It can be tempting to live in a cheap country. You might be enamored with the idea of collecting a check, working short hours, and sipping margaritas on the beach. But I advise against this, overall. Living in a cheap country is not a good idea. It might seem good in the short run, but it’s a terrible idea from a long-term self-improvement perspective. Avoid cheap locations at all costs. If you’re young and building wealth, live somewhere expensive.
Living in an expensive country will make you yearn
Living in an expensive country will show you the finer things in life. This is because expensive places are usually playgrounds for the world’s ultra wealthy. You will learn the positive value of money, rather than just seeing what it’s like to go without money. You will see big houses, fast cars, and beautiful women. You don’t need to go all-out on the materialism front, but living in an expensive country will show you what it’s like to have some money. This is a good thing when you’re really young. It’ll make you work hard and build something of value.
Living in an expensive country will teach you to work hard
If you live in an expensive country, you will be forced to work hard. You won’t have a choice, if you want to survive. This might seem rough while you’re in the trenches. But you’re be grateful in the long run when you make it. We live in a dangerous world. It’s a good feeling knowing that you have control over your own destiny.
Living in an expensive country will teach you money management skills
If you live in an expensive country, learning to manage your money is a must. This might seem like a bad thing, but it’s good if you’re a young man. We don’t yet live in an age of global abundance. Knowing this, you’re going to want to be on top of your money even if you’re from a rich country. Learn how to manage your money so that you can live a fantastic life. If you’re smart with your money, you’ll realize that you need to work hard, because most people are struggling nowadays.
Living in an expensive country will teach you discipline
If you live in an expensive country and you want something badly, you’re going to have to work very hard to get it. This is a great thing. Living in an expensive country will teach you discipline. In a globalized marketplace, this will serve you really well over the next decade. If you use the internet and can outwork everyone, it’s going to be pretty easy to get rich.
Living in an expensive country will introduce you to the ultra wealthy
You won’t necessarily rub shoulders with them, but you’ll see them. You’ll see how they act. You’ll know what they own. You’ll know how they spend money. You’ll notice how much they work. The rare conversations you have with them will be incredibly valuable. The ultra wealthy are quite different from the rest of us. They have a unique level of focus.
Living in a cheap country will make you complacent
We are competing in a globalized marketplace. In case you didn’t notice, there’s a fair amount of human trafficking going on. If you live in a super cheap country and earn an income remotely, you’re likely to think life is easier than it actually is. This is best referred to as complacency. Someone from a more expensive or poorer country will outcompete you over the long term.
Focus on net worth over income
A lot of people get high-paying jobs and blow all of their money. It’s ridiculous, sad, and quite stupid. Generally speaking, those who are wealthier and spending within their means have more time freedom than those who simply earn a high income. If you focus on net worth for a long time, you’ll be able to build something great.
Aim for the global top 5%
The way things are nowadays, you need to strive financially. Across the globe, people don’t have much. You should be focused on how much money you’re going to make over how you look or your social skills. In today’s world, money is the difference between life of death. If you’re 18, aim to be worth about 200k-250k USD by the time you’re in your early 30s, minimum. With inflation, that is where the “top 5%” will be. That will almost certainly buy you a comfortable life and a certain level of location independence. If your country is a wealthy one, this should be fairly easy. Just employ a little more discipline than most.
Build a business
The only hope you have is through equity. That’s the harsh reality of the situation. If you don’t own equity, you’re highly liable to start falling behind in the global net worth game. Build a business and grow it. Generally speaking, over time, you’re going to find that it bears a lot more fruit than if you had simply worked a job. A good business takes a lot of time to build, but once you do it, you’re going to feel a lot more confident in your ability to create a good life for yourself.
If you’re in a poor country, build online
It will likely take you years of sacrifice. But if you can build online while in a poor country, you’re almost certainly going to win. This is because your labor will be far more valuable to you than it is to others. The easiest way to build online is to start blogging. You don’t have to do it full time. Just blog and affiliate market. When you’re ready, you can expand. If you’re smart, you’re going to want to expand ASAP.
Only move to emerging poor countries
If you move to a poor country that is not on the way up, God help you. Moving to a poor country always limits your options. I wouldn’t recommend it unless you are native to that country. Even then, things can be quite hard. Lots of people are on edge in poor countries. This is because they’re in survival mode. Moving to a country that is poorer than the USA is OK. But generally speaking, you’re going to want to remain in a country that’s fairly first world. In today’s world, those in first world countries are slated to live lives that are significantly more comfortable than those in poor countries. Only live in a poor country if you’re willing to be a bit of a martyr. And make sure the country is up and coming. You don’t want to be stuck in a dead-end situation later in life.
Cheap areas have worse real estate
Generally speaking, luxury real estate is going to hold its value. You’re going to want to buy as much real estate as possible, as soon as possible. If you can buy it while taking on minimal debt, you’re well ahead of the game. The ideal is to get a 2-bedroom apartment in a luxury area. That way you can rent to both individuals and families. If you can own multiple units, you might be on your way to creating “generational wealth”.
Even if you fail, more expensive places will give you a higher net worth
This can even be due to how your behavior changes. Living in expensive places will generally speaking get you more money than you otherwise would have from cheaper places. It’s better financially to fall on your face in an expensive place than it is to be well-off in a cheaper location. Just make sure to position yourself so that you can move. This is the key.
Social media changes dating
If you want to get married, you can always get wealthy while living in the city and use social media to expand the geographical radius of your dating pool. A lot of guys complain about “city girls”. You can always expand your dating radius and move later in life.
Cheap countries attract more idiots
You never hear stories of people going around and acting a fool in the Caribbean. You hear a bit more of that stuff out of Dubai, but Dubai is closer to Europe. You never hear about this stuff happening in Singapore. Japan, Korea, and Colombia experienced an influx of idiots when they were marketed as “cheap”. We’re living in an era of historic global reshifting. It’s not the time to be around idiots. At all.
What’s a cheap country?
Anywhere that’s cheaper than a place like Trinidad or Jamaica is probably too cheap. This is the floor when it comes to being connected with the global economy. Anything cheaper and it gets really difficult to do business. There aren’t enough potential clients and infrastructure will be lacking, along with the other things mentioned in this article.
You don’t need to live in Switzerland. But generally speaking, if you want a high quality of life, you’re going to need to live in a country where the cost of living is reasonably high. This is pretty much the only way to make yourself economically useful. If you’re in a country that’s too poor or too cheap, you’re going to have to undo a lot of programming. Work your butt off so that you can escape to the right location, one where things are possible and the people are positive. That’s what happens when you go to a high cost of living location and actually work hard. You make unimaginable progress.
Thanks for paying attention.
