If you like cheap living and a nice summer climate, try Vietnam & Cambodia. All safe.
Small seafront towns in Provinces can be incredibly cheap! Gov't won't bother you if on
renewable tourist visa
Philippines is not as cheap in the big towns (Manila, Cebu, Davao) but big advantage
is they speak English all over as an official language.
None of them bother you for income taxes if you don't stay over 6 months continuously.
Peter Taradash said:None of them bother you for income taxes if you don't stay over 6 months continuously.
Try to convince Germany, Spain, E.U. or USA that they shouldn’t tax you if you don’t have solid proof of real residence abroad 🙄
JohnnyDoe said:Try to convince Germany, Spain, E.U. or USA that they shouldn’t tax you if you don’t have solid proof of real residence abroad 🙄
Once you leave a place and have no income stream nor assets there , there is nothing much they can do --unless you go back.
But a few countries might not renew passports for their high profile "tax fugitives."
Peter Taradash said:Once you leave a place and have no income stream nor assets there , there is nothing much they can do --unless you go back.
Unless they ask for legal assistance, put you on a blacklist, start a case for money laundering, tax fraud, financing of terrorism and whatnot… Don’t underestimate their power, and remember they can destroy your life, in addition to your finances, if they want.
Peter Taradash said:But a few countries might not renew passports for their high profile "tax fugitives."
If there’s a criminal case pending against you, no country will renew your passport.
Peter Taradash said:If you like cheap living and a nice summer climate, try Vietnam & Cambodia. All safe.
Small seafront towns in Provinces can be incredibly cheap! Gov't won't bother you if on
renewable tourist visa
Philippines is not as cheap in the big towns (Manila, Cebu, Davao) but big advantage
is they speak English all over as an official language.
None of them bother you for income taxes if you don't stay over 6 months continuously.
If you are looking for cheap places, chances are that you are of no interest and value for your home country. They will leave you alone no matter where you go.
edited 18 Mar 2026#6
this whole "cheap" nomad life is a scam. It works when you're in your 20s and you're broke...
anything past that one should ask himself some questions.
It works even less when you're from one of those EU countries and are a citizen too.
You run away and have no financial trail... no bank will touch you.
Even worse if you're really broke and maybe got no decent healthcare.
Can't live a lavish lifestyle as you WILL stick out in many of the cheap places.
If you appears as poor you'll be fine in most of the world... start showing off, compete with locals and we'll see.
It's not for me. You could live on the cheap in EU too if you really wish... I just don't get these people that want to be rich in EU, but then seek for cheap places elsewhere 😕
It's horror movie stuff really...
Living on the cheap is not what I wake up everyday for.
This "3 months here 3 there theory", without having papers for it hoping the old country will not piss you off... it's just a recipe for nightmares these days.
The old EU country will just say: "to us you never left our country so you owes us 50k in taxes... after 50k it's a crime, so hurry up and prove us wrong now before interests and multiple years kick in!"
Have still italian and german friends that randomly get letters from their home countries for some random old taxes not paid or "random" mistakes that they have to fix... after like 5 years or more.
they've been company owners there. Once in the system it's not easy to get out, even after you wind up your company...
marioIT said:this whole "cheap" nomad life is a scam. It works when you're in your 20s and you're broke...
anything past that one should ask himself some questions.
It works even less when you're from one of those EU countries and are a citizen too.
You run away and have no financial trail... no bank will touch you.
Even worse if you're really broke and maybe got no decent healthcare.
Can't live a lavish lifestyle as you WILL stick out in many of the cheap places.
If you appears as poor you'll be fine in most of the world... start showing off, compete with locals and we'll see.
It's not for me. You could live on the cheap in EU too if you really wish... I just don't get these people that want to be rich in EU, but then seek for cheap places elsewhere 😕
It's horror movie stuff really...
Living on the cheap is not what I wake up everyday for.
This "3 months here 3 there theory", without having papers for it hoping the old country will not piss you off... it's just a recipe for nightmares these days.
The old EU country will just say: "to us you never left our country so you owes us 50k in taxes... after 50k it's a crime, so hurry up and prove us wrong now before interests and multiple years kick in!"Have still italian and german friends that randomly get letters from their home countries for some random old taxes not paid or "random" mistakes that they have to fix... after like 5 years or more.
they've been company owners there. Once in the system it's not easy to get out, even after you wind up your company...
This is gold.
