Advice for Potential Expats

International Living (www.internationalliving.com) is an organization that has been providing information to expats and potential expats for a long time. They research subjects such as the cheapest places to live, work or retire abroad, and the pluses and drawbacks of each.

Their Website claims it is possible to live well in some locations overseas for as little as $1,000 per month. Unfortunately, to find out more you need to supply an email address. They do have a quiz on the site that is supposed to tell you the best destination for you, depending on your answers to a few questions.

I tried the quiz and my country turned out to be Brazil, not a place I have ever considered living, and one which I understand is fairly expensive now. In any case, it's fun to take the quiz.

I wonder why the destinations most recommended for expats usually tend to be in very warm climates--perhaps because they are cheapest? I have lived in two European countries for under a year each--Ireland and Italy, and while they are nice places the cost of living is similar to that in North America.

The country where I would most like to spend a considerable amount of time now is Russia, a place not generally on the expat hit list. I am also attracted to Finland, but the language there is even more difficult than Russian, and the cost of living is fairly high in both places. Guess I'll be staying put for the moment.

The Cathedral of the Epiphany in Siberian baroque style. It is in Irkutsk, Russia, an interesting city but not a big expat destination.