COUNTRIES THAT ARE REALLY COOL & REALLY CHEAP! (Portugal, Thailand, Ecuador & more!) 

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I lived in the Czech Republic for almost three years. Prague is very different from the rest of the country, just like New York is different from the rest of America. The costs in Prague are outrageous. However, there are charming, inexpensive and less crowded towns just outside of Prague like Kutna Hora, Pilsen, Czesky Krumlov, and Hradec Kralove. It's great to stay in these more laid back, less expensive locations and simply take a bus or train to Prague whenever you want to visit.

The Philippines is a great country for USA ex-pats as well. Good health care, easy to get around, plenty of English speakers and you can rent a three bedroom house in Manila for around 250 USD per month. Lovely people, great food, lots to do, and a country where you can hang out in the mountains or just chill on a beach. With a little over 3000 USD per month life time income I actually rate in the top 10% of wage earners there.

I'm glad Colombia made the list. The healthcare system in Colombia is one of the world's best. The World Health Organization ranks it as the 22nd most efficient in the world, above Canada, the United States, and Australia.

HI JP and Amelia, I am a French Canadian and I have received my Ecuadorian nationality on Dec 16th, 2019. I am soo proud to be at the same level of all my ecuadorian friends and proud to show my new cedula indicating Nacionalidad: ecuatoriana. If I can give you an advise, learn by heart, the national anthem. In the Spanish test, there are questions about politicians, date of holidays, etc...I was asked to write the national anthem, this was easy because I love the song. My stress was very high level and for nothing. If you study well, it will be easy..Good Luck.

Medellin is definitely at 365 spring weather. Bogota gets 40 degree weather at night. Their heating system is blanket on top of mire blankets. Personally I love Medellin!

I, too, am a little surprised that you did not include the Philippines. Low cost of living, English, speaking, friendly people, great food, beautiful beaches, and mountains, waterfalls and such. I lived there seven years as a young man in the 1970s… I’m planning to move there next year again in my 70s.

So happy to see Peru on this list, it gets overlooked, a lot, as a place to live. There's a whole new generation with serious dedication and serious education, medical, engineering, law, just launching their careers here. It will have a huge positive impact on the country and hopefully alleviate some of the pesky problems of living here. Super food, nice people, culture, it's a great country. I agree, a back up/2nd country option is probably good planning. Dying to revisit Ecuador soon. Thank you!

I TOTALLY AGREE with how GREAT LIVING IN Rivas Nicaragua is which is just 25 minutes from the Costa Rica border!! I've been living here on & off for over 13 years - the whole time during covid (where we had NO lockdowns, NO rules - nada & I lost 49 pounds from walking 2-4 hours a day - mainly helping the street dogs. It's just 25 minutes by Colectivo (shared) taxi from San Juan del Sur so if I'm craving some non-Nica food (not my fav for food) - I just hope in one of them (after they have 4 people total) for just 80-cords/around $2.40 each way - or the bus (which I don't take because that takes an hour on one of those old U.S. school buses!!). I'm a 65 years young single/solo traveling/living gal & I feel VERY SAFE here - especially in Rivas. I have an AMAZING massage therapist (& more) for around $15/hour!! I have an AWESOME Chiropractor in San Juan del Sur. Medical care is FREE to ALL - nationals & tourists - though I RARELY have used it all these years. I just got an X-ray of my finger (fell & jammed it) & knee (MANY years of falls) & each was just $25 & the standard doctor visit/consultation in Rivas is around $20. I have an AMAZING conscious dentist where I had 7 teeth pulled at one time for $20/each but she wouldn't do me until I got my blood pressure down low enough & I had NO swelling, NO bruising, NO bleeding & NO pain!!! I get around by either walking or "Pepano" - a bike taxi for under $1 within town! You SOOOO do NOT need a vehicle in Rivas or most of Nicaragua & drivers & roads are WAYYYYY BETTER than Costa Rica (where I lived for 13 years [though going back & forth doing the Visa Dance - with NO problems!!!- to Nica all that time]). & Rivas is the core town to get you around much of the west with the Bus Terminal!!! I've rented a private room with private bathroom in a Nica families house for $130/month & lived in Hospedaje Hilmor where private rooms with shared bathrooms are just 200-c/$6 a night or starting at $90/month & private room with private bathroom for 2 starting at With all that said - I recently spent 6 months (Dec.-June) in my FAV city in the WORLD - Mexico City - & WOW have prices gone up a LOT on just about everything (which it has throughout the world). FYI - I only get $842/month from Social Security which I go through fast - BUT - that's because I devote my time/money to helping street dogs with getting spayed, food, blood tests, medical care/treatment, putting down & more. My intention now is January-July in Mexico City (though flying out of San Jose, Costa Rica - WAYYYYY CHEAPER!!!) & July-January in Rivas Nicaragua!!!

