[Brodiaga]

Another question is do you want to spend all your salary, most of it or maybe invest at least half of it or even more?

If you go to a place like Tokyo or HK you'll probably end up spending most of your income. If you go to a cheaper place (e.g. Ukraine or Mexico), you can live on 1.5-2K and save the rest. It depends on how much money you already have and how many more years you are comfortable working. For example, if you only spend 2K per month, you can save around 3/4 of your salary assuming it is not taxed. I am not a tax professional, but afaik US income tax is 0 on up to 100K and change if (1) it is earned income e.g. salary and (2) it qualifies as foreign earned income and (3) you spend less than a month or so per year in the US, (the year for tax purposes doesn't have to start on January 1, ask a good expat tax accountant for details). I'm also assuming you'll be a tourist in foreign countries so you won't have to pay taxes there either, but that's also worth checking.

If you save 3/4 of your income, for every year you work you'll save for 3 more years of retirement.

[ActaNonVerba]

Eastern Europe is great but it's harsh. Especially if you are coming from the United States it could be a bitter pill to swallow and difficult to get used to. Expect terrible/mediocre weather 6 months per year. Beautiful but difficult girls. When you crack the code (it might never happen, depends on the person you are) you are golden. I don't understand the men automatically praising this part of Europe because it's definitely not a paradise. Yet it has it's charm for several reasons. I always end up missing it and returning when I'm visiting other regions in the world. I feel like a boomerang at times.

Anyway, my 2 cents. Something that might be worth looking into are Mexican (coastal) cities with a population of at least 300k. Good weather year round and you can live like a king with your income. I'd say Emperor in your situation. Even more so compared to Central or Eastern Europe. When it comes to girls you'll find the ones that suit you as there are all kind of girls over there. Visa comes with an automatic 180 days you are allowed to stay and you just have to leave the country for 3 days or so until you can return. Easy.

Good luck with your search. I hope you'll find the place in the world that suits you. You could always move somewhere else after several years. And let us know where you'll end up staying.

[juicebox]

Owing to language skills, I am stuck with the Anglosphere. I only speak English and with that in mind I would pick London. Or some cheaper place in the USA with 500,000~ people.

[Bushido]

Tokyo really isn't that expensive. At 100k a year I'd estimate you would be in the top 5-10% of earners. The average salary in Tokyo is around 40k. I know - quite different from what you thought right?

(01-17-2018 03:23 PM)C-Note Wrote:  

(01-15-2018 01:19 AM)Heart Break Kid Wrote:  

I think it's a little silly to be afraid to move to Tokyo because it is relatively expensive. Let's be real here, most people in Tokyo aren't making near 100k USD. A city like Tokyo is so geographically large yet at the same time still dense, that you do not need the absolute top tier logistics to get good value. You can do 100k in Tokyo, people have done it with much less - you won't live like a king but hey, it's Tokyo.

I just find it strange that the guy makes 100k yet it's heavily suggested he moves to undeveloped cities so he can essentially live the same life style as 30k nomads.


Not saying there is anything wrong with cheap places, but if you make 6 figures you literally have more option to live in a more expensive and modern place.

Ideally, to give an answer of real substance we need the OP to at least narrow it down or ask for what he is looking for in greater detail. Something like RoadTo100 did.

If you aren't working for a Japanese employer who can sponsor you, then the cheaper housing that is available to Japanese won't be as available to you. Landlords in Japan, even in Tokyo, are able to get away with openly discriminating against non-Japanese if they don't have a Japanese person in an official capacity who can vouch for them. The housing which is consciously made available to foreigners, such as having an English Internet presence, by the property owners will often charge a premium price.

1. Personal guarantors aren't accepted anymore even for most Japanese. You have to use a guarantor company to arrange the contract for probably 90% of places. That has nothing to do with your employer, but they will need to see proof of income.
2. Not sure what you mean by "cheaper housing isn't available to foreigners". It definitely is. It's a matter of walking into a real estate agent and asking for the different options! Of course people will shoot for an English language premium to feed off the laziness of foreigners who don't want to do any research. That's just the free market at play.
3. Tokyo owners will almost always rent to foreigners. Way out in the countryside it can be different. In Tokyo you are fine.

