For $1200 per month Thailand is a good option though... probably safer too if you act normal

That is the thing people here aren't grasping, normal for you or me is not normal life for a Thai.

Tell us more about China! :thumbsup

dont forget puta money in the budget

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do you mean hainan? if so ive been to haikou and sanya there. It was ok but i wouldn't wanna live there. Haikou has a nice vibe but the beaches were all under construction (about a year ago). Sanya has nice beaches but the city is very small. After being in sanya for a week or so it started to feel a bit claustrophobic.

Will definitely need the bug spray.

Play your cards right and one can retire in the U.S. on $1200 per month. I can do it but I normally spend an average of around $1500-$2000 per month. I own everything I have outright and have zero debt.

Who in their right mind would consider retiring if you are only making $1200 USD a month? Get off your ass and make sure you are consistently making AT LEAST $10,000 a month before retiring.

Just my 2¢ worth.

I pay 1500 at my group home free meals snacks and warm beds and it suits me right...

Yup. Haikou is shit though. If the international airport and bullet train didn't go there, I'd never have to pass through. Fuck I hate that city. And yeah, if you don't like living amongst 8 million people in Sanya, then it's definitely not for you lollol.

One other thing I forgot to mention with rentals here, they come fully equipped. TV(cctv & cable), Kitchen, Bedroom, pots/pans/kitchen sink, Internet, phone and so on. All included in the rental price, our apt, pics as follows is 76sqm.

http://www.xtcal.com/gfy/1.JPG
Lounge/dining room & number 2 bedroom with sliding door.

http://www.xtcal.com/gfy/2.JPG
Kitchen, door into bathroom/toilet & door into main bedroom

http://www.xtcal.com/gfy/3.JPG
Main bedroom. Behind yellow blink is balcony with water front views.
All bedrooms have air con and internet/phone/power points.

http://www.xtcal.com/gfy/4.JPG
Plenty of shelving in main bedroom.

http://www.xtcal.com/gfy/5.JPG
Bathroom wash hands room. To the left is western toilet and shower behind sliding glass door.

This property was 2500RMB or $395USD per month. My wife tells me today we could of got it even cheaper for around 2000RMB pm, if we had signed the rental contract in the off-peak tourist season. Live and learn. :Oh crap

it does look a little like $395 ;)

but i lived in worse places - lol

8 million in sanya? Didnt look that way at all judging by the kinda small city center. But maybe 8 mill in the whole area i guess, but even that i find hard to believe. Doesnt matter though, as long as you enjoy living there :thumbsup

The idea of retiring somewhere on X,XXX / Mo has always been a flawed idea as it assumes that nothing will change economically in the area over a long period of time (i.e. rent goes up dramatically, food costs go up dramatically, medicine goes up etc)... and if you're in a position where you've retired with nothing but 1,200.00 a month and ANTYHING changes that's not to your benefit (exchange rates or prices or bank with your money going tits up etc), then you're totally fucked.

Sanya city central has a lot less I agree with you. But then there is the outer suburbs which also belong to Sanya, that bumps up the numbers. Dadonghai, Lanhai, Yalong Wan, the ethnic minority areas and so on. :thumbsup

:2 cents:

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Well, to illustrate,

I'm pretty sure the costs of living here in Czech Republic (energies, rent, basic utilities, gas, grocery bill) nearly doubled as compared to 2001 or so.

There are several causes -

- constant increase in taxing of the consumption
- cartel on the telecomunication market
- cartel on the energies market,
- most expensive banking system in Europe
- currency rate of CZK / EUR often lowers the income for anybody relying on export

etc.

that of course brings also:

- constant increase in the rental prices
- constant increase in the price for one's grocery bill

etc. etc.

Not to mention that things like electronics or designer clothing are usually 30 - 100 pct. more expensive as compared to Western Europe

During the same time, the wages went up maybe 40 pct. (without taking into account inflation) and pensions practically won't pay for the food on your table, unless shared in a couple, or you live in your own property or, in the local case, more likely in a subsided place that you rent (the old model from before 1989 still applies).

Most expensive things and the major cost from the limited income most people have here are the basic costs of living.

Brazilian favela ...

i was in Panama recently and were there also 5 years ago.
things have changed quite a bit, everyone in Panama City have a brand new car, traffic was worse than ever..
Ocean front is built up, very expensive ocean view apartments of which many were un-occupied (but since the buildings are financed with laundry money, they dont care..)
Fast food is popular, McDonald delivers on a moped.
Locals are becoming westernized and are demanding better lifestyle.
Average income is up, not unreasonable to make $1k - $2k per month and many jobs pay much more.
Everybody has at least 2 smartphones.
Generally I would say long term Panama is not the place to consider retirement on a limited budget.

Fucking cheap. I pay 1k / mo for 1/3 quality of this.

