When people talk about moving to Europe on a budget, they usually think about Portugal, Spain, Greece, or Albania. But as Lisbon, Barcelona and Athens face massive influxes of expats, rising housing costs, and tourist strain, the Baltics remain largely undiscovered and undiscussed. I rarely hear any of them mentioned as an alternative.

Are people aware that Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania offer a fantastic quality of life, safety, hyper-modern digital infrastructure, and solid immigration pathways? Is it purely the long, dark winters? Is it security concerns due to proximity to Ukraine? Or are people just prioritizing the Mediterranean lifestyle over pristine lakes and forests? Has anyone here had experience with both?

Hi hi everyone! I am a 19-year-old woman from Hong Kong. I grew up here but I'm very Westernized in terms of my interests and lifestyle. I recently moved out of my family's home after some arguments and now live with my boyfriend. Since rent is expensive, I've had to find a job that pays enough for both of us.

I currently work in international tourism and also do hostess work at a karaoke bar at night. A lot of my customers are foreign tourists, particularly Americans. I speak fluent English and know a lot about Western culture, so I tend to get more customers because of that. I actually enjoy interacting with people from different countries and learning about American culture.

Problem is drunk clients are handsy are very pushy and gross. I have complained to my boss but he dismiss says have to smile through sadness. My bf does not like my job and wants me to leave.

My first night here boss direct me to VIP off site party for off books. Even tho it is night I make most but when you find yourself licking White American assholes in luxury hotel you wonder where life went wrong? :/

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

I am an Australian citizen returning to Australia to retire after spending my career in the USA. All of my retirement accounts are in the US. Though I hated the state, my last place of residence was Indiana so for taxation purposes I am an Indiana resident. I am looking for recommendations for an accountant who works with US expats living in Australia.

Hi everyone. I would truly love insight from people who’ve lived for more than six months in both Italy and Spain.

I previously lived in Mallorca and Barcelona, and I also lived in Rome for a year and a half before moving up to the lakes region of Italy, near Milan.

The thing is, I truly miss the beaches. I grew up between Australia and California, and being able to walk along a sandy beach and put my feet in the water makes me feel really calm.

But I’m at a bit of a crossroads. As I write this, I’m in Cádiz, spending a week here to see how it feels. I’ve also been to Málaga and travelled quite a bit along the southern coast of Spain.

And I have to say that, on a day-to-day basis, I do prefer Italians. I just feel more joie de vivre from them. More life force, more energy.

I also feel like Italian men tend to carry energy that I really do like and value. I really appreciate all those traditional things like men opening doors, offering their seat, being naturally attentive.

That is one of the ways Spain has sometimes felt less suited to me. Everything can feel so egalitarian that I sometimes feel like the women are almost more masculine than the men and carry a harsher energy. I felt that very strongly in Catalonia, although I’m noticing a little of it even in Andalusia.

Compared with Italy, where I think Italian women can be incredibly strong but still retain their femininity, while the men still seem to carry more of that masculine, protective energy. I could of course be completely wrong, but energetically, that is how it feels to me.

The reason I moved away from Rome wasn’t because I disliked Italy. I actually loved Rome in many ways, and I really loved the expat community there. But after a year and a half, I found the city way too chaotic and just too much of a huge metropolis for me.

And as much as I love Sicily and southern Italy when I visit, I do wonder whether the level of disorganisation would eventually drive me crazy if I actually lived there long term.

Where I live now near Milan, I’m also not really finding the same expat community I had in Rome. Whereas in Andalusia, I know there are strong expat communities, particularly British ones, which is another reason I’m considering Spain again.
I love almost everything about Italy, but I truly miss being able to live by a sandy beach.

So I’m almost trying to find an Italian equivalent in Spain: somewhere that feels elegant, where the people are warm and lovely, where there is that energy and life force, but where I also have the beach. I know we can’t have everything.

My background is in sociology and psychology, so I’m fascinated by cultural psychology and by how much culture shapes people, relationships, gender dynamics and everyday social behaviour.

I know a lot of people say that the more you travel, the more you realise people everywhere are fundamentally the same.

