Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

My property taxes have risen AGAIN to help pay for schools. I'm not married and don't have kids. I'm thinking of selling my place this year.

Where's a decent place to live in the world with a high speed internet connection, low cost of living, and relatively safe?

(English is the only language i know.)

Thx

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

Gated community in Vegas you could live very comfortably for like 10-15k per year. Upstate New York near Turningstone Casino you could probably live less comfotably but cheaper but it would be cold.

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

here in oklahoma city, houses are insanely cheap compared most other areas of the country and we have live poker anywhere from a 20 minute to 2 hour drive depending on where you want to go

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Gated community in Vegas you could live very comfortably for like 10-15k per year.

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did i miss something, like where you meant month and not year?

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

Perhaps there's a hippy commune somewhere.

Circle the combi vans to keep out the capitalists.

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

[ QUOTE ]
here in oklahoma city

[/ QUOTE ]


lol

I believe the op said 'decent place to live'

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

Broken record:


Buenos Aires?

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

The uk, the weather wont be an issue cos you'll be inside player poker the whole time

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

[ QUOTE ]
The uk, the weather wont be an issue cos you'll be inside player poker the whole time

[/ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
low cost of living

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You suck at this.

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

how about newfoundland? you'll never fit in and [censored] gets expensive, but the rent is cheap.

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

Broadly speaking (and there are certainly outliers) there's a trade off between cost of living and standard of living.


If you want something more substantial than random anonymous people endorsing their own home town, Canada and Australia (as far as countries that are both English-speaking and "Western") host a number of cities that do well on both counts:

Research into Cost of living, ranking cities:
http://www.finfacts.ie/costofliving.htm
Moscow replaces Tokyo as world’s most expensive city; Asuncion in Paraguay is the cheapest

Most Eastern European cities have dropped sharply in the rankings

Many US cities have risen in the rankings due to the strength of the dollar

London drops two places to rank fifth



Research into Quality of living, ranking cities:
http://www.finfacts.ie/qualityoflife.htm

Zurich scores highest for quality of living, Baghdad ranks lowest

Cities in Canada, Europe and Australia dominate the top of the rankings

Honolulu is the highest ranking city in the US; Houston is the lowest

London remains at position 39; Birmingham and Glasgow both climb one place to joint 55th position



P.S. I am in the habit of renting out a spare room in Newcastle, Australia, for several weeks/months at a time to 2p2'ers. My current "guest" is staying until mid-february...pm me for info

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Broken record:


Buenos Aires?

[/ QUOTE ]

I was thinking about spending the summer there instead of spain because of the dollar to Euro issue.

Why do you suggest this? I'd love some more info.

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

Because the country is incredibly awesome?

- Incredibly low cost of living.
- Tons of cool European architecture.
- Beautiful Argentine women.
- Good internet access and big city amenities you are used to.
- Lots of good theatre & tango shows.
- Very safe for how large the city is, especially considering it is in South America. I feel entirely comfortable walking 10 blocks at 3 am coming back from a bar or taking a cab from across town.
- Great Argentine food. Must like beef though.
- Low cost of living is worth repeating. 60 cent empanadas, $2-3 taxi rides, $1-2.50 for drinks at bars.
- The people are really friendly as well.

Downsides:

- You are coming during winter.
- Not a whole lot of people speak English. Any extended stay requires spanish classes if you aren't already fluent.

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

You might want to look into NORTHERN Belize. specifically Corozal. I am moving there within the next 2 years. Its quiet, relatively cheap, and they speak English (kind of).

With a large Mexican town just to the north (like 15 or 20 minutes away) you can get anything you want or need and living on the Caribean coast wouldn't be so bad, would it?

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

Take up spanish. There are a ton of places in latin america that fit well here. Degen made a large thread about living in thailand you might want to check out in OOT.

