Where to live Overseas on 500 Dollars per Month

LS650 from wrote 1 comment

I lived in Huatulco, Oaxaca, Mexico for three years. I rented a 2-bedroom apartment with some furnishings and dishes for $230 US/month. With utilities including phone, electric, and dial-up internet my apartment was less that $280. My expenses with food, entertainment etc. were another $300/month.

In the same town I knew of a retired US Navy sailor. His pension was only six or seven hundred dollars a month, so he had to live on a tight budget. He rented a room in a house with communal kitchen and bathrooms for only $120 US/month. He made most meals at home, but would go out every day for a cheap lunch at a restaurant or a beer in the local pub most evenings. About once every six months he would hop on the first class bus, and take several days to do a run up to the Texas border. He'd stay overnight, and then make the trip back with his renewed tourist visa, visiting a few cities along the way and making a vacation out of his visa run. He really enjoyed his life, had enough money to cover his living expenses, and seemed pretty happy.

jcrew2020 from has written 5 comments

I live in Santiago, Dominican Republic.
Rent: $210 us for a furnished 1 bedroom apartment in a good area. Includes electric, water and cable. I pay an additional $15 for internet. $12 for a cell phone plan with 75 minutes

Transportation: No Taxi's for me. I travel like most local. Squeezed between 6 other people. I take publicos, cars that have 4 people in the back seat and 3 people in the front. Cost 20 pesos (50 cents). Easy and fast when you learn the routes.

Food: There is a restaurant across the street that sells plater of the day. For 85 pesos ($2.50) I get rice, beans, salad and a meat. That is my main meal of the day.

PeterViviani from wrote 1 comment

I live as a work exchanger at PachaMama in Costa Rica for under $500 a month. The work is really chill and the environment and community is amazing here. I highly recommend it. You can be here as a guest, work exchanger or resident if you decide to buy and build a house. Life is good :)