To live well from the average Hungarian earnings or less in Asia? It’s possible.

Put your hands up if you haven’t ever played with the idea of what is it like to live in another country permanently, be it a few months or even several years. In this article, I primarily looked at Asian countries. I tried to find options, where, with the average domestic earnings in mind, being abroad permanently is more profitable than if you had spent that time here.

Of course in the current situation travelling to these countries is hard or even prohibited for tourists so if someone were to think seriously about these options, they would have to wait until the virus situation globally improves.

You have to also take into account that if you go with a tourist visa, you can’t take a job while you stay there, so only teleworking can come into play if you want to have a job. There are multiple types of tourist visas, getting an e-visa is easy and fast, however, it usually last shorter, for a longer-lasting visa you usually have to go to the corresponding embassy.

India, Goa

India, Goa: I would recommend staying permanently in India to the more experienced Asia travellers and for those who wouldn’t shy away from accepting a completely different culture, you have to come here wide open. Goa is probably the most easily acceptable province of India for the western tourists, thanks to the fact that tourists coming here and their demands have changed the region more. Since the inhabitants are more used to the foreigners, their presence won’t make them the centre of attention (staring at them, asking for a photo), like in other parts of the country.

Since Goa was a Portuguese colony for 450 years, it still bears its traces with the style of the buildings and religious division, there is a surprising number of Christians besides the Hindus.

These things are beneficial for me compared to living in Europe:

-beach vibe, many colourful bungalows, palm trees, of course these beaches can’t be and shouldn’t be compared to the European beaches in terms of care.

-the food: for someone who loves Asian food, who can become addicted to the Asian taste, India has the most intense, diverse, exciting gastronomy in all of Asia.

-it’s never cold, you don’t have to pay for heating

-everything is cheap compared to the Hungarian prices

-it’s funny that cows can wander around freely on the beaches

-there are a lot of “beach dogs”, which is a bit sad since they all don’t have owners (but they have a better time, than other stray dogs in India since tourists feed them) but it’s a positive experience for dog-lovers, that they can easily become friend with one of them.

These things can be disadvantageous in Goa:

-the insistence of sellers, sometimes they try to have you on (this can be prevented if you learn Hindi on a conversational level)

-they interpret hygiene differently than we do, thrash is a big problem in all of India although, Goa is in a better position in this regard than India’s other regions and they always try to pick up the trash on the beaches for the tourists but unfortunately if you travel further away you stumble into trash again.

-heavy rains and high humidity during the monsoon season

-malaria, dengue fever danger

Let’s look at the average monthly livelihood price in Goa:

Of course, there is a wide range of hotels from the simplest, only functional accommodation to a luxury apartment.

The average apartment price for two persons which includes wi-fi, kitchen, terrace and sometimes even a beautiful view is between about 300 and 400 USD, a local beer in a restaurant is about 1-1.5 USD.

If you don’t eat in restaurants every day, you can either choose street food or local markets (it’s not as dangerous as it seems), this can also save you some money and if you buy the ingredients in a shop then you can sometimes cook at home, in grocery stores you can buy at about half price compared to Hungarian prices.

Average monthly expenses per person:

Accommodation 350/2 = 175 USD

Middle-class restaurant (15 times) 75 USD

Street food (15 times) 15 USD

Food and other consumables: 100 USD

Travelling (trips nearby with bus, train, car rickshaw) 30 USD

Clothes: 60 USD

Pastime: 70 USD

Total: 525 USD

So, you can live from roughly 525 USD monthly, without being in need.

Thailand, Chiang Mai

In Thailand, unlike usually, I didn’t choose a coastal city, but Chiang Mai, a Thai city, also called the capital of the north, which, although not coastal, deserved the attention of many foreign ex-pats, making it practically a citadel of digital nomads in Thailand. Chiang Mai is a much more liveable, human-scale metropolis than the capital, Bangkok, it’s extremely lovable with its plenty of wats (temples), winding streets and cosy cafes.

Benefits

-thanks to the many Europeans stuck abroad you won’t feel yourself so lost

- exactly because of the above, there are plenty of communities we can easily join, so it’s very easy to make new friends who are probably open-minded like us.

-Thailand has an impressive religious, cultural milieu that can easily suck you in

-the gastronomic positives cannot be missed here either, the taste of Thai food is also a slice of the Asian gastronomic world that is extremely diverse, the paradise of flavours for both vegans and non-vegans

-although not as cheap as, for example, India, but considering that we can live from a Hungarian average salary in another corner of the world is also quite an attractive factor.

Disadvantages:

-The Thai people, in my experience, aren't always kind, (or they just act kind) and tend to look at western people as a money bag (fortunately there are a lot of exceptions)

-scams, just like in India, unfortunately, happens here, so you have to be on the lookout

The average cost in Chiang Mai, Thailand is as follows:

Accommodation 440/2 = 220 USD

Middle-class restaurant, if you eat your meals 40% in restaurants 226 USD

Food and other consumables: 180 USD

Travelling (local and nearby) 100 USD

Clothes: 60 USD

Pastime: 70 USD

Total: 856 USD

Of course, the list of expenses isn’t complete, it does not include, for example, health care / insurance fees, which can vary. The numbers provide only a quick basis for comparison.