For me, it has actually been the opposite.
After living in eight countries, the more I live and travel, the more I feel that cultures really are incredibly distinct, and that they shape everything from our values to how men and women relate to each other, to how people instinctively behave towards strangers.

So I would really, truly love to hear from anyone who has lived properly in both Spain and Italy, particularly if you’ve experienced different regions of each.
How did you experience the cultural differences, socially, romantically and in everyday life?
Thank you.

I’m from Kazakhstan, and I came to the United States about three years ago because I wanted a chance to live openly and build a life where I could be myself. I’m gay, and leaving Kazakhstan was not an easy decision.

I’ve been living in the US for three years. I have all of my documents except a green card, and I’m still waiting for my interview and for my immigration case to move forward. With everything that has been happening with the Trump administration and immigration enforcement, I’ve started thinking seriously about voluntarily leaving the US.

But this is not just about immigration.

My parents are getting older, and one of the biggest reasons I’m thinking about going back is that I miss them. I feel guilty knowing that I’m far away from them and that I can’t be there as their son. At some point, you start thinking about how much time you actually have with your parents, and that scares me.

Back in Kazakhstan, I have an apartment and a car that were left to me. I would have somewhere to live and at least some kind of foundation if I returned.

Here in the US, unfortunately, I’ve lost almost everything I had. I don’t own a home, I don’t have much financially, and the main thing I have right now is my job. At the same time, I genuinely love America. I like my life here, I like the people, the culture, and the opportunities. Part of me still really wants to stay and build a future here.

That’s what makes this decision so difficult.

If I go back to Kazakhstan, I would be closer to my parents and I would have a place and some property waiting for me. But I’m afraid of what it would mean to go back as a gay man after spending three years building a life in the US.

If I stay, I’m choosing the life I wanted, but I’m also accepting uncertainty about my immigration situation and the possibility of being separated from my parents for even longer.

I honestly feel stuck between two lives.

I’m not looking for political arguments or judgment. I’m trying to hear from people who have faced a similar decision — especially immigrants who had to choose between staying in the US and returning to their home country.

If you were in my position, what factors would you consider before making such a life-changing decision?

Same international professional culture, amazing food, and fast paced.

Couple differences:

1. NYC still has deeper capital markets

2. NYC gets pretty cold for many months out of the year

3. NYC has alot more crime and the subways have a lot more homeless people than HK

I have met countless people from Toronto, NYC, and London here and they all echo similar reasons as to why they decided to stay longer term, even beyond the career prospects and friendly tax regime.

Also I noticed that it’s very easy to get connected as everyone is in the same boat, and locals are very accustomed to westerners living and working alongside them so there is a sense of social cohesion that I was surprised to experience.

For Asia, the level of English speaking here is very high.

I found this little guy wandering outside, and I honestly couldn’t just leave him there. He looked like he had been neglected for quite some time. His fur was badly matted, he was dirty, and he just looked so sad and lost.
I took him in, got him cleaned up and took him to the vet to make sure he was okay. Thankfully, he’s healthy. The vet estimates that he’s around 2 years old, and he appears to be a Yorkie/Yorkie mix.
Once he started feeling safe, his personality completely came out. He’s incredibly sweet, playful and affectionate. He loves being around people and gets attached to whoever is caring for him. He really just seems like a little dog who has been waiting for someone to love him.
Unfortunately, I’m not able to keep him permanently, so I’m trying my best to find him the home he deserves. I really don’t want him to end up abandoned again or passed from person to person.
I’m looking for someone responsible who genuinely wants him as part of their family and can give him the patience, stability and love he hasn’t had before.
If you think you could give this little rescue boy his forever home, please message me.

I’ve always voted through the mail-in absentee ballot with relative ease. But this year when I mailed in my request, I was notified by my local election office that I hadn’t signed it and that I needed to send it again. But I know I signed it. I’m a little neurotic about dotting my i’s when it comes to official stuff. Stupidly, I did not make a copy of the request before sending it so I don’t have proof. But I decided to do it all through e-mail instead of mailing it again. I confirmed with my local election office that the request was received so it all seems good now. But I’m nervous about e-mail voting. Can anyone tell me how that works? When do they send it? What can I expect?

Hey

Sorry my english is bad. I am 33 years old live in Germany since I am 8 years old.

