My job is remote and I choose to live in Los Angeles, CA. This is the same city as when I worked in an office, and with family, friends, my wife's job, and my daughter's school and friends it would be hard to leave. The weather, diverse population, entertainment, and the beach are huge draws as well.
I would try Austin, Texas. The weather is not extremely cold or hot. The cost of living is reasonable. It's not super crowded. And if I lost my job, there's a growing demand for tech workers.
Are there any Austinites that can comment on this?
Seemed like the kind of place you have to drive around a lot, which you may or may not care about. Not super crowded == everything is spread out. The vegetation was lush and the public bike infrastructure was pretty legit downtown at least, so its got that going for it.
I would disagree about the weather, we definitely skew on the hot side (some would argue humid too, like my coworkers who came from the desert, but as an ex-Floridian I usually find it pretty dry.)
The cost of living is okay, though we're one of the fastest growing cities so rents are going up. Right now 2/1 homes built in the 40s and on flood plains will run you over 300k. It's about 200k for a small condo or 500k minimum for a small family home.
While it doesn't feel crowded due to everything being so spread out, the traffic is an absolute bear. My old commute was 3.9 miles and usually took between 45 minutes to an hour by car. I've since moved and started using public transportation (it's fine, but nothing to write home about, though our commuter train is a joke) and it takes as long but at least I can get plenty of reading in. The city is really not friendly to bikers either outside of a few very select areas.
I should also note that North and South Austin do not mix. We're South Dallas to them and they're North Mexico to us. Because of the aforementioned traffic and sprawl you tend to stick to your side of the river. Oh, and because of all the events and conventions that happen here there are just random weeks where everything is confusingly crowded.
That said I do love this city. Tons of culture and awesome food. My partner is always surprised at the variety of things we can do, whether it's queer-friendly indie wrestling matches, or one-off rap musicals, or interactive pop-up art exhibits or boozy morning goat yoga.
I've been working remotely from Austin (well, Northern suburbs for a bit under a year now, and after San Jose absolutely love it.
If you have to commute it might be tough (number of people here is growing faster than number of roads), but for remote work it's perfectly fine. And when I want to get to downtown, it takes me about the same time it would've taken me in San Jose (and I lived in SJ itself), but unlike SJ there's actually something to do in Austin.
It certainly does get hot here in the summer, but I like that there are seasons here.
Cost of living is significantly better than the Bay Area (and I would argue the quality of life isn't any worse either). And salaries, unless you're aiming for top position at a FANG aren't that much worse.
It is getting super crowded and cost of living is skyrocketing. It's been near 100 degrees for a month with no end in sight. Nobody knows how to drive, but they drive aggressively. Also, there's definitely not enough water for everyone who wants to move to Texas. (Can you tell that I'm ready to leave?)
Also, someone said that there are seasons, which is a lie. Fall is basically: One day it rains pretty hard and all the leaves fall off the trees. Winter is: Leaves are off their trees for six months and it's kinda chilly. Then it rains a lot in "Spring", then it's 100 degrees until you think you can't take it anymore.
I absolutely love it. Got a home in the 400s with a 10 min drive to downtown (I actually bike instead, there's some very bike-friendly roads. Just under Bay area pay for much lower cost of living.
You never run out of things to do. The only downside is the traffic going north to south - if you find a place to live close to work you're fine. If you get a house, then later work at the other side of town, you might have to put up with a 1hr commute.
My job is remote. I moved to a hobby farm on the outskirts of Brisbane, Australia. So 45-70min commute to the CBD depending on traffic
Is a great lifestyle if you like the outdoors whiles giving access to a major city. I used to live in Sydney but couldnt buy a farm without being 2+ hours commute to CBD.
The blend of being on the keyboard most of the day but jumping on the tractor/motorbike/chainsaw etc at the end of a day gives a feeling of balance. Its hard work and takes over your life with animals, but if you like this stuff is really wholesome living.
Ah fellow Queenslander, I'm about an hour and a half north of Brisbane. My grandparents own a farm about that same distance north of Brisbane as well though.
Honestly theres no where I'd settle, but I think some staying in some far out cities could be interesting for a few years. I'd try something like Juneau, Alaska a shot,despite being tiny, it looks beautiful
I'm fully remote, enjoying Western Montana. I'm in a small town on Flathead Lake with mountains in my backyard. I couldn't imagine much better. ATVs, archery, guns, fishing, boating, and more.