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

i know you should really learn spanish or thai or move to malasiya etc but if you're not up for all that,

consider new haven. no, really!

foxwoods is nearby and atlantic city/new york with all its poker clubs and other attractions is just 1-1.5 hours away. plenty of malls nearby if you need to do some shopping and a good college-town mix of upscale and affordable restaurants, entertainment, etc in new haven proper. lots of nature if you're into that. for example my roommate was into mountain biking and there was plenty of terrain for him within a half hour's drive.

when i was a student there a few years ago i rented a room in a two-story apartment with two huge living rooms and 3 other bedrooms/roommates for under $250/month, utilities included. i also lived in a nicer two-bedroom apartment with a friend for about $450 per person. close enough to the yale campus to have restaurants, etc within walking distance but not so close that we ever had to deal with rowdy loud late night crowds.

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

[ QUOTE ]
living on the Caribean coast wouldn't be so bad, would it?

[/ QUOTE ]
You mean apart from the 20 hurricanes a year? [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

I suggest you find a college town

they always have bars, restaurants, concerts, sporting events, good-looking and intelligent women, smart community

I live in one that is probably not for most due to being a few hours from the big cities and north enough to still have winter. However, there are probably a few that suit your purpose.

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

Definetly go college towns, When I was looking to move the cheapest places were always college towns.

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

If I were to play poker for a living again, I would probably go live in Estonia for the summer, then perhaps Costa Rica for the winter.

Both places are moderately cheap, but as I'm used to London, they're both practically free.

Alternatively, I would write down the capital city of every European country (London excepted, obviously), and draw one from a hat every 3 months, and go live there.

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

Australia/New Zealand/Thailand--the added advantage is that US poker primetime is in the afternoon and late morning. Man I miss that.

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

[ QUOTE ]
here in oklahoma city, houses are insanely cheap compared most other areas of the country and we have live poker anywhere from a 20 minute to 2 hour drive depending on where you want to go

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I moved back from Vegas to Oklahoma because I remembered how good the games were here when poker first became legal here... in my opinion the games here are dry as hell right now (unless you don't plan on playing higher then 1/2NL or 3/6 Limit)... I've been back for a year and half and I went from playing live 90% of the time in vegas to 90% online because of lack of game selection here...

Not to highjack the orginal post, because it is cheap as hell to live here (and I'm extreme tight wad so I know [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] .... I went from renting a room in someone's house in vegas for $500 a month to living in a one bed room furished apartment here for $325 a month)...

Anyhow, IMHO, if your decision is based on poker I would go with Vegas... if you want to live somewhere dirt cheap look into Oklahoma...

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
living on the Caribean coast wouldn't be so bad, would it?

[/ QUOTE ]
You mean apart from the 20 hurricanes a year? [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

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Only been "hit" by 1 hurricane in the last 10+ years. Although thet have received a ton of rain from numerous hurricanes/storms.

Besides the houses are built to handle them. They use cinder block with a stucco exterior finish.

believe me I have really looked into this and it is a very viable option.

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Because the country is incredibly awesome?

- Incredibly low cost of living.
- Tons of cool European architecture.
- Beautiful Argentine women.
- Good internet access and big city amenities you are used to.
- Lots of good theatre & tango shows.
- Very safe for how large the city is, especially considering it is in South America. I feel entirely comfortable walking 10 blocks at 3 am coming back from a bar or taking a cab from across town.
- Great Argentine food. Must like beef though.
- Low cost of living is worth repeating. 60 cent empanadas, $2-3 taxi rides, $1-2.50 for drinks at bars.
- The people are really friendly as well.

Downsides:

- You are coming during winter.
- Not a whole lot of people speak English. Any extended stay requires spanish classes if you aren't already fluent.

