What're some great cities to live for $2k USD per month?

Montevideo. Some options a bit limited there but good internet and handy access to B.A. along with a congenial climate.

For much of NZ/AU, this is too low for rent unless you can find a share house. Assuming you did, Melbourne, Brisbane, Wellington might work. That said, a LOT of money goes on rent.

Turkey and Greece aside, I don't think the core EU economies will work out. If you go to the more recent entrants on the fringe (Czech republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Slovenia) you'd be in budget.

Much of south-east Asia would be fine on this. Bangkok, Hanoi, Kuala-Lumpur, Chang Mai. Or Indonesia. You won't keep head above water in Beijing or Tokyo on this income, I can't speak for other cities in region.

Many economies now have digital nomad visa, its $2k class cost but then gives you rights to be there beyond 90 day tourist visa.

I'm gonna recommend Fukuoka, Japan. The city is large enough to have many creature comforts, but small enough that you can 'get out' and experience the countryside very easily.

Compared to Tokyo you will likely save a good amount of money on rent and transport. You'll probably pay around $400 for a simple room near the city center. You can cycle almost everywhere, Fukuoka is much flatter than Tokyo, or just use the subway. The city center is very walkable.

Eating out is cheap and high quality. You'll probably pay $5-10 for a basic meal, or $30 for a lot of food with alcoholic drinks.

Depending on your nationality you might be able to get a working holiday visa, which is a good way to experience Japan in general.

Some downsides: It's very difficult to get into Japan right now, English is not widely spoken.

EDIT: Just realised you stated your age as 31 and the working holiday visa is only for people up to age 30.

Valencia.

$2k USB means 1700€.

- Small studio 400-500€ (You can get a small old apartment for that too) - Electricity bill 70-80€, maybe less if you're alone and a little bit more if you use AC - Water bill 100€ every 3 months - Metro/Subway 40-50€ - Groceries 200-400€ depending on what you eat

Eating out is cheap unless you go to the highly touristic zones. No matter where you are you can find a restaurant where the menu is between 10 and 15€ with first and second course, drink, dessert and coffee.

Night life is awesome. Alcohol is cheap. No matter where you are in the city you'll be safe, the worst thing that could ever happen to you is to get robbed when you're not paying attention.

Athens is quite cheap, and doesn't get too cold in the winter. For the cheapest Mediterranean beach cities, there's Antalya and Izmir in Turkey.

It's easy to live under $2k a month in many of the places you mentioned. I lived for under $800 a month easy. It dropped even lower after I moved in with my current partner.

What matters to you? Air quality is not great in parts of Turkey or Serbia. I hate seeing cars so I may move out of Cluj soon. If you're gay, some regions will be too, uh, conservative. Weather... anything far from the coast will have all four seasons. I highly recommend cities with a large university presence - if you're young you don't really want to live in a retirement destination.

What kind of lifestyle are you talking about? You can live lots of places for 2k a month in a "student" lifestyle, ie single with roommates, no car, cook most meals, and still have a decent amount of disposable money.

Mexico City is absolutely fantastic, lots of greenery, amazing food, unique culture, welcoming people, lively nightlife, truly a megalopolis.

$2k is not a lot but should be enough for a good life. An apartment can rent for about $600 USD a month (surely you can find cheaper or much more expensive).

If you can, I recommend living in Condesa.

Finally, if you are employed elsewhere i.e. not in Mexico, you can live indefinitely in Mexico and pay no local income taxes. Lots of foreigners do this.

Helsinki.

- Public transit is excellent (costs 50-100€ / month). - Studio apartments unfurnished go for about 800-900€ / month.

If you do your research well you can definitely do it for around 2k / month.

Santiago of Chile for the city, Viña del Mar (Valparaíso) for the beach, Puerto Natales if you like nature.

Mexico City would be a great choice for your budget if you stay clear of the foreigner areas (Polanco, Condesa, Roma), as rent in those areas seems to be approaching US prices due to the influx of Americans. The metro is good, coworking options are everywhere, it's a cultural hub with infinite things to see, and the social scene has something for everyone. Downsides are pollution and traffic.

Digital nomad types seem to really love Medellin, Colombia. Also a very easy place to settle into as a foreigner.

Vilnius, Lithuania https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilnius

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?cou...

All of these comments miss such a critical detail: visas and resident permits. You can't just go and live somewhere cause you feel like it.

Tartu, Estonia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tartu

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Tartu

This won't replace the first hand reccomendations in this thread but there is a website that is going to feel like it was made just to answer your question if you haven't heard of it.

https://nomadlist.com/

If you are really looking at this life changing experience, i'd suggest taking a look at expat rankings for additional data points such as Mercer's 2021 Cost of Living city ranking (1). They are a good starting point, but you should also look at taxes, community, language barrier, safety and security, among many other important aspects that are not in the description

https://www.mercer.com/our-thinking/career/cost-of-living.ht...

Montreal. You'll be cutting it close but it's completely possible. The city is has great culture, there's always something to do and has decent public transit (with good bike infrastructure for NA).

Warsaw. Own 25 m2 flat: 600 usd Cheap meals and fair price in good restaurants. Best in Europe public transport 25 usd/m. In general more than half cheaper than Berlin.

New Zealand could work if you're looking for a similar culture and like the outdoors. Might be hitting the budget if it's Auckland but somewhere like Christchurch might be easier. The smaller cities are cheaper still but not much of a social life, I'd save them for travelling or visits rather than being based there. Just be aware groceries and most domestic products are a ripoff compared to the US.

Vienna.

A great public transport system, fast-ish internet and classical culture. The budget would totally fit the lifestyle but not as cheap as Bucharest and Bratislava.

20 years ago, I lived in London for less than that, but you'd have to be pretty frugal now. Many smaller cities in the UK would be fine though.

If you're considering Bucharest I've heard good things about Budapest in terms of living costs and it's a nice place to visit. I also love Slovenia so Ljublijana may be an option and is also very close to Venice and Milan and the fantastic Julian alps

Most of the italian big cities except from Milan, Rome and Florence. Just take one with the best climate for your needs.

https://nomadlist.com/

As no one has mentioned yet: Cyprus (E.g. Larnaca or Paphos). Low taxes, nice weather all day long, and lots of expats here. You can get an apartment with pool for 600$/month.

Bangkok will work quite well for that budget. Assuming that budget is for the "living" part. If your total income in 2k per month, them I would not recommend it.

Why has nobody said India? 99 percent of the country would fall well under your budget!!!!

Lisbon, Portugal.

Affordable living, quality of life is great, mild winters, endless beaches with great surf.

You should consider Kabul if you are pious. Rental prices dropped by 50% recently and you can snag luxury apt for 200-300/months. News agencies report that petty crime pretty much disappeared and city is much safer than before. Regular flights just resumed and new authorities has not established visa requirements yet. No Covid testing or vaccine requirements.

You can watch history unfold before your eyes!

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/house-prices-fall-50-pc-163121020....

Romania: Cluj, Timisoara, Sibiu

Milan, Italy.

Bratislava

2-bd start at around 500 EUR/month utilities included, but can go higher if you choose a good location and bigger apartment. For 600 EUR you should be able to find a solid one, with luxurious ones in good location starting at 750 EUR/month.

Good internet speed, friendly people, european culture, quick flight or train ride to anywhere in Europe, pretty girls.