Nov. 9, 2009
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
PLUS:
- "Who Says There's No Such Thing As A Comfortable Hotel For US$11 A Night Or Less?"...
- El Salvador--The Sleeper Of The Decade...
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The World's Cheapest Retirement Havens...
Are Also The Most Exotic
Amongst vistas of nearly indescribable beauty, you can
pay US$100 a month for rent, spend only 1% of the usual cost of health care, and eat a full lunch for only 50 cents.
The world doesn't get any cheaper.
This land of ancient kingdoms, emperors, explorers, adventurers, traders, and pioneers is also beautiful, safe, welcoming, and, in some parts, completely at peace.
Go Here For More Details
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Dear Live and Invest Overseas Reader,
"I understand that it can sound too good to be true, like it's just so much hype," writes Asia Correspondent Wendy Justice, "but prices in this part of the world have never failed to surprise and delight us. My husband and I live on a budget, but here that doesn't mean going without. Here, it's possible to enjoy a solidly middle-class lifestyle for a fraction the cost of a comparable standard of living in North America or Europe.
"Whenever someone doubts just how inexpensive living in Asia can be, I think about the first time that my husband and I visited. We traveled from the States for a three-week trip, starting in Bangkok. Thailand's capital qualifies as one of the more expensive destinations in the region, yet, even here, we couldn't get over how inexpensive things were. Then we traveled to Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand, and discovered that prices were even lower. From Thailand, we moved on to Cambodia, where we visited ancient Khmer ruins and the city of Phnom Penh, and found that prices were lower still!
"It was such an eye-opening experience that it started us thinking about early retirement. Here in Southeast Asia, we realized, we could actually afford to stop working. Two years later, we flew to Hong Kong and spent the next five years in the region, living in Hanoi, Chiang Mai, and Kuala Lumpur.
"In that time, we stayed in US$4-a-night guesthouses in Laos, had a mountain of laundry hand-washed, pressed, and folded for less than 25 cents in western China, and enjoyed delicious, just prepared meals for less than 50 cents in Thailand.
"We've stayed at a large and spotlessly clean room in Hue, Vietnam, for US$8 a night, including a giant 5-course breakfast, and we've flown from Kuala Lumpur to Bali, Indonesia, for less than US$50.
"We spent a month in Hanoi, paying US$10 a night for a hotel room and full board for the two of us.
"We stayed at an historic and beautifully restored guesthouse in the ancient town of Pingyao, China, for less than US$20 a night and paid even less than that for our room in gorgeous Lijiang. You can easily find a decent guesthouse in Kunming or Chengdu, in western China, for well under US$20 a night. Travel farther west, and prices drop more. We stayed at a spotlessly clean and spacious hotel in Litang, a beautiful town at the edge of the Tibetan plateau, for example, for US$8 a night. Dinner for two was US$5.
"In Cambodia, we hired a young man to drive us up one of the steepest roads I have ever traveled to the top of Bokor Mountain, where he spent the entire day showing us the sites. His fee was US$20.
"We tried to give a taxi driver a tip in Chengdu, China, only to have him refuse and apologize for getting lost. Never mind that it had taken him an hour to find our hotel and the fare, which had been quoted to us in advance, was less than a dollar.
"Certainly, some areas are more expensive than others. It is possible to spend as much or more in Beijing or Singapore for an international-standard hotel room or fine dining than you would spend on comparable services in the United States. Dinner at 5-star Lafites, in Kuala Lumpur, can cost more than US$100 for two, not including drinks. A single-family house in Singapore will cost at least as much as a single-family home in most American cities.
"So don't go to Beijing or Singapore if you're traveling or looking to retire on a budget.
"One of my favorite you-won't-believe-how-cheap-it-was-when-I-tell-you experiences was having dinner at an upscale restaurant in Pakse, Laos. We enjoyed a truly five-star dining experience, attended by a waiter in a suit who addressed us as 'mother' and 'father.' The total cost was less than US$10, including my very generous tip.
