Sounds great. Thanks!

I think might like Napoli. I can also live and work in EU so it may be a real option. Can you elaborate on the tax break?

Never heard of HDI. Thanks for bringing this up. I do like making decisions based on evidence.

I see. Thanks for the insight tho!

Experiencing how people live in different cultures made me more accepting and open minded, and I can now see beyond the tribalist nonsense that many of us grew up with. Being fluent in several world languages also helps.

How so? Any particular town you could recommend?

a college town of somewhere between 15,000 to 150,000 is where I found the best overall quality of life.

Me too! Ended up moving away for a job but I wish I could find a place like this again.

I am thoroughly uncomfortable in larger cities and the only thing I hate more than driving a car through traffic is the feeling of claustrophobia in an overcrowded bus or metro. Couldn’t care less about “entertainment and cultural resources”, what does this even mean? I value walkability/bikeability, access to nature and quiet time way higher.

Looks like smaller college towns are exactly the sweet spot I am looking for. Thanks for the pointers and the book tip!

Haven’t thought of this corner of the world. Have you lived there? How is everyday life compared to the West?

If a town is built for 100k-120k people and within a few years it goes up to 200k there will obviously be issues and things will not be as calm and quiet as it used to.

I think this is exactly what happened. You’re right. No such thing as a forever comfortable place.

The key must be to find a small livable town before everybody else does and things go downhill, stay for a few years, then look for your next home.

If memory serves, Costa Rica and Panama both offer 1-2y remote worker visas and they don’t tax foreign earned income.

Clean up after yourself when handling food and roaches have no reason to show up. Easy.