The so called "5 flags theory" is good for protecting your assets, it is not to be confused with the permanent tourist/traveler fantasy.
Today you need solid paper trails, substance, compliance and some taxes paid somewhere. Plus a plan B, C and D. Otherwise you are guaranteed to have troubles, sooner or later. Serious troubles. Because if you are left with no passport, an extradition order, bank accounts frozen and a criminal case to defend without money, you are at the mercy of the state mafia - ie: they will steal all your belonging before letting you go "free".
It's smart to live a modest lifestyle, also for your brain. Modest doesn't mean cheap though. It means not showing off, not fighting with locals and pay the "gringo tax" when needed, with a smile on your face. Remember that what's "modest" for a westerner, is "lavish" for a yellow/black local primitive who can at best afford a 5th hand moped.
JohnnyDoe said:It's smart to live a modest lifestyle, also for your brain. Modest doesn't mean cheap though. It means not showing off, not fighting with locals and pay the "gringo tax" when needed, with a smile on your face. Remember that what's "modest" for a westerner, is "lavish" for a yellow/black local primitive who can at best afford a 5th hand moped.
exactly this
for me being rich means I don't have to be worried about the price of fuel or groceries, I'm not stressed what happens if my washing machine breaks or my car is stolen, I'm able to pay the overpriced water taxi or local services with "island surcharge", I have the luxury of peace of mind for the rest of my day even when I get scammed/robbed which happens from time to time inevitably and doesn't matter whether it's a street food seller, local town hall or a lawyer
not to have to care about the (fucked up) world around too much, the ability to stay if you want or leave anytime anywhere is priceless and the true "lavish" life style
void said:for me being rich means I don't have to be worried about the price of fuel or groceries, I'm not stressed what happens if my washing machine breaks or my car is stolen, I'm able to pay the overpriced water taxi or local services with "island surcharge", I have the luxury of peace of mind for the rest of my day even when I get scammed/robbed which happens from time to time inevitably and doesn't matter whether it's a street food seller, local town hall or a lawyer
not to have to care about the (fucked up) world around too much, the ability to stay if you want or leave anytime anywhere is priceless and the true "lavish" life style
You need brain to use money the right way.
Marty McFly said:You need brain to use money the right way.
Money amplifies who you already are. It does not change you.
If you are small enough, the governments won’t notice or care. You aren’t worth their time. Money has a way of making them notice and care. Grift is always worth their time. It’s better to have the paperwork and check the boxes in case they do start to notice or care. Not that it will stop them if they really want to jam you up, but there is no sense in making it easy for them.
Cambodia is very popular right now with the Youtube set. Vietnam doesn’t get much love, nor do the Philippines these days. I’ve never made it to any of the three. Usually by the time a place becomes known as cheap, it is no longer cheap. Given the popularity of Cambodia, I’m skeptical that it is still now what it once was. I’ll still see what the fuss is about in Cambodia the next time I’m in the area.
I’m not a great fan of living in areas with low standards of living and poor infrastructure. So what if you have a nice house? You’re still dodging mopeds and stepping over puddles of raw sewage every time you go outside. There is a huge target on your back and even less of the figment of legal protection in some of these places. Some people don’t mind it. I do.
Sorry but Cambodia is a useless jurisdiction full of fraud
Filda said:Sorry but Cambodia is a useless jurisdiction full of fraud
It has always been the place where the Chinese go to do things… 🙄
Let’s call it a place full of opportunities
Peter Taradash said:Philippines is not as cheap in the big towns (Manila, Cebu, Davao) but big advantage
is they speak English all over as an official language.
One should understand that even though that's English, it's not the same as in UK or Australia, let's say, in terms of sofistication. It's a simple and basic version, with mistakes.
virgen_del_rosario said:One should understand that even though that's English, it's not the same as in UK or Australia, let's say, in terms of sofistication. It's a simple and basic version, with mistakes.
So as an added bonus, you unlearn English 😀
Btw, if you have ever tried to deal on a daily basis with Filipinos, you know that you need a big dose of patience to survive there.
JohnnyDoe said:So as an added bonus, you unlearn English 😀
Btw, if you have ever tried to deal on a daily basis with Filipinos, you know that you need a big dose of patience to survive there.
living in an environment with people speaking poor English is really contagious - I tend to simplify my language to achieve the best results with locals but it gets under my skin quickly and I often find myself speaking like a robot even if not needed ;)
True power moves in silence.
