What Countries and Places Offer the Best Life Quality?

[Chapas]

Sitting at the beach restaurant in Montenegro, I looked around at the crowd. And one thought hit me. I have not seen a single overweight or obese person in my one week here. Then it got me thinking that I have not even seen a single McDonald's or any other fast food restaurant here. Thought it was a coincidence until I researched some more when I got home. I found this interesting article about why western fast food chains are not entering the Montenegrin market. It is kind of unique as I do no think I have ever been to any country without seeing a McDonald's.

Will McDonald’s Ever Have a Chance in Montenegro?

 

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[Longinus]

Sitting at the beach restaurant in Montenegro, I looked around at the crowd. And one thought hit me. I have not seen a single overweight or obese person in my one week here. Then it got me thinking that I have not even seen a single McDonald's or any other fast food restaurant here. Thought it was a coincidence until I researched some more when I got home. I found this interesting article about why western fast food chains are not entering the Montenegrin market. It is kind of unique as I do no think I have ever been to any country without seeing a McDonald's.

Will McDonald’s Ever Have a Chance in Montenegro?

McDo can never compete against awesome Yugo meat dishes!

Things to check out: burek, cevapcici, pljeskavica. Imo, Bosnia has the best kitchen all over Yugoslavia. If you're tired of Montenegro, jump in your car and drive to Mostar. You will like it.

 

[jon.M]

Looks like Denmark could be your ideal country. Not quite sure about the last part though. It is getting more and more strict for foreigners from outside of the EU to relocate to the country. But the first 6 points totally matches Denmark. The weather is not the best though. Prepare to become best friends with your umbrella if you decide to move there!

How's Denmark business-wise? I've got a few Danish clients. You guys seem to have 25% sales tax, non-deductible. To me, that sounds kinda crazy. Here in Sweden it's 20% but deductible.

 

[Private Witt]

Yeah, could happen anywhere in the world, though I've found that in certain places there are very few "wrong places at the wrong time" and in some, a lot of them.
Bet you were popular with the local girls

Yah in Bogota there are quite a few of these places. Mine was usually safe as was by a university but it was a school break and was a ghostville, usually thousands in area.

Being a gringo, speaking a little Spanish and living in the country certainly helped .

 

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[Chapas]

McDo can never compete against awesome Yugo meat dishes!

Things to check out: burek, cevapcici, pljeskavica. Imo, Bosnia has the best kitchen all over Yugoslavia. If you're tired of Montenegro, jump in your car and drive to Mostar. You will like it.

Oh, the infamous burek! Remember I ate it 3 years ago in Croatia. Totally forgot about it. Will head down the mountain to the local bakery and get me some bureks! And will also try to find a Pljeskavica this weekend! We will have to do a visa run in the beginning of January, so we will most likely take the car and go on a day trip to Trebinje. I heard Mostar is really beautiful though, so maybe we should try to spend a couple of days there instead?

 

[Chapas]

How's Denmark business-wise? I've got a few Danish clients. You guys seem to have 25% sales tax, non-deductible. To me, that sounds kinda crazy. Here in Sweden it's 20% but deductible.

Oh mate, our tax system makes me want to cry. Paying 40 % in income-tax is another killer. At least the government usually used to spend it wisely, so we have a lot of benefits from the tax. But it still hurts to almost pay half of what you earn! The good thing business-wise in Denmark is that it is really easy to create a company. I have not done that yet, but I will try to describe the process when I do it sometime in January. Where in Sweden are you living?

 

[Longinus]

Oh, the infamous burek! Remember I ate it 3 years ago in Croatia. Totally forgot about it. Will head down the mountain to the local bakery and get me some bureks! And will also try to find a Pljeskavica this weekend! We will have to do a visa run in the beginning of January, so we will most likely take the car and go on a day trip to Trebinje. I heard Mostar is really beautiful though, so maybe we should try to spend a couple of days there instead?

Bosnia is really nice, especially in the Summer when Montenegro and Croatia is flooded with tourists. Totally recommend Mostar and also check out Sarajevo. Many scars of the war to be found, and it's still pretty sensitive stuff, so keep that in mind. Too bad Bosnia is one of the most corrupt countries of the Balkans.

