Cheapest Place To Live?

Hey guys,

I'm in India right now, but my visa runs out soon. Was thinking of moving to somewhere warm for a few months so I can knuckle down and get some work done (I do internet marketing). So I want to find somewhere cheap to live (US$500 a month or under), hopefully on the beach, with a chilled out vibe, and a good reliable internet connection. I've always wanted to learn Spanish so thought this would be a great opportunity, thats why I'm posting in the Central America section... I also posted the same thing on the Mexico, South America, and Caribbean/West Indies board.

Any ideas?

P.S. I love to scuba dive. It's not a deciding factor, but somewhere with good diving would be a plus too

Thanks!

Nomadic wrote:Hey guys,

I'm in India right now, but my visa runs out soon. Was thinking of moving to somewhere warm for a few months so I can knuckle down and get some work done (I do internet marketing). So I want to find somewhere cheap to live (US$500 a month or under), hopefully on the beach, with a chilled out vibe, and a good reliable internet connection. I've always wanted to learn Spanish so thought this would be a great opportunity, thats why I'm posting in the Central America section... I also posted the same thing on the Mexico, South America, and Caribbean/West Indies board.

Any ideas?

P.S. I love to scuba dive. It's not a deciding factor, but somewhere with good diving would be a plus too

Thanks!

You might be able to do that in El Salvador. I'm sure Busman7 will be along shortly and he can provide more info.

The problem is that chill beaches & good internet are hard to come by in the same place, maybe Panama?

busman7 wrote:The problem is that chill beaches & good internet are hard to come by in the same place, maybe Panama?

Hmm....that's a good point. When I was in El Salvador last year at Playa El Tunco, they had been without internet for 9 weeks because someone had stolen a kilometer of cable.

I had some friends renting a place in Kathmandu for $100 a month ($50 each) and they had a pretty nice apartment. And food and expenses on top wasn't outrageous either. So it can be done. But thats not really the kind of place I was thinking of, more beach and sunshine

I'm currently spending $600-$800 a month traveling around India, eating out all the time, doing touristy stuff, etc. So I imagine staying in one place and cooking all my own food I could do it cheaper (if someone can suggest a country with comparable cost of living).

I'm pretty good at doing it cheap when I need to, and I don't need a lot of home comforts to be happy. Even a beach hut somewhere with a toilet, shower, and wireless connection would do. I found the perfect place just like this in Goa actually but the place burnt down a few weeks ago!

Also I was thinking outside of the cities because things get a lot cheaper...

Stumbled accords Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, which looks like a nice place. But not sure of the costs or if they get reliable internet. Anyone know much about it??

Ok so i think I've narrowed down the choice thanks to www.numbeo.com. Its a cost of living comparison site. Two places that caught my attention and looked cheap were Nicaragua and Ecuador. Any advice on these? Or suggestions of good cheap places in these countries?

Honestly, I think your challenge in getting decent input is twofold...1) very few foreigners have attempted to live in the types of places you're interested in 2) those that have have been willing to spend more than $500 a month.

Anyway, just a few general comments. I wouldn't assume that cooking for yourself is cheaper than eating out. For example, in Cuenca Ecuador, I ate at a vegetarian restaurant where they fed me so much food that the only other thing I ate that day was a slice of bread. Cost of the meal was $1.75. Also, when you're cooking for yourself you have the initial start-up costs of buying spices and condiments and containers for leftovers. Plus you end up buying things that you don't use. Or things that spoil before you get a chance to use them. Just something to think about.

The other issue is how long you're planning to stay. It can be a challenge finding landlords that are willing to rent a place for less than 6 or 12 months. I've done it successfully in Mexico, Peru and Colombia but it took some looking and calling around.

Best wishes on whatever you decide!

The main problem with your plan is wanting fast reliable internet away from the cities + cheap accommodation at a beach.

Also as EMH states cooking for one doesn't save any money, my apartment in Bangkok didn't even have a stove, where I live in El Salvador you can get the 'plata de dia' at any comodor for $2.00, 3 tortilas for a quarter.

The hostel down the street is $8 for a dorm. However internet is dial-up speed.

Not saying it can't be done but pretty hard to have your cake & eat it to.

$500/month for rent, or total living expense? You'll have a hard time anywhere in Central America if that's your total budget, particularly if you don't speak Spanish. Guatemala, Nicaragua, and to a lesser degree Honduras are the cheapest countries. Honduras has excellent and cheap diving. If you're a DM, you can often find work on Utila, or at least dive for free. Food is cheap and monotonous. I think that without a long-term visa, you are limited to three months in CA4 countries - Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua.