Cheapest Places to Live - Reboot!

This blog all started when I was living in Panama and discovered I could live 'like a king on a paupers wage'. As I traveled back and forth to Canada and shared my journey I realized how few people knew that there were cheap places to live that offerred them just as much if not more comfort and amenities than they had where they were living then. Thus the name of the blog. But over the years the discussion expanded well beyond Panama and well beyond just the cheapest places to live. We've discussed a lot of different topics - everything from the Best Places to Retire to Great Places to Visit or Vacation. We've talked about Cities, Countries, States, Provinces, Towns and even beaches and restaurants. It's quite exciting just thinking about all the things we've discussed and learned about!

And now, I have a confession to make - I'm needy and I really want people to visit this blog and join the conversation. It is my hope that people reading and participating in this blog go away with less judgement towards other people, other cultures, other lifestyles and adopt a more open mind to the possibilites of living abroad or simply just moving somewhere new in there own country. But my intentions aren't completely altruistic - I want something out of this discussion too. By reading, writing and getting comments about our wonderful and interesting world it helps me plan my next trip and ultimately the next place I will choose to live. I've adopted this motto, 'So many places... so little time!'

I have another confession to make - this one is probably no big surprise - I'm disorganized! It really shows in this blog doesn't it? Part of the blame is this blogger template that we all have to work with. It sucks! I think there is another way to lay things out but I just haven't taken time to figure that out yet. But I do have some ideas and I would like your feedback on just a few improvements that I think will make it easier for you to read and participate.

I'd like to start by organizing my topics and getting things a bit more standardized so it's easier to follow a discussion. I'll start by getting my titles a little tighter and less rambling and more topic focused like,
Cheapest Places to Live: United States - with the colon : separating the main category, in this case 'Cheapest Places' from the place I'm writing about, in this case, the 'United States'.

The other issue is around what categories we want to discuss. I'd really like some feedback here. So far we've got 'Cheapest Places' and other topics like - 'Best Places' - 'Affordable Places ' - 'Expensive Places' etc. And then we've got sub topics like: places to live, to retire, to visit.

I hope I'm nit rambling and that this makes sense. So, now it's your turn. What would you like to discuss? Give me some suggestions for topics and sub topics you would like to discuss about all of the amazing places on this small planet of ours! It doesn't matter if it is the best place to live in California or the worst place to live in the world we can discuss it and we will try to provide some valuable information for you our readers.

Cheapest Cities to Live in the United States

I was chatting with a friend earlier today and we were having a good laugh about these lists that I seem to be so obsessed with. My friend presented the argument that not matter how many statistics are used and how supposedly objective these lists are purported to be the reality is they are always and will remain totally subjective. The fact is when it comes right down to it even the stats are simply just people's opinions. The may have a formula to their cost of living calculator but everyone chose to spend money on different priorities so its still subjective. I couldn't agree more but as you know the reason I play with, present and obsess over my lists of the 'Best places...' or 'Cheapest Places...' is to have fun creating a dialogue - getting the conversation going! It's through listening to and truly understanding the opinions of others that we learn - we learn new perspectives on life and living. If we're lucky from time to time we may even have an Ah, Ha! moment. And with all of that said here is yet another one of my lists! This time I was browsing forbes.com, again! Yes, you know it Forbes is one of may favorite sources. Anyhow, sure enough I found what I was looking for - another list about places to live. This one was about -

America's Most Affordable Cities

It's actually a slide show presenting the Cheapest Cities in the United States in photo format. Some lovely shots combined with a little stats about each place. I've noticed Forbes and others going more and more to this visual format - probably something their stats told them their readers are ore attracted to!

The slide show starts with #10 and counts down to #1 - presumably #1 is the cheapest or most affordable city in America.

#10 is Austin, Texas with a 'Cost of Living' rank of 15; unemployment 6 and Housing costs 25.

vs

#1 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma with a Cost of Living' rank of 12; Unemployment 4 and Housing Costs at 2.

Obviously the lower the score the more affordable or cheaper that city is to live in.

As Forbes writer Francesca Levy points out,

"Just because you can get by on the cheap doesn't mean these places are backwaters."

and I'll add that some of the most expensive cities in the world are down right nasty places that I know I wouldn't want to live.

It's true - this top 10 list of Cheapest Places to Live presents some pretty nice digs that many people would not only consider a great place to live but even long to visit there on holiday. Take for example Nashville, Tennessee in 5th place. Most Americans consider Nashville to be a pretty cool place. It's certainly a top spot for American culture and entertainment. Austin, Texas in 10th place is no hole in the wall either.  Austin has become one of he nations leading hot spots for the high-tech industry so not only is the cost of living low - the job prospects are great and getting better every day.