I loved my visit to Ecuador, but it was really hard to find money. Literally, the ATM's were empty (It was 2016). I Watched the video from start to finish and was surprised you didn't include Costa Rica. I've lived here now for 3.5 years, and you can definitely live here for under $2000 a month (Most Ticos live on much, much less). Pura Vida.

Please consider taking a peek at Paraguay. They have a near instant permanent residency visa, with a bank deposit (currently) of $4500.00, which reportedly can be withdrawn immediately after visa obtained.

Good video. The only thing I wanted to say about older folks learning Spanish (or any subject), it is true that we don't learn like a sponge like young kids do, but the biggest barrier to adult learning is " lack of motivation." Adult learners need to have a strong reason to even bother trying to learn something new, especially if it's going to cut into other things that they'd rather be doing. I imagine that after the first time they collapse in the town center and can't tel bystanders "where it hurts," or that " my heart pills are in my backpack," that might give them the motivation they need. But one other type of motivation *should* be honoring our Ecuadorian hosts, and being bothered to try to learn at least enough of the local language to be able to handle essential functions when your personal taxi-driver/translator isn't available. Folks who blow off learning at least enough Spanish for things like that don't have any ea of what they're missing out on. Want a discount on something at the Mercado? -- learn how to ask for one in Spanish. Want to make friends with the locals? == learn a little Spanish. Want to ask what aisle the tahini is in? -- learn a little Spanish.

Wages haven't kept up with inflation at all in the US, yet Powell stated that he was trying to lower wages and increase unemployment with a hawkish stance on increasing interest rates. The real problem is corporate greed, it's becoming less and less affordable to live here and that's on purpose! Sheesh! Anyway, I enjoy escaping to Ecuador on your channel and I am considering moving abroad next year or at least slow travelling through inexpensive countries to see where I'd like to live. Thanks for all you do!

Thanks for this overview. You guys are great.😊

This was a great video that gave me lots to think about. Thank you.

thanks Amelia & JP. You two are great! Loved that thunder!

Thank you for this list, it is interesting and informative.

Thanks for this super video. I always learn so much interesting information from your great work. 👏👏

Very good infos !! Thanks for the high quality of content, as usual.

We were also starting to consider this, so thanks for doing the advance legwork on this subject. Taking notes.

US Expat living in Denmark. Thanks for your videos....I moved to Europe in 1980 on business and never returned AND never missed it for one minute. Of all the countries on your list the most interesting for myself would be Portugal. As a teenager I spent a summer in Peru, fantastic people.

Was waiting for Peru to come up, and happy to see it as #1, I spent a total of two years in Iquitos and a couple of nearby towns. Feels like home to me. Nice people, great food, high-oxygen-content air (so you feel good all the time). Fruits are amazing and you get strong and healthy, like the Peruvians. Plenty of expats to chat with. Will be going back, inshallah, at the soonest possible time.

we chose Portugal and couldn’t be happier!

I’m a fan of this vlog. Cool countries!!!

Hey , I have been living in Peru for almost 12 years and now I going back to Europe and going to live in Portugal! Peru is a really beautiful country, have lived in Lima, Trujillo, Pucalpa and Cajamarca. For myself I loved best Cajamarca since I come from Germany originally (south of Germany) , the landscape made me feel at home. If you get a good insurance here in Peru than you should not have any problems with getting different procedures done.

Interesting list! Thanks for the research! Ecuador just sounds too much like paradise!

I appreciate the effort you both put into the videos. Your constant research pays off with these update videos. God bless you both with continued health and joy.

I have watched dozens of videos on this topic, and yours was my favorite! PLEASE keep doing more videos like this. Congrats on almost being Ecuadorian citizens and thank you so much for generously sharing this research with all of us.

Thank you Amelia & JP!!

I am surprised you didn't include the Philippines. It is a tropical Asian country with a strong Spanish/American influence. It is very visa friendly and has special visa deals for Americans and American veterans. You can stay there for up to 3 years on a tourist visa followed by a brief border run every 3 years. Because it is cheap and English is widely spoken it is a favorite of expats on a limited budget.

Hi 👋🏽 I am fully bilingual English/Spanish. I currently live in Los Ángeles and I am 80% sure I will be leaving the States and become a “slow traveler” thru the Latin American Countries within the next two years. However, watching your videos has made that time frame shorter and that percentage higher. Thank you for sharing!

