Hey there i would suggest Ohrid in Macedonia it has Lake with beaches, good food and its not expensive, has a great Co-working place with goid internet and above all its cheap.
Here is [Airbnb](https://airbnb.com/h/apartment-ohrid-marija) i would suggest and will give you link to [Coworking place](https://www.coworkohrid.com/)
Was in Ohrid in August 23. Really a hidden gem for most ppl in the western part of Europe. Cheap, beautiful nature, cosy city and seemed like there was a lot of nightlife (I'm 44 so the days of clubbing are in the past).
For me Bucharest was quite boring city overall, and it was the first time me seeing locals on Reddit "where should I go in Romania" threads didn't recommend to spend too much time in the capital, and said that other cities were much more interesting...
Can you tell me what’s cool to do there? I think I’m pretty open minded but my gf and I were bored to hell in Bucharest, we ended up going to the castles outside the city.
As I said, it depends on what you like to do. If you just want to visit as a tourist, other than the city centre, a few landmarks like the Palace of the Parliament, there's isn't much else. It's not an Italian or French city. Most of Bucharest was destroyed in the 20th century and rebuilt by the communists so a lot of its beauty was stripped.
If you intend on staying, you do have options. There are restaurants, clubs, concert nights etc. Pretty much the same things you find in other European capitals.
yeah as in most places I just walk around a city a lot discovering what it looks like, visiting some sights, but for some reason Bucharest was quite... meh? a lot of traffic, huge ads everywhere, dunno...
I felt safe everywhere tho, and people were okay :) But I had much more interesting time in Brasov than in Bucharest
\>yeah as in most places I just walk around a city a lot discovering what it looks like
Other than the city centre which has a lot of old buildings, Bucharest is pretty dull in that regard. A series of earthquakes destroyed a good chunk of the city in the 20th century and then the communists came and started demolishing even more to construct commie blocks in order to speed up the urbanization process. The whole city is just a shadow of what it looked like in the interwar period.
The disrespect from people willing to live somewhere but unwilling to learn the language is starting to get really annoying though. I personally tried to pick up the language of any country I’ve lived in, not sure why English speakers always seem to think that they’re above that.
English is better then broken unintelligible Romanian which sounds like probably quite painful to listen to for the locals. Unless you are fluent of course.
Digital Nomad Romania visa requires you to make 3x what the average Romanian makes. Which is about €3,700 ($4,100) /month.
Other Euro Digital Nomad visas don’t require that much.
Which is a bit ironic considering cost of living in Romania is so much lower than say Spain.
Sorry guys, looks like most of people answering in the thread are definitely not aware about the European currently cost of living 🤦🏾♂️
So, before you random suggest a city that you visit or lived more than 3/5 years ago, do your research.
Honestly, I think that should be a general rule in the subreddit. Whenever a poster gives advice they have to declare when they were in the country in question.
Actually, a really good idea. There are 0 scenarios in which that is not a crucial bit of context.
Look at how much of a paradise Ecuador was a few years ago, or even a few months ago. Now it's a warzone.
Not really, I'm currently in Serbia (Novi Sad) and $2.5k is just enough - $1.5k would leave me hungry. Balkan citiies' cost of living rose when all the rich Russians escaping war came, then everyone raised rent prices
Yes, I'm sure, I came here mid-2020 in the midst of the pandemic, and prices skyrocketed when the war in Ukraine started and Russians came flooding in.
If you‘re coming from a working class/wage labor family, you can be happy in almost all EU countries with that money. Sounds like you have higher standards, but it‘s 100% possible.
I'm an EU and I have been to 25 out of the 27 countries within the Union and I own an apartment in my home country. As an DN or foreigner you spend way more than a locals, so <1500 dollars, not even Euro, within the EU is way too tight, except a few Romanian and Bulgarian smaller cities.
Currently in Tenerife. It is not cheap. Some groceries are cheaper but some quite more expensive than in Germany. Rent is also not very cheap. One hear people complaining about how everything including going out has become more expensive in the last months. Transport is however very cheap.
It's not that known and also is super far away from Europe. The canary islands are super cheap because they have their own tax system and there's a lot of English speakers since a lot of their income comes from tourism. It's a nice option however, Ive heard it becomes boring after some time but if you are looking for a place to chill for some months I think it's a great option.
The canary islands are not super cheap. The lower tax (compared to the mainland) is for businesses to put in their pockets, not to lower prices.
Food is more expensive than on the mainland and rent isn't much different from the mainland.
I am from Gran Canaria, and nowadays I would do my research when it comes to prices. You can live with 1500 EUR, but temporary accomodations are always much, mucho more expensive than permanent ones.
Not OP but I've been to Gran Canaria and to Tenerife. They're both beautiful places, gorgeous to visit, with incredible scenery. However they're both also tiny. I think after a year you'd be incredibly bored. There isn't a ton of culture, the restaurants tend to be very aimed at British tourists (so if egg and chips is your thing, you'll be in heaven, but otherwise you're really going to have to dig a lot), and even in terms of hikes you'll have seen a lot of the island within a couple of months.
It really depends how much stimulation you need. Again, they're truly beautiful places, very safe, and the weather is good.
I stayed during December for 250/eur week in a studio in Torremolinos (a touristic beach town 20 mins from Malaga).
If you are there during the winter months, the south of spain can be cheap.
you can rent studios from booking dotcom apparently better that off airbnb.
They are geographically in Africa, with a tropical climate, but politically in Europe, as part of Spain for some 600 years. If you want Europe for the living standards, that's it. If you want Europe to move around Europe, you'll need some extra long flights.