 

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[sparechange]

Florida ain't too bad.

Been in Fort Lauderdale & Miami, the heat is unbearable for me (my city is +25c at the hottest usually/Canada Vancouver) Like the cities though especially being near the water

Met a guy down in Miami that thought all Canadians live in igloos........lol he was drunk

 

[Fox]

@Private Witt, where did you live? How was personal safety over there?

I lived in Bogota for close to three years.

First of it was a ton of fun and the women (most peoples reason for living in Colombia ha) were super feminine and very friendly.

The food, culture, nightlife, and cost of living are great too.

As for safety you just have to be aware.

No leaving your phone or wallet on a table in a cafe, no using obvious laptop or drone carry bags, no flashing money or watches etc.

Then you just have to be smart about logistics - don't go solo into certain areas, don't get drunk and get a taxi by yourself, don't walk around at night with no plan.

To be honest I broke all of these rules once or twice and was still fine. I had a few friends get robbed but usually, the reason was them making it easy for that to happen.

Basically - if you are an easy target you will likely even up getting robbed at some point. But it's easy to avoid that for the most part.

 

[Fox]

I have been loving Mexico so far.

Was living in Mazatlan, then Mexico City, and I move to Oaxaca tomorrow.

People are very chill, hard-working and ambitious, and easy to connect with.

Traffic sucks for the most part but infrastructure (malls, parks, facilities etc) is decent and the upper-class areas of Mexico (I live in Sante Fe right now) are excellent.

Tons of little towns and areas to explore and so much culture. Plus the food is so good ha!

I originally planned on staying just a few weeks but met a great girl here. They are very family orientated and quite conservative which is what I prefer.

I plan on living in Oaxaca for all of 2019 so I will update this again at some point in the future.

 

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[wildfox81]

I would like to live in Goa, India.

It's a peaceful and relaxed part of India. It's coastal and has plenty of nice beaches. The weather is nice and warm for most months of the year.

The living standards are low. The food is awesome and the people are welcoming as well. The food and alcohol are really cheap as long as you avoid tourist traps.

Tourism and related business are encouraged. Most people can speak English and Hindi language.

It's quite safe for both men and women. And if you stay in a remote area there are not many people around you.

 

[sparechange]

lol india..

best place in the world

 

[The Abundant Man]

I have been loving Mexico so far.

Was living in Mazatlan, then Mexico City, and I move to Oaxaca tomorrow.

People are very chill, hard-working and ambitious, and easy to connect with.

Traffic sucks for the most part but infrastructure (malls, parks, facilities etc) is decent and the upper-class areas of Mexico (I live in Sante Fe right now) are excellent.

Tons of little towns and areas to explore and so much culture. Plus the food is so good ha!

I originally planned on staying just a few weeks but met a great girl here. They are very family orientated and quite conservative which is what I prefer.

I plan on living in Oaxaca for all of 2019 so I will update this again at some point in the future.

What happened to Canada?

What are the differences between Mazatlan, Mexico City and Oaxaca?

What's the love story between you and the girl?

 

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[Hijena1]

Let me add some thoughts to the topic and cover some countries to kick off a discussion.

For me, some of the most important requirements are (no place will meet all of them):

• Good weather. This means sunny for most of the year (so that you never go more than a few days without sunshine), and the average daytime temperature during the winter shouldn't be lower than about 60-70 degrees F/15-20 degrees Celsius), with maximum summer temperatures around 85-95 F/30-35 C). Ideally, dry heat as I don't like high humidity and sweating like a pig after a short walk. The best climates for me personally are subtropics, semi-arid, arid climates, or Mediterranean climates.
  
• Personal safety. If I have to constantly worry about my safety or can't feel comfortable walking around in most neighborhoods, it's just not conducive to a good lifestyle.
• Easy access to the wilderness areas. I can't stand big cities for more than a few days. Living in a place like Bangkok would be a nightmare for me. Good hiking trails, plenty of places where you can get away and be by yourself is a must.
  
• Coastal. I enjoy being close to the ocean or at least sea. It offers many opportunities for sports and there's this special vibe that coastal cities have.
  
