OP - there are plenty of more affordable places to live here in the US.

I'd start there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
European here. Ah, here come the "I can live abroad so easily" threads.

No. You can't.

Your list tells me you haven't thought ANYTHING through. That sort of mentality doesn't bode well for living abroad, especially if you're not even going to bother to learn the language, and if, to you, the places you listed are interchangeable. The ignorance and entitlement are MIND-BOGGLING.

This! ˆˆˆ

This +100....another European here who actually has dual citizenship along with DH...but our two working kids with significant others/live/work here in the US. DH and I always discussed never wanting to retire in our EU country....too far away from kids/future grandkids.

Even having foreign citizenship I would not consider a full move abroad. My elderly mother also has dual citizenship and while agrees it's crazy times...still does not say anything about moving back to her home country -- and she could...she has a house and citizenship...but she'd be living all alone with both her children and grandchildren here in the US.

Another thing...there is a huge housing crisis in many European countries -- too many foreigners coming in and making rents go sky high. We have properties in said European country and I'd honestly rather charge lower rent to actual citizens of the country than get what I could from a foreigner (sometimes double what I could).

On the bright side....my elderly mother was actually thinking of selling her home....maybe we can get a lot more money for it from some crazy American who is desperate to move abroad.

Anonymous wrote:You guys are so freaking pedantic.

OP is a grown up and can figure out how to brush his teeth without tap water.

And the three countries he named are actually pretty easy to emigrate to, relatively speaking.

+1

OP only asked for ideas and everyone is jumping down his throat like he’s already packed their bags and is ready to plunge his family into the abyss.

I assume he’s asking for ideas in order to then narrow down and do the research. Maybe he then changes his mind.

You do realise do this all the time.

OP, would time difference be important if your wife is able to work remotely?

I was really expecting this post to be like, “tell me about Iowa..”

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You guys are so freaking pedantic.

OP is a grown up and can figure out how to brush his teeth without tap water.

And the three countries he named are actually pretty easy to emigrate to, relatively speaking.

Actually, OP's post reflects cluelessness. I expect she doesn't know about drinking water issues in the 3rd world. Or much of anything else, given the post.

Posts like this reflect not only appalling ignorance, but a hysterical personality type and an inability to cope rationally with uncertainty.

Since when is Portugal or Panama third world?

Can you not read?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You guys are so freaking pedantic.

OP is a grown up and can figure out how to brush his teeth without tap water.

And the three countries he named are actually pretty easy to emigrate to, relatively speaking.

Actually, OP's post reflects cluelessness. I expect she doesn't know about drinking water issues in the 3rd world. Or much of anything else, given the post.

Posts like this reflect not only appalling ignorance, but a hysterical personality type and an inability to cope rationally with uncertainty.

Since when is Portugal or Panama third world?

Anonymous wrote:You guys are so freaking pedantic.

OP is a grown up and can figure out how to brush his teeth without tap water.

And the three countries he named are actually pretty easy to emigrate to, relatively speaking.

How about not even having an on-site water supply at all?

My US friend who bought an oceanview plot of land in Costa Rica (from divorcing Americans) lost his access to municipal water. His property's "right" to a municipal water hookup was reallocated to another property in the neighborhood because there was no residence built on his land yet.

He now needs to pay to find a well that can handle the needs of any residence to be built on the property, in order to sell it as a plot that can have a residence. Or he can wait an indefinite length of time on a wait list for municipal water system expansion.

He plans to install a well and sell the plot without building. His assessment of the cost savings and emotional consequences have shifted. Fancy way of saying he decided moving abroad is a dud idea. Health insurance costs/availability were a big issue.

Anonymous wrote:You guys are so freaking pedantic.

OP is a grown up and can figure out how to brush his teeth without tap water.

And the three countries he named are actually pretty easy to emigrate to, relatively speaking.

Not being able to brush your teeth with tap water is reflective of a larger issue and consciousness you have to adapt. You cant drink the water at all- cant boil pasta with it, cant open your mouth while showering, etc. So you have to lug large bottles of water back every time you go to the grocery store, or pay for water delivery. And if you accidentally forget and get some in your mouth, you can easily get really bad food poisoning.

Again, clueless people like you just dont think or consider these things or how it affects your daily reality and overall lifestyle. And yes, not being able to drink out of the tap in the middle of the night because you forgot to grab water at the store that day can really grate on you over time

Anonymous wrote:You guys are so freaking pedantic.

