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Ask HN: Change Country to Ease Bootstrapping?

12 points by mhd ↗ HN
I might soon take the plunge and start working on a few startup ideas full-time (bit of saved money), and I was wondering whether I should do this from another country. Being European, moving around there doesn't cause any big legal complications. I live in Bavaria, Germany, and while it's a really nice place (especially after spending quite some time in New Jersey recently), it ain't exactly cheap. Going east and/or south would probably make for cheaper rents and a generally lower cost of living. As I still could aim my business (and possibly small contract jobs) at higher-paying economies, this seems like a good way to stretch my savings and thus give me more time to focus.

Still, I wonder whether getting accustomed to a new country, learning the language etc. won't distract too much.

So it would be great if anyone has some experiences about that, or has some nice cities/countries to recommend…

15 comments

[ 2.7 ms ] story [ 44.5 ms ] thread
davidw
I think you'd have to go a long way south to get a lot cheaper. Here in northern Italy, things are somewhat cheaper than up there (or at least than in Tirol), but probably not so much that it'd be worth your while to pick up and move (although my standard offer stands: come by Padova and I'll take you out for drinks and/or pizza or something as time permits).

I think to get really cheap, you'd have to go to Portugal, in terms of "south".

Why not move to a cheaper bit of Germany, like Berlin? You wouldn't be so cut off that way: you'd be able to meet and talk with other people working on startups.

mhd
I think I'd rather learn a new language than being subjected to the Berlin accent all day. But seriously, I'm still talking about major cities, so I don't think being cut off is that much of a factor. If we're talking about friends and family, even a couple 100 km will do that. Moved a lot recently, worked abroad for quite a while, so right now both material and social ties are pretty low, which is part of why I can even consider this.

Portugal doesn't sound too bad. I'm not constraining myself to neighboring countries.

iaskwhy
If you have any question about Portugal, hit me up, my email is on my profile.

Oh, I'm in Lisbon!

hcho
Go to somewhere warmer, it will help you keeping your mood up. How's Greece looking these days?
mhd
Greece might be a bit depressing nowadays…
hcho
If you have to make your living there, sure. How about bootstrapping?
mhd
The bigger cities of Greece didn't used to be that cheap, because of tourism. Rents might be pretty low, though. Still, while you are building your stuff, people around you go bankrupt, and I don't know if there's a grudge against Germans because of that whole Euro hullaballoo.

So, if I'd be thinking about that region, why not Bulgaria?

hcho
Not warm enough.I also hear stories of corruption all the time. This of course might or might not affect you.
mhd
Well, Athens is setting European heat records all the time. Also, I'll probably spend a lot of time inside anyway, and blankets are cheaper than air conditioning.
hcho
You open windows in mediterranean countries and buildings are made for heat.And the extreme heat is around about 2 months. Winters are pretty mild, fall and autmnn are much more enjoyable.

It's about the time you spend outside, I find I recharge a lot faster in warm climates. Maybe it's the sunshine, maybe people's attitudes...

dgudkov
If your startup targets developed markets (US, W.Europe) so reducing development costs by moving to another country can be a good idea. I think you can find decent developers and designers in Eastern European countries like Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Poland or Ukraine, for much less money than in Germany. Cost of living is lower there as well. We're doing startup in one of these countries and expect total cost of beta to be less than 20K.
davidw
Croatia actually sounds nice. Fairly warm in the right parts of it, and I found it to be pleasant the week I spent there.
[dead] inodeman
You can live in Mexico for under $500.00, I'm doing it and loving it!!!, nice home, internet, all utilities, food, etc. Incredible!!!
c1sc0
These kinds of stories make me wonder if there's a market for 'startup holidays'. Jet off to some cheap location like Thailand or China, code like mad monkeys for 3 months & then jet back for launch.