Best country to live in if you had an average UK wage

[not-bono-ever]

CAmbodia has recently introduced an E-Z retirement visa project to attract the hordes of North Americans who are looking to eke out their lives somewhere warmer and cheaper and to tempt the septics from their current Costa Rica & Panama destinations. Cambodia would be great on £25K a year, but it is on the edge in terms of safety and has a particularly squalid expat community. And internet is iffy. Maybe Thailand but not as cheap as it was

 

[The39thStep]

You'd get by on 25k a year in Portugal quite happily if you stayed out of Lisbon and the tourist areas and it's cheap to nip back to England. Internet is a bit hit and miss though although I was delighted when a bloke from MEO rang the doorbell on Friday to tell me that fibre optic was now in our area and did I want to sign up.

 

[Casually Red]

Surrounded by nonces , landmines, nonces, Khmer rouge , nonces and Mosquitos. No thanks .

Eta

That's Cambodia .

 

[gentlegreen]

There's a nice American woman around my age on OKCupid who was trying to persuade me to consider South America.
My money would go a long way there..

Instead I've chosen France which is at least as expensive as the UK.

 

[Orang Utan]

Rice, chicken, beans. I'm sold

ah, but is there cheese and house music?

 

[The39thStep]

CAmbodia has recently introduced an E-Z retirement visa project to attract the hordes of North Americans who are looking to eke out their lives somewhere warmer and cheaper and to temp the septice from their current Costa Rica & Panama destinations. Cambodia would be great on £25K a year, but it is on the edge in terms of safety and has a particularly squalid expat comminity. And internet is iffy. Maybe Thailand but not as cheap as it was

Of all the places in all the world Thailand probably has less appeal than anywhere else. Just about every misfit who can't hold down a relationship where I live in England holidays there

 

[Orang Utan]

Friend of mine seems to be having a lovely life in Guatamala

 

[two sheds]

and Mosquitos. No thanks .

good call

 

[shakespearegirl]

I

So are the Sinaloa cartel and the corrupt cops. No thanks .

The 1.5 million American and Canadian expats don't seem to have a huge problem with them... then again 1 million Americans does lessen the attraction

 

[two sheds]

I


The 1.5 million American and Canadian expats don't seem to have a huge problem with them... then again 1 million Americans does lessen the attraction

and the .5 million canadians?


[i like canadians :hugs:]

 

[Casually Red]

I


The 1.5 million American and Canadian expats don't seem to have a huge problem with them... then again 1 million Americans does lessen the attraction

The Mexicans need to build a HUUGE wall to keep them out .

 

[shakespearegirl]

and the .5 million canadians?


[i like canadians :hugs:]

Canadians are fine!

I'm in Mexico at the moment and there are far fewer Americans than I thought there would be. We sat next to a family of them at dinner last night and I wanted to punch them after 10 minutes

 

[shakespearegirl]

The Mexicans need to build a HUUGE wall to keep them out .

And make Trump pay for it

 

[Casually Red]

Your life quality has fuck all to do with cash.

Honestly.

Yeah..you'll have just a good a time living under a bush, eating out of bins and not being able to afford a new set of shoes or take a lady out for a meal . Like Charlie fucking Chaplin .

 

[Stanley Edwards]

Yeah..you'll have just a good a time living under a bush, eating out of bins and not being able to afford a new set of shoes or take a lady out for a meal . Like Charlie fucking Chaplin .

I think we're talking about 25K a year here.

 

[redsquirrel]

You'd get by on 25k a year in Portugal quite happily if you stayed out of Lisbon and the tourist areas and it's cheap to nip back to England. Internet is a bit hit and miss though although I was delighted when a bloke from MEO rang the doorbell on Friday to tell me that fibre optic was now in our area and did I want to sign up.

Did you get to spend Xmas there in the end?

I hope things are improving.

 

[ice-is-forming]

Tbh 25k p/a goes a long way in queensland too. Especially for a single person. I recently, just out of curiosity, did up a living in the UK budget to compare with my living in queensland budget. I had to redo the sums because I couldn't believe that I'm almost four times better off here financially!