Healthcare in Nicaragua While traveling in Nicaragua with a group of my students, one of them needed to visit the emergency room. After all the tests and treatments where done and the prescription medicine was given out, a four hour visit cost a whopping $64(US). That was at the best private clinic in Granada. The doctor and staff were courteous and helpful. 👍

Wow!! Your channel has gotten huge! I haven’t seen a video in over a year. Really happy for you two. I went to Ecuador and Colombia. I prefer Colombia and am heading back very soon to spend some quality time. Bravo on the channel. 😊

Mexico is also a very inexpensive country to live. Lots of ex pat there. I lived there 6 months last year. I broke my foot while there and found their health care system fabulous.

@17:50 I like the thunder right before announcing the #1 on your list 🇵🇪 PERU.

Hi guys Ecuadorian here great list. So happy to hear about the citizenship. I don't know we're y'all are but,if ever need anything in Quito, me and my family are happy to help you ❤️ Blessings

I love Peru! Have made 5 trips there over the years. Also 1 trip to Ecuador many years ago and loved it as well. My wife and I are deciding how we want to spend our retirement and Ecuador is high on our list. Love your channel!

One of my second cousins lived in Ecuador while he work in the Nigerian off-shore oil fields. He married an Ecuadorian woman. After he retired he moved back to the States and I will see him for the first time since he has been back in a few days. One of the questions I am going to ask him is why he moved back.

Thank you for the information. I will most definitely need to move out of the US eventually due to cost of living.

Great video. Haven't commented in a few weeks. Officially launching 12 May 2023. Plan to swing through Australia and South East Asia first. Then Mexico and Central/South America the following year. Sharing your video on my Facebook. You two are the OGs for expat videos for Minnie and I. We want others to see how many countries we can live in for Under 2k a month. Thank you for the video....

very good...thank you!

Once again, great video! I love following your channel. My goal is to retire in Ecuador in 7-10 years and I learn so much from you both. Thanks for making such excellent videos.

I have been looking at these countries, very appealing to me on many levels.

Hi there. Love your channel. Canadian chiming in. It is really shocking that two educated Americans have to leave their first world country and move to a third world country to ensure a happy, healthy quality of life….that pretty much sums up the state of the USA at this time, very sad. Really look forward to your video 🇨🇦👍🏻

COLOMBIA 🇨🇴 is Amazing!! I sure know!!

I met my lovely wife in Peru 20 years ago. We go back there as often as we can. I can't enough about Peru I love it there. We are currently having a house built in ica. Peru my second home

This list is legit! I've been to Lisbon. Your review was right on. Same with Nicaragua. Thank you for the video!

Im not the same without my Amelia and JP fix! Once again you guys knocked out of the Park! Live you guys and your Gift🎥

I stayed in Portugal awhile, it's definitely a nice place! Generally honest people too.

Hi! We are from the USA and now live on the island of Madeira in Portugal. Look us up when you get here. It'll be fun! Have a wonderful day Alan and Leslie

I'm taking my whole family to Thailand and Cambodia in November. I've been there many times, but this is the first time for the whole family. The food is awesome, and the temples are amazing!

We just traveled to Portugal and walked the Camino. The people were super friendly and the food was great. The Portugal cakes for breakfast are the bomb. lol

Good to know. Peru (the Andes) has impressed me the most. Lovely people, delicious cuisine, breathtaking views. But ... that was 30 years ago, before it became a popular tourist attraction! I've followed you guys from the very beginning, while you were waiting in a Cuenca hotel for your luggage to arrive. Haven't seen you in a while. I've noticed how Equador has changed you: Amelia, you're more confident and look so sophisticated and pretty, and JP, well, you're one handsome dude!

If heading to Portugal look into going to Quarteira in the Algarve. We were there for 3 months and LOVED it. We head out on our next adventure on the 4th of July and we will be in Thailand for over 1 month. On another note, my wife and I started watching you both when we first started thinking about retiring and traveling the world. We appreciated the information you provided and you have encouraged us along the way. Ecuador in on our list for 2024 and are thinking of going there for 4-6 months. We would love to promote your channel as we start putting videos out there to try and encourage others to watch and follow the channels that have helped us and yours is one of them. Please let me know if this is ok with you all before, we do that. Safe travels to you both.

I love your vids guys you are a well vibed lady and a happy gent I am convinced to go and make a new life in Ecuador

If you get startled easily be prepared at 17:49. Good informational video. Ecuador is still number one on my list.