If you've been subscribing to or following this blog for log you'll recognize many of these Top 10 Affordable Cities on some of our other 'Best in America ' lists.

Source: Forbes.com

The Cheapest Place to Live in Europe

In Eastern Europe the Czech Republic is one of the cheapest places for Americans to live. There is also always demand for english teachers there so finding employment is not to difficult - that is if you have a good grasp of English and the ability to teach!

Not only that but the Czech Republic is also one of the most beautiful countries in Europe and has a rich cultural history. People who live here are very friendly to new comers and Americans in particular. Geographically the Czech Republic is conveniently located right in the middle of Europe. It's easy to get around as just about anywhere in Europe is only a train ride away.

Yes, the Czech Republic has many things to offer and the city of Prague is cheap, modern and a great place to live.

The least expensive city and cheapest place to live in Europe is Tirana in Albania. Other cheap European cities include: Skopje Macedonia, Sarajevo Bosnia-Herzegovina, Minsk in Belarus and Belfast Ireland.

According to Mercer these European cities could also be considered some of the

Cheapest Places to Live in Europe

1. PRAGUE in the CZECH REPUBLIC
2. BARCELONA in SPAIN
3. FRANKFURT in GERMANY

Ranked lowest on their list of the Top 50 cities for Cost of living - in this case low on the list means lower cost of living. According to the latest Cost of Living Survey from Mercer, Luanda in Angola is the world’s most expensive city to live in.

Cities in Europe with the Highest Cost of Living

1. LUANDA in ANGOLA
2. TOKYO, JAPAN
3. NDJAMENA, CHAD
4. MOSCOW, RUSSIA
5. GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

Mercer says, that after Moscow, Geneva, Zurich and Copenhagen are the most expensive cities to live in Europe. Oslo in Norway, Milan in Italy, London England, Paris France and Bern Switzerland are other cities that have a high cost of living.

Source: Mercer.com

The Best States to Live in

Here's an interesting site I came across today, it's called 'StateMaster.com'. I was thinking about the Best Cities for Retirees, a post a wrote a few days ago, and it got me thinking about weather and geography and economy and other factors that make for a good place to live. A lot of my time I focus on places to retire so that's obviously a big consideration but let's face it anywhere that ranks high as a place to live will be looking at different factors and statistics. That's another reason for this blog - to try and bring out some of those differences - some of those things you need to compare and contrast relative to your stage of life and your lifestyle. As we've discussed numerous times, a retiree is likely not that worried about employment or wages. In fact those places that rank low on the scale turn out to be the top places for retirees because low wages mean a lower cost of living. That's the reason many latin and south American countries come out on top as the best and cheapest places to live in retirement. But what about those of us who are still working? That's a different story altogether. Likely employment prospects and good wages rank higher than cost of living for example. After all if you need work and have none than even the cheapest place to live is still too expensive. That brings us round to opportunity and like it or not the good old United States of America is still top of the list when it comes to that. Despite economic downturns and crisis the U.S. is still the leading economy on the world and best able to weather the storm. Give you're setting your sights on living and working in the states knowing the best states to live in is a good place to start. And that brings me right back to StateMaster.com.

The Best States for Lifestyle

StateMaster has their own idea of what statistics combine to measure 'lifestyle'. It's an interesting list to say he least and I'm not sure if or where the science is behind it. Here's what they say about their statistical analysis,

We have compiled information from various primary sources such as the US Census Bureau, the FBI, and the National Center for Educational Statistics.

OK that sounds good. But they also say,

We have stats on everything from toothless residents to percentage of carpoolers.

Now I'm not so sure what, "toothless residents' have to do with lifestyle but, heck I'l go with it. Here are some of the other 'lifestyle statistics' they gather and use to determine 'the best states to live in' -

• Amusement Parks - they collect data in six different categories for Amusements Parks. Things like number of steel roller coasters.
• Shopping Malls - here they collect data from ten different angles. From new shopping malls added to estimated sales per mall. I guess that kind of makes sense. If a state is adding new shopping and the sales are high than the economy is probably pretty good there.
• Walmart Stores - eight categories for Walmart. Other brands measured include: Starbucks and White Castle Restaurants. What it doesn't tell us is how the data is used to determine which contribute and which detract from being on the 'best of' list. Does having more Starbucks and less White Castle push you up the list? Or is more of any the idea?