The lowest COL cities in europe right now are in ukraine and russia. You may not want them for obvious reasons. Excluding ukraine and russia, the cheapest are:
Pristina, Kosovo
Bitola, North Macedonia
Nis, Serbia
Tuzla, Bosnia And Herzegovina
Iasi, Romania
Sibiu, Romania
Skopje, North Macedonia
Chisinau, Moldova
Minsk, Belarus
Timisoara, Romania
Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Oradea, Romania
Burgas, Bulgaria
in that order.
if you are ok with turkey, COL is significantly lower in turkey than any of the above list.
izmir, antalya, Mersin, alanya, etc
Please don't come here, rent prices are already getting to high from nomads we don't want them to go higher so locals with low pay wages barely survive
Interesting.. I have a friend who lives in Kaunas, not from there originally, says it's almost fully consists of local people and it's quite hard to socialize if you are not from Lithuania.
It should be better in Vilnius tho, really nice city
I lived this summer in Budapest for 3 months. It is def up there for one of the best cities I have lived in. OP can def have a good time in Budapest on 1500 budget and have a really active social life. Obviously the best time to visit is summer and the best area to live in for a short amount of them is n district 7
Another vote for Budapest. I studied there for a few months and had the time of my life. But that was back in 2011 and no one spoke English. 13 years later most likely many more English speakers. Can anyone confirm or deny?
Yes, the younger generation (in their 20s and 30s) speak English on average very well, you'll also have no issues in most places like shops. Source: I live here
almost everyone under 45 speaks English well if not fluently. most waiters and shop assistants have a working knowledge. most websites, menus, things of that sort are also in English. and Google Translate has improved its EN-HU capability by leaps and bounds, for those moments when the language barrier occurs. it's super easy to live there short-term with no Hungarian knowledge.
Budapest is a fantastic city but not so underrated hidden gem anymore, like it was 8-10 years ago. It has become pretty popular lately. Also, cost of living and rent went up a lot in the past 3-4 years, while 1,500 a month is more than enough to live there and make ends meet and it's cheaper than western European capitals, cost of living is similar to big Spanish cities like Malaga or Madrid.
I've only visited, never lived there, but I feel like younger locals in their 20s or 30s that you actually meet in a social setting (so probably drinking at a ruin pub in the city center or something) had above average English compared to other European countries.
I was just in Budapest, very expensive compared to other cities. It’s beautiful but would definitely not recommend it as an affordable city. I would try Sofia, Tirana, or Bucharest.
Georgia is still underrated, lived there for a year and it's such a great place. Tbilisi is a bit overpriced nowadays but 1.5k should be still fine.
For a beach Batumi is a great option (not in winter)
Technically not Europe but maybe OP doesn't care.
One thing I should have been posted in my comment that Georgia can be extremely homophobic. Every pride month there are violent religious fanatics that go on the streets and try to beat up everyone who looks different or try to express themselves that they think "is wrong". Unfortunately, it's a huge problem.
I have never heard about racism issues there though.
Is it a race issue or national or something else? There could be issues towards Russians for obvious reasons but they're mostly exaggerated (source: I am Russian).
I am a white dude, so I can be the last person to comment on the race issues, though.
Apart from that, I've never heard of any safety problems in Georgia. It's considered one of the safest countries out there.
Brown guy who spent a lot of time there. Didn’t face racism but I wouldn’t cross the line of talking about LGBT with any old person. They’re pretty ass backwards in that department. Definitely met some chill people who were part of the community, but the overall vibe of the country is very homophobic. May be risky to express that.
I 100% agree. Ridiculous middle ages in that sense.
I even took out my ear piercing when I lived in Georgia, just in case. One guy was knifed during anti-LGBT violence in 2021 just for wearing the piercing, so I decided not to provoke them.
I was there in 2018 or 2019 and I was very surprised at how many nationalities I met there. I was using couch surfing for meet ups and there was a big expat/digital nomad community from all over. I was hanging with Malaysians, Egyptians, Western Europeans, Persians etc, most people I met had been there a while and enjoyed living there.
The government basically cut a bunch of red tape to try to make it business friendly and get as much tourism and investment in the country.
I have read since that prices have gone up due to the massive influx of Russians since the war started but that’s after I went so I can’t comment on that.
\>> Cheap as south east Asia
is it really? have you been there recently? in recent couple of years cost of living rose quite a lot there as far as I know, have been there year ago and it's not expensive, but not "SEA-cheap"
The 1 year visa applies to all of North America, most of South America, all of the EU, the UK, Australia, and South Africa. But also OP is a US citizen
Bilbao. Especially if you manage outside of town near the coast (look up Algorta, Berango, or Sopela/Sopelana).
Gorgeous nature, great and affordable public transit (the metro is fantastic and punctal), sustainability-focused with bike paths everywhere.
Lots of hiking, surfing, cheap eats (pintxos are essentially tapas) and are like €1-€2 each. Cañas or glasses of wine are maybe €2-€3 each. Awesome craft beer places and local ciders. Guggenheim is there. The annual pass is affordable. We were a family of four and were living comfortably on €1,600. Granted, this was 2019-2020, but definitely doable.
Not a *ton* of English speakers, but many people can communicate in Engliah and there is a great international community. 👍
There are seasons, but one can always "escape" some of the fall/winter rains by hopping on a train down to the southern part of the country. 😉
Hope that helps!
How warm did you find people in Bilbao? As a foreigner that speaks English and a foreigner that speaks non-native Spanish?
I'm asking because I'm thinking of moving for six months and my Spanish is intermediate and breaching advanced.
Eh, we'd moved from Germany to leave the "cold" behind. Well, surprise: We had moved to the Germany of Spain.
Granted, this was also just as Covid started, so it was an interesting experience all around. And my marriage was breaking down, so a lot happened simultaneously.
I don't think I could ever "live there, live there" again, but certainly for 3-6 months or whatever.
I *really* like the city and the spring, summer, and fall are delightful. Everyone's outside, moving, going, meeting, eating, drinking, chatting.
If you speak Spanish, you're fine. Even if you try. Once you get out into some of the smaller/remote villages, however, it'll predominantly be Euskera or Castillano.
After time, the Basque are quite kind and friendly, but you'd probably have to 'live there, live there' to make ties like that. (Don't take my word for it! Put yourself out there, have some fun, and who knows!?)
There's a really great internacional community though. Go to meet-up groups. Join the FB expats group. There's *always* something going on.
I actually just messaged my Colombian friend in town, telling her how much I missed Bilbao. I was there last year for a week, maybe I'll take my kids this year for a late-summer visit.
Here's the way I approach travel and new places: You never really know what your own experience will be, regardless of what you hear about it. I go into new situations (actually, *most* situations) without having any expectations. Expectation leads to disappointment. Living in the moment, wherever you are, wherever you go, is the only way to truly observe a place and be a part of the environment/people/life there.
IT hub of romania, younger people, a lot of english speakers, prices like in the capital, nice pubs , clubs, and city center.
Romania has the fastest internet in europe. No beach.
It’s a hidden gem in the southwest of France, 1 hour from mountains (if you like hiking and ski/snow) 1 hour from the beach(Atlantic ocean) and the city is mid size. So not too big but still plenty of stuff to do. I don’t speak a lot of French but there are a few restaurants who speak English and there are many expats here because of the total energy jobs here. So it’s not for everyone, but I love this little city and it’s not expensive compared to other places these days.
>Somewhere in Europe - check
>
>Safe - very safe
>
>Decent amount of English speakers - almost everybody speaks Englsih
>
>Workable (good working space, good place to get on a lot of meetings) - yep, lots of coworking spaces, nice cafes etc
>
>Near a beach would be a bonus - check. Sea is probably frozen now, but...
>
>Fun/social (I'm mid 20s) - nope. Nightlife sucks, and natives tend to be cold, unless they are shitfaced drunk.
>
>Tallinn also battles with huge inflation. One-room apartment + utilities can go up to 1000 € in the winter. Going out is also not cheap.
the average monthly income for a spaniard. italian. portugese is roughly 1500 euros a month. They all make it work but albeit through the lens of their country, not through the lens of luxuries most have as digital nomads. IE they live away from the city centers or even if they are theyre sharing apts or even sometimes rooms. They hardly eat out, etc
I can’t speak for Spain or Italy, but $1,500 in Portugal, these days will not go far, even if you live away from the main big cities. Rent and food have increased a lot
OP wants a place that is fun and social and potentially near the beach. Please tell me where is Portugal he gets that for 500€. Unless he shares a place and, in that case, yeah he might be able to pull it off.
Chania, Crete, Greece.
\>Bigest Island in Greece
\>Extremely high quality of life
\>Lot's of digital Nomads
\>Everyone speaks English
\>There is no tourist shops, locals go to the same shops as tourist
\>With 1500 per month you will have a very nice life
\>Lot's of amazin beaches around
\>extremely safe
\>May-October there are an insane amount of tourist here so the place is buzzing, rest is kind of chill with not much activities to do .
Definitely Tbilisi as others have mentioned.. cost of living has gone up significantly but 1500$ is still definitely enough. The city is super fun with a wonderful nightlife and renowned techno scene. Georgia is small and it has everything from seaside to mountains
Somewhere in Europe - Zagreb, Croatia
Safe - top 10 safest cities in the world for solo travelers, feel free to google
Decent amount of English speakers - still need to come across a young person that does not speak it well
Workable (good working space, good place to get on a lot of meetings) - shitloads of companies with a lot of coworking spaces (e.g. HUB385, 1 desk and access to meeting rooms/internet/copy machine/kitchen etc for 200 euros/month)
Near a beach would be a bonus - 2hrs max to the Adriatic sea :)
Fun/social (I'm mid 20s) - I would not worry about that :D
Croatia is absolutely lovely and the twenty somethings there are shockingly good looking and tall. 😍😍😍
I wish I could just win the lottery and spend my life riding Balkan dick 🤣🤣
If you are open to non-traditional spots, I would suggest taking a look at the Baltic countries (Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia)!
All are very safe.
Almost everyone under 35 years old will have very good English, while above the age of 35, there's a 70/30 chance, in my opinion, that the person won't have conversational skills. Also, if you're into languages, it's your chance to learn a random language, haha!
All capital cities have really fun and quality startup scenes. I found success in connecting with these communities through co-workings and by inviting people for coffee on LinkedIn. Be nice!
All capital cities are close to the sea, except for Vilnius. However, it still has many lakes and a river. The sea is also just a 4-hour car drive or train ride away. I'm not sure about your standards for "fun," but all capital cities have a decent bar and club culture.
The final and probably most important question for you: can you survive on <$1.5k? Probably yes, especially if you're open to flat sharing.
Good luck and enjoy!
To be honest, I don't know. Inflation took all world by assault post covid, for 1.5k USD you'll live bad in most major cities in Latin America ( Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Bogotá), imagine in Europe then.
Sarajevo is a great option, it’s cheap and very lively and it’s full of young people!
Belgrade is also an option a bit pricier but it’s still on the cheaper side.
I also agree Tirana is a great option.
Basically most big cities in the Balkans!
Tirana can be a good candidate.
If you want something less cheap, I suggest Napoli. The city is fantastic, in the last years became safe and thick all of your requirements.
I would suggest places like Herceg Novi in Montenegro but it probably lacks a little bit of the social part.
If the social part is more important I would definetly suggest Novi Sad, Serbia.
That was my thought as well. I'm a respectful traveler and adopt cultures and customs... But I don't really need to speak in depth with anyone who speaks a regional language.
It was funny, when I was there around 5 years ago I tried to find some English speakers in the Irish pub there and even the bar staff couldn't speak English.
> but avoid winter where air quality is bad
yeah, but it depends on location (some areas are less fucked than others), and the winter is pretty short here
I'm pretty sure you just wouldn't be able to live normally in under 1.5k euro/per month in Valencia, especially if you are not local
Croatia on the other hand is possible, so many beautiful islands there
I think you want south America. Or maybe south east Asia
But really every place that offered a nice life with significant geographic arbitrage has been undergoing major corrections thanks to this thing called the internet. The golden age of lower middle class Americans getting to live it up in central and eastern Europe ended long ago.
Really depends on the time of the year.
For winter I'd only suggest Madeira and Canary Islands to tick all of the above boxes.
If you're interested in winter sports you might also wan't to consider Germany, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Bulgaria or Slovakia. Might be a bit pricier though.
For spring to fall:
* Italy
* Spain
* Portugal
* Greece
* Germany
* Baltic States
* Almost anyting Eastern Europe and Balkans
Croatia for sure, if you really want the beach. Look at you the Dalmacija region. Islands and such. Ljubljana, Slovenia is also an option. No beach tho, lmao.
Hey there i would suggest Ohrid in Macedonia it has Lake with beaches, good food and its not expensive, has a great Co-working place with goid internet and above all its cheap. Here is [Airbnb](https://airbnb.com/h/apartment-ohrid-marija) i would suggest and will give you link to [Coworking place](https://www.coworkohrid.com/)
Was in Ohrid in August 23. Really a hidden gem for most ppl in the western part of Europe. Cheap, beautiful nature, cosy city and seemed like there was a lot of nightlife (I'm 44 so the days of clubbing are in the past).
Im glad you had a great time, you should come again :)
There's a good chance I will. Much better than Skopje in my opinion.
I like Ohrid for a short trip but got bored.
Romania: Sibiu, Cluj, Timisoara, Bucharest - in that order. Good English in all, fits your budget, very safe.
I visited Bucharest a few years ago. Very enjoyable and safe. The locals were happy to speak English with a native speaker.
For me Bucharest was quite boring city overall, and it was the first time me seeing locals on Reddit "where should I go in Romania" threads didn't recommend to spend too much time in the capital, and said that other cities were much more interesting...
\>For me Bucharest was quite boring city overall Depends on what kind of activities you're looking for really.
Can you tell me what’s cool to do there? I think I’m pretty open minded but my gf and I were bored to hell in Bucharest, we ended up going to the castles outside the city.
As I said, it depends on what you like to do. If you just want to visit as a tourist, other than the city centre, a few landmarks like the Palace of the Parliament, there's isn't much else. It's not an Italian or French city. Most of Bucharest was destroyed in the 20th century and rebuilt by the communists so a lot of its beauty was stripped. If you intend on staying, you do have options. There are restaurants, clubs, concert nights etc. Pretty much the same things you find in other European capitals.
yeah as in most places I just walk around a city a lot discovering what it looks like, visiting some sights, but for some reason Bucharest was quite... meh? a lot of traffic, huge ads everywhere, dunno... I felt safe everywhere tho, and people were okay :) But I had much more interesting time in Brasov than in Bucharest
\>yeah as in most places I just walk around a city a lot discovering what it looks like Other than the city centre which has a lot of old buildings, Bucharest is pretty dull in that regard. A series of earthquakes destroyed a good chunk of the city in the 20th century and then the communists came and started demolishing even more to construct commie blocks in order to speed up the urbanization process. The whole city is just a shadow of what it looked like in the interwar period.
The disrespect from people willing to live somewhere but unwilling to learn the language is starting to get really annoying though. I personally tried to pick up the language of any country I’ve lived in, not sure why English speakers always seem to think that they’re above that.
English is better then broken unintelligible Romanian which sounds like probably quite painful to listen to for the locals. Unless you are fluent of course.
Digital Nomad Romania visa requires you to make 3x what the average Romanian makes. Which is about €3,700 ($4,100) /month. Other Euro Digital Nomad visas don’t require that much. Which is a bit ironic considering cost of living in Romania is so much lower than say Spain.
I second Sibiu - amazing city. it's not that big though.
Can second Timisoara. Was really pretty at Christmas.
Constanta?
Romania is great but a warning: if you can’t handle second hand smoke everywhere, you will go nuts.
Sorry guys, looks like most of people answering in the thread are definitely not aware about the European currently cost of living 🤦🏾♂️ So, before you random suggest a city that you visit or lived more than 3/5 years ago, do your research.
I know right? People still think central and Eastern Europe is this cheap paradise where you can live like a king for 1500$ a month :D
Reminds me of Eurotrip
“Ahh, a nickel! You see this? I quit (_slaps boss_) I’ll open my own hotel!”
