Hey everyone! Today I bring to you another question post. When I published the post What’s Stopping You From Living Your Dreams, many of you said that you want to do long-term travel or move to a new country.
I see that some of you are in the planning stages to move to a new city, but then there are some of you (like me) who are making a ton of excuses about why you can’t live your dream.
One of the reasons that we stalled our next home purchase and have decided to stay in our current house is because we don’t know where we want to live.
We have been thinking about traveling to new places, but we just are not sure what we should do.
W’s parents are moving out-of-state because his dad received a promotion, and my sister and her boyfriend are leaving for Chicago.
Some of my friends have moved away from St. Louis also, which occasionally makes us wonder why we don’t consider moving somewhere else. Or even just testing a new place out.
I mean, we are young, we have no children, and we are not bound by our jobs.
I love St. Louis.
I do enjoy living in St. Louis, and we of course still have family members and friends left, but moving to a new place or even just traveling around the world before we have children has always excited me.
Plus, I have been sucked into the travel blogging world and I’ve been reading personal finances blogs where some bloggers such as Erin (at Red Debted Stepchild) and Cat (at Budget Blonde) have moved to exciting places.
I of course can’t help but to wonder what else is out there since I have only lived in Chicago and St. Louis.
When we went to Gulf Shores earlier this month and we stayed in a rental home, it made us wonder if we should spend the next few years traveling and seeing the whole world (with spending every few months in a new state or new country, and possibly still keeping our house as our home base).
Luckily, I can work from wherever and all I need is my laptop.
And then, we would maybe move to a new area if we ended up loving it.
Also, if you are a new reader, I would just like to say that occasionally I ponder “what ifs” in my life a lot and think of wacky new ideas. This is one of them. I don’t always follow through but everyone has dreams, right?
Would cost of living be cheaper or more expensive?
St. Louis is definitely very cheap place to live. However, I’ve been reading certain blogs and websites, and we could definitely do cheaper in other areas. I’ve heard of many people living in places in Asia such as Thailand for $1,500 a month. Or we could try the Caribbean (which would probably be more expensive). Or we could possibly live closer to a U.S. beach!
Would you ever move to a completely new place? Why or why not?
Would you move to a new place if it meant cheaper living?
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Revanche says
I would consider it, I do daydream on occasion, but honestly, I am a REALLY slow adapter. This is something I didn’t really know about myself until a few years ago. After moving to the Bay Area, getting to know the area has been impossibly slow and I almost never remember what directions to take if I’m heading out to run errands in a vaguely new pattern. Also I have fibro brain so that doesn’t help 🙂
At heart, I’m a homebody, as much as I love the act of travel and the adventures, I always want to come home again and actually feel at home. So I might be willing to do it but not in the gloriously nomadic way some travel bloggers bounce around 🙂 I love my home and my dog and that’s where it feels like we belong.
Michelle says
I know exactly what you mean. I like being at home as well, and that is why I think if we did anything like this then we would still keep our home as our home base.
Dear Debt says
I would definitely consider moving somewhere new. I am grateful I got to explore NYC and now PDX, after being born in LA. I know there are more places on my list. I’d love to live abroad at some point too.
Michelle says
Sounds awesome! 🙂
jp @cashsnail says
We do plan to move abroad (my wife home country). It’s not totally unknown as she lived there for 20 years and I visited a handful of times. But it’s very different in terms of culture, attitude toward work & finance.
And yes the cost of life was an important part of the decision to move there but not the only one…
I think that moving to a totally new country is crazy. First you should spend some weeks/months there to see if you can accept handle the difference in style of life. Being in vacation is totally different than living full-time… For example I love visiting Paris for vacation or romantic weekend, but when I was living there I hated the time spent in metro, the stressed people and the high prices.
Michelle says
That is awesome! Where is she from?
Dee @ Color Me Frugal says
I would totally move to a completely new place! I hope to one day be like you and have my online income become my main gig- the freedom would be amazing! Right now the J-O-B is paying the bills (we’ve got some passive income going on, but nothing too special at this point) so it’s not possible, but maybe some day soon…
Michelle says
Sounds awesome Dee!
Rebecca @ Stapler Confessions says
I have moved to a few completely new places — first, with the Peace Corps and then San Francisco. Those are opposites in terms of cost of living! In the Peace Corps I paid $3/month for room and board and in San Francisco my first apartment (with roommates) was $550/month!
Michelle says
Wow that is crazy!
FI Pilgrim says
I definitely would move if I had the chance. Work dictates that I stay closer to home, but if I were “untethered” like you I’d find a nice small town that allows you to walk or bike more. It sounds perfect anyway!
Michelle says
Yes, I agree!
Allison says
We moved to Dallas 3 yrs ago for work. We moved from central tx and Dallas is way cheaper than down there. I think if we had a choice we would move to one of the mountain states like Utah or Colorado. We just love the natural beauty of those places.
Michelle says
Yes, we have been thinking about those states. They are just so pretty!
DC @ Young Adult Money says
I think if you have the ability to travel and see the world a few months at a time over the course of a few years I think you definitely should. Not everyone has full-time location-independent income, so I the fact that you do makes me think you should give it a shot. If you ever change your mind in the middle of it you can always come back to St. Louis, no harm done.
Michelle says
Yes, exactly!
Brian says
I really like Indianapolis. It is a good sized city, but still has more a smaller town feel. That being said, if I had the right job I would move somewhere else no problem.
We are currently looking at moving to Ireland or Austria in the next few years to expose our son to a different culture. We may or may not stay there for a very long time, again it all depends on what work we can find. The good news is I am an EU citizen so we don’t have to worry about the green card problem that can arise for some folks, especially in Ireland where they are super stingy with them
Michelle says
Wow that sounds awesome!
Chelsea | Lost in Travels says
We moved half way around the world to South Korea and it was the best decision we ever made! Cost of living is relatively cheap (although you could definitely spend MUCH more since prices are comparable to the states. That’s when a good budget comes in handy!) and we are able to live in a new place and travel around Asia on the cheap. Before moving abroad you definitely have to ask yourself WHY you want to live abroad because that will determine WHERE you go!
Michelle says
Yes, your blog is one of the blogs that I was referring to in my post. I have been stalking all of your posts 🙂 haha
The Warrior says
My suggestion would be to go on a “tester move”.
Back in 2009, I started working solely online and moved to Australia. I should have tested the waters first with a planned month stay (nothing longer) so that I could see if I liked it before committing to it fully.
Worst case scenario if you test it out is you end up going back to STL and you end up realizing the nomad life isn’t for you. At least you will know you tried it though.
Just my sugg….as I love traveling.
The Warrior
NetWorthWarrior.com
Michelle says
Yes, and that is why we would still keep our home base!
Matt Becker says
I would have considered it more in my childless days, but these days being close to family is really important. We want our son to know his family really well, so that pretty much limits us to Boston and Pensacola. Though at some point I do think it would be fun to live abroad for a year or so, just to get a different perspective. But probably not as a full-time thing.
Michelle says
Yes, this is something that we wish we could have. I am so jealous!
Holly@ClubThrifty says
Honestly, if we didn’t have young kids and didn’t live so close to my parents I think our life would be completely different. I would love to travel the world….I only need my laptop to work too! But, since we have kids, that would be rough. I don’t want to drag them all over the place. So instead we just go on a lot of vacations.
Michelle says
A lot of vacations is still great 🙂
John S @ Frugla Rules says
I have moved to several new places, lastly to San Diego when my wife and I were engaged. I moved from Omaha out there, though it was by no means cheaper. 😉 We’re actually considering something like this in a few years when the kids get a little older, All our family is so far away, that I don’t know that it would be that big of an issue if we moved overseas somewhere. Assuming we still have our business, then we can run it from virtually anywhere.
