1K a month IS cheap lol. you can do it for less though, i've done it for months at a time, i know many others who live it long term. cheap as hell. and i've traveled all over, i know what i'm talking about. my strata fees alone for my home in whis are over 1K a month lol. tourism whistler fees are another grand a year. property taxes are over 5K a year. food prices are double what they are in Vancouver, so unless you want to drive for 2.5 hours each way to hit a wal-mart, you pay a hell of a lot more. the big joke here is: ohhh, beer special, only 10 dollars a pint haha.

contrast that with Costa Rica. you can buy a huge gated home with a pool and 24 hour security in C.R. for 200K or less. not my bag of tea, but it's true.

i have friends on a remote island in Thailand that i've spent lots of time with (Koh Lipe). they built their bar for 5K. and live in a nice little villa for jack shit.

anyway, blah blah blah. sorry for the long response :glugglug

$5,000 a month is a decent income. $10,000 a month is a nice income.

I am going to say anything over $10K a month, but in urban areas that may not buy you much.

i don't need much - the most money besides rent, food and health insurance i actually spend on car repairs. maybe i should sell my old cars and get one new one instead - lol

I'd say 5k a month is reasonable to live the lifestyle I like. That covers all expenses and leaves some extra saving/spending money. It really does depend on where you live though.

Costa Rica has gone up a lot in the last few years, and their real estate market has not yet crashed like the USA but it will next year.

You definitely get more bang for buck here than in North America, but I haven't seen a huge gated home with pool for only $200k in a while :winkwink:

It does beg the question though, what is "decent". There are many happy people here making $400/mo. They don't need a big ass tv or nice car, they are happy with 3 square meals a day and plenty of sunshine.

I'm always tempted to just fuck off and live in a hut on the beach :1orglaugh I could retire today if that was my goal.

some one posted one here for around 250K last month, albeit central location, not on the beach. and yup, nothing wrong with a hut on the beach. at least some of the year ;)

The real question is... why isn't 12clicks posting in this thread and calling everyone rabble and making comments about looking up noses at betters (whatever that means)?

in reality, a decent income is one that buys you all the neccesities you need to survive and afford to have a roof over your head/food on your table. In some locations, that can be $1,000 a month (detroit, anyone? :D ). In order locations, that can mean $4,000 a month (vancouver, la, new york, etc etc)

Of course if you're a consumer whore (and who isnt these days), then the more, the better :thumbsup

lol... are you aware that there is a world outside your country?

Those are not normal expenses. If you are blowing 4k every month on the dentist you have some above average problems. Same with the doctors. Most don't even see them monthly. Basic bills are more like
-mortgage
-car payment
-utilities
-insurance car/health
-gas
-food

I think those are the regular ones, things you have to pay every month.

Depends highly in which country, which city, which part of the city and on what you consider 'living'. To some a hut on the beach and a bike floats their boat while others want a 10,000 sq. ft. waterfront mansion with a fleet of cars.

A more suitable question would be what is the minimum monthly net income that you would find acceptable for your absolute base needs lifestyle in the place where you live.

Car insurance does NOT cost the same anywhere in the country. Just here in Minneapolis, car insurance is more expensive by hundreds a year than the suburbs. People in Wisconsin pay half of what I pay for insurance. Insurance in NYC would be a lot more expensive.

rural dentists are also a lot cheaper than in the metro area.

I'd have to say 1500+ a month is decent income, which is what I voted.

My income far exceeds what I live off of. I am single...and own every thing I have. I do not have any payments other than property taxes...hosting payments...home owners insurance...truck insurance...health insurance (even though I have health care through the VA for free)...cable and internet service...no phone bill as I use Magic Jack...electric bill...water bill...and garbage bill. I buy what I want to buy...when I want to buy...and pay cash. I usually do not spend any more than $2000.00 per month. I have more money in investments than I will ever use in my lifetime. I am not into accumulating material things just for the sake of having material things...or into spending money just for the sake of spending money. I live as comfortably as I want to live and if it were not for my health I would be a happy person.

I am entertaining the thought of buying another motor home and making a trip to Alaska next summer...but this will depend upon my health at that time.

quiet is right, you can live under $600 , in a decent 1 bedroom place, good food, good women, good beaches asia is secure, its not the comptons.

depending on how far you are along the path to millionaire status.

if you are not a millionaire , making $30-50k a month is absolute essential to become one.
If you are one, making 5k,10k,20k is fine.

Well...from the poll it looks as if solid middle class is the winner.