"In Kuala Lumpur, the delicious
char kway teow (a hearty noodle dish popular in Malaysia and Singapore) that I bought at the local market for about 90 cents was more than I could generally eat at one sitting. A fried chicken meal, served with rice, green beans, peanuts, a fried egg, and soup, cost less than US$1.25 at the market.
"In all the time we've spent now in this part of the world, we still haven't gotten accustomed to the reverse sticker shock. Our luxury, furnished condo in K.L., where we lived until recently, cost less than US$600 a month in rent. I could see a competent, English-speaking doctor for US$5 or engage an electrician to come to fix the air conditioner for US$6.
"In Malaysia, about the only thing that isn't ridiculously inexpensive is beer. Taxes bring the price up to US$3 to US$4 a can. Not so, though, wine and liquor, which are readily available and a far better value."
Kathleen Peddicord
P.S. Wendy joins our other Intrepid Asia Correspondents Paul and Vicki Terhorst to report in great detail of just how good and cheap life in this part of the world can be. From Malaysia to Thailand, from India to China, and from Laos to Vietnam, this part of the world serves up the best living on a budget available anywhere on this planet. In their just-released "Around Asia--On The Trail Of A New Life And A Grand Adventure With Two The World's Most Intrepid Wanderers," Wendy, Paul, and Vicki introduce you to this exotic land of emperors and adventurers as no one else can.
More here.
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The World's Safest Retirement Havens
The world's most affordable places to retire...friendliest places to live...best weather...lowest tax burdens...most beautiful, most exciting, most infatuating places to hang your hat...
Plus best rental options...smartest places to own...
From
Chiang Mai, Thailand and
Cuenca, Ecuador (cheapest)...to
Ambergris Caye, Belize and
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (foreign resident-friendly)...from
El Valle, Panama (sweet mountain living in a top tax haven)...to
Mendoza, Argentina (wine country on a budget)...from
Hangzhou, China (exotic and ultra-cheap) to
Languedoc, south of France (Old World living on a budget)...
Complete and in-depth reports on the
world's top retirement havens, including full details on residency, health care, taxes, and itemized monthly budgets.
Go Here For More Details
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"I'm gathering up my maps and looking forward to returning, after a year, to
El Salvador," writes Latin America Correspondent Michael Paladin.
"Hurricane Ida passed through recently, and 120 people have been reported killed in the floods and mudslides. I'm surprised, as El Salvador doesn't have any Caribbean coastline, which is where Ida brushed by a few days ago.
"It'll be interesting to see what changes have taken place in this country under the direction of new president, Mauricio Funes. El Salvador has been a conservative right-wing oligarchy for 20 years, and the promises of change grew stale.
"I'm going in via the western frontier with Guatemala and returning along the Pacific coastline. San Salvador, the capital, is where I'll be most of the time. There's doings at the U.S. Embassy, plus I intend to dip my foot into San Salvadoran nightlife. I have old friends from Havana days living there who are making introductions for me.
"Lonely Planet just included El Salvador at the top of their list of best of places to visit in 2010, and I think I know why. It is a small, sweet, beautiful country, off the tourist trail and most people's retirement radar screens.
"While I'm there, I'll compare last year's real estate prices with current values and give you an update on the rental market.
"El Salvador might just be the sleeper of the decade."
"To
Nelson C., Untied States, I have stayed in a new, very comfortable room in a small hotel in Otovalo,
Ecuador, for US$10. I have had a complete chicken dinner, marinated and grilled, with veggies and salad, for US$1 in Cotacachi, Ecuador. It was delicious. There goes your position on no cheap places. Get out there and look."
-- Marcia H., United States
"How much is a two-bedroom condo at the
Los Islotes development in Panama you wrote about recently, including the lot?"
-- Michael H., United States
Lief Simon, the developer at Los Islotes, replies:
We don't have condos available for sale just yet. We've just launched retail lot sales in Phase 1 and will be working with sub-developers to design and build condo sections for this phase. We estimate that, when we launch condo sales, a two-bedroom ocean-view unit will be available to start for around US$150,000.
