Moving Out of the Country – Cost of Living

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One of the most compelling reasons to move out of the Western world is to save massive amounts of cash by living in a new country where the quality of life is comparable to your home country, but where the cost of living is radically lower.

-By Caleb Jones

We Westerners often forget, or don’t realize, that the US, Canada, Western Europe, and Australia are some of the most expensive places on Earth to live. By the way, this is true even if you don’t count the high tax rates in those countries. When I say “cost of living,” I mean strictly that, your average monthly costs for things like housing, food, entertainment, transportation, healthcare and lifestyle, irrelevant of taxes. Taxes is an entirely different conversation (though the West is the highest taxed area to live in too, and yet another reason to get the hell out).
One of my favorite websites is Expatistan.com, where you can find all kinds of very cool cost of living calculators. You can input your home city, input any other city on Earth, and get a detailed comparison on just about every typical expense you can think of.
If you’re curious, here are the 10 most expensive cities in the world based on its datasets:
Zurich
Geneva
New York
San Francisco
Washington DC
London
Basel
Hong Kong
Lausanne

Nine out of ten are in the West. Yup. (And why the hell is Switzerland so expensive? Jesus you guys!)
It also has a good cost of living world map displayed at the top of this article, but you can use the interactive version here. As you can see, the cheapest places to live are, well, everywhere other than the West, including South America, Central America, Mexico, Russia, Africa, India, and some parts of SE Asia.

Eastern Europe is also very cheap, though as I’ve explained before, that’s still part of the West and thus headed for a socialist suicide. If you’re a younger guy (as in under the age of 35) and want to live in Eastern Europe for a few years to bang some hot babes, then go for it. But if you want to permanently move there to plant your final flag, you’re either delusional or need to do some more research. I live in Washington State, but the closest major city to my home is Portland, Oregon. Using that for my basis, I compared the overall cost of living to the five cities on my short list of places to move to in 2025. Here are the figures:
Overall Cost of Living Change As Compared to Portland, Oregon
Hong Kong: +27%
Montevideo: -21%
Santiago: -34%
Buenos Aires: -45%
Asunción: -49%
Asunción, Paraguay looks to be the cheapest, but there was a warning on the site saying that this was based on sparse data (unlike the other cities which had a complete dataset). Asunción would be the most third world option in my top five cities, and I’m not sure I’d be happy living there 8-9 months a year. (On the other hand, if I traveled a lot, which I would, perhaps I’d like the peaceful break when I was home. Not sure. It’s a difficult decision.)

As expected, my beloved Hong Kong is ridiculously expensive, being one of the most expensive cities on Earth. I don’t live extravagantly but I’m still sure to take some kind of hit if I lived there permanently. Montevideo, Uruguay is also surprisingly expensive compared to the other southern South American cities I’m looking at, and it also has the highest crime rate (including murder rate) of these cities, by far. The more information I uncover, the less attractive Montevideo looks to me.
That leaves Santiago and Buenos Aires. Both very attractive, though I keep leaning more towards Buenos Aires. I haven’t made any decisions yet, since over the next few years I’m going to spend a lot of time in both cities.

One important note about your cost of living. Outside of debt, your average, projected monthly cost of living is going to rely mostly on one thing: your family and relationship situation. If you’re married with two kids (or plan on getting married and having kids later in life), your cost of living, obviously, is going to be way higher than if you’re a single guy. But even you non-dads need to be careful. If you have no kids but have a wife, or even a serious or live-in girlfriend, again, your cost of living is going to be higher, at least a little bit. And no, it doesn’t matter if she has a job or her own income. Unless you’re dating a rich sugar momma who’s 20 years older than you, a female companion (wife, girlfriend, OLTR, whatever) costs money. Just trust me on this. (And the more money you make, the more likely this will be true.)

So if you plan on moving out of the country several years down the road like I do, you’ll need to guess if you’ll be in a pair-bonded relationship and/or if you’ll have kids at that time (or shortly after), and adjust the numbers accordingly. The odds are very high that I will have some kind of girlfriend/OLTR in 2025, so I’m budgeting accordingly. (You’ll also have to plan out international logistics like a 2nd passport for her.)
Take a good look at Expatistan.com and play around with it. It will offer hours of nerdy fun, as will other cost of living calculators.
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Thailand This is a country that is very friendly to foreigners and to businesses as well. It’s also a very easy place to date — guys kill it with Thai women. They’re very sex-positive. It’s inexpensive, although not like it used to be. But if you’re looking for someplace with a lower cost of living, you can live on the beach in Thailand for very little money. So economically, Thailand is great because it’s so cheap, and it’s great for women because frankly, it’s Thailand. Disadvantages: Bangkok is pretty shitty and the cost of living there is rising. A lot of people don’t like Bangkok, and it’s really not my type of place. It can also get humid there; something to consider if that bothers you. It’s definitely a hooker culture, so if you hate that, Bangkok isn’t the place for you. But you could live outside the city and do just fine. Thailand is a very, very good place to live for an Alpha Male 2.0. Economically speaking, it will not grow as quickly as other countries in Southeast Asia because Thailand has already experienced a lot of its growth already. It’s still a growth country, it’s just not skyrocketing economically like Vietnam.

