# What's the best place in the world to live? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 22, 2014, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-place-in-the-world-to-live/691344 "2014-06-22T02:55:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-place-in-the-world-to-live/691344/41 "2014-06-23T01:34:38Z")
> [@carnut](#): > > Good wines, great food, skiing, nice people. Parliamentary Republic. But member of the E.U. so Superhal may not go for it. It’s not an island, though. 🙂 ISTR that Slovenia got out fast when Yugoslavia broke up, and avoided the civil war. So that’s good. But I guess that makes it an ex-communist country? OTOH, Tito’s Yugoslavia kind of went its own way, so maybe it didn’t have the same problems that other ex-communist countries did. Likewise with Latvia and Estonia… ex-communist, but they were western-oriented before, so I don’t know how well the communism stuck. All three are part of the EU now, I believe. ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-place-in-the-world-to-live/691344/42 "2014-06-23T02:12:28Z")
Search around northeast Tennessee, near to Johnson City which has a university. No state income tax, though sales tax is high. Overall tax is relatively low. And otherwise it meets all the other requirements, even having sub 50K homes available. ---
**Author:** ![PurpleClogs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@PurpleClogs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurpleClogs)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-place-in-the-world-to-live/691344/43 "2014-06-23T02:32:22Z")
Curious why no islands? ---
**Author:** ![snowmaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@snowmaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowmaster)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-place-in-the-world-to-live/691344/44 "2014-06-23T04:52:40Z")
Check out Berlin, NH. No sales tax, no income tax. Cheap property taxes and federal income is all you have to worry about. Houses available for that price. It snows, of course, but otherwise no extreme weather and meets your other requirements. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-place-in-the-world-to-live/691344/45 "2014-06-23T05:39:11Z")
Cumberland, MD. or even Frostberg MD - they both have everything you listed, a bit on the boring side though. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-place-in-the-world-to-live/691344/46 "2014-06-23T05:46:07Z")
> [@Fishtar](#): > > For some reason, I started looking up property in Ireland (stupid internet). Cheapest counties seem to be Donegal, Cavan, Leitrim, Longford, & Roscommon. Lots of stuff for under $50k. > > [Houses for Sale in Donegal (County) | Daft.ie](http://www.daft.ie/donegal/houses-for-sale/?s%5Bmxp%5D=25000&offset=10) No Irelands. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-place-in-the-world-to-live/691344/47 "2014-06-23T06:37:42Z")
Chapel Hill, NC. Almost equal distance from the mountains and ocean. Moderate climate (compared to Buffalo NY and Phoenix AZ.) College town for intellectual stimulation served with slowed-down finesse. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-place-in-the-world-to-live/691344/48 "2014-06-23T08:35:07Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > You’ve lived in Hawaii, so you’ve already lived in the best place in the world. Absolutely Lubbock just ain’t in it,. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-place-in-the-world-to-live/691344/49 "2014-06-23T12:57:56Z")
The place you’re looking for is Oz. Not Australia…Oz…as in “The Wonderful Wizard Of…”. No other place in the universe meets your original requirements, let alone the additions you’ve tacked on (“no communists”) What I’m looking for: 1. Low tax rate Oz has no taxes. 2. Low cost of living Oz has no money. 3. Not extreme weather Outside of a single instance of a tornado dropping a house on someone, it’s got near-perfect weather. 4. Relatively safe Some wild animals if you go to the outlying areas that are many days travel from the major cities, but you have to work at it to find them. 5. Cheap real estate (Decent house in decent neighborhood for 50k or less) No money: homes are free if unoccupied. If no unoccupied home exists, there are magic “grow your own house” seeds or the neighbors will help you build one. 6. High speed internet is readily available They had extensive global-reaching radio as of like 1905 (a decade or two before the rest of the world got on the radio bandwagon) so it’s likely they have high-speed internet now…or something better. 7. Doesn’t need to be high tech, but running water and electricity are good. Running water: no prob. Electricity? Not sure. What I want to avoid (probably an instant “no” on any of these): 1. Sewage/corpses in the streets. Nobody dies in Oz (outside of the occasional wicked witch). No sewage because everyone is a responsible person. 2. Extremely hot weather. Weather is perfect. 3. Onerous taxes (maybe maximum 30% or so?) No money–no taxes. It’s not even a barter economy–people will help you if you need it because…hey, that’s what responsible adults _do_. 4. Corruption No corruption–absolute hereditary monarchy with a monarch who is literally incapable of being anything other than good/kind/wise/just/loving (and just a tiny bit maternalistic…but just a tiny bit). And just in case, a super-powerful sorceress is there and could act as a check/balance if needed (which she wouldn’t be) 5. Islands Opposite of an island. Oz is in the center of a continent, surrounded by a desert which is surrounded by more countries. Vegas is closer to being an island than Oz. 6. Socialized crime No crime. In 14 books, excluding the occasional foreign invasion attempt, there was 1 (one) crime and it was a very, _very_ minor one. (A character plucked a 7(?) leaf clover which can be used in BIG MAGIC. His punishment? A talking-to followed by hugs once he promised not to do it again.) 7. Lack of variety in food They have lunchbox trees and dinner-pail trees. Most of the trees in their woods give fruit or nuts. They have sumptuous feasts regularly. They are a gourmand’s delight. Added Later: No commies They’re technically somewhere at that weird end of the circle where perfect communism meets perfect libertarianism that sounds good in theory but would never really work because of human nature, but somehow it works for them (because…magic). ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-place-in-the-world-to-live/691344/50 "2014-06-23T13:11:26Z")
