Where in the world can you live cheaply and enjoy life? Let's find out! I have compiled a selection of seven great places to live abroad by the warm sea for very little money. I visited all the places myself and honestly talk about the pros and cons of each.
On duty and at the behest of my heart, I travel a lot around the world. My life's mission is to find heaven beyond earth. What are my criteria, you ask? For me, these are places with a healthy climate, stunning nature, friendly people, interesting culture, delicious food and a pleasant atmosphere. And if in these places you can also live cheaply, then this is definitely just a fairy tale! In fact, there are many such glorious places in the world, and I have already visited many. Let me tell you where you can live inexpensively abroad and feel like in paradise.
Thailand
Mecca for Russian climate refugees and downshifters of all sorts. To exchange gray everyday life and cold weather for a comfortable and pleasant life in sunny Asia is the dream of many. I myself once left my beloved Petersburg for the healthy climate and sun of Southeast Asia.
Good climate, sea, smiling people, high level of comfort and low prices make Thai a paradise. True, it is no longer as cheap as it was 7-10 years ago, but you can still live here inexpensively. Earlier, Muscovites and Petersburgers rented out their apartments and lived happily ever after in Thailand with this money. After the depreciation of the ruble in 2014, this money will no longer be enough, because for a comfortable life by the sea in Thailand, you need about $ 1000 for two a month.
How much money do you need. A modest apartment or house by the sea for two or three people will require $ 300-400 per month. For $ 600-700, you can rent cooler options with a stylish renovation. We spend about $ 300 a month for food for two: our diet contains a lot of fruits and inexpensive food from cafes for locals. I advise you to search and rent accommodation for a week, a month or more on Airbnb - there are thousands of options with real reviews, photos and convenient filters for finding the best accommodation.
Florish Island
Where else can you live cheaply abroad? Oddly enough, even in Europe there are such places. My main discovery last year was the Azores, which belong to Portugal. This place is not only beautiful, but also quite inexpensive for living and recreation.
Azores are paradise! And Florish Island, the westernmost in the archipelago, especially. Just imagine: a tiny piece of land in the middle of the endless waters of the Atlantic, so far from the mainland, from civilization, noise, vanity and everything perishable. There you will find harmony, idyll, tranquility and beauty. The island is very green, mountainous and picturesque. Unmatched waterfalls, unique flora and excellent trekking await you. You need to come here when you want to escape from everything vain, in order to be alone with yourself, nature and those closest to you. Everything else will remain somewhere very, very far away.
I spent three wonderful days with my friends on Florish Island, and the most striking event was the night in our house on the seashore under the onslaught of Hurricane Lorenzo. Impressions for a lifetime! We also spent another six days on another Azores island - San Miguel.
How much money do you need. Portugal is an inexpensive country by the standards of Europe, and vacationing in the Azores can be even cheaper than on the continent. 8-12 € is enough for you for a delicious and hearty lunch in a restaurant or a buffet, for 2-3 € you will buy a bottle of good wine, and for 10-15 € - excellent. Not bad, huh? You can rent a whole house or a stylish multi-room apartment for 3-5 people for 60-70 € per day. And for 600-800 € per month you can rent a house with stunning ocean views.
My film about the Azores... I invite you to watch my short video film about our adventures on Florish Island during the invasion of Hurricane Lorenzo. Natural beauty and the riot of the elements are included. The film turned out to be calm, almost meditative.
Bali
The Indonesian island of Bali is the second most popular branch of paradise on Earth after Thailand. Millions of people come here to rest, hundreds of thousands stay here to live. Despite its wild popularity, it is still a fairly cheap place to live and relax. At least the price-performance ratio is very good here.
I have already been to Indonesia before, but I was wary of going to Bali for a long time. I knew that the island was fabulous and unique, but was turned off by the excessive number of tourists who had colonized the island long ago. Gathering my courage, I still went and, fortunately, did not regret it. In order not to fall into tourist hell, we did not even bother to meddle in beach resorts, but settled in Ubud. There are also countless tourists, but they are more adequate than the contingent in the south.
In Bali, we managed to live in apartments, and in a cozy quiet hotel, and in a private villa. We rode a bike all over the island, mainly in the mountains. We ate magical durians and other fruits, and in general there is excellent food. Balinese culture is very original and interesting, their passion for art and an inextinguishable desire to surround themselves with beauty lead to a real aesthetic delight. I have not yet met peoples who honor their traditions so much. If all people did the same, the world would be a hundred times more beautiful. The only disappointing thing is the abundance of tourists, the noise from traffic, traffic jams and the tourist mafia's thirst to cash in on visitors.