Argentina I’ve mentioned Argentina many times on my blogs. It’s a crazy-but-super-fun place. But if you’re an Alpha Male 2.0, you have a location independent outcome and you’re making money from outside Argentina. I certainly would — I wouldn’t rely on income from inside Argentina with their shitty currency. But with income from outside the country, you could take advantage of their much lower cost of living. Buenos Aires is an amazing city. It’s a huge New York-size city, and the women are cute (thought not amazing). Argentina is a great place. Again, it’s a little insane, so if you’re younger (under 35 or so), it’s awesome. It’s almost got an old European vibe to it. Also, if you live there for a while, you can possibly get an Argentinian passport, too. Win.

Georgia For you Americans, I’m not talking about the state of Georgia — I’m talking about the country Georgia, the former Soviet republic. It’s in this strange little part of the world where it’s not quite Europe; it’s so far east of Europe that I don’t consider it a European country, but that’s a grey area. I wouldn’t move to anywhere in Europe. Eastern Europe won’t go down as hard as Western Europe; that’s a big topic for another time, but yes, Europe is on its way down. Georgia is one of the few former Soviet republics that is doing most things correctly. They’re embracing capitalism and opening themselves up to trade, free markets, and low taxes, and it’s a pro-business environment. It’s a really good place to base your international business. The crime rates are also the among the lowest in the entire world; Tbilisi is sometimes rated as the world's safest city. Disadvantages: The capital city, Tbilisi, is a very small town. If you’re looking for a giant, bustling city, Tbilisi may not do it for you. Also, one criterion I have for possibly moving to a particular country is that it shouldn’t border a place that’s prone to war and armed conflict. It’s sad, but Georgia borders a country called Russia, which is run by a dictator who likes to invade other countries. I don’t necessarily think Russia will invade Georgia, I’m just giving you the facts I have. Georgia is awesome for an Alpha Male 2.0, especially if you want to stay near Europe or have a quasi-European lifestyle.

Panama Panama is my favorite Central American country by far. It’s like a little Hong Kong in the middle of Central America. Panama City is fun, and the women are very hot and nice. Panama borders Colombia; you can basically drive between the two at your leisure, so a lot of Colombian women spend time in Panama. If Colombia is a little too rough for you, or if you have a higher income and like a nicer environment, Panama City is the best of all worlds. It’s a very pro-American place; one of the reasons there’s so much prosperity is that there’s a lot of American money down there. They have a very strong economy, and they’re friendly to foreigners. On the downside, it gets a little hot and humid, but not too bad. The women aren’t quite as hot as they are in many South American countries — but they’re still hot. Panama is a great place for women, dating, and business. It’s almost a miniature version of Colombia. It’s not going to see crazy growth like Colombia, because like Hong Kong, it’s already arrived. But it will do just fine. I love Panama. Highly recommended.

Cambodia Cambodia is one of the rougher, more Third World countries in Southeast Asia, but like Vietnam, its economic growth is going to skyrocket, and it’s actually already begun. Similar to Vietnam, Cambodia is doing all the right things to facilitate this growth, but it’s starting at a lower point than Vietnam did, so the growth it sees could even exceed Vietnam’s. These are just predictions, but I think Cambodia is going to do extremely well. We talk about finding the next Singapore or Hong Kong, and Vietnam is probably it, but Cambodia could be right behind it. It’s a little rougher so you’re going to be roughing it a little bit, like living in Paraguay. So if you like everything nice and perfect and clean, Cambodia might not be the place for you. But if you want to get in on the ground floor of a rapidly economically exploding country, this is it. There are only a few countries I can think of whose growth will rival that of Cambodia. I’m going to be doing a lot of business there in the next few years. In terms of women, I can’t really speak to that where Cambodia is concerned. I’ve dated one Cambodian woman, but she lived in the U.S. and it was many years ago. I don’t know a lot about the dating situation there, but I think if it were bad, I would have heard about it. Overall, Cambodia is awesome, especially if your priority is business and money.