[TorontoRocks]

I'd recommend Chicago. And during the deep freeze, take the subway to Midway Airport and board a direct Southwest Airlines flight to Phoenix or Vegas.

[beta_plus]

(01-15-2018 01:19 AM)Heart Break Kid Wrote:  

I think it's a little silly to be afraid to move to Tokyo because it is relatively expensive. Let's be real here, most people in Tokyo aren't making near 100k USD. A city like Tokyo is so geographically large yet at the same time still dense, that you do not need the absolute top tier logistics to get good value. You can do 100k in Tokyo, people have done it with much less - you won't live like a king but hey, it's Tokyo.

I just find it strange that the guy makes 100k yet it's heavily suggested he moves to undeveloped cities so he can essentially live the same life style as 30k nomads.


Not saying there is anything wrong with cheap places, but if you make 6 figures you literally have more option to live in a more expensive and modern place.

Ideally, to give an answer of real substance we need the OP to at least narrow it down or ask for what he is looking for in greater detail. Something like RoadTo100 did.

I live in DC and pay $2100 a month for 1 BR. I saw a video, which I admit that I did not verify, that for a little over 1/2 that I could pay the mortgage on a HOUSE 1/2 hr from downtown Tokyo.

[C-Note]

(01-26-2018 11:07 PM)Bushido Wrote:  

2. Not sure what you mean by "cheaper housing isn't available to foreigners". It definitely is. It's a matter of walking into a real estate agent and asking for the different options! Of course people will shoot for an English language premium to feed off the laziness of foreigners who don't want to do any research. That's just the free market at play.
3. Tokyo owners will almost always rent to foreigners. Way out in the countryside it can be different. In Tokyo you are fine.

That wasn't my experience, but it's been a few years since I was single and living there.

[Dagger20]

(01-14-2018 12:58 PM)treypound Wrote:  

100k in Miami isn't a lot

Not sure if serious.

100k is literally double the median income in Miami.

http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/miamis...st-6549165

[Road_Less_Taken]

(02-12-2018 01:14 PM)Dagger20 Wrote:  

(01-14-2018 12:58 PM)treypound Wrote:  

100k in Miami isn't a lot

Not sure if serious.

100k is literally double the median income in Miami.

http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/miamis...st-6549165

Exactly! 100K is a lot of money for a single guy.

[_Cicero]

Here's a quick guide to where you should go. The most popular places on this forum are below:
1. Eastern Europe. Ukraine, Poland, Moscow, Tallinn, Minsk, Belgrade, Budapest (Ukraine, Poland, or Russia)
2. Latin America. Rio de Janeiro, Medellin, Bogota, Sao Paulo, Peru (Brazil or Colombia)
3. Asia. Thailand, the Phills, China, Japan, Jakarta (surprisingly).

If location independent, I'd probably choose somewhere not fully developed. A capital city in a poorer country. Your money will go further and your relative status will be higher. You can save more money.
If you like white women, and don't mind bad weather, Eastern Europe is for you.
If you don't mind darker women, and want friendlier people and better weather, Latin America is your place.
If you want to be treated like a kind and don't mind Asian women, then Asia.

I like Miami a lot, but you'd spend less money and have more fun in other parts of Latin America. $20 cocktails add up.

[ksbms]

What do you guys think about Berlin?

PROs

- It's a capital of the most powerful EU country.
- huge population of 3.5 million
- Multicultural
- There are many cultural similarities between EU and USA
- Once you're in Schengen Area you can freely travel between EU cities.
- Very safe to live in
- Healthcare standards (I think this is heavily underestimated - you don't want to undergo serious emergency treatment in 2nd tier city in a poor country and live with ramifications of a subpar surgery/treatment)
- Things just work and get fixed quickly if broken
- Big clubbing scene
- Very walkable
- Mild winters
- English widely spoken
- Big Asian contingent (if you're into Asians)
- Excellent, varied cuisine (I was amazed by quality and cheapness of Asian food)
- Excellent transport: S-bahn, U-bahn, Trams, buses, fast train connections between other UE cities
- All Europe short flight away
- Less than 3h by train from Berlin Hauptbahnhof to Poznan Glowny, Poland
- Cheaper to live than Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich and other other big EU capitals

CONs

- Not cheap - 1 bedroom apartment will cost you up to €1k
- German less easy to learn than Spanish but easier than Polish or Russian
- Not as many hot girls as in EE
- Weather can be dull for many months
- Because "Ordnung muss Sein", one can get exasperated of bureaucratic attitude

[Orson]

ksbms - that's an attractive (if not compelling to all) list.