Michelle says
Sounds great John!
Katy says
My husband is in the Navy so cheaper cost of living or not we get to move. In 4 months we will be moving to Hawaii which will be a HUGE change for this east coast girl! My last move (before we met) was from CT to Virginia Beach because I just really wanted to live here. If not for the navy I suspect I would never leave. ~Katy
Michelle says
Hawaii sounds awesome!
Val @ Balancing Val says
I made a random decision to move out to hawaii with one suitcase, no job and no money just to see what I am made of. I worked my ass off and now I am a successful natural foods chef and future wife to someone I met out here who is also in the navy. I moved from the east coast as well so I know how you feel!
Even with all the challenges I faced, I knew that not having a husband or children would make it the only time to really do something for myself and it paid off tenfold!
Michelle says
Wow sounds amazing Val!
Connie @ Savvy With Saving says
The BF and I were talking about this last night. I live in NYC and even though it’s really expensive here, I love it. I grew up here and most of my friends and family are in the NY area. I can’t really ever imagine moving. It would have to be for a really, really amazing job opportunity.
Michelle says
It would definitely be hard to move since you have friends, family and you love it there. Makes complete sense!
Amanda says
When I moved back up to northern Ontario when I graduated and accepted my first job, it was going to be temporary. I was set on moving to Toronto or somewhere in southern Ontario after a few years of working and establishing my career.
BUT I fell in love with this city I’m in. There are A LOT of things wrong with this place, but I cannot imagine living in Toronto or any big city! I love that I’m never more then a 10 minute drive from nature, and that my commute is never more than 15 minutes. I might actually be able to afford a house here, too. My friends and family that have come to visit me all say they want to move here but don’t/can’t because the job market is pretty bad.
I would be open to moving to a new city for the right reasons, but right now I don’t see that happening. Going somewhere cheaper would mean giving up on too much that’s important to me, and would only be slightly cheaper anyways…
Michelle says
Sounds awesome Amanda!
Alexa says
I wouldn’t move to a new place now because I have kids and couldn’t take them far from their dad. If I didn’t have kids I might try it out though. I am not sure I could do it on the long term. I am a country girl and I like where I live and I like being close to all of my family.
Michelle says
Yeah, it’s definitely not something for everyone. I’m still not even sure how I feel about it!
C. the Romanian says
There are actually a ton of places, even in Europe where you can live on around $1,000 per month – I wrote an article about this a while ago. The Asian countries also sound extremely tempting to me.
To answer the questions, I would absolutely love to move to a new place. I don’t know if I would agree to completely cut off my roots and sell the home in our home town, but I would love to be a sort of a digital nomad, living several months in one place then moving to another. I am already living in a really cheap place so almost anything would be more expensive – and this is one of the reasons that’s holding me back for now.
Michelle says
Yes, the asian countries are so tempting to us!
Emily @ Urban Departures says
Currently I live in the city an expensive city that I love. I was born and raised here and my family is here. My job is location specific at the moment and I like it quite a bit. It would take a lot for us to move away: amazing job opportunities (for both my husband and I), an increased standard of living, and exceeding lifestyle requirements (i.e. small suburban city won’t do).
That said, I would move to a new place temporarily. I am daydreaming about the south of France.
Michelle says
The south of France sounds amazing 🙂
Shobir | Find Some Money says
I’m definitely up for moving to a warmer cheaper location, my partner is much more reluctant. I’m slowly but surely showing her all the benefits of moving such as increases cashflow, rent from property and more income online. I guess only time will tell. Great article, thanks for sharing.
Michelle says
Haha it’s actually me who is more reluctant and W who really wants to move!
Sabrina Kara says
I moved to China for one year originally ended up staying for 3 years, very soon after I finished my master degree. And it is the best thing I have ever done. Now I live in the Netherlands. I am from Barcelona. If you want to move somewhere go for it, don’t let regrets come to you one day. Plan for it and do it. I planed my China trip 8 months in advance without even visiting before ;). Good Luck. xoxo Sabrina
Michelle says
Thank you!
