Many Quora respondents praised Southeast Asia in this regard. For instance, Jingcho Yang states that on the island of Bali in Indonesia, you can live 'like a rock star, spending no more than a poor tourist.' The climate is mild, and the beaches are 'just wonderful.' Yang adds: 'There are several hundred beaches around the island. And many of them are still unknown to visitors.'
A three-bedroom house in a good area can be rented for $200 a month, writes Yang, and luxury services – for instance, fine French cuisine restaurants, thanks to the very well-developed and competitive service industry on the island, cost three times less than usual in major world cities. A two-hour spa visit costs $20, and a villa with a pool can be rented for less than $100 a night.
'Bali can compete with any major city I have visited in terms of diversity and high level of dining, nightlife, and design,' writes Yang. 'It has some of the best beach cafes and clubs in the world. And an endless list of various types of outdoor activities, yoga, water sports.' Plus, the respondent adds, 'the island also has a growing community of digital nomads' – mostly settling around the town of Ubud.
And teacher Nathan Edgerton lives in Thailand, in the city of Chiang Mai, and shares his house with a friend, paying only $70 a month. 'I always eat out, though I mostly stick to cheap Thai cuisine restaurants. I have more than enough money to occasionally go out for drinks with friends and do kickboxing. All this can easily be afforded for less than $700 a month,' he writes. 'Chiang Mai is great, but for about the same money you can live in almost any other place in Thailand,' Edgerton adds.
Those who speak Spanish can go to Latin America. Brian Fay has been living 'budget' in Mexico since 2004 – more and more foreigners are moving to this country. 'In my neighborhood, there are people from Argentina, France, Belgium, Germany, Canada, the USA, Switzerland, Chile, and so on,' he writes and adds that citizens of most countries can easily obtain a six-month or longer Mexican visa.
And despite bleak news reports about violence in Mexico, the country is 'quite safe, and there are millions of visitors from other countries. In some areas there are especially many: in Ajijic, San Miguel de Allende, and Patzcuaro.'
Fay also writes that although renting is already quite cheap, there are also many foreigners in Mexico who look for live-in caretakers when they leave their homes for a while. Thus a responsible person 'can live for free all year round in luxurious houses.'
Eastern Europe is also popular. Mircea Goya voted for Romania – according to him, you can easily manage on a thousand dollars a month there, including the cost of food and rent. This is largely because the average salary in the country is only $575 a month, and even less in small towns.
'Due to the global crisis, real estate prices have also fallen significantly, so you can buy a cheap house, apartment, or land,' writes Goya. Those wishing to settle in the capital Bucharest can find housing for $200–500 a month. Goya also assures that locals are friendly to foreigners, and many know basic English.
And Chinmaya Patnaik suggests 'one of the most beautiful capitals in the world' – Czech Prague, where the cost of living is lower than in most other European capitals. 'On a thousand dollars you can live quite comfortably. For $400 or even less you can rent a decent one-bedroom apartment or studio. This amount includes the cost of utilities – internet, heating, electricity, and so on,' he reports.
Patnaik writes that Prague summers can be hot, but you can 'cool off with real Czech beer for just a dollar and a half.'
So, the choice is yours. Which country would you prefer?