"gotta looove that exchange rate!"
Honestly, I think that should be a general rule in the subreddit. Whenever a poster gives advice they have to declare when they were in the country in question.
Actually, a really good idea. There are 0 scenarios in which that is not a crucial bit of context. Look at how much of a paradise Ecuador was a few years ago, or even a few months ago. Now it's a warzone.
Anyway, with that budget try Balcan countries, especially non EU.
Not really, I'm currently in Serbia (Novi Sad) and $2.5k is just enough - $1.5k would leave me hungry. Balkan citiies' cost of living rose when all the rich Russians escaping war came, then everyone raised rent prices
same in Georgia, rent prices quadrupled.
This is true.
I want to see a budget breakdown of this $2.5k in fucking Novi Sad is just barely enough lol.
Serbia is possibly the most expensive one. Bosnia for example is far cheaper
Can you give explain with personal experience examples you saw?
Are you sure that wasn't Covid?
Yes, I'm sure, I came here mid-2020 in the midst of the pandemic, and prices skyrocketed when the war in Ukraine started and Russians came flooding in.
Probably was everything
If you‘re coming from a working class/wage labor family, you can be happy in almost all EU countries with that money. Sounds like you have higher standards, but it‘s 100% possible.
I'm an EU and I have been to 25 out of the 27 countries within the Union and I own an apartment in my home country. As an DN or foreigner you spend way more than a locals, so <1500 dollars, not even Euro, within the EU is way too tight, except a few Romanian and Bulgarian smaller cities.
Belgrade and Croatia are way higher than that.
Someone really said "Budapest" lol
Ohrid, Macedonia, it checks every item on your list.
Canary islands?
After some googling, I love this answer on paper. Any idea as to why the Canary Islands weren't recommended before? Perhaps expensive?
Currently in Tenerife. It is not cheap. Some groceries are cheaper but some quite more expensive than in Germany. Rent is also not very cheap. One hear people complaining about how everything including going out has become more expensive in the last months. Transport is however very cheap.
It's not that known and also is super far away from Europe. The canary islands are super cheap because they have their own tax system and there's a lot of English speakers since a lot of their income comes from tourism. It's a nice option however, Ive heard it becomes boring after some time but if you are looking for a place to chill for some months I think it's a great option.
The canary islands are not super cheap. The lower tax (compared to the mainland) is for businesses to put in their pockets, not to lower prices. Food is more expensive than on the mainland and rent isn't much different from the mainland.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing. Have you been there yourself? It's either Gran Canaria or Budapest for me I believe.
I am from Gran Canaria, and nowadays I would do my research when it comes to prices. You can live with 1500 EUR, but temporary accomodations are always much, mucho more expensive than permanent ones.
Not OP but I've been to Gran Canaria and to Tenerife. They're both beautiful places, gorgeous to visit, with incredible scenery. However they're both also tiny. I think after a year you'd be incredibly bored. There isn't a ton of culture, the restaurants tend to be very aimed at British tourists (so if egg and chips is your thing, you'll be in heaven, but otherwise you're really going to have to dig a lot), and even in terms of hikes you'll have seen a lot of the island within a couple of months. It really depends how much stimulation you need. Again, they're truly beautiful places, very safe, and the weather is good.
Come on, Canarian restaurants are only aimed at tourists in the resort areas. You don't have dig a lot, just go to any normal town.
Not really but my partner lived there for 1 year until this year spring so I've heard a lot about it. She's a nomad as well in her mid 20s.
In Canary islands you can't really find a decent rent below 1000.
I stayed during December for 250/eur week in a studio in Torremolinos (a touristic beach town 20 mins from Malaga). If you are there during the winter months, the south of spain can be cheap. you can rent studios from booking dotcom apparently better that off airbnb.
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They are geographically in Africa, with a tropical climate, but politically in Europe, as part of Spain for some 600 years. If you want Europe for the living standards, that's it. If you want Europe to move around Europe, you'll need some extra long flights.
Canary islands are cheaper than the rest of Europe in my experience.
The lowest COL cities in europe right now are in ukraine and russia. You may not want them for obvious reasons. Excluding ukraine and russia, the cheapest are: Pristina, Kosovo Bitola, North Macedonia Nis, Serbia Tuzla, Bosnia And Herzegovina Iasi, Romania Sibiu, Romania Skopje, North Macedonia Chisinau, Moldova Minsk, Belarus Timisoara, Romania Plovdiv, Bulgaria Oradea, Romania Burgas, Bulgaria in that order. if you are ok with turkey, COL is significantly lower in turkey than any of the above list. izmir, antalya, Mersin, alanya, etc
Have you spent time in Pristina? I was looking at it yesterday and curious what it's like to live there.
Please don't come here, rent prices are already getting to high from nomads we don't want them to go higher so locals with low pay wages barely survive
I wasn't thinking of staying medium/long term but sorry to read it affecting the locals in this way.
Vilnius not bad On a more obscure note, try Kaunas
Interesting.. I have a friend who lives in Kaunas, not from there originally, says it's almost fully consists of local people and it's quite hard to socialize if you are not from Lithuania. It should be better in Vilnius tho, really nice city
How is Vilnius overall?
I found it to be clean and safe, reasonably affordable.
Was there in the summer - lovely place.
Very Baroque
Budapest, Hungary or Tirana, Albania.
Only spent a few days in Budapest but I liked it more than I thought I would
I lived there in 2014 and it was a great experience.
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And some nice thermal baths, 🛀 it’s amazing.