• Easy to stay fit and healthy. In this aspect, some places are much, much easier than other. For example, I find it motivating to hang around fit, healthy people because it inspires me to work out harder and take better care of my health. I also look for a place where I can climb outdoors and recently, as a new filter, I'd like to be in a place where I can surf. Air quality is important, too.
  
• Friendly, laid-back and welcoming people. I wouldn't be able to live in a place like most of Asia where no matter how long you live there, you're always a foreigner. I also would find it hard to live in an Islamic country (I like visiting these countries, but I wouldn't be able to live there long-term). I love places where I can easily blend in and where everyone (or most people) assume that I'm a local. This obviously depends on your ancestry and how you look. I also enjoy cultures where people are laid-back and warm by nature.
  
• Reasonable taxes and good infrastructure. I used to look at low taxes as one of the key requirements, but now I look more at what you actually get for the taxes you pay. For example, zero taxes sound awesome, but if in exchange you have to live on a small Caribbean without much to do, you aren't really getting a good deal lifestyle-wise. Likewise, if the taxes are low but the infrastructure is weak and you don't feel safe, then I'd rather pay more in taxes and live in a place where I don't have to worry whether somebody will break into my car.
• Reasonable cost of living. Doesn't have to be super low (higher costs of living motivate you to think bigger), but some places are just outrageously expensive.
• Reasonable population density. I hate high traffic density and crowds. Living in the middle of nowhere isn't fun, but so isn't living in a place where it's always hard to find a parking spot, where there are huge traffic jams, and where you need to account for crowds in everything you do.
  
• Good local food. This is actually related to health and fitness, but by itself, it's also a pretty important factor. I wouldn't be able to live in many places in the US where your choice is pretty much limited to fast food and supermarkets don't really carry anything of high-quality and locally made (like for example Spain and their great cheeses or Cyprus and their great fruits).

I could probably list a few more requirements, but these are the first that come to my mind.

Now, for some specific countries/places which would currently be my top picks, in no particular order (I'll only cover the ones I enjoyed the most but I can discuss other countries which I didn't particularly like if anyone's interested):

• Australia. I'm currently staying in the Sunshine Coast/Noosa region for a couple of weeks learning how to surf. It's safe, well-developed, sunny, the air is clean, and people are friendly. Drawbacks include high prices (real estate is ridiculously expensive), some dangerous animals to watch out for (you should be fine if you aren't completely careless, though), and strong UV radiation. Hiking is okay, but nothing to write home about. It's a bit of a pain in the a$$ to enjoy the outdoors here. If you hate sunscreen like I do and you don't want to get badly sunburned, you can only spend time outside in the morning or late afternoon with only brief amounts of time in the middle of the day (if you don't mind putting on tons of sunscreen or covering yourself despite hot weather, then you won't mind this). Obviously, this applies to all places featuring tropical/subtropical climate and it's still better to deal with strong sun than with cloudy, cold weather all the time.
  
• Cyprus. Very friendly people, beautiful architecture, nice landscapes, incredible beaches, pretty pleasant climate all year round (though summer may get too hot). The biggest drawback for me: it's an island. If the Republic of Cyprus reunites with the north, it will be a much better option. Another disadvantage: it gets dark very early in the winter (4:30 pm and it's already dark). It's weird because it can be pretty warm and sunny, but you don't have much time to enjoy it.
• Canary Islands. I've been twice to Tenerife and plan to visit some of the other islands soon, too. Again, they're islands so it's a big drawback. However, the advantage is that they're pretty close to each other so if you get bored, you can easily fly to another island. Other than that, infrastructure is fine, food is good, people are welcoming, and there's a lot of hiking and many other opportunities to spend time outdoors. Climate is described as one of the best in the world as it's never too cold or too hot. Just avoid the tourist areas like parts of southern Tenerife.
• Southern Spain - it's colder than in the Canary Islands, but you're on the mainland. Certain areas are much sunnier than the Canary Islands, and since you're on the continent, you have many more options for spending free time. I like the architecture, relaxed culture, and endless possibilities for sports.

Other options I'm yet to research:

• Greece. Certain parts of the country might be nice (Crete would probably be best climate-wise but I haven't been there yet - I visited a smaller island in a colder region of the country).
• Mexico. Lived on a tiny island for a few months there. Safety in certain areas is an issue, but there are probably plenty of places that could be pleasant and comfortable.
• Southern Portugal. Might be a bit too cold during the winter.
• New Zealand. As above, and it's not exactly the sunniest place in the world.
  