 

[shakespearegirl]

Tbh 25k p/a goes a long way in queensland too. Especially for a single person. I recently, just out of curiosity, did up a living in the UK budget to compare with my living in queensland budget. I had to redo the sums because I couldn't believe that I'm almost four times better off here financially!

Really? We went to scout NSW/QLD as a (very early) potential part retirement option in July and I was shocked at how expensive it was

 

[ice-is-forming]

Really? We went to scout NSW/QLD as a (very early) potential part retirement option in July and I was shocked at how expensive it was

I suppose it depends on what you're looking for and how much money you have? I posted this on the lonely post thread in June.

If I was to move back to England, say Medway, I'd be much poorer financially than i am now. I've moved back three times before and not, at any of those times, had this even occurred to me. I never even considered it. Perhaps back then it wasn't so different? Maybe I just had other things on my mind and didn't notice

But looking today,just for the hell of it I discovered this..

Weekly here i take home $1200 and after rent of $240 have $960 left p/w

Weekly in England I'd take home GB 400 and after rent of GB200 have GB200 left p/w

Add in the two kids who live at home still with benefits of $530 a week that's another GB 275 p/w coming into the house! And my carers allowance of GB30 p/w

those three benefits would be GB122 p/w in England (from using Turn2us benefit calculator)

so all up we are getting GB481 more a week here than we would be if we lived in the uk. Thats $921 more a week in aus coin. Thats ridiculous!

I'm fucking gobsmacked

And you know what? i'm only on level 4 of a wage award that goes up to a level 8. So I'm actually a very average earner. Not wealthy by Aus standards at all.

I'm also really bad at maths so... But I think I'm actually bloody right!!!

speechless!

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

I'm with Stan here, no finer country in terms of all round everything than Spain.

Other places are nice, Grenada springs to mind, but to visit, not to live your actual life. Espana por favor.

 

[Yossarian]

I'd be tempted by Vietnam - either Saigon or somewhere in the Delta. Taiwan would also be tempting if there was any hope of a visa for a work-at-home type, maybe not the cheapest place out there but certainly much cheaper than the UK, especially for expenses like rent and food, and no worries about Internet speed.

 

[Cosmic]

I'm with Stan here, no finer country in terms of all round everything than Spain.

+1 for Spain. Our main property is in Spain and I consider it my home and I love it on the Costa Del Sol. It's not perfect, but I don't think anywhere in the world is. In the summer it can get too hot for some, and you get a few pockets of really miserable coldish rainy weeks in the winter, but on the whole the weather is FANTASTIC. There aren't any animals that can kill you like snakes and spiders. There are mossies around but not excessive.

Negatives?
1. Not as "green". You notice the difference when flying back to the UK how green it is. South of spain looks a bit more browny and scrubby in comparison.
2. The build quality of the houses are not that great. This is a bit of a generalisation perhaps, however I found that a lot of the houses can be too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter.

There are probably more negatives that I can come up with but on the whole for me it's a great place to live.

 

[The39thStep]

Did you get to spend Xmas there in the end?

I hope things are improving.

Yes thanks and New Year , going back for the 10th to see the consultant and find out what next .

 

[redsquirrel]

Yes thanks and New Year , going back for the 10th to see the consultant and find out what next .

Cool, I'm glad you got your wish, and fingers crossed for the future.

 

[Maharani]

Krinci Indonesia. My work will take me there next year. A bountiful and beautiful place of natural beauty. Lots of cinnamon trees and mountains oh and sea.

 

[Maharani]

Rice, chicken, beans. I'm sold

Think the foods a bit meh but I still would.

 

[Maharani]

Beautiful, relaxed and very friendly (so I am told by Ecuadorians who chose to leave and come to Spain).

There isn't really a better option than Spain.

They eat guinea pigs there don't they?

 

[Maharani]

You could live quite decently in Berlin for 25 grand, no problem . Your rent and disposable income ..for a single person..would be pleasant enough .

Too many miserable hipsters there

 

[Maharani]

Cornwall's nice

V expensive

 

[Casually Red]

Too many miserable hipsters there

You're right, it's coming down with them .