Well no.. because I’m in California currently. But, yeah we have civilization in Montana. Also, the place in question is small enough that you can get to know a double digit percentage of the population within 30 mins driving distance if you wanted to, so it’s not entirely unlikely that there wouldn’t be a couple mutual connections anyhow.
My job is remote, and I chose Melbourne, FL. No income tax, great weather, and it feels like a small town with big town amenities. I may move again when my rental time is up just to see more, but this place is quite nice.
I'm doing that in Orange County at the moment. John Wayne Airport is a pleasure to fly out of. Newport Beach offers the beach home life and Irvine/South Coast Metro bring the big city tech offerings. Other responses go for more cost effective options with more rural nature. However for me, the temperate climate and urban/suburban pace of life works best.
I am not GP but I found Medellin had a really dangerous vibe and a hideous city center. Bogota felt much safer for me and the center is really beautiful with lots to see and do.
I know that Medellin is said to be popular with nomads but I honestly have no idea why.
My job is remote
I used to live in Grass Valley, a town of 3K that is 1 hour drive from Sacramento. No cell phone reception 1/3 of teh population is on Dial up, I was fortunate to have AT&T DSL 760 kiloBits per sec 75/month
Moved to LA to get decent internet of 100 MegaBits per sec 70 per month
Used to own, now I rent So much for living the good life
I've been working remote here for a few years and have had a different experience. Verizon cell phone coverage is fine for me here (tho it was terrible on AT&T). Agree that broadband access can be really spotty, but if you live in town the options are ok. We have 250Mbps at the house, and Comcast says they offer gigabit, but I haven't tried it. Anyway, it's possible things have gotten better, or else it just depends a lot on the available infrastructure where you live/work.
I'm in Philadelphia. Taxes aren't the best, but not as bad as some cities. For me it hits all the major check boxes. The other thing to me is I weigh cities on how much they give, versus how much they take.
* Lower cost of living
* Close to other cities
* I walk almost every where. Groceries are the exception once a week for a 20 minute subway ride.
* A lot to do and see here. Admittedly I'm biased of all the cities I've been it's my favorite.
* Transit. I visit other cities (NYC primarily). Buses are under 10, and most trips are two hours or so.
* Decent tech scene, and start up scene.
The biggest con as a remote employee. Is Comcast, their internet leaves a lot to be desired.
Haven't explored internet options up there. But the UP of Michigan, it's beautiful country and it's been far too long since I've had a pasty. It doesn't have the scale of Washington or the weather of California, but it is so much beautiful unspoiled wilderness. It's really hard to describe. Honestly the best show to capture it is Joe Pera talks with you.
On a side note. I haven't been able to find full episodes anywhere besides Delta's in flight entertainment. Confusingly not listed under Adult Swim, but only shown in the All Titles section.
Grew up in the UP. Of course it depends on location, but DSL has been available for about 10 years. It helps to be close to a trunk. The phone company said they will be running fiber to all their existing customers in the next two years. I think there might be subsidies because it is so remote.
Yes, I occasionally spend time at our cabin north of Iron River. Cell coverage is not great except near the "bigger" towns like Houghton (Michigan Tech) and Marquette (Northern Michigan). But I love the UP and its remote northwoods wilderness.
Formentera could be a bit lonely on winter, but Spring is beautiful.
The problem is both Ibiza and Formentera are fully booked for summer season and, unless you by a property there, rent in July-September will be prohibitive.
I've been remote the past 3 years and live in Bangkok ~6 months out of the year (visa issues staying any longer than 6 months per year) - still love it! Been to almost every other country in Asia but Bangkok feels most like home to me.
Big tech community, events every night, cheap delicious food, nice people, I like the weather, and more
Random walking is my all time favourite thing to do in Bangkok. Although I'd recommend getting out of the CBD. Yes, tech events are great, but I prefer the slower, quiet pace of somewhere like Southern Phuket, or the diving in Koh Tao.
Visa is trivial, English is everywhere, if you're splurging, you could spend however much you want, but it's easy to live cheaply. Rent is something like USD500-800 for the month if you don't even shop around. Food is pretty cheap that I'm not even sure how much stuff costs. A 1 hour massage is about USD10, although you could splurge to about USD20 if you really want to.