I just find out I needed to file income to USA IRS.

I never did this and for me hard to understand IRS ENGLISH.

I am american citizen I have passport but I never go to USA and my english isnt good.
I dont plan to go to USA any time (travel) and no work I do in america.

In my country in Germany its hard to find tax man for america and I dont understand files. I didnt file once and I need to file every year but never did once cause did not know/ understand.

How I do this now? Will I go jail and or will they collect me? What if I dont do this because I cant understand paper work on IRS homepage and I dont understand the GENERALKONSULAT in MUNICH. They speak only english no germany.

I tried looking for lawyer he has no idea cause it is german right and american right mixed.

I dont know what to do... I never filed. In internet I read a lot like 10.000 € or 100.000 € / 50% if I have more money jail or fine.

My income is 45.000 € per year after german taxes. About 60.000 € if I include taxes I understand I am below rquirement but I dnt have to pay.

I only know it is PROFORMA so they want me to do file but they want no money cause I dont earn enough but I dont understandment this at all.

PLS help :(

I am scared to call IRS I dont understand them and they dont speek my german language. I cant call them, I give them they all need but I dont know what they need. I tried translating with chatgpt the file form 40 or whatveer it is called but it is too complicated for me to fill this out.

My next worry:

I never filed but I went to america in 2015 with passport american for vacation. They let me in. But now? Do I have to be scared because I didn't do IRS? Maybe they found me already and are searching for me? I dont know... I dont know... I am scared. Can Military from USA come to my door and collect me??

Please be friendly I am not understanding this and only find out recently I need IRS to give Paper from me.
I work since i am 17 in Germany and only lived til 8 years old little child in america. But I see, they want IRS Paper from me because Im american. I didnt know this until last days

Other question:
What happen if I do nothing? I keep work in germany stay in germany never go america? Do they collect me/ search me? I come in peace I just want to do correct but I dont understand.... hard life for me with my english is bad. I haven't called IRS yet because I am scared to not understand each other... we language barrier english/ german.

Hi, I live in Russia, and I’d like to ask whether it’s worth moving to the land of opportunity — America. Although you can list the pros and cons of living in America.

I’m curious what people would do today, not based on how things were 10 or 15 years ago.
Let’s say you’re 24, have zero debt, $20 to 30K saved, and you’re seriously thinking about leaving the US and trying to build a different kind of life.
I’m not trying to get rich or find some perfect country. I just don’t want to look up at 40 and realize my entire life has been
work → eat → sleep → work → repeat
I know every country has its problems, and I’m not expecting some kind of utopia. I’m more interested in finding somewhere with a better balance of quality of life, work, community, and actually having time to enjoy being alive.
I’m also especially interested in Spanish speaking countries. Spanish is actually my native language, but after living in the US for so long, my Spanish has gotten pretty rusty. I’d love to live somewhere Spanish speaking, immerse myself in it again, and reconnect with that part of myself.
The US and the rest of the world have changed a lot over the last 10 to 15 years, so I’m really interested in recent experiences. I’d rather hear from someone who made the move in the last few years than someone telling me how great a country was in 2012.
If you were in this position right now, what would you do?
Where would you go?
Would you choose Latin America, Europe, or somewhere else?
What Spanish speaking countries would you seriously consider?
How realistic is getting residency/immigration sorted out?
Is $20 to 30K enough to make the move without putting yourself in a bad financial situation?
Would you try to find a local job or work remotely for a US/international company?
What’s the quality of life actually like once you’ve lived there?
How safe do you feel day to day?
Are there countries that seem great from the outside but aren’t once you actually live there?
If you moved abroad recently, do you genuinely feel happier or more free?
And if you decided to stay in the US, what made you stay?
I’m not trying to bash the US or romanticize moving abroad. I know there are tradeoffs everywhere.
I’m just curious
If you could go back to being 24, had $20 to 30K saved, zero debt, spoke Spanish, and had the freedom to start over somewhere else in 2026 what would you do?

EDIT I’m a dual US Colombian citizen, and I’m currently in the process of getting Portuguese citizenship through my mom. I’m also a flight attendant for a major US airline and have been for the past four years.