Tammy R says
We moved from Upstate NY to Houston, Texas and it was the best decision we ever made for our marriage. No, Houston is not our dream city , but we had to rely on only each other and it brought us very close as a couple. I would still love to live in other places. Hopefully we can make that work! I think to be 70 years old and still living here would not be ideal. I am not one to want to live with regrets as I think they’re a waste of time! 😉 Great food for thought, Michelle. I wish you and W all the best in your questioning and searching. It’s fun to do that together!
Michelle says
Thank you Tammy!
This Life On Purpose says
Yes yes yes absolutely! It’s not that I don’t like where I’m from, but I’ve always wanted to live abroad, or even a different city within Canada or the US. Even if you end up coming back home after a few years, it’s still a great experience. And if the cost of living is cheaper than it’s even better 🙂
Michelle says
Yes, same here!
Alicia says
I moved six months ago for my career. It’s only 5 hours drive away, but it’s enough to feel pretty far away from family and friends. I am not currently “tied down” by children, etc, which I think would be an important consideration.
Michelle says
Awesome Alicia!
Mrs PoP says
We would absolutely move if it meant cheaper and more enjoyable living! No time like when you are young to try this kind of stuff out!
Michelle says
Yes, exactly!
Pinky says
My husband and I are planning to move to a totally new city next year, just because want something new. We are so excited about it even though some people think we are crazy.
Michelle says
That is awesome! Where are you thinking?
Erin @ Red Debted Stepchild says
When we moved to Portland, I figured it would be more expensive than Cleveland, but it’s really not. We live in a smaller apartment that costs less and has utilities included and our gas costs are less than half! And we’re right in the middle of everything instead of the suburbs.
I think you guys should totally move if you really want to. You don’t have kids, this is the perfect time to check out what else the world has to offer 🙂
Michelle says
That is awesome Erin!
Candice says
I was born and raised in South Carolina in the woods. My whole life I’ve wanted to explore the world. When I graduated college this year I moved to San Diego, CA and it’s been AMAZING! I’m so glad I did it. My bf and I plan to travel all over in the next coming year and I can’t wait! We’re going to travel until we’re 3o and then maybe settle down and have some kids.
Michelle says
That is awesome! where do you plan on traveling next year?
Broke Millennial says
After growing up moving around, I actually prefer the process to staying in one place. There is too much of this world to see for me to be locked into one location. Plus, almost any place I move next is going to feel really cheap compared to NYC.
Michelle says
I am sort of opposite. Even though I have only lived in St. Louis and Chicago, we moved back and forth to different areas in both metro areas all the time so I never got used to one city as a kid. That is why I like having our house because I can call it home! But I do still want to explore the world 🙂
Stefanie @ The Broke and Beautiful Life says
As long as I’m pursuing Musical Theater I’ll be based in NYC as that’s where the industry is based. But I’ve always imagined living elsewhere. The hardest part for me would be moving away from my family, friends, and HUGE cultural community (which I’d like my future children to be a part of).
Michelle says
Where else have you imagined living?
Krista says
We’re very open to moving to a new city, a new state even. Somehow we don’t feel so adventurous as to try out a new country, but who knows? I love the idea of adventure before the family gets bigger, I’m with you.
Michelle says
A new country definitely is intimidating. Where are you thinking?
E.M. says
I don’t want to settle down for at least another eight years or so, when I’ll then re-evaluate my stance on children. There are so many places to see and experience! My boyfriend and I are on the same page with this, except that we can’t really go out of the country if we’re going to “use” his job to travel around. He is lucky in that transferring around to different stores is encouraged, so we are hoping to change up the scenery every year or two.
Michelle says
That is awesome!
Michelle says
No income tax would be awesome!
Michelle says
Wow that is awesome!
