We're Back!

Well, if you been reading any of this blog you have noticed that we have been on hiatus for quite awhile. Our deepest apologies for leaving you without current information on Cheap Places to live for so long!

I'm not going to go into a long winded explanation and excuse but hope you can just forgive and forget and we can move on with our discussion.

A big thank you to the Cheapest Places readers, subscribers and visitors for leaving questions, comments and suggestions on our various 'older' posts. Seems like finding cheap places to live in Florida and California are still hot topics. But with all of the gridlock and total frustration with U.S. politics we're going to spend even more time researching cheap places to live abroad all over the world.

We're also digging deeper and looking further to find you free or at least cheap resources to help in your search. When you subscribe you'll get these free tips from time to time. We'll try and provide a good descriptive subject line. So, if you're not in the mood or not interested in that topic you can just delete it. Please don't mark it as Spam. That just hurst everyone who values the free info we send. If you're finding our information or e-mails aren't helpful, just unsubscribe. It's easy as we always place a link at the bottom of each e-mail. You can always come back to the blog and resubscribe at any time.

Live Cheap and Retire too

Sound like a fantasy? Maybe not. Can you scrap together $500 a month? If you're answer is yes you may be surprised to find that there are beautiful, safe exotic places that are ready to welcome you with open arms.

Please continue to be generous in your comments and suggestions. The Cheap Place community has turned out to be a great place to share cheap places you've visited or lived and the reasons you thought them great or not so much. 

So, thanks once again for being patient and sticking around. Get ready, get started let's Go... again!

Best Places to Invest Now!

Reasons to Invest in the Stock Market

Yes, Gold is sky rocketing and markets around the world seem to be in a free-fall following the S&P downgrading of US Treasury Bonds to AA. But is this a sound reason to bail? Of course not! We've all heard the adage over and over, 'Buy low - Sell high.' This is not a time to let emotions and fear ruin your wise investment choices over the years. I know I probably sound like your stick broker but really. Pause, breath and think about it. I'm not suggesting you do nothing but now is a great time to really get to understand your portfolio and the market. There are many companies that will not just survive this they will thrive in the future. But due to the panic mindset they are likely under valued - that means its a great time to buy!

I know a lot of this blog is dedicated to uncovering cheap places to live and the best places to live for an optimal lifestyle. But, we're not talking about living like a hermit. Living a frugal lifestyle is what the US government needs to learn and teach - we've heard the debate. Why is it even a debate? It's simply common sense - spend less - make more - save more.

Real Estate Investment Consultant

We asked around and one Real Estate Investment Consultant we spoke with said Vancouver Real Estate is still a good option for investors. It kind of flies in the face of buy low, sell high but this consultant made a pretty convincing argument. He said,

"If you're looking to uncover a sound, stable investment for the foreseeable future you may want to consider keeping Real Estate in your portfolio. One market I'm still quite bullish on is, Vancouver British Columbia. Over the past 10 years Vancouver Real Estate has been a favourable option for real estate investors. In fact the past year proved that the gains from the Vancouver market outpaced gold and silver.

Despite the turbulence in the real estate marketplace world wide Vancouver has enjoyed very impressive numbers. The average Vancouver property increased in value year after year for the past decade providing a consistent 7.5% annual return for investors. Just a few years ago the average Vancouver home was priced at $250,000 but in 2010 the purchase price was at $660,000 - source: 2010 ReMax Housing Report.

This performance far exceeded most commodities, even gold in the later part of 2010. Until the sub-prime crisis in the U.S. Real estate has always been known as a strong and stable investment for the long term. Rising prices for Canadian homes have proved the trend real and one anomaly is keeping the Vancouver Market especially buoyant - in Vancouver Real Estate circles they call it the next "China Wave". Chinese buyers from mainland China this time are arriving flush with cash and ready to buy with no negotiation, no conditions and fast closings.

Many keep saying the coming years may prove to be more difficult for investors to recover their initial investments quickly but so far there is no sign a a slow down. However, it's always wise and our intrepid Real Estate Investment Consultant agrees, Investors need to be patient, and might see their initial investments taking greater than five years to recover. Although Vancouver appears to be the major boom town other real estate markets in Canada tare also returning compound annual rates as high as 8%. So, even if you are looking at Retirement Planning the window for a positive return is still short enough to consider real estate.

