The Nomadlist search (https://nomadlist.com/melbourne-australia) gives $1207 (or AUD 1639) to live like a local, but estimates from elsewhere, and from asking people, wildly vary. Assuming a fairly frugal life, say an extension of student life, with the occasional indulgence, what’s a reasonable estimate for cost of living for two in Melbourne? To add details we’re intending to: definitely cook at home eat out a few times a month (2-3 times?) rent an apartment/flat basically cut corners a lot - go running in the park instead of a gym subscription, use public transport, etc. have a backup/emergency savings fund How do you actually come up with a fairly accurate estimate? Does anyone have any formulas or tips?

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How do you calculate cost of living in Melbourne for two?

in Melbourne , Australia by @asadu 9yr 9yr | 4 comments

The Nomadlist search (https://nomadlist.com/melbourne-australia) gives $1207 (or AUD 1639) to live like a local, but estimates from elsewhere, and from asking people, wildly vary.

Assuming a fairly frugal life, say an extension of student life, with the occasional indulgence, what’s a reasonable estimate for cost of living for two in Melbourne? To add details we’re intending to:

definitely cook at home
eat out a few times a month (2-3 times?)
rent an apartment/flat
basically cut corners a lot - go running in the park instead of a gym subscription, use public transport, etc.
have a backup/emergency savings fund

How do you actually come up with a fairly accurate estimate? Does anyone have any formulas or tips?

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@victoriathoo 9yr 9yr

if you have a bit of time you could check out the melbourne subreddit on reddit, and do a search for something like ‘cost of living’. (https://www.reddit.com/r/melbourne/search?q=cost+living&restrict_sr=on)

I’m in NZ currently but i find lots of threads like these pop up from both locals and expats. If you have the time to have a bit of a browse it gives you a good idea of the variations in costs/lifestyle. People tend to give a bit of detail on their demographics which helps you get more specific.

You can take from it and apply to your own situation, or even pop up your own post and get posters to give you a rough approximate. I find it pretty accurate when I read the NZ ones that are comparable to my lifestyle.

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@asadu 9yr 9yr

Thanks @grum and @kathrynoh!
@kathrynoh, interesting to hear that it’s manageable, though difficult, with AUD 1000 per month.
We’re doing the calculation to figure out how much minimum income we’ll need. I think I can take AUD 2500 as a ballpark figure for now (there are 2 of us, mid-twenties).
Anyone with any thoughts or advice, please chime in

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@kathrynoh 9yr 9yr

I’m from Melbourne and it’s not a cheap city. A few years ago, I was saving for a big goal and decided to live frugally. The dole (unemployment) in Australia is $AUD500 a week so I took that as my benchmark then added $50 for work costs. It was manageable but difficult and definitely no frills.

I rented a house in the outer suburbs with 2 housemates, didn’t have a car, didn’t go out at all.

For food, the supermarkets in Australia are crazy overpriced - there are 2 chains who have a monopoly - but there are some great markets around and if you turn up on Saturday afternoon, everything needs to be sold off so they are super cheap (boxes of vegies for $1) and much better quality.

Going out can be expensive because minimum wage is quite high in Australia. Depends what you want to do really. You can go out and have an Asian meal for under $10 if you don’t want an elegant decor Brunch at a cafe would be $20 or so.

Apartment rental can be competitive. University holidays are Nov - Feb so you might get luckily around Nov-Dec because people are moving out of apartments to do things over summer etc. In Jan-Feb, the students are hunting for all the cheap apartments. If you want a cheaper apartment, check out the inner West like Footscray. Some parts can be quite rough but there are nice areas and it’s 10 min by train out of the CBD.

There are some great running tracks around the city. I used to run all year around but it can get cold and miserable. Often when the big event fun runs are planned, you can join a running group leading up to it with corporate sponsorship so get to run with a group, have someone look after your gear and often get coffee and snack afterwards. Places like Lululemon in the city have some good free stuff too - running groups, free yoga etc.

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@grum 9yr 9yr

As with all estimates, figures supplied by Nomadlist, Numbeo and every other site under the sun are purely subjective. To be honest, if you look at a city in a rich country like Australia, you’re going to get a huge variance in what people would consider cheap.

When it comes to my travel budget planning, I look at a bunch of sites, figure out an average, double it and budget accordingly. After a month living in the city, if it decreases, great! I have extra money for the next city I move to. If it increases, well, I’ve gotta tighten my belt.

Right now I’m based in Melbourne. I know that personally I could cut all corners and live for AU$1500 a month. That being said, I don’t live that cheap and I know people who exist on twice that much who still complain that they aren’t meeting budget.

The $1207 ‘living like a local’ figure would probably only apply if you’re willing to hang about for 12+ months. Accomodation is expensive, short-term accommodation moreso. If you’re willing to live on rice and noodles (the typical student lifestyle) you could do so for $5 a day. Meals outside can range from $10-$20 per person if you want to be tight. If you live in the CBD, the public transport is free and there are plenty of parks that you can excercise in. You won’t like to do that in winter though - right now with the wind chill it can drop to 5°C in the middle of the day. You don’t want to jog in that with the icy rain. For the emergency fund, I always take the cost of a non-sale air ticket to my home country and double it.

In the end, when it comes to being a digital nomad, you’re gonna have to figure out your own cost of living formula. Some people think cheap is living in a dorm full of stinky backpackers. Other people think cheap is living in a 1 bedroom apartment - in Australia, the difference between those two scenarios is $1000 a month.

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Read and participate in 14,117 discussions on Nomad List

Any good coliving or other monthly rentals in Seville?

in Seville , Spain by @antoine_th 3yr 3 years ago | 0 comments

Hello Everyone

I'm planning to stay in Seville for 6 weeks for mid January - end of February. Do you any recommandations for a coliving or a place to live in?

Thanks 🙏

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Do you prefer co-living spaces or hostels or Airbnbs?

by @davda1546 4yr 4 years ago | 5 comments

We are hoping to become nomads soon and have booked an AirBnB in September in Goa for our first destination. We are considering what would be the best option for accommodation after that. We are trying to decide between co-living spaces, hostels, or Airbnbs.

What are your experiences of accommodation in terms of the following: reliable wifi, social aspect, pricing, cleanliness, cooking facilities?

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Has anyone created a list of co-living spaces around the world?

by @keegansard 4yr 4 years ago | 4 comments

I’m a big believer in co-living but I’m finding hard to find all the options available in different cities.

I have found the major players like Roam, The Collective, and WeLive but haven’t found many others.

Has anyone seen a list or should I start making one?

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Shikoku,can anyone help me with information about living there please

by @lofty 5yr 5 years ago | 3 comments

Hi,
My name is Nick,currently living in Australia and looking at moving to Shikoku next year to live for a couple of years.My wife is Japanese,but I dont speak much though I have lived in Tokyo for some years previously.
Any advice on best areas to look at would be greatly appreciated ,

Thanks in advance
Nick

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Any good coliving or other monthly rentals in Barcelona?

in Barcelona , Spain by @adrienbetweets 6yr 6 years ago | 1 comment

I’m looking for a monthly rental in Barcelona. I’m only planning to stay 1 or 2 months.

Thanks!

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Living in Dubai for a month. Tips?

in Dubai , United Arab Emirates by @cyrilgupta 6yr 6 years ago | 2 comments

Heya!
I have to be in Dubai by end of the month to finish the formation of my company and residency etc. I’ve stayed at hotels earlier, but that sounds pretty impractical considering I will be living there nearly for a month.

Anyone got any tips about renting a short-stay apartment for a month? Maybe even a few leads?

What about living in Dubai? I will be working hard, but I don’t want to be bored out of my mind. Places I can hang out, things I can do?

Please share

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Best Co-living / Co-working in Hawaii?

by @roconnor661 6yr 6 years ago | 1 comment

Hi nomads, I’m in Hawaii for a couple months and wondered what the best co-working or co-living spaces were on the islands and why? Preferably near surf spots and also easy to meet some other DNs.

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Any digital agency owners living the nomad lifestyle?

by @nicolas 7yr 7 years ago | 9 comments

I’d like to get into conversations with other agency owners with employees, or even create a mastermind group and share experiences around questions like:

how you manage teams remotely
how you keep them motivated without daily face-to-face discussions
how you find and work with customers remotely
whether your goal is growth and exit or just lifestyle entrepreneurship
etc.

Anyone interested? Thanks!

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Living in one EU country with a residence from another EU country?

by @robetus 7yr 7 years ago | 8 comments

I really thought this had already been asked on here but couldn’t find anything specific. Apologies if it has been asked before and a link would be greatly appreciated. I’m a US citizen and if I have a residence permit for one Western European country that states I only have to live in the country for 6 months out of the year can I live in another European country for the other 6 months. I plan on EU country hoping every other 6 months to avoid becoming a resident of more than one country.

Is anyone doing this now?

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Would you like a coworking & coliving space in Panama?

in Panama by @oricoh 7yr 7 years ago | 15 comments

Hi everybody,
We are at the beginning of a very interesting journey to eventually establish work spaces and accommodation in Panama.
But before we start, we’d love to figure out how Panama is perceived by you, US time zone and currency are any advantages ? Would you prefer more urbanic or beachfront locations ?
All feedback will be highly appreciated.
Cheers =)

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Anyone interested in coliving in Las Palmas Oct 15 - Dec 18?

in , Spain by @jeremyreaux 8yr 8 years ago | 12 comments

Toying with the idea of renting a house with other nomads in Las Palmas between Oct 15th - Dec 18th. If you’re interested, please PM me with your email address, budget and dates.

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Any nomads up for skiing and a co-living experiment in Canada?

in Canada by @vladepap 8yr 8 years ago | 31 comments

Hi guys,
I’ve been traveling for awhile now and lately I’ve been dreaming of heading back to Canada for the 2016/17 winter season (Dec-Mar?). Namely of spending a ski season in Nelson, BC, a mountain town I lived in a few years ago.

Nelson, BC is known for the most amazing powder. The small resort at Whitewater is very accessible (about 20 minutes outside of town) and in close proximity to slack and backcountry skiing. Nelson is also located near the Powder Highway and is accessible to a lot of other well known powder spots.

Have you ever dreamed of being a “ski bum” for a season? Of skiing in the morning and working in the afternoon? Of attempting a co living experiment with other working, professional type nomads who share your passion and lifestyle?

What I know about co living I have learned from research around co working and it seems like the next logical step (to me). Have you heard of 20Mission in San Francisco? Or one of the other co living proposals in this forum? The experiment part is to see who would commit and what amazing projects and ideas might come out of such a space. In my experience, when I travel, there is something missing out of the places I stay. Either I get lonely or distracted by holiday makers and other travellers. I sometimes struggle to find a work space where I feel productive as well as engaged and would like to explore this as a solution. Work AND ski everyday? Be creative and productive where I live? Sounds pretty close to living the dream to me.

Some extras about Nelson:
Think white winter. Silence, snow covered trees and streets. Fireplace.
There are hot springs close by.
This is no ordinary small town, there’s a very diverse population.
This town is an organic, clean living mecca, or the opposite if that’s what you seek.
There are many opportunities to engage in the community, be it volunteering, participating in clubs or groups.

Thinking about it, I would put down three requirements;
Desire to ski
Working nomad
Long(ish) term stay (eg: a month?)

The idea is to rent a house with a group of committed individuals and see what happens. Will a type of community be fostered and emerge? How can we co-create it?

If I have piqued your interested and you want to join me, learn more or keep in touch, let me know. This post is meant to give me an idea of whether there is any interest in this idea.

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What would you pay for coworking + living space in Calcutta, India?

in India by @dave_chakrabarti 8yr 8 years ago | 5 comments

I’m building a longer-term base in Calcutta, India, and was wondering what digital nomads would think of renting a room here, or what they’d consider a fair rent.

Quick overview:

Newly renovated, ground floor, in a nice residential neighborhood (Salt Lake), a ten minute walk to the City Center mall. Restaurants, pharmacies, public transportation, etc are all within a five minute walk.

Jacuzzi tub in the bathroom, fancy shower stall, nice patio with hammocks and bean bags. AC in the study and bedrooms.

The study has high speed internet access with redundant internet lines (the main line is an actual physical DSL connection, not cellular, extremely reliable, goes down for a few hours maybe once every three years), extra network storage if you need to backup or dump large files, and there are a couple of raspberry pis around if you’re a techie and want to make something while you’re bored.

New paint, new tiles, new electrical wiring, granite bookshelves; the entire apartment was rebuilt (everything from the floor tiles up) this month.

The downside, of course, is that Calcutta is very far off the digital nomad path Assuming anyone’s interested in seeing this side of the country, what would a reasonable rent be for someone sharing the apartment with me in a private bedroom? I suspect I could make the place work at $250/month.

What else would you like included or available as an option? Food (I’d normally recommend against this; food in Calcutta is cheap and amazing), tours, travel in this part of India, other stuff I haven’t thought of yet?

Thanks! All ideas welcome. I’ve been toying with the idea of making this a space more friendly to digital nomads since I started the renovation, so I figured it’s time to start vetting the idea.

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Living in CZ but working for USA

by @tygrysk0landia 8yr 8 years ago | 1 comment

I currently live in California, and work remotely for a company in Philly. I am considering moving to CZ but keep my job here, get paid here, and pay taxes here. I am dual citizen of USA and Poland (EU member), so I know that residency won’t be a problem, but I am interested in paying taxes. If my company keeps paying me to my account in USA, and taxes in California, do I have to pay taxes is CZ as well? This company doesn’t have a post in CZ.

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Best way to look for a flat in Melbourne?

in Melbourne , Australia by @robetus 8yr 8 years ago | 4 comments

I’m movie to Melbourne Australia in mid March where I’ll be staying for at least 6 months. I have a 12 month visa but I’m not sure if I want to stay that long. I want to rent an apartment and I’m looking for some advise on how to do this from those who live or have lived there. I know of gumtree and craigslist to look, but I was also thinking about a rental agency that could find something for me. I’d like to stay right around $350 AUD per week. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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Living and working in two very different time zones

by @rwill007 8yr 8 years ago | 4 comments

If you are living and working out of Thailand (UTC+07:00) but work with people in the New York EST (UTC-05:00) Time Zone, how do you deal / handle the time difference and still be able to enjoy or make the most of the experience without turning into a tired night owl zombie?

Better yet, what do you find to be the benefits / drawbacks of having to work on such a schedule? (specially in Thailand)

Any advice from those who have done it for a long time? (2+ months)

Thanks,
Will

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Which are the best place to go to meet other Digital Nomads in Melbourne?

in Melbourne , Australia by @shantaram 8yr 8 years ago | 1 comment

Which are the best place to go to meet other Digital Nomads in Melbourne? I would like to find a active place where i could learn and meet new people working as nomad. Any suggestion?

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How are you earning a living while traveling?

by @mattlock 8yr 8 years ago | 22 comments

I’ve been traveling for over a year, and I’ve been working on 3 month contracts in locations abroad to sustain travel. I wanted to see what the community was like as far as digital nomads go. Are you trading your skills for $$$? and if so, how are you doing it?

(I’ve also wanted to try this, but haven’t been to successful.)

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Does fulltime RV living count as being a digital nomad?

by @juliet 8yr 8 years ago | 7 comments

I’m thinking about living fulltime in an RV mostly in the US and North America. Is this still part of the digital nomad community? Is there anyone who has tried this? Pros? Cons? Thanks!

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Can Someone advice me on whether or not I need to pay tax on UK property while living overseas?

by @nomads_and_drifters 8yr 8 years ago | 5 comments

Hi,
I have a property in the UK that collects rental money to a UK account. I moved recently to Fiji and have residency in Fiji now. I wonder if I need to pay taxes on the property in the UK or if there is a structure I can set up that avoids the tax legally? or does anybody now who to go to for advice?

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