We live in central europe. Its way more afforable because: i dont need a car, my home is smaller so have less costs, more normal ro live in apartments than houses (see previous note), health care is affordable and excellent, travel in europe is so much cheaper than in the usa, cost of food in capital city infinitely cheaper than comparable city in usa. It just makes sense. I will never move back.

Anonymous wrote:Here are some under 500k homes in really pretty, exotic compared to DC locations. This may be easier than going abroad. May make more financial and social sense and permit remote work.

https://www.redfin.com/AZ/Tucson/642-E-2nd-St-85705/

https://www.redfin.com/NM/Santa-Fe/1501-Calle-del-Sur-87507

https://www.redfin.com/NY/Rochester/865-Harvard-St-14610/

https://www.redfin.com/WI/Milwaukee/2138-N-Buffum-St-53212/

https://www.redfin.com/WA/Spokane/1420-W-Main-Ave-99201/

https://www.redfin.com/RI/Providence/65-Evergreen-St-02906/unit-2/home/

Sorry. None of the links worked. Anyway my advice is leave DC. If you want to go somewhere that feels different, try Tucson or sante fe or Spokane. Something more similar but cheaper, try Pittsburgh or Milwaukee. Want somewhere really cheap? Rochester NY.

Here are some under 500k homes in really pretty, exotic compared to DC locations. This may be easier than going abroad. May make more financial and social sense and permit remote work.

https://www.redfin.com/AZ/Tucson/642-E-2nd-St-85705/

https://www.redfin.com/NM/Santa-Fe/1501-Calle-del-Sur-87507

https://www.redfin.com/NY/Rochester/865-Harvard-St-14610/

https://www.redfin.com/WI/Milwaukee/2138-N-Buffum-St-53212/

https://www.redfin.com/WA/Spokane/1420-W-Main-Ave-99201/

https://www.redfin.com/RI/Providence/65-Evergreen-St-02906/unit-2/home/

Anonymous wrote:Before trying to move to Europe… romantic idea, likely less fun once you get there… why not try moving to a place in the US that’s less expensive?

Still will have awful health insurance. I just paid $520 last month for something that's supposed to be covered and always previously has been.

The poorest US state (Mississippi) will soon surpass the richest EU country (Germany) in GDP per capita. All other US states are ahead:

https://www.euronews.com/business/2025/01/03/the-poorest-us-state-rivals-germany-gdp-per-capita-in-the-us-and-europe

I've lived in Europe before. There's an old saying: The US is a great place to be rich, and an awful place to be poor. Europe is a great place to be poor, and an awful place to be rich.

Anonymous wrote:Do you live in the DC area. There are plenty of parts of the US that have a much lower cost of living. Albuquerque for example. Or Indianapolis.

Yay. Albuquerque. A city where they have massive problems with hordes of junkies smashing windows to get into cars. The US is a disaster everywhere. Just rapid decline, misery, and fraying of the social contract everywhere. Ughh. The decline is so noticeable in my lifetime. Everywhere in the US has gotten dirtier, more crude, more crass, more violent, and more rundown. The US is rapidly turning into an entire nation with tailer park culture and mentality. Plus, the worst heslthcare in the world is inescapable even if you move to a lcol area.

Yeah, the more we travel the more we can see how crappy the US has become. Huge and noticeable decline, and the US is far behind so many nations in so many ways. Roads/bridges and other infrastructure are falling part. Trash is often everywhere that the US looks more like a 3rd world country. So many junkies, strungout addicts and homeless everywhere that you simply don't see in countries like Australia, Japan, or South Korea. The worst public transportation. Horrifically exensive rail transit. Terrible performing schools. Terrible public safety and high crime due to all of the guns. Very bad and very expensive food. High rents and mssively overpriced housing. INSANELY overpriced internet and cellular services.

And the grand daddy of them all - Healthcare. What a freak show and a joke in the US.

Yes OP, the more we see of the world, the more we realize the American dream is a sham. The US is dystopian hellhole nightmare in so many ways and so far behind so many other first world countries in many ways. The US is increasingly a really crappy place to live.

Before trying to move to Europe… romantic idea, likely less fun once you get there… why not try moving to a place in the US that’s less expensive?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am hearing of people moving to Portugal. I can't manage to learn any other languages but English, and I'm jewish (and poor), but otherwise I'd leave the US too.

You need $500k invested for five yeras and competency in Portuguese.

If you're Jewish Israel will probably take you and give you a pension.

Yeah, the people I am hearing of plus the guy I know who wants to retire there easily has that much money. I can't speak Hebrew (or learn it) and wilt in the heat. So I am not sure I could do okay in Israel.

Anonymous wrote:Do you live in the DC area. There are plenty of parts of the US that have a much lower cost of living. Albuquerque for example. Or Indianapolis.

but then you're living in Indianapolis.

Do you live in the DC area. There are plenty of parts of the US that have a much lower cost of living. Albuquerque for example. Or Indianapolis.

Anonymous wrote:I am hearing of people moving to Portugal. I can't manage to learn any other languages but English, and I'm jewish (and poor), but otherwise I'd leave the US too.

You need $500k invested for five yeras and competency in Portuguese.

If you're Jewish Israel will probably take you and give you a pension.

I am hearing of people moving to Portugal. I can't manage to learn any other languages but English, and I'm jewish (and poor), but otherwise I'd leave the US too.

Move to Mexico... a lot of it is really nice and cheap.

Has anyone done this recently and where did you go? I’m born and raised here and I am finding the high cost of living and poor quality of living compared to what it cost to be here unbearable at this point.