• Uruguay. Also cold during the winter.
  
• Nicaragua. One of the safest countries in the region, but infrastructure is an issue.

Last but not least, here's a good article about choosing a place where you'll be happiest: WHERE WILL YOU BE HAPPIEST? with the author (British multimillionaire) describing his selection process.

Damn! You hit me right in the spot. That is everything I want.
Have you visited Lisbon in Portugal? One thing I don't like is lacking of a forest for those who like cycling and nature.
What are you doing(work related) to have such a rich life?

There is some talk here about Balkan countries. I moved from Croatia to Frankfurt 3 years ago, searching for better life quality. But god-damn I hate city life. One particular thing PLANES! It doesn't matter where you go in a forest 200km away what you hear? Planes. Visiting a castle and what you hear inside? Planes. Planes 24/7, 365 days a year. Combine that with heavy traffic and trains and it's horrible. Before, this experience I never understood what is sound pollution. Maybe it's just me because I grew up where you can hear only crickets and frogs.

Man, I just want back when speaking about this but Balkan economy is on shaky legs and the big picture they show to the world is just a big f***ing lie!

Montenegro has high political imbalance because Serbia still wants "their" country back.

 

[MTF]

Have you visited Lisbon in Portugal? One thing I don't like is lacking of a forest for those who like cycling and nature.
What are you doing(work related) to have such a rich life?

No, haven't been to Portugal yet. I'd probably prefer southern Portugal.

I get what you mean by no access to a forest. I enjoy being close to a forest, too, but if there are large forests nearby, then it's probably because the place gets quite a bit of rain and cloudy days. It's another compromise to make. I tend to gravitate toward semi-arid climates, but when forced to choose, I think I'd rather live in a place with more rain but better nature.

I'm a self-published author.

One particular thing PLANES! It doesn't matter where you go in a forest 200km away what you hear? Planes. Visiting a castle and what you hear inside? Planes. Planes 24/7, 365 days a year. Combine that with heavy traffic and trains and it's horrible. Before, this experience I never understood what is sound pollution. Maybe it's just me because I grew up where you can hear only crickets and frogs.

Frankfurt is one of the busiest airports in the world so that's probably why.

Man, I just want back when speaking about this but Balkan economy is on shaky legs and the big picture they show to the world is just a big f***ing lie!

Care to elaborate? What would have to happen for you to feel comfortable moving back? Would you feel comfortable living there if you were financially independent?

 

[AgainstAllOdds]

If you're single:

Get Tinder Premium.

Change your location to the richest part of the city you're considering to live in.

Look at the quality of girls and who you're matching with. If the girls are unattractive to you, scratch it off your list. Dating is a huge part of quality of life. Some cities have a lot prettier girls than other cities/countries.

 

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[Chapas]

If you're single:

Get Tinder Premium.

Change your location to the richest part of the city you're considering to live in.

Look at the quality of girls and who you're matching with. If the girls are unattractive to you, scratch it off your list. Dating is a huge part of quality of life. Some cities have a lot prettier girls than other cities/countries.

Haha this is so true! It was one of the reasons I moved to Moscow two and a half years ago. Already had 5 dated set up before ever stepping my foot in the city. Best piece of advice ever!

 

[Madame Peccato]

I'm also considering moving out. Italy is an okay country, but the only way to describe the tax system is predatory, and I don't even really get to enjoy Italy, as I basically live in the middle of nowhere...I'm very close to Switzerland, in the middle of the Alps. The people here are awful for the most part, and everything feels outdated.

I was always fascinated by Central - Eastern Europe, and Montenegro looks like my kind of place.

@Chapas how necessary is it to know the local language? My English is good, and I don't mind putting in the time to learn at least the ropes of the local language to make sure I don't have any problem with stuff like the local Police, Banks, Hospitals, the Government and the likes.

I've been also looking at other countries, Albania, Romania and Bulgary are on my list of interesting cities. Albania and Romania have terrible reputation here in Italy, since a lot of immigrants from those places were...unruly. But I don't see them much anymore, and googling gives me hopeful answers. I'll look a bit more into it. I'd love to move asap, but I still have some unfinished business to take care of, so it'll be at least a couple months before I move.