That said, while I love Thailand, I'd have to say that Vietnam is still my all-time favourite SEA country to visit... but Thailand does keep drawing me back. I have a favourite beach spot and Kana Moo Grob really hits the spot.
Very safe, most dangerous thing here are the roads. High death count, 80%+ occurring on motorbikes. Not much crime, I feel safe walking down any random alley at 3am. So yes, you can walk anywhere without fear. Bad things happen, but it feels much safer here than anywhere in the US.
English is spoken almost everywhere, at least basics. 35m+ people travel to Bangkok every year and the tourist industry here is large.
I spend about $800/mo on rent but I have a very nice condo with gym + pool within 5 minutes walking to the sky train close to the center of downtown. I also do month to month with no contract, if you do a 6 month contract you can find a studio for $200/mo ~15 mins walking to the train - I just prefer convenience and luckily make enough income to cover the costs. Maybe spend another $500-700 a month on food and transportation.
Going out to eat is about the same cost and buying food/cooking and the food delivery services here are great (either free delivery or 50 cents for delivery). Most my meals average $5 usd but I usually eat at higher end place, you can do $1-2/meal if you want but it's lower quality food and ingredients typically. I like to go out, but don't drink often so alcohol isn't a big cost in my budget. Beer is usually $3-5 a bottle at most bars compared to somewhere like Vietnam where everywhere has beer for $1.
I initially went for 1 month (1 week in BKK -> 1 week in chiang mai -> 1 week in Koh Lanta -> back to BKK) and ended up staying for 5 months total the first year while traveling to Cambodia and Vietnam for visa runs. I definitely recommend 3-4 weeks your first time to see if it's for you with a similar route to me to get a feel of the different cities. I liked chiang mai more at first but grew to love Bangkok the most now.
Don't worry about booking much accommodation far in advance as there's much readily available. I just like to book a nice place for my first week to recover from jetlag before I head out and play the rest by ear.
Moved here almost four years ago from western Europe. Romanian people are very warm and friendly. Cluj grows and develops at an astonishing rate. Summers are nice and warm, but not too warm. Winters are cold, but not too cold.
Cost of living is high for the average Romanian. However, salaries for software engineers are at least two or three times the average and if you're a little better, it's five or six times more.
All you have to do is get over the fact that it's an ex-communist country. Behind on infrastructure development with a corrupt national government. Local government in Cluj is actually really nice and develops like crazy.
I was also hesitating between Valencia and Barcelona. I ended up choosing Barcelona because there would be more job opportunities for my SO who doesn't work remotely.
Valencia is much cheaper than Barcelona but doesn't have a big airport nor as many good restaurants.
As for the best and worst things, I think they're valid for both Barcelona and Valencia:
The best thing is actually a combination of many: excellent weather conditions, relatively cheap cost of life, great food, access to the beach, overall good quality of life.
The worst things are the noise (cars and people) and communication.
I’m currently working remotely from Sognefjord (just for a month or so). Plenty of rainy days where it’s not hard to stay inside and get stuff done. Still beautiful even in the rain!
For me, personally, the extended coastal region is all about the nature access. Without gear I have several months of great water for swimming, diving, sailing, etc. With a thin suit it's six months. Then it's the beautiful forests, allemansrätten in Sweden, low traffic, friendly atmosphere, etc.
From Sognefjord in the north to Kungsbacka in the south it's generally easy to choose the kind of weather you want, depending on how much work you have to get done :)
Society in the region is great, friendly people, internet coverage is good, industry is strong, education is very good.
What is the visa situation? The only thing stopping me from doing something like that is that I dislike the idea of border hopping every 3/6 months and I am definitely not going to go through the hassle of obtaining permanent residency in such a country.
In Thailand you can stay one year on a tourist visas. Every 3 months you have to go a Thai embassy outside of Thailand to get a new tourist visa. Then you have to go somewhere else for a few month and you can repeat the one year cycle.
I did got through the hassle and setting up a Thai company. This gives me a 1 year multiple entry visa and a work permit. Cost around 2.000 USD. An agency will handle the paper work for you.