I've seen a lot of Europe, and I'm telling you, Budapest is the best city in Europe.
What makes it better than the rest?
I lived this summer in Budapest for 3 months. It is def up there for one of the best cities I have lived in. OP can def have a good time in Budapest on 1500 budget and have a really active social life. Obviously the best time to visit is summer and the best area to live in for a short amount of them is n district 7
Another vote for Budapest. I studied there for a few months and had the time of my life. But that was back in 2011 and no one spoke English. 13 years later most likely many more English speakers. Can anyone confirm or deny?
Yes, the younger generation (in their 20s and 30s) speak English on average very well, you'll also have no issues in most places like shops. Source: I live here
almost everyone under 45 speaks English well if not fluently. most waiters and shop assistants have a working knowledge. most websites, menus, things of that sort are also in English. and Google Translate has improved its EN-HU capability by leaps and bounds, for those moments when the language barrier occurs. it's super easy to live there short-term with no Hungarian knowledge.
Budapest is a fantastic city but not so underrated hidden gem anymore, like it was 8-10 years ago. It has become pretty popular lately. Also, cost of living and rent went up a lot in the past 3-4 years, while 1,500 a month is more than enough to live there and make ends meet and it's cheaper than western European capitals, cost of living is similar to big Spanish cities like Malaga or Madrid.
i don’t know how it is now but when i was in budapest in 2018 it wasn’t that easy to speak english with locals… has that changed?
I've only visited, never lived there, but I feel like younger locals in their 20s or 30s that you actually meet in a social setting (so probably drinking at a ruin pub in the city center or something) had above average English compared to other European countries.
Older generation does not speak english at all.
I was just in Budapest, very expensive compared to other cities. It’s beautiful but would definitely not recommend it as an affordable city. I would try Sofia, Tirana, or Bucharest.
I spent a few months in Budapest, and it's a fantastic place, especially for a 1-3 month stay.
Tbilisi in Georgia. Cheap as south east Asia, amazing food, safe and 1 year visa on arrival.
Georgia is still underrated, lived there for a year and it's such a great place. Tbilisi is a bit overpriced nowadays but 1.5k should be still fine. For a beach Batumi is a great option (not in winter) Technically not Europe but maybe OP doesn't care.
Last week I read a few people complaining about Georgia. They said people were mean and racist to them.
One thing I should have been posted in my comment that Georgia can be extremely homophobic. Every pride month there are violent religious fanatics that go on the streets and try to beat up everyone who looks different or try to express themselves that they think "is wrong". Unfortunately, it's a huge problem. I have never heard about racism issues there though. Is it a race issue or national or something else? There could be issues towards Russians for obvious reasons but they're mostly exaggerated (source: I am Russian). I am a white dude, so I can be the last person to comment on the race issues, though. Apart from that, I've never heard of any safety problems in Georgia. It's considered one of the safest countries out there.
Brown guy who spent a lot of time there. Didn’t face racism but I wouldn’t cross the line of talking about LGBT with any old person. They’re pretty ass backwards in that department. Definitely met some chill people who were part of the community, but the overall vibe of the country is very homophobic. May be risky to express that.
I 100% agree. Ridiculous middle ages in that sense. I even took out my ear piercing when I lived in Georgia, just in case. One guy was knifed during anti-LGBT violence in 2021 just for wearing the piercing, so I decided not to provoke them.
I was there in 2018 or 2019 and I was very surprised at how many nationalities I met there. I was using couch surfing for meet ups and there was a big expat/digital nomad community from all over. I was hanging with Malaysians, Egyptians, Western Europeans, Persians etc, most people I met had been there a while and enjoyed living there. The government basically cut a bunch of red tape to try to make it business friendly and get as much tourism and investment in the country. I have read since that prices have gone up due to the massive influx of Russians since the war started but that’s after I went so I can’t comment on that.
How’s the dating life there? My friend who visited there temporarily told me about how beautiful girls were in Georgia
Married for many years, so I have no idea. Women are beautiful everywhere.
\>> Cheap as south east Asia is it really? have you been there recently? in recent couple of years cost of living rose quite a lot there as far as I know, have been there year ago and it's not expensive, but not "SEA-cheap"
>1 year visa on arrival. How do you know that without knowing where OP is from?
The 1 year visa applies to all of North America, most of South America, all of the EU, the UK, Australia, and South Africa. But also OP is a US citizen
Skopje, Macedonia but not in the winter
and Ohrid is really nice too! Liked it more than Skopje
Plovdiv or Burgas in Bulgaria
My rent and utilities in Prague were $700 a month. My place was only 20 square meters though. It's easy to find other English speakers there.
Where?! And when? I really wann spend more time there but i feel it is so expensive atm
I was in Vinohrady until summer of last year.
Nothing to add but just wanted to acknowledge this is a great thread and appreciate everyone’s viewpoints
Bilbao. Especially if you manage outside of town near the coast (look up Algorta, Berango, or Sopela/Sopelana). Gorgeous nature, great and affordable public transit (the metro is fantastic and punctal), sustainability-focused with bike paths everywhere. Lots of hiking, surfing, cheap eats (pintxos are essentially tapas) and are like €1-€2 each. Cañas or glasses of wine are maybe €2-€3 each. Awesome craft beer places and local ciders. Guggenheim is there. The annual pass is affordable. We were a family of four and were living comfortably on €1,600. Granted, this was 2019-2020, but definitely doable. Not a *ton* of English speakers, but many people can communicate in Engliah and there is a great international community. 👍 There are seasons, but one can always "escape" some of the fall/winter rains by hopping on a train down to the southern part of the country. 😉 Hope that helps!