And one last question related to the topic. Where should I look for actual advice on moving (mostly to make sure everything is in order)? As much as I'd like to YOLO it, the last thing I want to do is forget about important stuff and then having to go back to Italy because of it.

 

[MTF]

I'm also considering moving out. Italy is an okay country, but the only way to describe the tax system is predatory, and I don't even really get to enjoy Italy, as I basically live in the middle of nowhere...I'm very close to Switzerland, in the middle of the Alps.

Have you considered moving over the border to enjoy one of the best tax systems in the world? Or perhaps Campione d'Italia, which comes with numerous tax benefits.

The people here are awful for the most part, and everything feels outdated.

Why are they awful?

 

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[raad182]

Brazil is great if you have the resources.

 

[Hijena1]

Care to elaborate? What would have to happen for you to feel comfortable moving back? Would you feel comfortable living there if you were financially independent?

The economy is not in a great shape. Croatia has only tourism nothing else. Everything else is suffering. For example, speaking with my own experience the government is purposely "closing" small businesses (mostly in agriculture) just to give control to someone else who is bigger.

But still I would love to live there. If financially independent I would go back in a heart bit, those countries can be paradise if you have the money. Making 1600$ a month would be a good reason to go back.

The money and opportunity were the reasons for moving out. Working for 600$ a month without the benefits it is not satisfying plus the future is not looking promising. When speaking to you about this, back then I was only thinking about getting a job, but now in the FSL mindset that is different. You have shaken the ground under my legs with these simple questions.

What do you write??

 

[MTF]

What do you write??

Books Can't get more specific than that, sorry.

Brazil is great if you have the resources.

If financially independent I would go back in a heart bit, those countries can be paradise if you have the money.

I guess same can be said about plenty of places, though it largely depends on the infrastructure. I've been to Croatia and I was impressed by the quality of the roads (though I remember tolls being very expensive, particularly compared to local wages). I was surprised how sparsely populated some regions were - I didn't feel like I was in Europe.

 

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[Madame Peccato]

Have you considered moving over the border to enjoy one of the best tax systems in the world? Or perhaps Campione d'Italia, which comes with numerous tax benefits.

A lot of people who live here work in Switzerland and come back here for weekends. A way of life I never fully understood, or well, I understand it partially since they enjoy way higher income, but at that point I don't see the reason to not just move there, but I digress.

The reason I didn't consider Switzerland is that whenever I visited it I didn't like the country much. My uncle lives there. I can't quite figure out what exactly irks me so much about it, but every time I've been there I've felt uncomfortable. Italians aren't exactly well liked there, most Swiss people see us as "immigrants who are stealing their job" (not very different from how immigrants are seen in the rest of the world to be honest).

Campione has a giant Casino (the only """redeeming""" quality of the city), but it's on its way to closing down, they just laid off 500 employees. Other than that it's like every other place in Italy.

I just don't feel like Italy is a country I have any faith in whatsoever. It's not just about taxes, it's also about the (economic) laws that are being put in place in 2019 and beyond. I don't expect this country to survive much longer before bankruptcy (like Greece in 2015).

Why are they awful?

Awful was perhaps a poor choice of word, and it's probably just the specific zone I'm in and not Italy as a whole, but the older people absolutely loathe anything that isn't manual labor or jobs that are related to farming. A lot of the younger people are leaving / have already left, there's no opportunity for anyone. This is the result of living in an isolated part of the country. Also Italians are very good at circumventing the laws in general, we are liars, we gave birth to the Mafia, we are taught since a young age that we can't trust anyone.

We are one of the countries with the highest average age in Europe, and it heavily reflects on the mentality of the people who live here. Tribalism is rampant, "knowing someone" is the main way of getting anything done. Tax evasion is everywhere (we're actually one of the countries with the highest % of people who evade taxes), and the half of the population that pays taxes has to pay for everyone else. The scholastic system is old and outdated, my father still has to follow protocols from the 20s for his job, and that's the case for a lot of professions. Our bureaucracy is beyond salvation, our systems are outdated, the government gives employment to a lot of parasites...I just want out man.

