Not making up numbers. Can get a very nice apartment where I'm at for $400-$500 a month. Utilities aren't that much. Food costs much less and fresh from the field produce is widely available for very little. My wife's and my SS will give us over $30k combined. Throw in another $12-$14k house rent. That money in many nice places overseas is comparable to $85k-$100k living in the States. Can call them developing
holes if you like but truth is many of these places have fantastic scenery, great weather, good food, and infrastructure is improving all the time. Fiber optic internet is in many places, going in soon to many others. Many former communist countries are actively trying to improve their lives. I watch American tv with the Dish Anywhere app and Netflix. The biggest difference between here and there is that the U.S. bases a person's worth too many times on their net worth. Not having what the rich guy has drives many to crime and/or drug addiction. It's a different mindset here. They want the material goods the U.S. has. They don't want the craziness that comes with it. People treat each other better here. It isn't perfect, but with enough U.S. Dollars it's highly tolerable, and it doesn't take that much.