Sacrifices when Living Abroad (Cost, Fun, Convenient, Time)

Sacrifices and trade-offs imply that we can’t have it all.  Sad to hear, isn’t it!?  There’s always some kind of hinderance.  Hinderances like short visa lengths (an issue for nomads), and top choice housing that’s located in a less desirable area (less convenient and less fun).

Choosing trade-offs is a skill and an artform.  The more you learn about each country within Southeast Asia, the better you will understand the distinct trade-offs that you will have to make.  Each country is very different.  Because it is culturally accepted to overcharge foreigners (sometimes by a lot), being persistent in learning the true local costs is a valuable insight to have.  Especially for housing, since that is a big chunk of your budget.  Being able to save hundreds of dollars (USD) per month, and get more value for your money, can greatly reduce financial pressure & make trade-offs less painful.

Oh, and surprises happen – no surprise there.  Surprises force you to cough-up a chunk of money for emergencies (healthcare or motorbike accidents), or for new expensive gear (a broken laptop).  You’ll need to sacrifice costs in other ways to pay for it.  Will you be eating only cheap instant noodles for the next 3 months?  Hopefully, you accounted for surprises within your budget.  Accounting for unforeseen circumstances & costs requires strategic budgeting and discipline.

Practical Sacrifices To Be Made

Sometimes you need to live in a place that is not as fun.  Deciding on a location is dictated by visa length, cost, and strategy.  This can be a certain country, city, or specific area within a city.  

Sometimes you need to pay more to upgrade to a housing rental based on need.  Maybe, you need housing that is safer, more comfortable, or worth it to you because it is in a more convenient location.

Housing can enable a certain lifestyle.  You can choose to save money on housing so that you have more extra money to spend.  Or, you can pay more for housing with amenities that has facilities that keep you entertained such as a gym, pool, sauna, etc.  Understand your total cost to value ratio.  Cutting back on costs and living without is prudent in terms of financial budgeting.

Sometimes you need to cut costs in various ways.  This can be done by localizing, learning the true local costs, and negotiating (we’ve got lots of posts on these).  Hidden costs and surprise expenses pop-up while in Southeast Asia.  Not everyone is a master a personal finances and budgeting, so the need for cutting costs can happen out of no-where.  It is smart to be prudent with your money, living well under budget, for the first year or two while in Southeast Asia.  This will help you absorb the unaccounted for costs as they arise.  See GemsOfTravel’s post on Financial Budgeting Skills.

Sometimes you need to avoid going to a country, spacing out your stay and not doing visa border runs (“visa” implying visa or visa exemption).  There’s only 7 countries in Southeast Asia (including the Philippines, which is further away and more expensive to get to/from), so your options get limited quite fast when relying on 1 to 3 month tourist visa options.  This means that you’ll be rotating countries frequently and/or obtaining many visa extensions.

Furthermore, doing back-to-back visa border runs can work for you, but you will eventually be denied entry.  For the case of a tourist visa or exempion, this could be considered abusing the tourist visa system.  It is smart to space out the time between the date you left a country and the date you return back to it.

Quality of Life Trade-offs

If you wish to stay in good standing in Southeast Asia, biting your lip and de-escalation is recommended.  Easier said than done, of course.

IMPORTANT: Anti-defamation laws exist, protecting locals and the government.

Southeast Asia has a non-confrontational face-based culture, so image is important.  Non-confrontational can be a good thing. But unfortunately, “ruining” their image by stating clear facts of things they did “wrong” can be prosecuted by law.  Ultimately, this protects bad behavior, while also protecting against non-sensical slandering, too.  Choose your battles wisely.  Choose your words wisely, too.  Your words could easily be misinterpreted and held against you, legally.

SE Asia is a culture of convenience, though you give up convenience at the same exact time.  How?  Buying certain Western products in SE Asia can be impossible to find. 

In your home country, it is easy to take for granted what can be purchased locally and online.  Quality is sacrificed when purchasing a local equivalent.  Some goods are only found in your home country.  Purchasing online comes with barriers such as import fees and customs processing.  If you are lucky, then you can purchase the Western item locally in SE Asia, albeit at a higher cost.

Below are GemsOfTravel posts on importing and shipments from abroad:

Everyone has their own preference to what level they want to localize – blend in and live like a local.  Localizing opens doors and is enriching.  It’s not for everyone and people’s preferences change over time.  Live a fully Western life, a fully localized one, or somewhere in between.  It’s your choice.

The lifestyle in Southeast Asia is full of lifestyle improvements and setbacks – simply put.  Take the good with the bad, and adjust to the differences.