Do you have neighborhood preferences for Berlin? Or have you already listed them elsewhere?

(02-13-2018 11:22 AM)ksbms Wrote:  

What do you guys think about Berlin?

PROs

- It's a capital of the most powerful EU country.
- huge population of 3.5 million
- Multicultural
- There are many cultural similarities between EU and USA
- Once you're in Schengen Area you can freely travel between EU cities.
- Very safe to live in
- Healthcare standards (I think this is heavily underestimated - you don't want to undergo serious emergency treatment in 2nd tier city in a poor country and live with ramifications of a subpar surgery/treatment)
- Things just work and get fixed quickly if broken
- Big clubbing scene
- Very walkable
- Mild winters
- English widely spoken
- Big Asian contingent (if you're into Asians)
- Excellent, varied cuisine (I was amazed by quality and cheapness of Asian food)
- Excellent transport: S-bahn, U-bahn, Trams, buses, fast train connections between other UE cities
- All Europe short flight away
- Less than 3h by train from Berlin Hauptbahnhof to Poznan Glowny, Poland
- Cheaper to live than Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich and other other big EU capitals

CONs

- Not cheap - 1 bedroom apartment will cost you up to €1k
- German less easy to learn than Spanish but easier than Polish or Russian
- Not as many hot girls as in EE
- Weather can be dull for many months
- Because "Ordnung muss Sein", one can get exasperated of bureaucratic attitude

[jasond]

Berlin has some of the ugliest women in all of Europe. You could go days without seeing anything over a 6. I would never voluntarily move there.

[Sidney Crosby]

Isn't Berlin basically one of those cities where chicks TRY to be ugly?

[GyopoPlayboy]

Gonna go the other way on this and say: Don't discount high COL cities just because of the price.

Reasons:

1. The caliber of people you meet in bustling cities is way higher than in, say, the jungles of Chiang Mai. (case in point, I'll be in Thailand and then Italy for the superbike moto races, all at the invite of a new friend i met because we're both members at a hi-end sports club.)

2. Unless you're a digital nomad, big cities are just better in every way for most business owners. Your access to talent is higher and your focus is on setting up efficient and self-automated systems so that you don't have to micromanage. Case in point, I'll be away in Thailand and Italy for months and my business will still be fine.

3. Women are just better quality. Plus they tend to gravitate to cities, especially high COL ones like NYC, HK, or Tokyo. Only so much backpacker poon you can drunkenly find yourself in on the top bunk of a hostel in Hanoi before it makes you feel dirty. Or the weird ones who call themselves mermaids/gypsies/free-spirits looking for spiritual enlightenment while paying thousands of dollars to get a vinyasa yoga teaching certificate from a white guy named Peter in Bali. City girls are just more switched-on.

4. Honestly feel that cheap locations have tons of hidden costs and fees that end up making things more costly in the long run. Like, just to save a few pennies here and there, people will eat streetfood in Bangkok and rave about it, but those MSGs just can't be good for you bro. Spend more, eat clean. I'll spend $20 on a healthy lunch instead of a $5 McD's now. Or when you're working online Hanoi and the power goes out (happens frequently). Little things here and there add up, and they're just not worth the headache for me anymore.

5. Your ROI on getting really involved in and giving back to your specific industry or community in a city is spades higher. Once your develop a name and reputation, people will come seek you out, offer you first shot at a lot of opportunities, and just in general bring higher value your way. Easier to do in cities.

I lived in Tokyo in Akihabara from 2011-12. My neighbors were english teachers and military grunts. Nobody made anywhere near 100k and everybody was still able to go out often and take vacations, so yea...don't take advice from people who don't know what they're talking about. If 100k is more than enough for Tokyo, there's really no place that's off limits to you.

[GyopoPlayboy]

(02-13-2018 11:17 PM)Sidney Crosby Wrote:  

Isn't Berlin basically one of those cities where chicks TRY to be ugly?

Yes.

I've said it here before, but just google Rooney Mara Dragon Tattoo if you want to know Berlin girls.

they TRY to look like her. it truly boggles the mind.