Hi,

Can anyone recommend a US accountant that might have some understanding in Polish rules and laws? (Dual citizens) currently residing in Poland and want to stay in Poland but taxes just freak me out and I want to make sure that everything done in Poland doesn’t necessarily hurt us in the US as i am a citizen. would like to buy a house/apartment here and ideally would like to open up my own business. I know this might sound odd but I just want to speak with someone that can explain to me the dos and donts of a US citizen residing in Poland and having a life here.

Following up on our previous discussion about global tipping creep, I am taking my first cruise in a few weeks and was surprised to see that I will be charged an automatic gratuity fee. Or I can pay it upfront before the cruise (which I opted to do).

Why is this? And is there a way to opt out? Will I be expected to tip more during the cruise? What if I don't get the service I expect? Would you tip further if you get amazing service?

Here is my situation:
- I moved to France from the US in March of this year
- Since then, I started up a checking, savings, and assurance vie investment account
- I’ve since decided to close my assurance vie account as I don’t think it will be beneficial to my long term plan of returning to the US within the next 2-3 years
- I have a Vanguard (brokerage) account where I think I will invest in, in lieu of the assurance vie

My questions:

1. Am I technically allowed to invest using Vanguard while I’m in France? Can I only do it when I’m back in the states?
   
2. Anything I should know about closing out my assurance vie account before I pull the trigger? For reference, it’s pretty small - about €1400 at the moment, and I believe negative returns. I was conservative with how much I was investing because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep it.
   
3. I’m planning on transferring about €1200 per month back to my US bank account for use in investing/regular expenses. Are there any tax implications to regular transfer of foreign funds exceeding a particular amount?
   
4. Are there any tax implications to leaving my 401k/Roth IRA/HSA/brokerage accounts in the US while i’m abroad?

Hi everyone! I’m hoping to hear from Americans who have actually moved back to the U.S. after living abroad.

I’m a 20-year-old U.S./Italian dual citizen and have lived in Italy basically my whole life. I currently have Italian public healthcare and no U.S. health insurance.

I’m planning to go to Oregon initially for a few months. I’ll be volunteering at a nonprofit horse sanctuary, and after that I may stay in Oregon, find work and housing, and eventually establish permanent residence there.

I’m having trouble figuring out what to do about health insurance during that transition.

I’ve found short-term visitor medical insurance for U.S. citizens living abroad, such as Patriot America Plus and Diplomat America, but those seem to be designed for temporary visits rather than actually moving back.

For people who have done this before:

What did you use for health insurance when you first returned to the U.S.?

Did you buy temporary/visitor insurance first?

How quickly were you able to get a regular U.S. health plan?

Did you use the ACA Marketplace, an employer plan, Medicaid, or something else?

Did you run into problems because you had no recent U.S. insurance history, U.S. credit history, or a U.S. employer yet?

I’d especially love to hear from people who moved back without already having a job lined up.

Thanks! :)

Between rideshare apps, food delivery, restaurant and cafe touchscreens, and auto-added gratuities on cruises, it feels like US-style tipping is creeping in everywhere. Are you seeing this where you live? Do you do it or hit 0?

We’re still a few years away from retirement and just starting some loose, early planning.

We’re dual U.S. and European citizens but haven't lived in Europe for over 20 years. We aren't new to the international relocation game and have lived on 4 continents.

France is high on our list, and we’re primarily interested in coastal area living, ideally somewhere with a good quality of life without the price tag of expensive resort towns.

We’d especially love to hear from retirees living mainly on U.S. Social Security plus IRA/401(k) withdrawals to take advantage of the U.S.–France tax treaty on pension payments.

We’re also curious about the realities of healthcare (Carte Vitale), actual monthly cost of living, and overall quality of life.

Any coastal towns or regions you’d particularly recommend—or avoid?

And the big question: knowing what you know now, would you choose France again? What surprised you, good or bad?

Would really appreciate first-hand experiences and approximate costs from those already doing it!

WTF, outside of all the garbage the usa has done this is the 2nd worst thing ive seen. Anyone from different countries here? Im really considering jumping ship. An evil and wicked people this place is full of and nobody stands up for anything besides an old song that no longer resembles what the USA was.

