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I lived in Costa Rica and traveled the world for five years for less than the cost of living in the United States. I didn’t have a car, so by exchanging jobs my fixed costs were a fraction of what I would have spent in the US. My mindset was also different and I felt there was no need to spend money to have fun like at home.
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I was a digital nomad from 2015 to 2020, and my home base was in Costa Rica. I used to spend hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars more each month than I do now living in the United States. It’s not just because I live in a cheap place.
Spending was significantly lower in places like Mexico and Central America, but the cost of living was still low when I traveled to Europe and Asia for several months.
When I lived abroad, I had very few bills, so I found it easier to keep my rent low. But it was the mindset I had while living abroad that really helped me save money. I didn’t feel the need to spend money to have fun.
Fixed costs have been reduced by 2-3 times while traveling
When I moved back to my hometown of Portland, Oregon, USA, my fixed costs skyrocketed. Since moving in 2020, I’ve spent between $1,000 (with a roommate) and $1,700 on rent.
I lived in different parts of Costa Rica, where I paid between $300 and $600 a month to rent furnished homes that I found through word of mouth. I found the best housing deals by booking a cheap hotel or hostel for a week, then waiting until I arrived in my new location and looking for rentals directly.
The most I’ve ever spent on housing while traveling was about $800, and I traveled to Japan and Vietnam, with hostels and capsules ranging from $5 to $10 a night in Vietnam and $15 to $50 a night in Japan. It was the month I stayed at a combination of hotels.
I did a lot of so-called “slow travel” to keep housing costs down. Instead of bouncing around to different locations every few days, I tried to spend at least a month in each location. You can save more by renting a furnished house or apartment for a few months. Airbnb hosts also often offer deep discounts if you’re willing to stay for at least a month, especially in the off-season.
Also, when I lived abroad, my bills were much lower and I didn’t have any debt. When I stayed short-term, utilities and internet were always included in the price. Since I didn’t own a car for most of the time I was overseas, I no longer needed a car payment and car insurance. Since I could afford to pay for medical and dental care out-of-pocket in Costa Rica, I opted for a cheaper travel insurance plan instead of US health insurance.
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I swapped jobs in more expensive areas to save money
They also subsidized housing costs in expensive areas by doing room-and-board exchange work they found through Workaway International. When you browse our website, you’ll find carefully selected hosts from around the world who are looking for “volunteers” to help out on farms, hotels, and more. They will offer you a free place to stay and possibly food in exchange for a portion of your accommodation costs. time work.
In fact, I went to Costa Rica for a few months to do exchange labor on a sustainable ranch, but ended up staying for five years. It was the perfect introduction to a new country I was considering moving to. Before moving in earnest, I got to know the locals, learned more of the language, and gained a deeper understanding of the culture.
I was traveling through Europe over the summer, and offset the cost of staying in a different city every few nights by going on an exchange program for one month out of every three. I stayed and ate for free in a vineyard owned by a sommelier in a small medieval town in Tuscany. In the morning, I spent an hour or two cleaning the owner’s natural pool and weeding her garden, then spent another hour or two helping her garden. Her wine tour website.
I had free afternoons, evenings, and weekends to work on my job and explore the area. Our expenses for the month were minimal, and we learned a lot about wine production and Italian culture through our hosts, who also shared some of their family recipes.
Thanks to a job exchange I found on the same website, I spent one summer in New York City. I traveled around the city doing pet sitting work from home for several New Yorkers who owned pet sitting businesses. In exchange, I received free accommodation and food allowance all summer long, and plenty of time to work on my own.
When I lived abroad, I didn’t feel the need to spend money to have fun.
While living abroad, I find it much easier to fill my days with fun and free activities.
In America, we often feel the need to buy tickets to a show, research upcoming events, or go out to eat out of boredom. However, when you live in a new country, you are unlikely to feel bored since daily life is full of novelty and challenges.
You can feel the satisfaction of walking around a new city, admiring unique architecture that you’re not used to, or hiking through the forest and marveling at all the plants and wildlife you’ve never seen back home. Ta. Even just figuring out basic interactions at the supermarket or which bus to take meant I had to practice a new language or learn something new, and I found it entertaining enough.
Going on a road trip in America puts me back into a traveler’s mindset. The past few summers, I’ve gone on month-long road trips to various national parks and cities, auto-camping at free or low-cost spots along the way, and I’ve spent more on those trips than I would have at home. has been reduced.
The traveler mindset I had while living abroad inspired me to explore, be creative, and find fun in the simplest activities. It’s possible to have that mindset in the United States if you try to be like a visitor to your own country.
