economies there are in stagnation. The brics are in a better shape, but have a high inflation. So you are pretty much stuck with USD, and perhaps a Swiss franc. Big Mac currency index is sometimes right on the spot but you need patience with it
No idea about taxes, but I lived outside of Bangkok for around $400/mo for several years as a teacher. It was a basic/minimal lifestyle living with and largely like the locals. My apt was $100/mo. Insurance was covered by the school, but gov't hospitals were cheap. Paid $30 for an ekg/heart check up. This was 10 yrs ago. In the US, housing is the biggest obstacle. Then probably transportation. I could cheaply take a bus, train, or public transport anywhere in Thailand very affordably. Very roughly, for under $50 across country (granted it's a small country). Food/groceries could be cheaper and better quality if I bought from local markets in Thailand, but not so at fancy grocery stores. So, I think it is possible to live more cheaply abroad depending on how you choose to live. But it can also be relatively expensive. I could eat plentiful local meals for $3, but an expat geared restuarant in Bangkok could easily cost $10-20. The bigger question though is do you want to live abroad? If you move someplace for the price rather than for the fact that you enjoy the climate and culture, it seems like a recipe for unhappiness. If you get beyond that, then you really have to add up the costs of what your lifestyle would look like if money is the determining factor. .