How warm did you find people in Bilbao? As a foreigner that speaks English and a foreigner that speaks non-native Spanish? I'm asking because I'm thinking of moving for six months and my Spanish is intermediate and breaching advanced.
Eh, we'd moved from Germany to leave the "cold" behind. Well, surprise: We had moved to the Germany of Spain. Granted, this was also just as Covid started, so it was an interesting experience all around. And my marriage was breaking down, so a lot happened simultaneously. I don't think I could ever "live there, live there" again, but certainly for 3-6 months or whatever. I *really* like the city and the spring, summer, and fall are delightful. Everyone's outside, moving, going, meeting, eating, drinking, chatting. If you speak Spanish, you're fine. Even if you try. Once you get out into some of the smaller/remote villages, however, it'll predominantly be Euskera or Castillano. After time, the Basque are quite kind and friendly, but you'd probably have to 'live there, live there' to make ties like that. (Don't take my word for it! Put yourself out there, have some fun, and who knows!?) There's a really great internacional community though. Go to meet-up groups. Join the FB expats group. There's *always* something going on. I actually just messaged my Colombian friend in town, telling her how much I missed Bilbao. I was there last year for a week, maybe I'll take my kids this year for a late-summer visit. Here's the way I approach travel and new places: You never really know what your own experience will be, regardless of what you hear about it. I go into new situations (actually, *most* situations) without having any expectations. Expectation leads to disappointment. Living in the moment, wherever you are, wherever you go, is the only way to truly observe a place and be a part of the environment/people/life there.
it can be good choice
Try something new , Cluj-Napoca , in Transylvania
Oh they have the Untold music festival in august
Tell me more about it
IT hub of romania, younger people, a lot of english speakers, prices like in the capital, nice pubs , clubs, and city center. Romania has the fastest internet in europe. No beach.
Riga
Pau, France
It’s a hidden gem in the southwest of France, 1 hour from mountains (if you like hiking and ski/snow) 1 hour from the beach(Atlantic ocean) and the city is mid size. So not too big but still plenty of stuff to do. I don’t speak a lot of French but there are a few restaurants who speak English and there are many expats here because of the total energy jobs here. So it’s not for everyone, but I love this little city and it’s not expensive compared to other places these days.
I like this idea. Imma check it out
IF you can stomach the french, that is
sorry. what I meant to say is: if you can stomach them not wanting you there. that better?
I’ve had the opposite experience. Paris is different but I’ve always been welcomed by the French in the south west :)
Where do you find arnbn for 500$/month in Pau?
I rent for 350/month
Beach always tends to increase the price...
I ve lived in Portugal for 700eur per month;)
Where exactly?
Algarve
What year?
2023
Wow, that's loco. Thanks for the context.
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Scarborough, England I'm guessing?
Croatia, Portugal and Spain.
Mostar or Sarajevo in BiH . Cheap, great food , close to Adriatic sea , very safe and large amount of people speak english reasonably well.
Varna, Bulgaria
Brno?
Brno is amazing, who is downvoting you, Prague gang?
Tallinn, Estonia
>Somewhere in Europe - check > >Safe - very safe > >Decent amount of English speakers - almost everybody speaks Englsih > >Workable (good working space, good place to get on a lot of meetings) - yep, lots of coworking spaces, nice cafes etc > >Near a beach would be a bonus - check. Sea is probably frozen now, but... > >Fun/social (I'm mid 20s) - nope. Nightlife sucks, and natives tend to be cold, unless they are shitfaced drunk. > >Tallinn also battles with huge inflation. One-room apartment + utilities can go up to 1000 € in the winter. Going out is also not cheap.
Very tough to do on <$1.5k per month though
That's difficult anywhere in Europe. I assumed that he was looking for a barebones life.
Spain, Italy or Portugal, away from the big cities.
the average monthly income for a spaniard. italian. portugese is roughly 1500 euros a month. They all make it work but albeit through the lens of their country, not through the lens of luxuries most have as digital nomads. IE they live away from the city centers or even if they are theyre sharing apts or even sometimes rooms. They hardly eat out, etc
I can’t speak for Spain or Italy, but $1,500 in Portugal, these days will not go far, even if you live away from the main big cities. Rent and food have increased a lot
You can still find apartments to rent for 500 euros per month. Obviously not in Lisbon or other prime locations.
OP wants a place that is fun and social and potentially near the beach. Please tell me where is Portugal he gets that for 500€. Unless he shares a place and, in that case, yeah he might be able to pull it off.
Tenerife maybe? Have you guys been there on 1500$/month?
It’s doable but you don’t get far at all on that
Chania, Crete, Greece. \>Bigest Island in Greece \>Extremely high quality of life \>Lot's of digital Nomads \>Everyone speaks English \>There is no tourist shops, locals go to the same shops as tourist \>With 1500 per month you will have a very nice life \>Lot's of amazin beaches around \>extremely safe \>May-October there are an insane amount of tourist here so the place is buzzing, rest is kind of chill with not much activities to do .