Editors Note:

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Manchester-Nashua, New Hampshire

Manchester-Nashua, New Hampshire is often cited as one of the Cheapest Places to Live in the U.S. New Hampshire boast no state income or sales tax which contributes to it's title as one of the cheapest. Plus it's close to Boston so many people choose to live in Manchester and commute across the Massachusetts border to work.

Like every other part of America this area experienced overbuilding starting in about 2006 which lead to a real estate down turn during the recession. Home prices were still down 7.3% in2009 compared to 2008 and they appear to be continuing tom decline. It's helping to keep living cheap here but even with the recession unemployment rate at 6.7% still remains lower than the national average at 10%.

Nashua is the second largest city in New Hampshire and with the drop in Real Estate prices more families are moving here. Home prices in some popular Nashua neighbourhoods are 20% - 25% less than they were in 2005.

Top Cities to Live in Belgium

We've counted down through International Livings Quality of Life Index and named the Top 25 Places to Live in the World now we're counting back up to explore each country and look at the Top Cities to Live in within each country. Today we're at #8 on our list with Belgium.

If you're looking at Belgium and asking 'Where should I live?' or 'what are the top cities to live?' check out these top spots:

If you have an unlimited budget try : Genval, Waterloo, Tervuren, Overijssche. If you are looking for city life Park Cinquantire is quite lovely and not as expensive as the suburbs. Of course Brussels, Belgium is always on the top of anyones list looking at Belgium. Belgium was a strong performer in many categories, ranking 2nd for infrastructure, 10th for health and 12th for leisure and culture.
According to the International Living report, Belgium's capital Brussels is the greenest in Europe. It is also the headquarters of the European Union and NATO.

Major Cities in Belgium are Brussels, Brugge, Antwerp.

Brussels is the biggest city in Belgium. It is also an important city, being the administrative center of the European Union. Because of this, it is called the Capital of Europe. It was also the headquarters for NATO. Historically, it has been home to a mix of Flemish and French culture. Today, it is known for being an international center with a mix of nationalities. Children often know how to speak Flemish, French, English and/or German by the time they are in high school! It is a cosmopolitan city that has a mix of business and commerical buildings, but also castle remanents in the middle of the streets. It is a pretty expensive city. Its metropolitan area has around 1.8 million people. You can eat some of the best French fries and waffles in the world in Brussels. So one would not consider Brussels if looking for the Cheapest Place in Belgium.

The Cheapest Place to Live in Germany

This is a continuation of the discussion which started with the Best Places to Live as ranked by International Living in their annual Quality of Life Index. Today we're moving down the list and looking at The Cheapest Place to Live in Germany.

From what my research has discovered it looks like Hamburg Germany is currently one of the Cheapest Places to Live in Germany. So, if Germany is on your list and you're wondering, "Where should I live - in Germany?" Then Hamburg would be a good place to start.

Hamburg is great for good fun. Berlin and Frankfurt will also keep one busy.

The population of Frankfurt is composed of 27% foreigners so if you are immigrating here you may feel a bit more at home and find some people with things in common.

Getting away from the larger English speaking cities seems to be a good way to save money and find a cheaper place to live. I've read that the best places to live in are the capitals of the small 'duchies'. The best towns to live in are Dresden, Leipsic, Stuttgart and Munich - all offer world class education and are cheaper when compared to English cities. But are still a little more expensive than say Brunswick, Cassel, Darmstadt, Weimar and Coburg. In these towns you can enjoy more of an old-fashioned family type atmosphere with beautiful architecture. The houses tend to be larger with big rooms, lovely courtyards and grand stair cases.

Eastern Germany has some good places to live cheap. This appears to be a result of many people moving west with the Fall of the Berlin wall. Eastern Germany offers beautiful landscapes and the typical German standard of living including excellent health care.

Technorati Tags: cheap places to live, best cities, best towns, international living, quality if life

Cheapest Place to Live in Switzerland

Switzerland is typically not known for a low cost of living but a recent study revealed the Cheapest place to live in Switzerland

People who live in Appenzell Inner Rhodes which can be found in the eastern part of Switzerland, have the highest level of disposable income after tax and major expenses like housing. On the other hand Geneva residents have been found to have less than people in any other people in Switzerland making it the most expensive place to live.

