I left a top tech company two years ago and moved to a similar country (Taiwan), and I have a few counterpoints. - If the cost of living is low, odds are the w

I left a top tech company two years ago and moved to a similar country (Taiwan), and I have a few counterpoints. - If the cost of living is low, odds are the wages are low too. If you're living within your means and saving 30% of your income, you're better off saving 30% of $150k than 30% of $40k. The cheap cost of living only applies if you're living above your means, vacationing, or retiring. - Cheap labor enables different ways of doing things. This includes transit like tuk-tuks and taxies, but Taiwan has another example: there are no parking meters. You just park, and a police office comes by every half hour or so and leaves a bill on your windshield (linked to your license plate). - If everyone seems exceptionally friendly, that means you're expected to be friendly too. My friend here has a neighbor who hates him because he doesn't stop by to chat all the time like the other neighbors. - English names of businesses, like the "Nice Pharmacy" example, are usually targeted to locals who don't know much English. They have to stick to words and phrases that locals know. - It shouldn't take a trip abroad to figure out your priorities, and traveling won't even necessarily help.