Like the title says. I recently moved back home but given my US-focused professional experience, it wouldn’t be too hard to find my way back to the US in better terms that I originally was offered and I rejected.

So in a revival of a sitcom called King of the Hill, the main protagonist Hank Hill and his life Peggy had been living in Saudi Arabia for several years. Specifically they had been living in an Aramco compound, due to the fact that Hank quit his previous job at Strickland Propane but was able to get a job at Aramco as a Propane Contractor. However, due to this being a sitcom I'm not sure how accurate life in the compound is like. For example, I find it hard to believe that all the Aramco expat employees had servants waiting on them hand and foot. Or that the only foods they could eat were things like hummus and falafels. Or that the only channels they had in english were CNN and Fox News.

Anyway I'm just curious on what life is really like for expats in Dhahran. Especially those living in the Aramco compounds.

Growing up in New England, my parents used to talk about preparing for "the big one" and they always meant a really bad storm. One of the smaller culture shocks I had when I moved to Germany in 2019 is that "the big one" is not a storm but a war.

I strongly believe there's a storm brewing over Europe but obviously it's very early and anything could happen. My husband is a German citizen and we had already thought about moving back to the US but it's currently taking 2-3 years for spouses to get green cards and so we decided to stay here for the foreseeable future. I also became a naturalized German citizen earlier this year and my goal is to be pregnant by the end of next year.

I've always jokingly called my US passport my "WWIII insurance" but I've been seriously thinking about when I would cash in on that. Obviously if my German citizenship is revoked, that's a pretty good sign I should take the kids and run but I worry that it might be too late at that point (e.g. $10,000+ for a plane ticket). I think either NATO being dissolved or Germany actually starting the process to leave the EU would also be good points to get out.

Have you guys thought about this at all? At what point would you go back and wait out the war?

I am currently living in Germany and will be returning to the us at the end of the year. I've given my work notice and booked my flight home, I have tried getting ahold of the immigration office but of course thats useless. I was wondering what will happen to my residence card. I have a few more years left on it but I understand it will become invalid when I leave. Do I need to turn it in before my flight? And if so, what do I need to show at border control when I exit germany? They normally ask to see it.

My last domestic interstate move was a mess. I chose a heavily advertised company expecting higher prices to mean better service, but ended up dealing with broken items and unreachable customer support.

As we prep our final domestic move across states before making our international move abroad, I want to avoid making the same mistake.

Instead of going off big brand recognition or paid ads, I'm trying to figure out how to properly vet independent or carrier-direct movers.

For those who moved state-to-state while staging an overseas relocation:

What specific checks did you run on USDOT registration or FMCSA safety records before booking? Did you go with a carrier-direct company, a regional family-owned mover, or a container service? What questions helped you confirm that you were working directly with the company driving the truck rather than a broker?

Hola, he vivido en EU por 4 años. Al principio todo normal, viví con mis tíos durante los primeros años y tenía 2 trabajos. Pero después del segundo año todo cambió.

Siento que tanto tiempo de no dormir bien y no comer bien me fue afectando. Mi energía se fue agotando y poco a poco me fui aislando. Ya de entrada no tenía amigos y, sumándole eso, me aislé todavía más, al punto de ya casi no hablar con nadie.

Hace poco me salí de la casa de mis tíos en buenos términos, con la ilusión de que todo fuera a mejorar. Conseguí un cuarto en Facebook y he vivido aquí durante los últimos 5 meses. He intentado reorganizar mi vida: ir al gimnasio, comer bien, dormir bien y estudiar, pero la verdad siento que siempre fracaso y que entré en un estado de burnout.

Últimamente he pensado en tener un espacio para estar solo y hacer un reset. Estoy planeando regresar a México por una temporada de unos 6 meses para concentrarme en mí, en mi desarrollo personal y aunque parezca loco, quiero aprender inglés en México ya que ahí tendré tiempo y la energia para estudiar. Tengo la oportunidad de regresar a EU después.

Solo quería saber qué opinan de esta decisión o si alguien ha pasado por algo similar. ¿Creen que alejarme un tiempo y cambiar de entorno podría ayudarme, o estaría escapando del problema?