Countries with Cheap Rent
 

I'm not sure if this is the right forum but I couldn't find one that's more suitable.

I'm a freelancer that works from home and I'm considering moving to a country with very cheap rent. I've been doing a lot of research and there are articles that say that you can live in mansions for just $90-100 in like Nepal or Combodia. However, I don't see those kind of prices when looking through apartment rentals -- it's way more expensive than that.

Anybody know for sure which countries have very low rental prices but that are still safe to live?

Thanks!

Countries with Cheap Rent
 

Have you ever looked into house sitting? Or do you want a more permanent address?

I'd like to rent an entire apartment or a house and hopefully live there for at least a year, so yeah, more permanent residence is what I'm considering.

It would help if you could give us some extra info:
*How much are you looking to spend on rent and what sort of place do you want.
*What sort of infrastructure do you want or need.
*Have you considered other expenses such as food and things like entertainment, etc, etc

I know a few people living in BKK who "work from home" and their expenses vary widely. Some live very cheaply and they eat Thai and they are not into the nightlife, while others buy western food and products and they go out a lot.

There are a lot of variables to consider before becoming an expat.

Best of luck to you!

I wouldn't imagine there would be comprehensive online letting agencies for the likes of Nepal. If you want to find a cheap house/apartment there then you'd presumably need to either go in person, or (assuming you can communicate with them) find a phone number for a local letting agency over there.

gpf590,

If an entire apartment with hot water rent can be around $100, then that is what I'm looking to spend. I'm really interested in Cambodia because I believe the visa situation there is a lot less complicated than, for example, Nepal.

I don't really care about anything else, as long as it's a safe and livable place where I can get decent internet connection. I'm not too into nightlife and local cuisine (read: cheap) is what I'd love to try anyway.

Thanks!

But yeah, the problem is that I do not speak any of their languages.

Well you live in one of the most expensive parts of one of the most expensive countries in Europe - have you considered a more affordable part of the EU for starters? Much easier to explore, much easier to travel to and from, and no visa issues.

Yes, sure, I'm considering places like Hungary, Bulgaria, Lithuania as they are much cheaper, but these are kind of my last resort choices. Obviously it would a way better experience living in countries like Cambodia, or somewhere warm and/or near water.

You also need to consider the tax laws of your home country and wherever you move. In the USA, you are usually obligated to pay income tax to both countries.

Well no, not exactly: in US, if you make less than $90,000 something and meet bona fide residence requirements you can get tax exemption. I'm sure I can get the same exemption if I live there for over a year, too.

Countries with Cheap Rent
 

You didn't really state what your minimum needs are but, In nha trang Vietnam you can live in nice hotel with air conditioning, mini fridge, wifi and maid service for 300 USA dollars per month. Apartment of course cheaper. In philippines, you can rent room for 100 USA dollar per month but you have to share bathroom.

Countries with Cheap Rent
 

I met a guy living in Chiangmai Thailand who said he could rent a house for about $300 a month. Saw lots of signs offering monthly rentals for about that amount in long stay hotels
as well.

Everywhere can be cheap and everywhere can be expensive. Depends on your lifestyle.

I'm not sure I agree with that, but thanks a lot for the tip on that place. I'll definitely check it out! ^

Countries with Cheap Rent
 

You can also consider Kuala lumpur. Friends of my wife run baking studios in semi-d houses which rentals go at myr1200 (. Apartments can be found for myr250 (usd75). At least communication, it infrastructure etc is very stable - compared to Cambodia for example.

There is an apartment complex about 1km towards the river from the Liberation Monument in Phnom Penh. In 2004, rates were about $1000/mo. This is because it has hot water, security, internet and is built to a Western standard. If you want something "local" you can get much cheaper, but you may not want to live there. We looked at these in Cambodia. Very nice place to live but more expensive than where we were living in Nevada and Prague.

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.

You can rent basic apartments on a yearly basis in Indonesia, for $30 a month. Shared bath, nothing exciting, however.

You can also rent houses for about $100 per month. I saw a fairly decent one (3 bedroom, I think) for about that outside of Bandung. Just outside the city limits, up in the hills a bit, so weatherwise pretty nice. You would have to mess with some sort of stay permit, and often the internet can be a bit dodgy.

Georgia, outside of Tbilisi. Vicinities of Batumi probably would be the best.

Advantages:

- visa free for 1 year, no need to do visa runs
- apartment would be around $200/mo
- you can travel around country via local minibuses really cheap (like $10 for 400km)
- crime almost non-existent towards foreigners
- internet is via mobile 3G (around $30/mo for 8GB), electricity/water is ok, however from time to time shutdowns happens
- Turkey is close and you can get to EU via Turkey/bus as well
- food, especially bought at markets is quite cheap.

disadvantages:
- language: you need to pick up elementary Georgian to deal with your landlord, ask for directions, buy something, etc
- you can't live completely into isolation: locals are very curious, friendly and hospitable people (especially outside of major cities), they will try to talk to you, invite you to have party/drink with them, thus language comes into play
- you might get attention (locals stare) just because you are different. If you want to avoid attention, try to blend in - dress like locals, again, pick up some language

Hope this helps.