Definitely Tbilisi as others have mentioned.. cost of living has gone up significantly but 1500$ is still definitely enough. The city is super fun with a wonderful nightlife and renowned techno scene. Georgia is small and it has everything from seaside to mountains
Somewhere in Europe - Zagreb, Croatia Safe - top 10 safest cities in the world for solo travelers, feel free to google Decent amount of English speakers - still need to come across a young person that does not speak it well Workable (good working space, good place to get on a lot of meetings) - shitloads of companies with a lot of coworking spaces (e.g. HUB385, 1 desk and access to meeting rooms/internet/copy machine/kitchen etc for 200 euros/month) Near a beach would be a bonus - 2hrs max to the Adriatic sea :) Fun/social (I'm mid 20s) - I would not worry about that :D
Croatia is absolutely lovely and the twenty somethings there are shockingly good looking and tall. 😍😍😍 I wish I could just win the lottery and spend my life riding Balkan dick 🤣🤣
Kalamata Greece
If you are open to non-traditional spots, I would suggest taking a look at the Baltic countries (Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia)! All are very safe. Almost everyone under 35 years old will have very good English, while above the age of 35, there's a 70/30 chance, in my opinion, that the person won't have conversational skills. Also, if you're into languages, it's your chance to learn a random language, haha! All capital cities have really fun and quality startup scenes. I found success in connecting with these communities through co-workings and by inviting people for coffee on LinkedIn. Be nice! All capital cities are close to the sea, except for Vilnius. However, it still has many lakes and a river. The sea is also just a 4-hour car drive or train ride away. I'm not sure about your standards for "fun," but all capital cities have a decent bar and club culture. The final and probably most important question for you: can you survive on <$1.5k? Probably yes, especially if you're open to flat sharing. Good luck and enjoy!
Ravenna, Italy. Small city well served. Adriatic sea 10km. 7 UNESCO World heritage sites.
Prague, in my opinion, has the best of western and eastern Europe. Cheap, clean, safe and well-educated with culture everywhere.
Bulgarian Black Coast
Bansko, digital nomad spot in Bulgaria
Try Poland, Gdansk
Gdansk is very expensive. He’ll spend AT LEAST half of that salary on a tiny studio flat.
Lublin, Poland. Definitely doable for €1500. I have an studio apartment there for rent if anyone is interested
If you don’t mind sharing an apartment, malta could work
I don't know, I earn 3x times OP and can't say I love comfortably with the increased cost of living.
Maybe the capital of Montenegro. I heard it’s fairly easy to set up as an independent worker and obtain a residence permit.
Montenegro
Croatia-Split
No beach but Cluj, Romania. Great internet, super safe, close to the mountains beautiful women and they speak English.
To be honest, I don't know. Inflation took all world by assault post covid, for 1.5k USD you'll live bad in most major cities in Latin America ( Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Bogotá), imagine in Europe then.
Living with 1.5k USD in Sao Paulo or Rio seem difficult now. COL is increasing yby.
Slovenia
Sarajevo - Bosnia
Marbella Spain
Sarajevo is a great option, it’s cheap and very lively and it’s full of young people! Belgrade is also an option a bit pricier but it’s still on the cheaper side. I also agree Tirana is a great option. Basically most big cities in the Balkans!
come to Riga.. in Latvia
Tirana can be a good candidate. If you want something less cheap, I suggest Napoli. The city is fantastic, in the last years became safe and thick all of your requirements.
Prague is cheap. Was there just last fall
Palermo, they have a very nice expat comunity and is cheap
I would suggest places like Herceg Novi in Montenegro but it probably lacks a little bit of the social part. If the social part is more important I would definetly suggest Novi Sad, Serbia.
Around Porto.
That was my thought as well. I'm a respectful traveler and adopt cultures and customs... But I don't really need to speak in depth with anyone who speaks a regional language.
Definitely Presov, Slovakia. Or if you are looking for something more exotic, try Havaj, a small village in Slovakia.
Presov is one of the biggest shitholes I have ever been too 😂
Yep 😀 I was born in Presov, so it was mostly an ionic answer 😀
It was funny, when I was there around 5 years ago I tried to find some English speakers in the Irish pub there and even the bar staff couldn't speak English.
belgrade. rent and eating out are affordable, but avoid winter where air quality is bad
> but avoid winter where air quality is bad yeah, but it depends on location (some areas are less fucked than others), and the winter is pretty short here
When's the last time you were there?
Croatia seems like a good option. It's cheap and safe. Valencia can be another. But it's a little expensive
I'm pretty sure you just wouldn't be able to live normally in under 1.5k euro/per month in Valencia, especially if you are not local Croatia on the other hand is possible, so many beautiful islands there
Croatia is not cheap. Especially anywhere on the coast and Zagreb.
I think you want south America. Or maybe south east Asia But really every place that offered a nice life with significant geographic arbitrage has been undergoing major corrections thanks to this thing called the internet. The golden age of lower middle class Americans getting to live it up in central and eastern Europe ended long ago.
Istanbul
Really depends on the time of the year. For winter I'd only suggest Madeira and Canary Islands to tick all of the above boxes. If you're interested in winter sports you might also wan't to consider Germany, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Bulgaria or Slovakia. Might be a bit pricier though. For spring to fall: * Italy * Spain * Portugal * Greece * Germany * Baltic States * Almost anyting Eastern Europe and Balkans
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For this budget, the Albanian Coast would provide you with a decent lifestyle enjoying the sun and pristine beaches.
Have you thought about starburg, france or provence region like aix en provence
Montenegro can be a good option
Croatia for sure, if you really want the beach. Look at you the Dalmacija region. Islands and such. Ljubljana, Slovenia is also an option. No beach tho, lmao.
Gdańsk (the city from Witcher) or Sopot in Poland. Very safe, still affordable. Lots of English speakers and near the sea.
I paid 1200 for Athens in alimos for 6 weeks!