Bank Credit Suisse conducted the survey and measured a wide range of costs including taxes, social security, health insurance, utility bills, housing prices and rent.

The survey revealed the cost of living varied tremendously depending on where people choose to live in Switzerland. Individual cantons and local municipalities have the power to set their own tax rates and this can have a big impact on the cost of living in Switzerland.

The rural canton of Appenzell Inner Rhodes again topped the list as the most inexpensive place to live, as it did in 2006 when the survey was last conducted.

The report said the canton was "the most appealing place to live for the broad middle classes". This is due to relatively low real estate prices, moderate tax rates and the country's lowest health insurance premiums.

Geneva remained at the bottom of the list of 26 cantons with high property prices and hefty taxes. Obwalden climbed five places to 2nd place after it slashed taxes in 2007. Zug fell 13 places to 18 as the cost of real estate sky rocketed over the past two years.

Technorati Tags: Switzerland, Places to Live

Cheapest Place to Live in Australia

Adelaide is one of the cheapest places to live in Australia. The cost of living for average daily consumption is cheap however, from a lifestyle stand point some people consider Adelaide a bit too quiet, maybe even boring.

Adelaide has had slower growth than the rest of Australia in the past few decades keeping prices down. This gives it the biggest advantage of a low cost of living. Adelaide has the cheapest real-estate of any major Australian city. Employment is another story though and finding a job can be more difficult than other larger, more popular Australian cities. Professions  like nursing or teaching continue to be in demand here though so if either of those are your speciality than Adelaide might be quite a good choice. In fact nurses and teachers are in demand throughout Australia. The lower cost of living here results in people in these professions enjoying a higher standard of living in Adelaide than they would have in Sydney or Melbourne.

Adelaide is on roughly the same latitude as Sydney but has a very different climate. The winters are colder and have more precipitation than Sydney. The summers however are normally hotter and drier. Brisbane is another place one might consider as a cheap place to live but maybe not for long. Brisbane still has a very wide variety of prices but it is currently going through a big boom, so prices will inevitably rise.

Melbourne is much cooler than all other Australian cities.  It is quite similar to London, the people are very friendly and like all other cities depending on where you choose to live within the city will dictate how much you pay. Melbourne can certainly be expensive but it is still cheaper than Sydney. Queensland is also cheaper than Sydney. Its a beautiful spot but can often be quite hot.

Sydney is quite expensive in most places and may even be considered the most expensive place in Australia. Technorati Tags: best places to live, cheapest places to live

Cheapest Place to Live in France

Regret the delay getting this going! As you know we just finished up our review of the Best Places to Live in the World now let's see if we can find the Cheapest Places to Live in each of those countries.

France topped our list of the Best Place to Live according to International Livings Quality of Life Index. When it comes to France many people immediately think of Paris and also think of all the stories they have heard about how expensive Paris is. But just like the U.S. or any other country for that matter there are uber expensive places to live and if one looks they can find a Cheap Place to Live even in the most expensive countries.

Get out of Town to find a cheap place to live!

In France like most places you've just got to 'get out of town' to find a cheap place to live!

Just a few hours from Paris you will find the city of Metz. The cost of living including housing and food is cheaper in Metz. Versailles is another community which offers inexpensive shopping while food and rent costs are some of the lowest in all of France. Groceries, childcare, rent & housing and transportation too are all quite affordable in Versailles and it could very well be the Cheapest Place to Live in France if you still want to comfort and luxuries which come form city living.

Follow students for a Cheap Place to Live!

University towns like Montpellier are often quite affordable and cheap places to live as the disproportionate student population helps bring the price of many things down including groceries, clothing and rent.

The Cheapest most Expensive Place to Live

Nice on the French Riviera is beautiful and expensive but it is the Cheapest Place to Live on the French Riviera. The small Monarchy of Monaco is also located on the French Riviera and is one of the best places to live in the world - especially if you're rich and famous!

A Cheap Place to Live with Job Opportunities

I was searching blogs today for the Cheapest Places to Live and read this interesting conversation. This fellow asked, whether Phoenix, Vegas or Orlando would be a cheap place to live with job opportunities and low taxes. Some intewsrting comments - the first perosn didn't like any of his choices claiming Phoenix to be crowded with snow birds and 'very polluted'. He did reocmmmend Tucson or Flagstaff if one was to choose Arizona.

