this post was submitted on 17 Jul 2024
334 points (95.9% liked)

Asklemmy

44125 readers
499 users here now

A loosely moderated place to ask open-ended questions

Search asklemmy πŸ”

If your post meets the following criteria, it's welcome here!

  1. Open-ended question
  2. Not offensive: at this point, we do not have the bandwidth to moderate overtly political discussions. Assume best intent and be excellent to each other.
  3. Not regarding using or support for Lemmy: context, see the list of support communities and tools for finding communities below
  4. Not ad nauseam inducing: please make sure it is a question that would be new to most members
  5. An actual topic of discussion

Looking for support?

Looking for a community?

~Icon~ ~by~ ~@Double_[email protected]~

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] zxqwas 31 points 5 months ago (4 children)

Given the opportunity move somewhere where your rent to pay ratio is better.

I'd make more living in a big city. I have much more leftover every month by living in a small town far away from everything.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 5 months ago

Work-pay-lifestyle, I'd offer.

Our rent is high. Our pay is high. But almost everything I need is within a 10-minute walk. I haven't driven in months but I need new shoes and I'm 100% okay with that.

If I could move to a place with the same or better climate, keep my jobs and still have the daily living improvements of this area for a little cheaper, I would.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 5 months ago (3 children)

Even better, move countries while keeping your job if possible. Rent is now 3% of my salary after tax.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 5 months ago (2 children)

"Digital nomad, go home" is literally spray painted outside your window, right?

[–] [email protected] 19 points 5 months ago

This guy Barcelonas

[–] [email protected] -3 points 5 months ago (2 children)

I'm not a digital nomad. I'm employed and pay my taxes.

[–] tamal3 9 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Employed by the country you live in..? Doesn't sound like it. How are you not a digital nomad?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

I am employed in the country where I live, correct. Hence, not a digital nomad, as stated.

Instead I'm using an EOR (employer of records). My company pays them, they run the payroll and taxes, and pay me domestically. Win-win.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 months ago (1 children)

It's more about you going to a poor country, and raising the cost of living of the communities there by telegraphing to landlords and retailers that you will happily pay X% markup for goods and services.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Who told you I'm paying any markups? Nobody is aware of my income, and I'm paying the same prices anybody else does.

Any more assumptions?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

Locals: shop around for the place that sells it at the lowest cost. Take extra time to go to different stores for different products even if they're all available in one place. Regular price too high? Vote with your wallet and don't buy it. Good price but you don't have much money? Buy less.

Wealthy foreigner: This is cheap. I'll take it.

No one needs to know your income. The price may be the same for everyone, but if you're willing to pay a higher price, then they'll be more likely to keep the higher price, thus reducing everyone else's buying power. If you buy more than the locals and help eat up their stock, that again incentivises keeping prices where they are, or even increasing them. The storekeepers don't care about how much money you have. They look at whether things sell or not, then make their decisions based on that.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

There's only one supermarket near me, everybody goes there.

And everybody buys all the rest online. I don't shop in malls because the prices are inflated. Even if I don't need to watch every penny, it doesn't mean I shouldn't.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Yes, many. Rent is 3% of your salary and you don't believe that that automatically grants you far more buying power than others?

You will never have to make the choice of paying for treatment or food, and retailers and insurers see this as a stat they can bank on to jack local prices.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Of course it grants me more buying power, but that doesn't mean I'm using it. 80% of my income goes to savings, my lifestyle is no different to my next door neighbors, for whom the 20% I do spend is all they have. The only difference is that for every month I work, I can retire 4 month early.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Fair enough. To be fair, I don't know you. I just wanted you to be in the category of digital nomads that I can rage against because the world is expensive and unjust, and if I'm suffering through it then so should you.

But that's not fair to you. Sorry for pinning my frustrations on you, and I'll try to be better in the future

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

No worries, it happens. Thanks for speaking it out though rather than just walking away, that really says something about your character. Much appreciated!

[–] [email protected] 11 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I’m sorry but what in the shit.

Boss is in Palo Alto and you’re in the no-data-found part of Greenland??

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Greenland is surprisingly expensive. I'm actually in China right now, and will be off to Malaysia soon.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

China’s really that cheap? 3% did you say?!

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago

Depending on where you live, yes. I'm in the far outskirts of a mid sized city (12 million people...). If you live dead center, the rents easily quadruple and more. My salary is also above the local standard, so it's really a mix of both.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago

Issue is quality of life comes into that also - I'd make more with a lower salary if I moved to Spain due to the low tax and lower cost of living, but equally it's too hot and I don't speak the language so at least for the first six months or so my social life would be pretty poor