Now there are some other stats that do seem very relevant to lifestyle. Some one might not have ven considered but I thunk say a lot about a state like:

• Percentage of Children aged 0-5 who are read to every day, and
• Children who live in supportive neighbourhoods (not sure how they measure that though)

Altogether StateMaster collects data on 44 factors to come up with their 'Livability Index'. They rank all states in the index but I'm just going to give you the Top Ten Best States to Live in -

1. New Hampshire
2. Minnesota
3. Vermont
4. Wyoming
5. Virginia
6. Iowa
7. Massachusetts
8. New Jersey
9. South Dakota
10. Nebraska

Now, looking at this list you can see the validity in my opening comments about the Best Places to Live in Retirement. I don't think any of these states would qualify do you? What do you think is the best state to live in? I would love you get your feedback in the comments.

Editors Note - Be sure to check out our latest series (November 2011) on the Best US States to Live. We took this topic and went much deeper looking first at the entire country and then breaking it down by regions to discover the best states within each of the four corners of America. Let us know what you think!

Best Affordable Beach Resorts

I'm always on the look out for a great travel deal and finding the most affordable places to vacation is a never ending project. After all who doesn't shop around for the best possible deal? Just like everyone else I'm wanting to get the most from my hard earned cash. I'm really not into material things so besides making sure 'the kids are alright' I work to play - I work so I can spend what I earn on great trips and travel. Well with that kind of priority in mind you can understand why this article really caught my attention and the cheapest time to go to Vegas post did not.

Today, Yahoo Travel had a great little article titled,

The Best Affordable Beach Resorts

I book marked this one as it has some really cool sounding places to visit. I also noticed that a few of these spots are known to appear regularly as Top Retirement Places. One place on the list that jumped out at me was Las Olas Beach Resort in Panama. A few years ago I lived full time in Boquete Panama. I still have land there and return quite often. Anyhow, Boquete has had a reputation for a number of years now as one of the Best Places to Retire in the world. Now Boquete is in the highlands of the province of Chiriqui, not far from the Costa Rican border. It's lush and green and some call it 'the land of eternal spring'. Meaning it rains and it's cool. That's why it's so green and why everything loves to grow here. Boquete and the Chiriqui highlands are also known as the bread basket of Panama. This is where most of the countries fresh vegetables and fruits come from. Now don't get me wrong. It doesn't rain all the time in Boquete. It can get pretty wet in 'Green Season' which runs from May through December but the vast majority of those days also see a good share of sunshine. In dry season there are these lovely mists that keep all the foliage moist and green. They call these light rains Bajareque. During the years I lived in here and especially in 'Green Season' I would take my family on day trips to the beach. Las Olas (the waves) was the closest to us at about an hour away.

Las Olas Beach Resort Panama

This small resort is located on Playa la Barqueta (beach of the small boats) which is a combination of black (volcanic) and golden sand. When we first started going there it was pretty quiet. The road into the beach was horrible and there was very little there except for this small all-inclusive resort. We would often just go to the beach and grab a bite to eat, Comida del Dia, at one of the local cocinas. But we wouldn't swim or let the kids go in the water. It's called Las Olas - The Waves - for good reason. There is a shear drop off which creates a dangerous undertow. But, it also creates amazing waves so the beach is popular with surfers.

Over the few years we lived in Boquete we watched as the road was repaired and Las Olas expanded. A number of Boquete residents who got tired of 'Eternal Spring' moved down to the beach. It quickly got a reputation as one of the cheapest places for retirees to live on the beach. The resort expanded and built beautiful beach homes as well as low rise condominiums which enjoyed the services of the resort.

Today you can still stay at the all-inclusive resort for just $78 a night. I wouldn't recommended a while wek as there is not a lot to do - unless of course you ae really into surfing and/or deep sea fishing. But the nice part is you don't have to. You can simply stay a few nights and then continue your journey up for a few nights in Boquete!

Source: Travel.Yahoo.com

10 Best Places - Cities - to Live Abroad

The Economist Intelligence Unit has just released its latest research of the Best Places to Live Abroad - more specifically the 10 Best Cities to live in. The index is a very helpful resource for those thinking that a move abroad may be in their future. It shows the best places in the world for quality of life, aka The 10 Best Cities.

Like the International Living Quality of Life Index the Economist Intelligence index is based on a variety of data relating to stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure. Just like the International Living list it's pretty comprehensive. Not only that but the key considerations are likely the most important factors any potential ex-pat would want to explore when they look around for the best place to live.

Whether you're looking for work abroad, simply want to know where to relocate your family for the best quality of life or discover the best places to retire and live in comfort, this information will come in handy.

Today we're going to tackle part one by simply presenting the list of Top 10 Places to Live Abroad in it's entirety. Then over the next few days I'll follow up with more details on the reason each place was chosen.