Vegas too came up as crowded and with 'crime out of control'. But one plus is the lack on income tax and the gaming business keeping it one of the cheapest places to live in the U.S. Another fellow brought up, 'these three cities have no jobs whatsoever'. Good point - if you want a cheap place to live just go where no one wants to go! Read my last post about Detroit. And you might even consider teaching jobs overseas for Americans if you really want to make a change in your life.

Providing Cheap Places to Live for Artists

Local civic organizers and supporters of the arts are working with a national nonprofit organization called Artspace to foster the arts scene in El Paso.

So what's Artspace? - it's a concept for El Paso, and also a concept that has worked in 2 dozen places around the U.S - the idea of affordable live/work space for artists.

Why is affordable Housing for Artists Important?

“We want to use the arts as an economic development tool,” Cummings says, “but we’re not treating the artists as dispensable.” The artists get the great, cheap places to live and work. The surrounding neighborhood becomes a trendy place with new shops, bars and restaurants that draw tourists and other residents. It’s a win-win … however, Cummings stresses this is a make-it-or-break-it opportunity for El Paso.

You can check out the rest of the discussion  over at

'What's Up'

Cheap Places to live near Westminster

For my U.K. readers I picked this up off the net. It seems Sir Christopher Kelly has some recommendations as MPs’complain over changes.

Sir Kelly thinks it's a "Bad day for homeowners" as an MP doesn't need to move into rental accommodation until 2015. Any capital gains on a home sold today til 2015 need to be paid back. Suposedly there is going to be some kind of agency to over see rent payments that MPs make on 2nd homes. But this could be more expensive than making a mortgage payment for some. MPs who rent now end up paying less than MPs who own a mortgage. Of course there are still plenty of cheap places to live near Westminster or of course they could always move to Sheffield! (As I noted in a previous post it's one of the cheapest places to live in England)

Cheapest Places to Live for Lucinda Williams

Lucinda Williams maybe a well known and successful singer now but when she was working on her craft she traveled extensively living "like a musical vagabond'.

She traveled anywhere and everywhere that had the cheapest places to live and places where songwriters and performers were welcomed.

Williams just recently married her long time fiance and manager, Tom Overby at the end of one of her concerts.

Tax Haven Myths and Facts

If you're looking for the cheapest place to live this is a very interesting and important lesson. Taxes have a dramatic impact on creating the Cheapest Places to Live.

Watch it once, watch it twice. If you find yourself resisting - defending, justifying - pause, write down your objection and then keep watching!

Tax Haven - Myths and Facts

Having previously discussed the Economic Benefits, as well as the Moral Necessity of Tax Havens, and their role in creating legitimate tax competition and liberalizing economies, Dan Mitchell discusses the facts surrounding six of the biggest myths about the idea of tax havens:

1. Tax havens promote tax evasion.
2. Attacking tax havens promotes more compliance with tax laws.
3. Tax havens create higher taxes elsewhere.
4. Tax havens promote bad policy.
5. Tax havens are all rogue political regimes.
6. Tax havens promote money laundering.

Enjoy!

Click Here - Organized Exploitation: Tax Havens: Myths vs. Facts - to watch the presentation.

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Panama Travel 101: Who are the Kuna Indians?

An interesting trip to see the Kuna Indians in San Blas. As you saw in my post from last season I spent a few days enjoying the beautiful San Blas archipelago and the beautiful, peaceful people of San Blas - the Kunas. Enjoy!

Panama Travel 101: Who are the Kuna Indians?

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Panama Real Estate Property Tax Exemptions are Back

Great News from the Government of Panama! Just before Christmas the following article appeared in La Prensa -

La prensa – december 22, 2007

BRIEFS. Real estate

Property Tax exoneration extended

The Consejo de Gabinete has approved an extension of the 20-year property tax exemption for apartments and houses, according to minister of Housing Balbina Herrera.

The measure applies to projects whose building permits are issued before Dec. 31, 2009. Herrera explained that the measure extends the property tax exemption that expired in August.

