If you live in a big city, it can often feel like all your time is spent working just to pay the bills, with little or no time or money left to just enjoy life.
Tired of this? Many people are opting to get off the hamster wheel and move to less expensive locations. This is becoming an increasingly available option with the rise of the gig economy and more and more companies offering remote work options. Sometimes you can even sell your ridiculously expensive Toronto or Vancouver house and buy something so much less expensive that you end up with no mortgage and money to spare! Of course, if you do that, you most likely can’t ever go back without seriously downsizing, as you’ll have locked yourself out of the market. But for some, this isn’t a concern. See also: The pros and cons of working from home
There are plenty of affordable places to live around the world. We found a few lists of these that provide an idea of the options.
One of these is from Nomad List, a database that analyzes cities around the world on numerous data points – including the cost of living, internet speed, safety, and many more – to figure out which are the best and most affordable places to live and work remotely. The rankings change regularly, but these are the top 10 places as of July 6, 2019.
1. Canggu, Bali, Indonesia
The cost of living as an ex-pat in Canggu is about $1,025 USD/$1,343 CAD a month. Reviewers say the place is “oppressively hot” but also “the best” among other South East Asian areas “for chilling and working remotely.”
2. Bangkok, Thailand
Bangkok regularly makes lists of the best places to live cheaply. The cost of living for an expat is about $1,222 USD/$1,602 CAD a month, and some reviewers say it’s “crazy” and “full of energy,” while another calls it “boring.” Obviously, opinions are subjective.
3. Chiang Mai, Thailand
Chiang Mai’s cost of living is the lowest so far at about $783 USD/$1,027 CAD a month. Reviewers “can’t recommend it enough” and say it’s a “great place” where it’s “very easy to live.”
4. Seoul, South Korea
Seoul is the most expensive option so far at about $1,775 USD/$2,327 CAD a month. While the city scores high on internet speed, weather, and fun, reviewers warn about odd (to us) things like the fact that you can’t eat alone in a restaurant – like, you aren’t allowed.
5. Budapest, Hungary
The cost of living in Budapest is $1,080 USD/$1,416 CAD a month. Reviewers say it “sucks you in” and that people who intend to go for a couple of weeks wind up staying for months. One reviewer who has lived there for four years says, “Nothing compares to Budapest. It is by far the best place in the world to live for people of all ages.”
6. Berlin, Germany
The cost of living in Berlin is higher than other listed locations at $2,045 USD/$2,676 CAD a month. Reviewers call it “one of the best places on Earth” and “an amazing city,” though someone else says the internet is actually terrible.
7. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
We’re back down to a lower $763 USD/$1,027 CAD a month for the cost of living. Reviewers say it is an “awesome, upcoming city,” and also “the worst place” one of them has ever been to.
8. Prague, Czech Republic
It costs about $1,695 USD/$2,218 CAD to live in Prague per month. Reviewers call it “super awesome” and the “best city to live in Europe.”
9. Kiev, Ukraine
The monthly cost of living in Kiev is about $1,092, USD/$ 1,429 CAD. However, reviewers say it’s difficult to find an apartment and “If you don’t speak any Russian it’s fine for a short stay of a few weeks, but for longer periods you’ll be very limited if you don’t have some language skills.”
10. Warsaw, Poland
Warsaw will cost you about $1,202 USD/$1,573 CAD a month to live. Reviewers say the city is clean, the nightlife is big, and the food is cheap.
Canadian cities can also be affordable
If you’d rather stick around Canada, we found a list of the 10 cities with the cheapest rent prices in the country on MTL Blog.
The top 10 most affordable cities in Canada and their average monthly rents according to that list are as follows.
1. Moncton, New Brunswick, $893
2. Quebec City, Quebec, $914
3. Montreal, Quebec, $1,085
4. Hamilton, Ontario, $1,086
5. Abbotsford, B.C, $1,163
6. Charlottetown, PEI, $1,173
7. Halifax, Nova Scotia, $1,238
8. Barrie, Ontario, $1,312
9. Edmonton, Alberta, $1,314
10. Winnipeg, Manitoba, $1,362
Cheap places to buy a house in Canada
And, finally, if you’d rather buy a home. We found a list of Canada’s least expensive house prices on MoneySense. This should give you an idea of the options.
Here are the top 10 cheapest places to buy a home in Canada:
1. Trois-Rivières, Quebec, $166,280
2. Moncton, New Brunswick, $177,600
3. Saguenay, Quebec, $178,290
4. Saint John, New Brunswick, $184,513
5. Thunder Bay, Ontario, $219,458
6. Charlottetown, PEI, $220,454
7. Sherbrooke, Quebec, $226,354
8. Greater Sudbury, Ontario, $250,495
9. Regina, Saskatchewan, $262,800
10. Quebec, Quebec, $266,239
Would you move to a more affordable city for a better cost of living?