As someone who's live abroad for 8+ years I can assure you there are two vastly different cultures. One of expats as I defined them above and other as people li

As someone who's live abroad for 8+ years I can assure you there are two vastly different cultures. One of expats as I defined them above and other as people living abroad of their own accord. If you mistake one for the other you're going to have a bad time. If someone from the group I mentioned above tells you living abroad is awesome but you then choose to move on your own you're going to have a vastly different experience. One generally lives a carefree life. They are catered too. The bring family, put their kids in private schools, eat at the most expensive restaurants, live in large apartments, often have cars even if that's not common in their place of residence. And generally make 6 figure US$ salaries. The other, in my experience, generally make less than US $50k, live in small inexpensive apartments, and have all the struggles that come with a lower income. I'm not saying one is better or worse only they are different worlds and just pointing out it would be good to know up front which of those worlds you're moving abroad into.