Yeah, that's what I was getting at. In 92, people could have been saying "Prague is the most awesome place to retire ever!" and in 10 years, things changed dramatically. Same across Eastern Europe. Of course an economy, currency etc are highly dynamic and ever changing and these conversations ignore those facts. Unless someone is only planning to live a few more years, I think the idea itself is highly flawed as you're well aware :)

UUmmmm are we talking about just housing here because certainly you can't live in any of those countries with $1200USD including bills/food/etc... you would be living in poverty.
Especially if you changed the USD into Euros or GBP :2 cents::2 cents:

Panama is totally different from CR or Nic. You could live very nicely outside of Panama city for that, in a decent place, and have a decent, modest life. Also it's generally cleaner and much less crime.



.:2 cents:

:1orglaugh:1orglaugh:1orglaugh There's another person that knows...



.:thumbsup

If that were true in Panama, then you would not be granted a Pensionado visa by the government simply by proving you have a pension worth at least $1,200 per month. At the $1,200 per month level the Panamanian government is ACTIVELY trying to get people to move there. The Pensionado Visa program includes all kinds of incentives to move to Panama, including breaks on healthcare, power bill, etc... I have been going to Panama about 8 times a year for years now, have lots of friends there, and will probably move there in the next couple of years. Obviously, I won't be going there with only $1,200 per month, but the point is that your post is incorrect. .



.:2 cents::)



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New Castle, PA
35 miles north of Pittsburgh, PA

You can get a VERY nice house in "the country" for $60-$80K

1200/mo is poverty in the US. I mean, that is just dirt poor

Assuming you have a place to live for free, heating, electricity, a car, fuel, and some money for food.

It really depends on what standard of living you want to enjoy. $1200 a month here wouldn't be enough for someone who is used to living on more than $10,000 a month while working.

It would be fine for someone whose standard of living was around $2,500 in the US.

Most successful people when they reach retirement own their own house, children are gone, no debts of consequence. So take what you earn now and remove all those debts, then translate the living cost to the country you want to live in.

There's no way we could live on $1,200 here in Czech and we have no debts, own our house, car and no debts. One 10 year old to bring up and her and the dog have to steal food from dustbins. :1orglaugh

you could live easily in California in most cities for 1200 a month, just have to not be wasteful and you could do fine, standard of living would be fine

unlimited cell phone 40 a month
high speed internet 50 a month
ok studio apartment 500 a month
bicycle for transportation year round no snow, be healthier for it too
cook your own food you can eat great on 10 a day, food is cheap and fresh
if you are into junk food all the fast food places have dollar menus you could probably get fat on 10 a day eating out

:2 cents:

i'm sorry, but i'm 28 yrs old and can live with that money there (passive income...) without any problems..... probably my standards can go up if i will be 60 yrs old though ;-)

and btw. 1 eur = 1,27 $ today and it's getting lower :)

I agree !

I live in Changping on and off and love it in Chinkland !

:thumbsup

Mmmm, Did someone say Import/Export biz LOL?

Absolutely spot on.

There are students coming here to live and work, just for the experience. They know they will go home and soon fit in with the other people doing the same, many teach English. They can and do live on $1,200 a month. 21,000 CZK.

Rent is the biggest bill, then food, then heating, utilities etc. It's all fun and games and great when you're 18 to 25.

Would I want to do it at 60?

NO FUCKING WAY

Because as people are saying, the moment you want something more than the bear essentials, you need money. I would still be working if all we had was $1,200 a month to live on.

The upside of that is I would be here kissing ass. :1orglaugh

I could live in the UK on 1200USD easily as a single guy so its possible imo.

looks like everyone that post forget the word GOOD before Living.
:2 cents:

I love how some places advertise how cheap they are, but forget to mention quality. Equador advertises you can eat out for $8. A&W here regularly advertises a meal deal with coupon for 2 teen burgers, 2 fried and 2 drinks for $10...

They say a taxi ride costs about $2 (doubt it, gas ain't cheap anywhere, maybe $2 for a bike taxi but I doubt that too unless it's a very short ride) but buses here are $2.50 to anywhere in the city

they advertise you can get a 60 min massage for $25. I can get untrained people here easily for $25 a hour to give me a massage, the min wage is $10/hour
http://internationalliving.com/

maybe Canada is a third world country now.........na, our dollar is worth more than the American dollar.

The amazing thing about this thread is the number of people who know how to live cheaply.

:1orglaugh Are you fucking serious? What about haircuts, medicine, etc. You are FUCKED IN THE ASS in California on 1200/mo. A $500 studio apartment with no electric bill will be a trailer park where you can get robbed or worse daily. You have no clue what you are talking about.

haircuts = $10 a month at a supercuts place
example gated community with amenities $525 a month http://www.forrent.com/apartment-com...le/1022411.php

medicine is a tough one anywhere if you get sick with no insurance, but if you can treat yourself over the counter you can get most stuff for dirt cheap at walmart. if you need a doctor there are walk in clinics that will charge you $60 for a visit

such a life would require discipline and not wasting money on things like $5 lattes and $30 haircuts, but the point is that it was entirely possible to live on that in California if you really wanted to :2 cents: