Hi, I'm from Europe, and the costs of living are killing me here. I work online, so is my girlfriend, so we wanted to move somewhere with cheaper costs of living, nicer weather and so on.

The few things I need are:

1. High speed internet, i know it can be a problem, but I really need it. 1Mbps is minimum, I have 6Mbps right now with very low pings all over the world. I know it won't be so good in SE Asia (not talking about Japan, Korea, Singapore etc.. )

2. Close to ocean so cities like Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and so on - no point in staying there if I work online anyways.

3. Low costs of food and probably alcohol Wink

maybe also not very high crime rate and some shopping mall anywhere near...

I know those are a lot of things I 'want' but maybe there is such place Wink

So far I've considered:

Malaysia - Penang - good, but no cheap alcohol
Malaysia - Langkawi - I think it's so touristy that everything is overpriced there, but duty free alcohol seems nice. but if I'm wrong and there is ADSL there and some not so pricey accommodation, please tell me

Thailand - Phuket - everything in order here but I have a girlfriend that I already love and it seems it's also 20% more expensive than Bangkok with everyone thinking you are a tourist with lot's of money
Thailand - Pattaya - no really, I SAID i have a girlfriend already besides heard it's getting more dangerous every year (even more and more sexpats, local watch-sellers beating people and such)

Indonesia - Bali - I think internet is a problem here. No ADSL, or limited options and I'm afraid it's a must.

Philippines - everything seemed in order, but then again - bombings in the south, pretty high crime rate, overpopulated, high pollutions in some areas, some other problems in other areas (like water shortage in Cebu I think, I won't even mention Manila...)

Maybe there are SAFE, pretty modern (with at least 1-2 modern shopping malls) cities in Philippines, that wont be overpopulated? it seemed cheap and nice, with best visa option out there

Vietnam - internet not really good and not many good cheap properties for rental.

I'm sorry if I'm picky, I also don't want to tell that any place I listed here are really BAD, they just have some problems I listed and maybe you know a better place? Maybe kota kinabalu in Malaysia? but then again, since it's the other side of Malaysia, does it have any decent ADSL...

Don't know any other cheap-pretty modern countries. Uruguay seems great but I don't know Spanish and electronics there seems so expensive. (I was so tempted to buy few gadgets in KL when I saw those prices)

To sum up - ocean, ADSL, and at least pretty cheap living (meals+some beers from time to time)

P.S. my country sucks BIG, so if you felt offended, please don't. I'm just trying to find a nice place on earth with warmer climate, where I could settle... of course I will come to visit it first, for few weeks, but I can't afford to live in every of these places, also I don't like to move every 2 weeks. would like to just come somewhere for like 1 month, then if I like it, come back to my country, settle some things (sell car, rent apartment) and move for longer, like 6 months or 1 year, and then see.

Welcome to the forum, and good luck with your search. One thing you have to consider is the visa/residence situation. Most of these places aren't going to give you a long-term visa, so you will probably need to do visa runs. That can be a really expensive proposition in some places. And in some it just won't work, because after a couple of visa runs you may not be allowed back in.

I'd add one criteria to your list, which obviously you have considered, too - language. Even in a country where "everyone" speaks your language as a second or third language, it can be terribly isolating and occasionally dangerous not to understand the local lingo.

It sounds as if you are pretty widely travelled. If no city or country really jumps out at you yet, it may take a few more years of travel to find your dream spot. Sure, your home country may suck, but it's really discouraging to move someplace you had high hopes for and find out after six months or a year that your new home sucks, too, just in different ways.

Chanthaburi, Thailand; beach, shopping, hospitals, dsl, cheap, very few farangs,

Are there budget hotels? How is the book selection?

Im not a big fan so I wont vouch for it but a lot of people here seem to like it. Try Dubai!

hi ther same as you wanna relocate but cant find work? can u show me how to work online. napatel2007 at gmail dot com

Try Chiang Mai secluded Pai or chiang rai or Nong Khen or north east of Thailand. Unknown cheap quiet place to last a long time.

Internet connections in Chiang Mai are good, by the way. Even the wifi tends to be pretty fast.

That should be a good place to retire and relax. As far as I know there are many ex american army personnel who are retired there safely. They could live in their country of origin anymore. With their cheap motorcycle jetting around the city and back to home and nice cool climate not too hot and not too cold. This is one of my favourite places to retire.