It is a hassle no matter if you choose to do what i did or if you do the tourist visa, but it certainly is possible to stay and work for years in Thailand and many do although it is getting more difficult.
So yeah, it is possible to try to live here for a year on tourist visa, and if you fall in love with the place as I did, you have options in regards to make a life time stay and to get that work permit so you are legit.
I have been working remote from here for 6 years so far and counting )))
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[ 3.9 ms ] story [ 240 ms ] threadAre there any Austinites that can comment on this?
The cost of living is okay, though we're one of the fastest growing cities so rents are going up. Right now 2/1 homes built in the 40s and on flood plains will run you over 300k. It's about 200k for a small condo or 500k minimum for a small family home.
While it doesn't feel crowded due to everything being so spread out, the traffic is an absolute bear. My old commute was 3.9 miles and usually took between 45 minutes to an hour by car. I've since moved and started using public transportation (it's fine, but nothing to write home about, though our commuter train is a joke) and it takes as long but at least I can get plenty of reading in. The city is really not friendly to bikers either outside of a few very select areas.
I should also note that North and South Austin do not mix. We're South Dallas to them and they're North Mexico to us. Because of the aforementioned traffic and sprawl you tend to stick to your side of the river. Oh, and because of all the events and conventions that happen here there are just random weeks where everything is confusingly crowded.
That said I do love this city. Tons of culture and awesome food. My partner is always surprised at the variety of things we can do, whether it's queer-friendly indie wrestling matches, or one-off rap musicals, or interactive pop-up art exhibits or boozy morning goat yoga.
If you have to commute it might be tough (number of people here is growing faster than number of roads), but for remote work it's perfectly fine. And when I want to get to downtown, it takes me about the same time it would've taken me in San Jose (and I lived in SJ itself), but unlike SJ there's actually something to do in Austin.
It certainly does get hot here in the summer, but I like that there are seasons here.
Cost of living is significantly better than the Bay Area (and I would argue the quality of life isn't any worse either). And salaries, unless you're aiming for top position at a FANG aren't that much worse.
Also, people are much nicer around here.
You never run out of things to do. The only downside is the traffic going north to south - if you find a place to live close to work you're fine. If you get a house, then later work at the other side of town, you might have to put up with a 1hr commute.
Is a great lifestyle if you like the outdoors whiles giving access to a major city. I used to live in Sydney but couldnt buy a farm without being 2+ hours commute to CBD.
The blend of being on the keyboard most of the day but jumping on the tractor/motorbike/chainsaw etc at the end of a day gives a feeling of balance. Its hard work and takes over your life with animals, but if you like this stuff is really wholesome living.
And good to find out it's an Australia centric expression. Thanks.
https://findwork.dev/
There's good amount of filters to make it work for you.
My current job is fully remote... I live in the San Francisco Bay area, am I doing this wrong?
I'm often wishing New Orleans had a bigger tech scene, it's a beautiful town.
I'll have to take a look at newport beach sometime, thanks for the tip :)
I know that Medellin is said to be popular with nomads but I honestly have no idea why.
I've been working remote here for a few years and have had a different experience. Verizon cell phone coverage is fine for me here (tho it was terrible on AT&T). Agree that broadband access can be really spotty, but if you live in town the options are ok. We have 250Mbps at the house, and Comcast says they offer gigabit, but I haven't tried it. Anyway, it's possible things have gotten better, or else it just depends a lot on the available infrastructure where you live/work.
* Lower cost of living * Close to other cities * I walk almost every where. Groceries are the exception once a week for a 20 minute subway ride. * A lot to do and see here. Admittedly I'm biased of all the cities I've been it's my favorite. * Transit. I visit other cities (NYC primarily). Buses are under 10, and most trips are two hours or so. * Decent tech scene, and start up scene.
The biggest con as a remote employee. Is Comcast, their internet leaves a lot to be desired.
Cable is probably confined to the biggest towns.
Polish city - so living is way way cheaper compered to the western Europe, while the city itself is neat and offers high standard of living.
- Los Angeles
- Mumbai
in the descending order of preference!
The problem is both Ibiza and Formentera are fully booked for summer season and, unless you by a property there, rent in July-September will be prohibitive.
Big tech community, events every night, cheap delicious food, nice people, I like the weather, and more
Is it a safe city?
Can you walk in random directions without fear?
How difficult is to get visa?
Do they speak English?
What kind of expenses are you looking at monthly?
As someone with fully remote job, I am wondering whether I should go couple of months there. I am on the verge about it.
Random walking is my all time favourite thing to do in Bangkok. Although I'd recommend getting out of the CBD. Yes, tech events are great, but I prefer the slower, quiet pace of somewhere like Southern Phuket, or the diving in Koh Tao.
Visa is trivial, English is everywhere, if you're splurging, you could spend however much you want, but it's easy to live cheaply. Rent is something like USD500-800 for the month if you don't even shop around. Food is pretty cheap that I'm not even sure how much stuff costs. A 1 hour massage is about USD10, although you could splurge to about USD20 if you really want to.
That said, while I love Thailand, I'd have to say that Vietnam is still my all-time favourite SEA country to visit... but Thailand does keep drawing me back. I have a favourite beach spot and Kana Moo Grob really hits the spot.
English is spoken almost everywhere, at least basics. 35m+ people travel to Bangkok every year and the tourist industry here is large.
I spend about $800/mo on rent but I have a very nice condo with gym + pool within 5 minutes walking to the sky train close to the center of downtown. I also do month to month with no contract, if you do a 6 month contract you can find a studio for $200/mo ~15 mins walking to the train - I just prefer convenience and luckily make enough income to cover the costs. Maybe spend another $500-700 a month on food and transportation.
Going out to eat is about the same cost and buying food/cooking and the food delivery services here are great (either free delivery or 50 cents for delivery). Most my meals average $5 usd but I usually eat at higher end place, you can do $1-2/meal if you want but it's lower quality food and ingredients typically. I like to go out, but don't drink often so alcohol isn't a big cost in my budget. Beer is usually $3-5 a bottle at most bars compared to somewhere like Vietnam where everywhere has beer for $1.
I initially went for 1 month (1 week in BKK -> 1 week in chiang mai -> 1 week in Koh Lanta -> back to BKK) and ended up staying for 5 months total the first year while traveling to Cambodia and Vietnam for visa runs. I definitely recommend 3-4 weeks your first time to see if it's for you with a similar route to me to get a feel of the different cities. I liked chiang mai more at first but grew to love Bangkok the most now.
Don't worry about booking much accommodation far in advance as there's much readily available. I just like to book a nice place for my first week to recover from jetlag before I head out and play the rest by ear.
Hope that helps!
Fast growing 400k people city in Transylvania.
Moved here almost four years ago from western Europe. Romanian people are very warm and friendly. Cluj grows and develops at an astonishing rate. Summers are nice and warm, but not too warm. Winters are cold, but not too cold.
Cost of living is high for the average Romanian. However, salaries for software engineers are at least two or three times the average and if you're a little better, it's five or six times more.
All you have to do is get over the fact that it's an ex-communist country. Behind on infrastructure development with a corrupt national government. Local government in Cluj is actually really nice and develops like crazy.
Valencia is much cheaper than Barcelona but doesn't have a big airport nor as many good restaurants.
As for the best and worst things, I think they're valid for both Barcelona and Valencia:
The best thing is actually a combination of many: excellent weather conditions, relatively cheap cost of life, great food, access to the beach, overall good quality of life.
The worst things are the noise (cars and people) and communication.
Zürich/Zug/Vaduz oct-apr.
Utrecht for the crowd, Tokyo for the food.
Want to try: Auckland, Singapore, Vancouver.
From Sognefjord in the north to Kungsbacka in the south it's generally easy to choose the kind of weather you want, depending on how much work you have to get done :)
Society in the region is great, friendly people, internet coverage is good, industry is strong, education is very good.
But for winter I prefer Switzerland.
I did got through the hassle and setting up a Thai company. This gives me a 1 year multiple entry visa and a work permit. Cost around 2.000 USD. An agency will handle the paper work for you.
It is a hassle no matter if you choose to do what i did or if you do the tourist visa, but it certainly is possible to stay and work for years in Thailand and many do although it is getting more difficult.
So yeah, it is possible to try to live here for a year on tourist visa, and if you fall in love with the place as I did, you have options in regards to make a life time stay and to get that work permit so you are legit.
I have been working remote from here for 6 years so far and counting )))