Michelle says
Yes, I would definitely struggle with moving somewhere more expensive as well.
Michelle says
Where do you think you would move?
Andrew@LivingRichCheaply says
I’ve been thinking and wanting to relocate to a lower cost of living area (we’re in NYC). I often think it would be nice to afford a house and to reach financial freedom earlier by moving. But in the end, I know we won’t do it because most of our family and friends (and jobs) are here.
Michelle says
Yes, I definitely would like to be near family and friends.
Kasey @ Debt Perception says
My husband is in the Navy so moving to new places is a definite for us. We moved from the Midwest to the East coast two years ago and are hoping to move to the West cost in two more years when his contract is up. He’s hoping to make a career out of the Navy so it’ll be fun/interesting to move to several new areas, including different countries, throughout our life. Hopefully one day we’ll be able to settle down and experiencing these Navy moves will help us decide where.
Michelle says
Sounds like fun! Especially is you want to see the world 🙂
SavvyFinancialLatina says
We have considered moving somewhere else, but right now our jobs are keeping us here. Plus, cost of living is lower than other places. I think if my job were to move me, I would definitely go. We have thought about possibly moving away from all the hustle and bustle when we are in our 30s. We want to have some financial stability. It’s all hypothetical discussion, and we still keep living life.
Michelle says
Where do you think you would move? 🙂
Kasia says
I would do it in a heart beat…but not for permanent relocation. It would be nice to be in a position to spend six months to a year living in a completely different country or city. I’d love to spend six months living in Italy or Spain, or Thailand. Living elsewhere wouldn’t be for financial reasons though. While I do live in an expensive area I’d rather work harder to earn more to sustain my lifestyle than to permanently relocate and leave family, friends and all year lovely weather behind. If we did move for longer I know that I would always want to return. I spent three years teaching English in Poland a few years ago, and while I did have my extended family there and made new friends, I just wanted to return to my home in Australia.
Michelle says
Yes, that’s how I feel. I don’t think I could do it permanently either.
Jacob says
We’re firmly planted in the Seattle area. I love it here, and haven’t ever considered moving, even for a job. We love our family, church, friends, schools, house, weather, coffee too much to move anywhere else.
Is it expensive? HECK YES! But totally worth it in our opinion.
Michelle says
Sounds like all great reasons to stay!
Micro says
I’ve had to move twice so far in my life to completely new areas for work related reasons. Moved from Wisconsin to Virginia after I graduated because my job search wasn’t progressing very well. Then last year I wound up moving down to Georgia for a new job. I like being able to live in a new area but I don’t like having to slowly learn where all the roads go. I think I’d prefer to travel and visit places as opposed to living there for a couple years.
Michelle says
Wow sounds like you’ve been all over!
The First Million is the Hardest says
I would definitely consider moving somewhere else, but I would need a compelling reason to actually move. I love living in Buffalo and I’m fairly close to my family, so I wouldn’t move just for the sake of moving.
Michelle says
Yes, that’s how I feel also.
Michelle says
Thailand is something that we are thinking about!
Mystica says
I’ve moved for work reasons just once in my life and that was to Dubai. The experience was totally worth it as I was so green before that!!! My children have all emigrated to Melbourne, Australia and have fitted in. I think its a case of mental adjustments and not always hankering for what you got back home. In the case of Sri Lankans its always the food!
Michelle says
Wow that sounds like a lot of fun!