OP is a grown up and can figure out how to brush his teeth without tap water.

And the three countries he named are actually pretty easy to emigrate to, relatively speaking.

Actually, OP's post reflects cluelessness. I expect she doesn't know about drinking water issues in the 3rd world. Or much of anything else, given the post.

Posts like this reflect not only appalling ignorance, but a hysterical personality type and an inability to cope rationally with uncertainty.

You guys are so freaking pedantic.

OP is a grown up and can figure out how to brush his teeth without tap water.

And the three countries he named are actually pretty easy to emigrate to, relatively speaking.

Seriously go to Florida: beautiful state, low cost of living (not Miami), major airports for travel, good public schools, great / affordable public universities and … no state income tax.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
European here. Ah, here come the "I can live abroad so easily" threads.

No. You can't.

Your list tells me you haven't thought ANYTHING through. That sort of mentality doesn't bode well for living abroad, especially if you're not even going to bother to learn the language, and if, to you, the places you listed are interchangeable. The ignorance and entitlement are MIND-BOGGLING.

This! ˆˆˆ

it’s so true. I think a lot of Americans think they can just walk into another country and start living there and it’s simply no big deal. Guess what? You won’t believe me but most other country’s have immigration policies that are actually stricter than ours here in the US.

The other thing with people who just spontaneously leave is that they don't adapt well. Having done no research, sometimes only having been to the country for one or two 1 week visits, not speaking the language and all of a sudden they are confronted with a bureaucracy they don't understand, grocery stores they can't navigate, foods they can't find, repairs that they don't know how to deal with, they get frustrated, hate the place, complain that "this isn't the way we do things in [fill in the state]" and then they leave.

I love living overseas and I will retire overseas. But it is a challenge. If you expect it to be easy and seamless, think again.

Yes also much stricter cultural norms. America is a "melting pot" where immigrants from all kinds of backgrounds are used to living together. If you dont speak perfect English a lot of Americans will shrug it off. If you say the wrong thing or wear a crazy outfit a lot of people will give you a pass. It's hard for Americans to fathom that almost every other country on the planet have much more entrenched cultures and people are not going to shrug it off and smile if you violate those norms. The cultures have been around for thousands of years, and they expect YOU to adopt and will not make a show of how warm and welcoming they can be. If you step out of line they will hold a grudge and you can easily be excluded and never fully let into the social groups, no matter how long youre there

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Generally speaking, cheap places are cheap for a reason. Crime, lack of infrastructure, low productivity, whatever.

I am not saying it’s not worth it, but you need to be fully aware of the trade-offs.

Yeah, I would try it out before packing it all in and relocating. I knew a couple (former fed and spouse) who moved to Guatemala (where the wife was from and they had met). They moved down because they both knew Spanish and the culture and it was warm, and they just were not prepared to deal with the constant security issues and how much more work life was there in a lot of ways. It can be a major adjustment.

They had moved all the way down there and could barely afford to move back.

A lot of people forget that moving to the third world comes with... third world issues. For example, not being able to rinse your mouth out with tap water after brushing your teeth. Having to worry about walking down the sidewalk because you could be electrocuted by a hanging wire (if there even are sidewalks). Bad infrastructure and police corruption. You getting targeted by scammers because youre the visible foreigner and no one cares. Poor food hygiene standards that can get you ill or give you a permanent parasite. These are all standard issues in the developing world and basically unheard of in the United States. Many Americans will have a rude awakening when they move to these places. Even many places in Europe have a "harder" life than in America, with much higher taxes + lower wages, having to take public transit everywhere (sounds great in theory, becomes pretty grating when you have to take a bus to get to the grocery store or go shopping), less friendliness/customer service, etc.

As someone who lives in Europe, I do find this "I'll just move to X country!" discourse pretty funny. It's definitely not impossible, but a pretty rigorous process to get a visa in most of these places. Let alone to get citizenship so you can stay there for life without worrying about constantly going to the immigration office and waiting in line with a bunch of people from Africa and the middle east (which is where most immigrants come from) to speak with someone who doesnt really speak English and beg them to skip over the bureaucratic paperwork and just stamp what you need so you can leave.

LMFAO that you think you’ll just pack up and move to maybe Europe or maybe Central America. Clueless.