The 'beach' for Bolivia is over the mountains in Arica, Chile. Besides the beach, Arica has an "earthquake-proof" cast iron church designed by Gustave Eifel, the tower guy which is well worth the visit.

Greetings from Indio, Ca. Great video. All these countries have a variety of climates. I loved Cuenca weather - we were there last August. Singapore is a cool city to be an expst - very comfotasble and safe but not cheap.

Nice perspective!!! Portugal is nice, but the ocean might be a bit cold there. The people are nice and the towns are very beautiful as well.

I really enjoyed the reviews and some of my favorite countries made the top 10 list. I am residing in Ecuador and very happy it was 2nd. Health care is a priority and efficiency y as important as effectiveness. That's why I chose it over Colombia. 💓💓

Thank you for posting this informative video Amelia & JP. As in all of your videos, you come across as genuine and approachable. Could you make a similar Top Ten video but using a larger budget of US$3,000 or even US$3,500/month? Thanks in advance!

A few years ago, I spent a week in Ostrava, Czech Republic. Wonderful place!

Free advice is worth the price you pay. So surprised that there are so many comments here that suggest otherwise. Thanks for your thoughts.

Gonna hit up all these places next year.

Haha, We’re huge fans of Robin Williams, laughter was had, thx for sharing your experiences.

My friend moved to Nicaragua just recently and he's there for good loves it.

Goodmoorning amelia ...this vidio is good thank you so much I hope stay to connected

Love your video and the different countries around the world that are still affordable , easy and safety in living there. I agree about driving like many people driving in the US. The lack of police and the no respect of police is showing where I live at and gives me more reason to travel to any country in the world. Your information is valuable.

You omit some important details, like visas and taxes. As with India, you cannot just easily move to Vietnam, for instance. There is no retirement visa or other long-term visa available there, and the tourist visa is quite short at 30 days, although it can be extended to 60 or 90 days, IIRC. Colombia is easy to get into, but they do not have a tax treaty with the US, and their taxes can be quite high. Ecuador, OTOH, does not tax foreign-sourced income, and is very easy to get a visa long term. And with respect to Peru, many places suffer from extremely high water stress and low water quality and availability, like Lima and Arequipa. Colombia has the the least water stress in SA, if memory serves, followed by Ecuador. This is an important consideration when you understand that many places like those in Peru and Chile are forecast to have terrible water issues within just 5-10 years. Thailand is a very population expat destination, but daaayyyum, it’s hotter than hell there (just look at weatherspark or accuweather). Cambodia suffers the same issue. Portugal is great on many fronts, but it is becoming more and more expensive, and what you’ll get for your money there is a lot less than in Ecuador or in other SA/LA countries. And FWIW, Prague is not nearly as cold as Denver is, where you’re from. I love your videos, and have watched many of them, but I think these things I’ve mentioned deserve a place here. It’s not all just about the healthcare, beaches, hiking, food, the currency used, the weather, etc. Those are all important, obviously, but there are other things.

PERU!!!!!!!!!! You guys HAVE TO come here to Tarapoto, I would personally take you everywhere...San Martin Province is the greatest....It's the jungle life for me!

You guys are great! I especially like JP's haircut. I was surprised that Mexico was not on your list. I know that you have spent time there. What kept it off of the list?

Great content. I actually thought the thunder in the video was audio you edited in the video. It was that loud. 😂

I appreciate the video’s and wondering if you can include which countries are non gmo

thanks for all your videos, love you guys I learn so much watching you guys appreciate you you guys are right on so expensive in the states i live in Seattle WA. I just turned 60 in September 6 more yrs, cant wait ...... also love Greece I have been there few times another place is Croatia very cheap you wont go broke there either

Thanks!

You two are the best. I just love watching you. I am a black American/Jamaican older female who enjoys watching you.

Thanks, very informative .Only I was down to trying to decide between Panama and Ecuador, now I'm thinking Peru and Columbia should be looked at more thoroughly also.

And yes, I have been in all, and even after Ian, I am staying in Florida!

Great content! Thank you for all your work that goes into making these videos. I’m curious why Argentina, Turkey and the Philippines didn’t make the cut? I’ve heard many good things about the beauty and affordability of these countries.

