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> If you're going to move countries, the best time to do it is right after college. Perhaps this should be reconsidered in light of remote work? I’m 45 and thi

> If you're going to move countries, the best time to do it is right after college. Perhaps this should be reconsidered in light of remote work? I’m 45 and thinking about moving to another country, mostly for lower cost of living and lower taxes (I’m Swedish). I’m basically a remote freelancer, so the step doesn’t feel huge.

em-bee 3y ago
don't do it to save money, because you unlikely will. lower cost of living is associated with a lower quality of life. things are cheaper in other places because they have less quality. what you save on some things, you end up spending on others. before you move somewhere, make sure you like it there regardless of the cost or quality of life, because if you don't you will end up spending more on things to compensate for what you are missing.
- ponector 3y ago
  That is not always true. Cost of living in Houston is lower than in LA. Is life worse there? Is quality lower?
  - em-bee 3y ago
    i can't judge that for myself as i have not been to houston yet but i remember seeing articles about people moving from california to austin and being disappointed. if houston is anywhere similar to austin then that should prove the point. it really depends on what you consider quality of living. to me that includes access to interesting activities, people etc. if i don't get that, i will do something else to compensate. in houston that could mean more travelling. so the money you save on the house you then spend on airplane tickets or on gas for your car. not everyone is going to be the same. it could be that you absolutely love living in houston, spend all your time hanging out at the space center, or some other local activity that is not expensive and really do save money. but what i said actually applies more for living in a different country, because i assure you, at a minimum you will miss food from home and spend money on imported food or going to restaurants.

em-bee 3y ago

don't do it to save money, because you unlikely will. lower cost of living is associated with a lower quality of life. things are cheaper in other places because they have less quality. what you save on some things, you end up spending on others. before you move somewhere, make sure you like it there regardless of the cost or quality of life, because if you don't you will end up spending more on things to compensate for what you are missing.

ponector 3y ago
That is not always true. Cost of living in Houston is lower than in LA. Is life worse there? Is quality lower?
- em-bee 3y ago
  i can't judge that for myself as i have not been to houston yet but i remember seeing articles about people moving from california to austin and being disappointed. if houston is anywhere similar to austin then that should prove the point. it really depends on what you consider quality of living. to me that includes access to interesting activities, people etc. if i don't get that, i will do something else to compensate. in houston that could mean more travelling. so the money you save on the house you then spend on airplane tickets or on gas for your car. not everyone is going to be the same. it could be that you absolutely love living in houston, spend all your time hanging out at the space center, or some other local activity that is not expensive and really do save money. but what i said actually applies more for living in a different country, because i assure you, at a minimum you will miss food from home and spend money on imported food or going to restaurants.