Cambodia Cambodia is one of the rougher, more Third World countries in Southeast Asia, but like Vietnam, its economic growth is going to skyrocket, and it’s actually already begun. Similar to Vietnam, Cambodia is doing all the right things to facilitate this growth, but it’s starting at a lower point than Vietnam did, so the growth it sees could even exceed Vietnam’s. These are just predictions, but I think Cambodia is going to do extremely well. We talk about finding the next Singapore or Hong Kong, and Vietnam is probably it, but Cambodia could be right behind it. It’s a little rougher so you’re going to be roughing it a little bit, like living in Paraguay. So if you like everything nice and perfect and clean, Cambodia might not be the place for you. But if you want to get in on the ground floor of a rapidly economically exploding country, this is it. There are only a few countries I can think of whose growth will rival that of Cambodia. I’m going to be doing a lot of business there in the next few years. In terms of women, I can’t really speak to that where Cambodia is concerned. I’ve dated one Cambodian woman, but she lived in the U.S. and it was many years ago. I don’t know a lot about the dating situation there, but I think if it were bad, I would have heard about it. Overall, Cambodia is awesome, especially if your priority is business and money.

Chile Chile is one of the more capitalist, even-keeled countries in South America. I don’t expect it to grow amazingly like Colombia, but it’s still a great place. I think Chile’s growth was a little better 10 to 15 years ago, so that probably would have been the time to move there. But it’s still a very, very good place for an Alpha Male 2.0. I’ve heard very good things about the women down there. I’ve never been to Chile myself; it’s one of the few places in South America I’ve never visited. But I know enough about it to strongly recommend people look into it, spend some time there, and see if they like it. In terms of big-picture issues for the Alpha Male 2.0 — the location independent entrepreneur who is non-monogamous — Chile is a damn good place.

The Philippines This one is good for you guys who want to do this on the cheap and want to get laid a lot even though you have no game. It’s the best country in the world for Western beta males to get laid. These women are the horniest women on the planet Earth — and I say that as a compliment. Downsides to the Philippines include lots of humidity, if that bothers you. It’s a little rough around the edges down there. Filipina women are really fun, they’re great to be around, they’re very horny and sex-positive, but they can be quite emotional. You might experience a little more drama with Filipina women. It’s a very Hispanic-type culture where everyone pair bonds, but then cheats like mad dogs. There’s a very large gay community down there, and a lot of women complain they can’t find guys to hook up with, which is good for us. And it’s a super cheap place to live. You can seriously build your own house on the beach outside of Manila for around $12,000 USD. The Philippines is a great place for guys who are much younger OR guys who are much older. I know some old bastards guys who are over 65 who are widowed or divorced, and they go to the Philippines and find a woman to marry who’s around age 35 (or younger!) and and still young-looking. I’ve seen it work. So you guys who don’t have a lot of money but want to have sex with women who like Western men? Go to the Philippines! Great place for certain types of Alpha Males 2.0.

Malaysia Specifically, Kuala Lumpur, which is almost a baby Singapore. It’s a fancy, cool town. Malaysia is a Muslim country, but it is the mildest Muslim country in the whole world, I believe, even more so than Indonesia. It’s not a place where you really feel it. I know a lot of high- and mid-income guys who live in Kuala Lumpur and really like it. In terms of women, I don’t have a lot of information on that. But again, if there was a big problem with Malaysian women, I would’ve heard about it by now, because guys love to complain to me when things aren’t right. So I would say if your priority was business, Malaysia would be a good place for you. If your priority was women, perhaps skip Malaysia and go someplace like Thailand, the Philippines, or Colombia. Downsides to Malaysia include the heat and humidity. Kuala Lumpur is a few hours away from Singapore by train, so it’s a very hot, humid part of the world. I almost moved to Malaysia. I was that close. That’s how good Malaysia is, especially for you guys who are location independent business owners or want a higher-quality lifestyle somewhere that’s more First World than Third World but is still very cheap (cheaper than Bangkok!). I have never heard of anyone spending significant time there and disliking it — never.

Conclusion I just gave you 11 countries that are really good for the Alpha Male 2.0 to move to. They’re not all perfect for everyone. Your choice will depend on your age, your income, your taste in women, and where you are in life. If your reaction to this is, “I don’t like ANY of those countries! They’re all bad!!!” then congratulations, you just proved my point. You’re full of shit and making excuses. You don’t want to take action, you just want to complain and stay put in your collapsing country. Stupid. Once COVID is over (we’ve got a few more months, I’m sure), find a country you're interested in and take at least a week to visit the place — two or three weeks is better if you can pull it off. Get to know the people. Learn the area. Learn the economics. Date some women there if you can. If you hate it, go visit another country. You might be surprised. It’s a lot easier than you might think for an English-speaker. I don’t speak any other languages, and I do just fine. No more excuses. I just gave you 11 countries — the next step is up to you.
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