 

[Longinus]

If you're single:

Get Tinder Premium.

Change your location to the richest part of the city you're considering to live in.

Look at the quality of girls and who you're matching with. If the girls are unattractive to you, scratch it off your list. Dating is a huge part of quality of life. Some cities have a lot prettier girls than other cities/countries.

I'm dying to hear what you discovered using this trick.

 

[raad182]

If you're single:

Get Tinder Premium.

Change your location to the richest part of the city you're considering to live in.

Look at the quality of girls and who you're matching with. If the girls are unattractive to you, scratch it off your list. Dating is a huge part of quality of life. Some cities have a lot prettier girls than other cities/countries.

LOL, I've done this once when I wanted to move
3. Poland
2. Finland
1. United Kingdom

I would marry with 80% of the matches I got from these places.

 

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[Contrarian]

• Southern Portugal. Might be a bit too cold during the winter.

I was in the Algarve in early September. Coming from Malta, it was cold. A lot colder than I expected. I was there for five days and I think the max temperature was between 23-27C. It was cold in the mornings and at night.

Felt pretty similar to the weather here in late October/early November or so.

It's really nice down there but very touristy. Completely different from the Lisbon area. Felt like the entire place solely existed for budget tourists from England and retirees. I didn't get the impression there's much else going on.

I went to the race circuit there, and it was pretty buzzing (the Algarve, not the circuit), but my friends who've been a couple of times before in October said it's like a ghost town already by then.

 

[Dawn27]

Loving this thread, so interesting to read about everyone's experiences!

I personally lived in Japan for the best part of 4 years and would move back in a heartbeat were it not for pets and settled spouse (but planning for my business to go international with Japan as a main target, so I'll at least have plenty of nice trips there ). It definitely has its pros & cons, and it's not for everyone.

My favourite elements were:
* Beautiful weather fully experiencing all four seasons and a culture which revered nature, even in intensely overpopulated cities like Tokyo
* Similar to above, easy to access an abundance of hikes, rivers, mountains etc.
* Extremely safe (people would leave their laptops on the tables at Starbucks then pop out to another shop, sleep on the subway with their iPhones in their laps, etc.)
* Efficient transport
* Polite, friendly culture, amazing customer service (instead of 'the customer is always right' they say 'the customer is God')
* Great eats, very easy to eat healthily and access high quality freshly prepared food even in 24 hour convenience stores
* "Kawaii" culture which was kind of like being in Pokémon or Disneyland every single day
* Everyone is a little bit spiritual (you'd find temples and shrines everywhere amongst the city skyscrapers as a standard)
* Few dangerous wild animals
* High quality of living, infrastructure etc.

That's all I've got off the top of my head!

 

[MTF]

my friends who've been a couple of times before in October said it's like a ghost town already by then.

Sounds like a lot of places in southern Spain then.

It was cold in the mornings and at night.

Except for the Canary Islands, there's no place in Europe that doesn't get cold at least in the mornings and at night in winter. In the warmest areas of the Canary Islands minimum temperatures usually don't go below 13-15 C.

In pretty much any other otherwise warm place in Europe minimums usually go below 10 C, sometimes even down to 5 C. If you live in a place without heating, winter can be a nightmare because while days are pretty warm, you're freezing in the morning and evening.

It definitely has its pros & cons, and it's not for everyone.

Definitely not for everyone. No matter how many advantages it has, I wouldn't be able to live in a place with so many people and crazy population density. That's my main issue with most of Asia.

 

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[AgainstAllOdds]

I'm dying to hear what you discovered using this trick.

I can make an entire thread on this, but to summarize: everyone has different tastes. Basically change your global location around a bit to see what you like and what your match rates are.

Your best matches will be in places where you wouldn't expect - since it's where your exotic factor is highest. For example, one place I traveled to was Kazakhstan. There, you should be able to match with a number of Asian-Russian mixed models... however, it's also not a place you want to live.

 

[Dawn27]

No matter how many advantages it has, I wouldn't be able to live in a place with so many people and crazy population density. That's my main issue with most of Asia.

100%, although you can avoid that issue pretty much as soon as you get out of Tokyo and the other major cities