Survey Names Prague a Top City for Expats

A number of idyllic locations were given for their beachy weather, friendliness toward foreigners, and cheap cost of living.

The Indonesian island of Bali was named as a popular destination previously untapped by expatriates where one can “live like a rock star on the budget of a backpacker” with rents around $200 a month and gourmet French food, nightlife, and recreation cheap for the taking.

Chiang Mai, Thailand was another frequently-mentioned find for sun-seeking expats where rents can supposedly dip as low as $70 a month and even those on a budget can eat every meal at a Thai restaurant.

Despite its perception as an unsafe country, Mexico was named by responders as an increasingly popular expat destination with some even suggesting that it was possible to live rent-free simply by finding housesitting gigs year round.

In Eastern Europe, Bucharest, Romania was mentioned for its rock-bottom real estate prices as an affordable place to rent or even buy a home as well as its overall friendliness toward foreigners.

Prague was also given as a city where one can live on less than $1,000 a month, though the weather issue is debatable.

Responder Chinmaya Patanaik: “[Prague is] one of the most beautiful places in the world where for $400 you get a one bedroom apartment or studio apartment and the internet connection is very fast, I pay about $30/month for a speed of 100 Mbp/s.”

He adds, “If it [gets as] hot as last year, you can always cool off with a traditional Czech beer that is only a dollar and a half.”