10 Places I Would Live with $1,000 per Month (or Less)

Choosing where to live is the foundation of any move abroad! If you're looking to relocate to a new country this year and would like my help, apply for support here: www.travelingwithkristin.com/relocation

Our simple secret to travelling to other countries inexpensively, is to observe how the locals live and adopt their practices. It can literally cut your costs in half.

I used to live in Georgia 🇬🇪 and my total monthly expenses were between $500-$600 USD INCLUDING rent (which was $300). I also lived in the beautiful city of Puebla, México for basically the exact same expenses (my rent was $275). I'm going to be moving to Bulgaria in September and am so excited! I really do miss Georgia though and am planning on going back soon and spending a lot more time there. There's something just so magical about that beautiful place. ❤

I'm getting it done in Tbilisi Georgia for $800 a month and I eat out almost every day.

Bulgaria Serbia Albania Georgia Romania Thailand Mexico Argentina Bolivia

If anyone is planning to go to La Paz, Bolivia the altitude is 4000 meters. High altitude sickness may complicate your stay if you are sensitive.

I live in Merida, Mexico, and I love it. $1000 USD per month would be really difficult even if you own your home and have solar panels like I do. Costs rose quickly during the pandemic and haven’t come back down. You also need 3-4x that in monthly income to get a visa.

To put this in perspective for those who are sceptical about living in these places for under $1K / month, I made a list of the average monthly salaries in most of the cities mentioned in the video with data from Numbeo (online): Bali: $285 Tirana: $680 Sarande: $600 Belgrade: $880 Novi Sad: $295 Nis: $205 Sofia: $1300 Plovdiv: $900 Bansko: $555 Koh Samui: $355 Bangkok: $650 Phuket: $500 Tblisi: $550 Bucharest: $1150 Mexico City: $840 Aguascalientes: $1005 Puebla: $960 Oaxaca: $490 Merida: $675 Buenos Aires : $410 Bariloche : $415 Cordoba: $520 Mar del Plata: $435 La Paz: $435 So we can assume that the average local can survive in each of these cities, and there's only 3 cities on the list (including Bucharest, which wasn't mentioned although Romania was) where the average montly salary is greater than $1K. In most of these places, there's substantial headroom between the average salary amount and the $1K figure. I can say that I've lived abroad in the past and I've done some traveling recently, and I personally would want more than $1K but I could live a life comparable to the one I have now in the US in any of these places for about $1500 less, if only because of the savings on rent. This is about value for money. The only advantage to being an American from a working class perspective is that your dollars go a lot farther in other countries. If you have a dollar-denominated income stream and you don't try living abroad, you're wasting your money. I've had the highest standard of living of my life abroad, by far.

I used to visit Prague 🇵🇭 but recently I switched to Tbilisi 🇬🇪 since it is cheaper and feasible 🥹 However, both capitals are friendly and beautiful 💖

Excellent content! There are a few places here I had not considered. Your years of travel and global experiences are a valuable resource for us.

Great video. Had a chance to explore all of the major tourist areas in Bali last year and Sanur was my favorite. Really liked the vibe there.

Your self made you have to be so proud of your accomplishments, you live the life most people would love to live. Great video, keep up the fantastic work. Have fun.

I visited Romania several months ago, and I fell in love with it. I’m going again later this year for 40 days. I’m planning to move there eventually.

Again, super helpful. I agree about the timezones out east. So many places I'd love to visit but working with EST bosses can be tough.

Hi. I started my YT journey last month. Your words helped me make a decision to retire early. I want document my 5 year journey to my own financial independence so other can learn and have hope they can do it too! Thank you for your videos and sharing your life! I can’t wait to document my International Journey!

My retirement budget is almost twice this, thank God. Most of these places resonate with me (even though I've never been to any of them), but I prefer a warmer climate. Even so, I like the idea of Georgia, Bali, and all of Latin America. Romania and Serbia would be in the running too. Thanks so much for uploading this video. 😃

Thank you for this “heads up”, so nicely done. I just pulled the trigger on final retirement. This seems like a great idea.

What about Vietnam? Da Nang is definitely the best place to live under $1000!

Awesome video Kristin 🌟 Thank you for your updates 💫

Very nice suggestions, inputs and guides. Very worthwhile to follow