Judy Bradley says
If I had the same circumstances as you – being able to work wherever and able to keep my house as my home base – I would be gone! LOL I love new places! I have only lived in 2 states, but several cities. Right now I would love to move to the Olympic Peninsula. I am a big Twilight fan and went out there for the annual Stephenie Meyer Day celebration, and I fell in love with the area. I currently live in Florida – MUCH too hot for me. I formerly lived in Iowa, Much too cold in the winter AND much too hot in the summer! But in Sequim, WA there are not the extremes. It still has seasons, but not so awful – and it is beautiful. But I live on Soc Sec and financially cannot just pick up & move, plus, right now my daughter is going through cancer treatments and I need to be available to help her whenever. She has 2 young children I was babysitting for quite a bit, but they are now in school. I also have other grandchildren here I babysit for. There are many places I wouldn’t mind living in for short terms, like 6 mos to a year, but not permanently. I love to travel, but again that old lack of money limits me. I travel back to Iowa for whichever grandchild is graduating every year and to see my mom & sibs. I also go to WA every Sept for the SMD celebration, but it is harder every year because it is so expensive to rent a car out there, besides the flight, and the gas to get around. I like the idea of moving somewhere new as long I can see my loved ones!
Michelle says
I’m so sorry about your daughter 🙁 You sound wonderful 🙂
Jason B says
I would move to a new place. I love to push the comfort zone bubble. Living some place brand new would be fun and exciting.
Michelle says
I think so too! 🙂
Pauline says
I have moved to 5 countries so far and can adapt quickly so it has never been a problem. You can easily rent a place for a month or more pretty much anywhere and see if you like it, or keep moving. If you go traveling, be flexible and if you find a place you like you can stay. You can definitely live on very little while traveling, even hostels can be as cheap as $15 a night for two.
Michelle says
Thank you Pauline! 🙂
Tara @ Streets Ahead Living says
If moving abroad is your goal, if you are able to adapt to their way of eating, you can do well financially. I remember Cat saying how expensive food is in the Caribbean if you still try to eat like an American. But if you’re open to switching your diet and eating less dairy and cheese (and cow products in general) and more root veggies and tropical fruits and pork for instance, you will fit right in and your food budget won’t be crazy expensive.
Emily @ evolvingPF says
I moved to a completely new place twice already and we’ll do it likely 1-2 more times if things go well. I think there’s really something to be said for having roots in one location. I envy my parents for still having friends from HS and college living nearby because they’ve stayed put. I want to settle ASAP but it likely won’t be until our early 30s. I think the best situation would be to move away for a while and then decide that where you grew up is best for you! You and W have that opportunity since you are from the same city (I think) – I’m jealous as my husband and I are from opposite coasts so we can’t both live in the cities we grew up in. But if you want to live somewhere else for a while I say try it out! As for cost of living, I think it’s a good consideration for someone location-independent like you, but it’s fairly far down on my list of considerations as there should be some cost-of-living scaling of our incomes.
Monica says
For the past 5 years I’ve been constantly travelling to new places and I’ve loved it. Really, really loved it. Meeting new people and exploring new places and finding your new favourite everything. But next month I’m moving back home. I think I’m tired of all the newness and really looking forward to the old familiarity – now that’s something I never thought I’d hear myself say!
Lena says
I did, across the world 🙂
On a different topic, I stopped getting your updates for some reason but, I think, I fixed it now 🙂
leeann says
I did it! I moved from Vancouver, Canada to San Jose California 13 years ago!
I graduated from school and was applying to jobs. Had a phone interview, was offered a job and packed up everything I owned into a UHaul, and drove it down to California!
Best decision of my life!
Cindy @ GrowingHerWorth says
I moved from the Midwest to Arizona once for a job. Things happened so quickly that I didn’t have a chance to do anything with my house. The job didn’t work out, and I ended up back home again. On the one hand, it was nice to have a “home base” to come back to. On the other hand, having the house forced me to come back; I wouldn’t have been able to find another job that allowed me to keep the house and rent someplace there, and it wasn’t a good time to sell/rent my house. I absolutely loved Arizona, and hope to go back someday, at least to visit. But then, if I hadn’t come back, I wouldn’t be where I am today. So it’s not all bad!
Jon @ MoneySmartGuides says
The only time I’ve moved to a completely new place was for college. I was OK with it then because I knew it was only for 4 years. I like being close to my family in terms of location and don’t think I would move.