How much money do you need. For a month of living in Bali, we spent $ 1,500 for two, of which about $ 750 was spent on housing and $ 470 on food. If you come for a long time and rent housing for several months at once, it will be cheaper. Find out more in our Bali Cost of Living and Vacation Report.
At first it seems like $ 1,500 is a lot, but let's think about it. We lived in apartments and in a private villa with its own pool, every day we ate tasty and hearty food in cafes and restaurants, overeat tropical fruits, rode a scooter and admired the beautiful nature, lived among beautiful temples and in the company of pleasant smiling people. And all this buzz cost us 1,700 rubles a day per person. Is this a lot for a life in paradise?
Anton Ptushkin tried to tell in his small film why people go crazy in Bali and go to live there. Take a look.
Vietnam
Our first country in Asia and one of the most beloved! If you want to really cheaply live abroad by the sea and eat exotic fruits and seafood every single day, choose Vietnam. It is cheaper here than in Thailand or Bali, and there is also a very convenient visa policy - you can get a visa for 3 months easily and almost free of charge.
How much money do you need. We have been to Vietnam many times and have lived in total for about six months. Usually, for a month of comfortable life, $ 1000 for two is enough for us.
Sri Lanka
Stunning nature, wonderful people, there are mountains and beaches, but the most important treasure of Ceylon is the animal world. You can go on a safari to one of the national parks, you can watch whales, or you can not go anywhere - animals live side by side with people: primates of different species, iguanas, birds will surround you all the time. The coolest place on the island is the mountain village of Ella: there is a wonderful climate, not as hot as the sea, very green, beautiful mountains and many routes for pleasant walks in nature. Read my report on how I found paradise in Sri Lanka.
However, there are also disadvantages. In Sri Lanka, I did not like the food - there is no strong national cuisine, there are few cafes for locals, and you need to look for delicious food.
How much money do you need. We spent exactly a month in Sri Lanka, but did not sit still at all and traveled a lot. We traveled almost the entire island and went on safari twice, but even despite this, the costs were low - about $ 1300 for two. And if you live quietly in one place, it will be cheaper.
Philippines
The Philippines is another heavenly country where you can live cheaply.Prices are about the same as in Thailand, but there are fewer tourists and even more charming places. We visited Manila, the islands of Cebu, Bohol and Bantayan - the latter is especially interesting for those who want to live away from civilization in a paradise and inexpensive place. There are 8000 more islands for every taste, so there is plenty to choose from.
How much money do you need. For a month of life and travel, we spent about $ 1000-1100 for two. In those days, we tightened the belt tighter: we lived modestly, ate simply, but we visited many places and had a great time. With $ 1,500, you will feel very comfortable.
On my list of heavenly and inexpensive countries, the Maldives is pretty shaky. And the point is not only in the high cost of recreation on these islands, but also in the fact that in fact the Maldives is a paradise at a stretch. However, many people believe that this is where the real Eden is and that the entrance fee is extremely high. I can dispute both statements.
I'll start with the good! White Maldivian beaches and azure ocean are very beautiful! The underwater world of the islands is even more impressive, and best of all, you don't need to be a millionaire or a professional diver to see this beauty. It is enough to come to any island where the locals live, put on a mask with a snorkel and dive into the water. You will see corals, fish of all shapes and colors, moray eels, turtles and sharks. I met all these wonderful comrades while snorkeling, but swimming two meters from a real shark and watching her hunt is just beyond fantasy. This amazing experience is definitely worth a trip to the Maldives!
Now about the sad things. Despite all this beauty, the Maldives have a lot of disadvantages. The tiny flat coral islands are unrealistically boring, the prices are wild, the food is just disgusting, and the locals are not very friendly and pleasant. It's worth going here for a few days at least once, but living here permanently is God forbid everyone!
How much money do you need. Well, as far as prices are concerned, you can relax in the Maldives quite cheaply. For example, in 10 days we spent as much there as in Crimea in two weeks: $ 700 for two. Everything is included in the budget, except for air tickets: hotels, food, transport, household expenses. Of course, it is more expensive than living in Thailand or Bali, but still it is not thousands of dollars, with which a vacation on these islands is usually associated. Read on for my tips on how to get a cheap trip to the Maldives.