Before we get started I just wanted to point out this first part of the list may appear to have a basis towards Canada with three of the top five best places to live - but for good reason. When one thinks of Canada one can't help but acknowledge the quality of life Canadians enjoy. Just to validate the index even more Vancouver was recently honoured, for the second year in a row, with the recognition of being the World's Most Livable City. The other interesting thing to note is that Australia has four cities in this top 10 list. It just confirms, and no one could deny, that Australia and Canada truly are fantastic choices for the pursuit of quality living.

The 10 Best Places to Live Abroad according to The Economist

1. Vancouver, Canada (Who can forget the 2010 Winter Olympics!)
2. Melbourne, Australia (Oprah certainly put the Aussies on the map this year!)
3. Vienna, Austria
4. Toronto, Canada
5. Calgary, Canada (more memories of past Olympics Canadian style!)
6. Helsinki, Finland (and yet another former Olympic venue!)
7. Sydney, Australia (and more Oprah!)
8. Perth, Australia
9. Adelaide, Australia
10. Auckland, New Zealand

Editors note: As a Canadian I often notice how 'America-centric' the internet can be. Although this article and the indices we have discussed talk about 'The Best Places to Live Abroad' there is an obvious slant or American perspective. Most of these indices are written to an American audience. Perhaps a more accurate way to describe the index would be, "The Best Places to Live Abroad for Americans".

Cedar City - Best Places To Live in the West

Along with Deadwood, South Dakota Cedar City, Utah also made the list as one of American Cowboy's 20 Best Places to Live in the West for 2011. Cedar City was acknowledged for it's "cowboy culture, frontier history, western events and spectacular south west scenery".

This is the fourth annual list of "Best Places to Live in the American West" put out by American Cowboy. The editors 'rounded-up a herd of entries from the western plains to the great Pacific'. The top 20 received the American Cowboy seal of approval as the best places to hang your cowboy hat!

DeAnna Jarnagin, one of the publishers at American Cowboy Mag said, "This year's entries really live up to the ideal of Western places which embody the rugged, free-spirit of the West version of the American Dream. They are places where you experience true cowboy culture, spectacular scenery, a good dose of American history." Not too mention some really good steak!

The major criteria used for the selection included: outdoor appeal, historical significance, regional ranching activity and tourism. The editors also took into consideration population, land price, household price, median age and the quantity of events (Western) taking place in the community throughout the year.

The winners are selected from five regions:
Texas and the Plains
California and Nevada
The Rockies
The Southwest, and
The Northwest.

Bonnie Char, a Cedar City PR Specialist commented, “The article mentions just a few of our fantastic events, including Cedar City Livestock and Heritage Festival and the 50th Anniversary of the Utah Shakespeare Festival. We're thrilled to be recognized this way. This is the kind of publicity that will give a good perspective for vacationers and a glimpse of the unique offerings which are available in our scenic southern Utah.”

American Cowboy Magazine is the voice of the new American West, celebrating Western lifestyle, travel, culture and gear with engaging stories and gorgeous photography. The magazine has 100,000 subscribers and 45,000 web fans who opt in for their monthly e-newsletter.

Deadwood Best Place to Live

A few years ago we were living in Boquete, Panama - one of AARP's recommendations as the Best Place to Retire. Just one of the things about this wonderful community in the mountainous Chirqui Highlands town near the border of Costa Rica was the modern conveniences we enjoyed. Who would have thought this small Panamanian town 'in the middle of nowhere' would offer high speed internet, excellent cell service and Direct TV service? Yes, those things made life quite comfortable however, the Direct TV feed was for Latin America so even though we enjoyed a lot of english speaking prime time programs a number of them were dated and some we enjoyed back in America simply weren't available. As a result we developed a bit of a sharing system whereby friends and family would send us video tapes of the latest and greatest HBO releases and we would pass them around. One new show which arrived from our neighbours son in the U.S. was HBO's 'Deadwood'. Once a month we couldn't wait to get our fix of the four latest episodes.

That's the long introduction to my story about a headline which caught my eye,

Deadwood named Best Place to Live

Yes it seems the editors of American Cowboy Magazine have chosen Deadwood from across the west as one of the 20 Best Places to Live in the West. The top 20 places were chosen based on "their authentic cowboy culture and charm; respect for history and heritage; recreational leisure and outdoor activities and having a strong sense of community coupled with a free spirited rugged independence."

The director of the Deadwood Chamber of Commerce, George Milos says it's something people who live their have known all along. It seems the folk of Deadwood are quite proud of their small town hospitality. The town also boast a 'strong school system'.

Other western U.S. towns which made the list of Best Places to Live included:
Red Lodge, Montana
Chico, California
Flagstaff, Arizona and
Amarillo, Texas

Deadwood is located in South Dakota.

Source: The Daily Republic Mitchell, South Dakota