Hi Folks I’m a new subscriber and enjoy listening to your informative videos. I’m a New Yorker who has a home in Salvador Brazil, an amazing city, in what I think is a remarkable country! Having said that there is crime, in my 27 years of going I’ve seen one incident. My Uber driver got car jacked (luckily we were not yet in the car :). We just returned from Portugal a country we’re eyeing depending on our politics here in US, a great trip and country and people (not as happy a people as the Brazilians :). I think you did mention it seemed most everyone speaks English, or enough to get by. One suggestion, you also talked up Nicaragua, which is very unsafe, has a strong arm President, even Americans have been wrongfully detained. The US State Dept issues and updates Travel Advisories. Overall love your station, glad I found it. Thank you for bringing the world a little closer to our fellow Americans most of whom don’t travel outside our borders. 👍

All I can say about Thailand is look into the burn season. It also an issue in Cambodia,Vietnam, Laos, etc. It lasts about 3-5 months depending on the country.

We've been looking into moving to the Prague area. I've been doing research and am happy to see that they allow disabled people to move there. So many countries have bans on the disabled even vacationing let alone living there.

And yes, Cuenca is an ideal place! Salud!

Have you researched Uruguay? I would love to see more information about it.

Hi guys,,Well we made it after 8 years and we’re now in our 3rd week in Ecuador.We stayed at Otorongo for a few days then shuttled down to Vilcabamba where we stayed at Izhcayluma with old friends Peter and Raik. We have now been here officially one week and settled into our “Roundhouse” about an20 minute walk into town ….owned by an expat and enjoying once again the ambient sounds of the countryside..We were originally going to stay 3 months but have decided to stay 6 with options of getting retirement visas before our time is up..Thanks for all you do and you certainly were instrumental in reigniting my love for this beautiful country.

Need somewhere to spend my east coast winter this year. Having a tough time deciding between Ecuador and Colombia.

Turkey is also a good choice. From a financial perspective almost certainly less expensive than the Czech Republic.

Ecuador looks beautiful!!!

I lived in Bolivia for about 5 years and consider there my home away from home. Nevertheless, there are two sides of Bolivia and mostly you referred to Altiplano, La Paz´s one. The other side is absolutely the opposite of those mountains, Santa Cruz de La Sierra´s. Both are equally beautiful. But as I said, different. I just missed my other home in the list. Though I understand why you have not mentioned it, I am quite inclined to say once you come and see it for what it is closely, you can be surprised ;). I would recommend visiting Minas and São Paulo countryside on a first visit. Cheers guys! Much love from São Paulo.

You guys left out Panama and Argentina. All and all, great video

thank you

I would recomend Brazil. Specially the states on northeast shore. 2000 usd could provide you a high midle class there. The climate and weather is nice every year, there are plentys of amazing beaches and you can get the public healthy system.

We are currently living in the mountains of Matagalpa, Nicaragua. To us the main downside is heat/humidity, even here in the mountains. We just love cool weather more than most. We lived in Costa Rica before and have family there, but it is so similar to Nicaragua…at twice the cost. Not sure why anyone would go to CR. For major medical there are two very good hospitals in Managua, but some expats go to Medellin for serious stuff. We are slow traveling in search of our favorite retirement city….. Xela, Guatemala is our next stop !

have you looked into getting Spanish citizenship next? per my understanding, once you get Ecuadoran citizenship, you qualify for fast-track naturalization there after just 2 years of residency during which time you could easily cross over to Portugal or France - no border controls in Schengen area. a Spain ID card would let you live/work in any EU country. Spain's passport is among the strongest in the world! (FYI: Schengen area ≠ EU ≠ eurozone)

If anyone comes to Chile I can give them a few pointers and show them around. I speak spanish fluently.

Greetings from Australia. We can them toot toot, not two two or too too. Enjoying your content. Have you guys been to the biggest Bucees in Texas?

The fascination of Thailand is the very unique culture and people, though you can live here and never scratch beneath the surface...

Hello shout out from Kingston Jamaica 🇯🇲

I been retired in Thailand for 5 years. I'm married and we are currently building a house. I can definitely recommend this country for travel and/or retirement. I've been living in Bangkok and it is an exciting modern city that also hasn't lost it's Thainess. It is relatively inexpensive in Bangkok, cheaper in the smaller cities, and very cheap in the countryside. Thailand has great health care and beautiful temples. It is hot and very hot. It has great beaches and mountains. It has a very different culture since it has never been colonized by the western powers. It doesn't really have jungles. I saw jungle (as we learned it from TV) in Malaysia and there is little of that in most of Thailand but it is still beautiful and has many national parks. Plan your trip around the many interesting festivals. Cost of retirement here? I you want a comfortable and good standard of living then $2000/month is a good number to consider plus that is about the income the immigration department wants you to have to retire here long term.

I want to check out the mountains of Nicaragua 😊!