I don't recommend Cambodia or Nepal as they are absolute dumps. Sure one can rough it there but why bother? You can live in Bangkok quite cheaply and you will have access to way more civilisation. There are also some very cheap apartments to be had in places like Hainan (China), Malaysia and some parts of the US.

Thanks.

What places in the US do you consider having 'cheap rent'?

Plenty of others to consider in the EU like Spain, Portugal, Greece, Croatia, etc...But have you even been to any of the places you mentioned?

Looks like Oklahoma and Tennessee are the cheapest. The average income there is 30,000$

Many of these places require a visa, have maximum stay requirement, and if even possible, may require visa runs which increases cost.

You can find cheap apartments in most of the southern states, especially outside the major cities. In fact the US is quite cheap if you stay out of the major cities and "desirable" areas.

Ukraine is also very cheap if you can get a local to find a flat for you (they inflate the prices for foreigners). 100-200$ is quite realistic in most Ukrainian cities (not Kiev).

Try a trailer in a place like Fairview, OK when the price of oil is down. As an alternative, Christmas Valley, OR might be an alternative.

I'd imagine it's difficult for someone working freelance from home to get a visa to spend any significant amount of time in the US.

When I lived in southern Taiwan, rent was about 200 USD per month (this was 7 years ago).

Currently living in eastern China, in a 3rd tier city, rent is about 350 USD per month.

You can always find cheap places to live in any country, better question you need to ask is what is absolutely essential for you to have. In China, the GFW is such a pain that if you have to depend on a fast internet connection, China would have to be removed from the list of possibilities.

You say in your thread, cheap rent is most important. What about electricity? air conditioning? medical facilities? Is refrigeration important? What about crime?

My friend lives in a interior 3rd tier city in China, rent is 150 USD for the year. He gets a whole house. 3 floors, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. However that city provides very little comforts for a Westerner. House is freezing cold during the winter, freaking hot in the summer. You need to bicycle 15 minutes to get to the nearest store. One positive - natural hot stone bath 5 minutes away. That was his one criteria.

How about Argentina or Colombia?

I was in your exact situation. I could work from home, so looked for cheap rent, and countries with lax visa policies (as I won't be working there, just living...)

The two I tried were:

China (3BR apartment in Hangzhou ran me $600/mo which was quite high, and having a car the cost of living was not cheap. But enjoyed my time.

Indonesia was were I moved to next, with rent being around $180/mo for a 4BR house a few KM outside of Jakarta. The 30-day visa was kind of annoying, having to fly to Singapore and back just to reset it.

My only advice to you, is to be careful about the unexpected. In China it was the filtered internet, and in Indonesia, it was the complete lack of fun/the heat/and the unreliable infrastructure.

Good luck!

I live in Cambodia 1km from the beach in Sihanoukville. Here $200/m will get you a decent 1brm w/AC. 1 yr visas are easy & $300. 2 biggest minuses are bad healthcare & power outages. The power is a lot better now, but you still need a joint with a generator.

Yeah, that's the place I've read about. How's the internet there though? And is it safe? Thanks a lot for responding!

Lack of fun? Do you mean because you chose to live in the 'burbs?

Mine's slow, but free. OK at night. Still able to torrent. It's pretty safe. Burglaries & stolen motorbikes. Get a place with a security guard , lock your bike (or buy a tall dirt-bike), & you'll have no problems. Get a Cambodian Driver's License right away. The police tend to pull over every white (or black) face.