[/ QUOTE ]

che... que flor de boludes... que trucha!!!... no it's actually pretty much right on

spanish is relatively easy to learn if you speak english already

i used to have argentinian room-mates, have not been to the country yet, but from what i've heard from them, their friends, and tourists, moving down there could be very fun

if i had the chance i'd def. consider argentina (though prob. move to buenos aires just to get comfy then move out of the city to someplace nicer)

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

Also, where do yo live now might help.
I live in Southern California, and while my neighborhood does have a special tax for the schools, it will end, but Cali has a property tax cap, so if real estate spikes, they can only hit you I think its 2% increase each year, if you move into an established community that has no tax assessments for schools, police, parks, etc, you are probably fine. You may want to check the math before you sell your house and go somewhere cheaper, hidden costs, my wifes friends moved from their 1 bedroom condo in Irvine to Philly and found that they have a great house but it costs them much more in the winter(heat/gas) and summer(electric/AC) then they spent here, also their tax base is different, they love it, but if they knew what they now know they wouldnt have done it.) Dont forget property value gain is taxable and can eat up a decent chunk if you want to "cash out" too.

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

ottawa,IL casinos within driving distance plus you can get a 4 bedroom 2 story house for around $550 to $650 per month. Very low crime! Mostly white people that live here thus the low crime!

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Mostly white people that live here thus the low crime!

[/ QUOTE ]

classic

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

The best bang for your buck is definitely not anywhere in the USA. It's debatable which country/location it is, but the USA, Europe, Canada, and Australia are immediately out. It's obviously somewhere in Central or South America or Asia.

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

I guess it depends how literally you take the request for "best bang for your buck."

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

[ QUOTE ]
I guess it depends how literally you take the request for "best bang for your buck."

[/ QUOTE ]

Stretch your money the farthest while still maintaining as close to your usual lifestyle as possible was my interpretation. Hence the recommendation for BsAs. You can probably stretch your money even farther in Thailand but that's a bit too 3rd world for me. Still, a 300% raise isn't bad for moving to Argentina.

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

Surely tax issues and how long you can stay in a country for are issues.

For example in the Uk playing poker for a living is totally tax free, but staying here for any sustained period for a non eu citizen i think is quite difficult.

My parents live in Cairo these days and living there is cheap as hell, but im not keen on the pollution and the massive change in culture to be honest. Plus moving permanently near my parents would be a total beat anyways.

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

UK,

We can't get residence easily and tax-free means nothing because most countries are tax-free for us to live in. But we still owe US taxes no matter where we live so that doesn't really help us at all.

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

Keno, Oregon.

No sales tax. Cheap cheap land, high speed net, and they pump your gas for you. No self service.

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

Cost of Living Index for Selected U.S. Cities

Memphis, El Paso, Jackson, Miss., Springfield, Ill., Oklahoma city, Omaha are some of the cheaper places to live.

Btw, Oregon is one of the more expensive places to live. Probably because you can't pump your own gas [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Because the country is incredibly awesome?

- Incredibly low cost of living.
- Tons of cool European architecture.
- Beautiful Argentine women.
- Good internet access and big city amenities you are used to.
- Lots of good theatre & tango shows.
- Very safe for how large the city is, especially considering it is in South America. I feel entirely comfortable walking 10 blocks at 3 am coming back from a bar or taking a cab from across town.
- Great Argentine food. Must like beef though.
- Low cost of living is worth repeating. 60 cent empanadas, $2-3 taxi rides, $1-2.50 for drinks at bars.
- The people are really friendly as well.

Downsides:

- You are coming during winter.
- Not a whole lot of people speak English. Any extended stay requires spanish classes if you aren't already fluent.

[/ QUOTE ]

Any idea on how much $rent/month for a modest 2 bdr apt is?

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

Depends on how resourceful you are. As a foreigner, something decent is going to be $800-1,200 furnished and with all utilities/internet included. If you can make some local friends you can get it unfurnished for 30-50% of that. Also depends greatly on what part of town you live in.

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

How long can you stay in BsAs as an American?

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

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How long can you stay in BsAs as an American?

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Showing up will get you a 90 day tourist visa. This can be extended for another 90 days while in the country. So you must leave every 180 days but a ferry ride to Uruguay can be done in a day for under $20 and will get you a new visa.

Re: Best bang for the buck place to live to play Internet poker?
 

I would like to hear more about Canada.

From what I understand the COL is similar to that in the US.

I have two kids and the wife and I want them to grow up in an English-speaking environment.

Is it hard to obtain residency in Canada?