Iván Carlucci, president of the Asociación de Corredores de Bienes Raíces (Acobir), said that "this change is healthy, and it is a sign that the sector will continue to grow dynamically."

Carlucci said that the waiver, which will benefit all types of buyers, gives Panama a competitive edge over other countries in marketing real estate projects.

Read more about the changes and Panama Real Estate Opportunities at the Learn About Panama Blog.

Cheapest Places to Live

On search for the cheapest places to live my wife and I settled on Panama. We discovered there are so many nuances which make for a cheap place to live. It’s not just about house prices or the price of gas. It’s all about what motivates you to spend money and how you spend the money you have. In Panama we found we could live on a small fraction of what we lived on in Canada and all without sacrificing a thing. In fact, during our Panama retirement we found we were truly living like royalty. Fresh fruits and veggies are so much more flavourful and healthy than the ‘manufactured’ food we pay a fortune for in America. We dine out on gourmet fare – fresh fish and fine wine for under $25 - and thats for two! Then there are the tax benefits and the great discounts which come with a ‘Pensionado’ Visa. And you don’t even need to be retirement age to get one!

See more progress on: Find the Cheapest Places to Live

A Panama Retirement at 18!

Did you know Panama is one of the Cheapest Places to Live because you can become a Pensioner at 18 years of age? It's true. Foreigners can apply for the 'Pensionado' Visa as long as they are at least 18 years old. You have to prove you have a monthly income of just $500 to get the visa unlike the Retire Belize program that has a requirement of $2000 a month this one has a low qualification. Once you have it you get all kinds of incentives and discounts on just about everything! It really helps make Panama a Cheap Place to Live.

Another cool part of this visa and living in Panama is that you can still run your own business. Due to the tax laws in Panama you can run a business as long as no income is derived on Panamanian soil. You may be thinking, Huh? What it means is you can't own a typical business but you can have a virtual business. Internet based businesses are ideal because the income comes from all over the world. You can save even more by taking advantage of Panama's extensive offshore banking community.

I encourage you to take some time and Learn About Panama. It may just open up a world of possibilities for you like it did for em.

P.S. I'll pass on more details about the Pensionado Visa in my next post. Plus you will learn lots more about Panama even about the flora and fauna and the amazing Panama bird watching. Maybe we'll even find an elusive Quetzal!

Cheapest Places to Live

Frugal vs Cheap

I've always been frugal - but not cheap. In fact my friends describe me as being quite generous. So, why would I be so interested in finding the Cheapest Places to Live?

In Search of Cheap Places to Live

Well post 9/11 my wife and I became very interested in what was going on outside our country. After just a little research it become very apparent that there are many cheap places to live without losing any of the comforts of home. Really? Most people think everywhere outside North America offers a sub-standard quality of life and a lower standard of living. It's simply not true. We are fed the myth that the '3rd World' exists everywhere else but North America.

Behave and Pay Your Taxes

I learned early on that one of the biggest perpetrators of this myth is our own government. What would happen if all of a sudden people woke up and realized they could have twice the lifestyle for half the taxes or in some cases no taxes in other parts of the world? How about quality Health care for a fraction of the price? Housing, groceries, entertainment all for far less!

Discovering our Piece of Paradise

Although our initial research led us far and wide - from the United States to Australia, Europe and even Africa - we kept returning to Latin America. It seemed there were some exciting things happening in this part of the world and the benefit of staying a little closer to family and friends was apparent. One country in particular which kept showing up on our radar was Panama. We really knew very little about this little country. Have you noticed how the media does an amazing job of presenting us with 'shock and awe' and interestingly buries the follow up story in the back pages. In the case of Panama our most recent memory was of a drug crazed Noriega led dictatorship. He was removed in the 70's but what of Panama now?

To Know and Not To Do is Not to Know

Spending weeks and months on the internet or buried in books certainly offers an amount of intellectual understanding but for me the only true way to 'know' something is to experience it. So, in January 2003 my wife and I packed up our suitcases and two young sons and headed off to explore what was purported to be one of the cheapest places to live and what we discovered to be the best place to retire.

The Rest of the Story

In future posts I am going to share our real life experiences and practical research to unveil if Panama truly is one of the cheapest places to live in the world.

If you want the full story about our Panama travels you may want to check out our website and sign up for our free newsletter at LearnAboutPanama.