[Kyon]

People here are crazy. You can live in Seoul for 6+ years on a single payment of 100k usd. In big Japanese cities easily for 3-4 years. In Eastern Europe 10+ years.

For 100k a year you can live comfortably anywhere, including Switzerland, Singapore, Hong Kong

[zatara]

(02-13-2018 11:04 PM)jasond Wrote:  

Berlin has some of the ugliest women in all of Europe. You could go days without seeing anything over a 6. I would never voluntarily move there.

Quoted for truth. Its also got probably the worst attitudes amongst women found anywhere in Europe. Its got so, so many feminists with Skrillex haircuts. And terrible weather. And awful architecture. And most of the men are boring sensible Northern Germans, so will be no fun to be friends with.

The only positive I could say for it is its comparatively very cheap - its easily the cheapest major Western European capital city to live in. I'm not sure why ksbms would list the Berlin cost of living as a negative.

[Conquerer7]

Don't get how Berlin being multicultural can be a pro.

[ksbms]

(02-14-2018 08:28 AM)zatara Wrote:  

(02-13-2018 11:04 PM)jasond Wrote:  

Berlin has some of the ugliest women in all of Europe. You could go days without seeing anything over a 6. I would never voluntarily move there.

Quoted for truth. Its also got probably the worst attitudes amongst women found anywhere in Europe. Its got so, so many feminists with Skrillex haircuts. And terrible weather. And awful architecture. And most of the men are boring sensible Northern Germans, so will be no fun to be friends with.

[captain_shane]

(02-14-2018 01:21 AM)GyopoPlayboy Wrote:  

Gonna go the other way on this and say: Don't discount high COL cities just because of the price.

Reasons:

1. The caliber of people you meet in bustling cities is way higher than in, say, the jungles of Chiang Mai. (case in point, I'll be in Thailand and then Italy for the superbike moto races, all at the invite of a new friend i met because we're both members at a hi-end sports club.)

2. Unless you're a digital nomad, big cities are just better in every way for most business owners. Your access to talent is higher and your focus is on setting up efficient and self-automated systems so that you don't have to micromanage. Case in point, I'll be away in Thailand and Italy for months and my business will still be fine.

3. Women are just better quality. Plus they tend to gravitate to cities, especially high COL ones like NYC, HK, or Tokyo. Only so much backpacker poon you can drunkenly find yourself in on the top bunk of a hostel in Hanoi before it makes you feel dirty. Or the weird ones who call themselves mermaids/gypsies/free-spirits looking for spiritual enlightenment while paying thousands of dollars to get a vinyasa yoga teaching certificate from a white guy named Peter in Bali. City girls are just more switched-on.

4. Honestly feel that cheap locations have tons of hidden costs and fees that end up making things more costly in the long run. Like, just to save a few pennies here and there, people will eat streetfood in Bangkok and rave about it, but those MSGs just can't be good for you bro. Spend more, eat clean. I'll spend $20 on a healthy lunch instead of a $5 McD's now. Or when you're working online Hanoi and the power goes out (happens frequently). Little things here and there add up, and they're just not worth the headache for me anymore.

5. Your ROI on getting really involved in and giving back to your specific industry or community in a city is spades higher. Once your develop a name and reputation, people will come seek you out, offer you first shot at a lot of opportunities, and just in general bring higher value your way. Easier to do in cities.

I lived in Tokyo in Akihabara from 2011-12. My neighbors were english teachers and military grunts. Nobody made anywhere near 100k and everybody was still able to go out often and take vacations, so yea...don't take advice from people who don't know what they're talking about. If 100k is more than enough for Tokyo, there's really no place that's off limits to you.

Good post, and it's really got me thinking on my spot. The job I have is a business developer for a real estate team, where I'm getting paid a percentage of each deal that's closed. 100k is a rough estimate for the year or so, and growth should be pretty big so money really shouldn't be a problem. Thanks for the input.

[Sleek2b]

I am surprised to not see France mentionned here. i am ib a similar situation and I am considering it... However you really need French

[Belgrano]

You'd have to pay me 100k per year to even consider moving to Berlin.

[utterbbq]

Have you thought about Barcelona?
Big city with a nice beach too it and cost of living in Barcelona is cheap.
Popular tourist destination on summer and has a big expat community.