If you want a safe place insulted by oceans with a first world economy then Iceland and New Zealand are the standout choices. Iceland however is tiny and subject to European dictates. Population 300,000. If you can live with political uncertainty then Malaysia is the place for you. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-place-in-the-world-to-live/691344/51 "2014-06-23T13:19:22Z")
> [@Ken001](#): > > If you want a safe place insulted by oceans with a first world economy then Iceland and New Zealand are the standout choices. Iceland however is tiny and subject to European dictates. Population 300,000. Islands. Islands are forbidden! ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-place-in-the-world-to-live/691344/52 "2014-06-23T13:45:12Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > Islands. Islands are forbidden! Australia’s an island too. Well, it’s surrounded by water… ---
**Author:** ![Emiliana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@Emiliana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emiliana)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-place-in-the-world-to-live/691344/53 "2014-06-23T15:10:32Z")
Damn those insulting oceans. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-place-in-the-world-to-live/691344/54 "2014-06-23T15:24:59Z")
If you don’t have a problem with “rednecks” the SE USA might be what you’re looking for. Low cost of living in rural areas, Northern VA is a huge Internet hub, and climate is relatively mild. Outside the US, what about Argentina or Chile? ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-place-in-the-world-to-live/691344/55 "2014-06-23T20:16:26Z")
I hear Cameroon is nice. The people there are vey smart as they know not to wear shorts. ---
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-place-in-the-world-to-live/691344/56 "2014-06-23T21:37:41Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > You’ve lived in Hawaii, so you’ve already lived in the best place in the world. But half the line items rule it out. > [@Superhal](#): > > Florida would hit the “socialized crime” tag. Also, not sure if you are aware, but the rest of the country thinks Florida has completely gone insane. There are plenty of safe places in Florida. You might want to avoid the Southern FL, though. > [@Becky2844](#): > > Chapel Hill, NC. Almost equal distance from the mountains and ocean. Moderate climate (compared to Buffalo NY and Phoenix AZ.) College town for intellectual stimulation served with slowed-down finesse. Yeah, and median home price only $300K, with typical summer highs in the 90’s, with humidity in the 90’s. Not a place I’d want to live without AC. Sorry, no soap. I live in Durham, which is cheaper, but not any cooler. > [@Fenris](#): > > Islands. Islands are forbidden! I guess that rules out Eurasia or the Americas, then. Good luck finding a planet that’s mostly land. 🙂 If you consider Ireland, New Zealand, or Australia as islands, you’ll be out of luck anywhere but perhaps Kansas or Mongolia. You might want to be more specific about the minimum size of landmass, or perhaps explain why “no islands”. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2014, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-place-in-the-world-to-live/691344/57 "2014-06-24T02:12:25Z")
What about South Africa? It’s beautiful and full of friendly people. Cost of living is lower than the U.S. Or Botswana? Air is drier, temps are hotter, but cost of living is even lower. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2014, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-place-in-the-world-to-live/691344/58 "2014-06-24T03:57:09Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > Isn’t greece bankrupt? I’ve heard good things about Thailand in general, my main worry is that like other Asian countries it hits the food tag. I’m not familiar with all the countries in South America, but it seems like crime is out of hand. I just watched a documentary about mercenaries and one of their main customers are businessmen traveling to South America/Africa/etc. in danger of being kidnapped for ransom. I like Thailand just fine but hesitate to recommend it. If you can’t take Hawaii, I’m not sure the Third World is for you. There’s the whole social-crime and corruption gig; if you dislike that sort of thing, then best forget it. It’s hot as all get out, much worse than Hawaii – there are no trade winds here blowing all the humidity away. (I never found Hawaii to be hot. Of course, I lived there after my first stint in Thailand.) And being a newb, you’d best stick to an urban area such as Bangkok or at least Chiang Mai, which will boost costs. Sure, it’s cheaper overall than in the West, but you can forget $50k for a place. To buy something decent in a city like Bangkok, you’ll have to spend at least twice that. Cheaper is to be had, but you’ll be sacrificing safety and security to a certain extent. Cheaper on the fringes and out in the suburbs, but I wouldn’t recommend living out there until you know your way around. You could always rent though. (Foreigners can’t buy land here. You’d be limited to a condo unless you marry a Thai and can put the land in her name.) If you live upcountry, you can find some decent prices, but not knowing how to speak Thai or not even knowing anyone, you’ll probably gravitate to the local farang (Westerner) community, and their lives quite often center on drinking. I know an Englishman who lived on the resort island of Samui for six months, and he said he finally had to move up to Bangkok because there was nothing to do but drink all day, every day, and that was what all the farangs there did. He had to pull himself out. I also know a British lady who just moved to Thailand early this year for a news-media job. She was originally Singaporean, and her Brit husband has lots of experience in Asia. He had his career in Singapore, and the last place they lived was Malaysia. He absolutely hates Bangkok and is looking for a place for himself upcountry. But every place he’s checked out so far gets the same common complaint: It’s full of farangs who just sit around and drink all day. He’s still searching. Don’t get me wrong. I like Thailand just fine, but based on your OP, I’m not sure it’s the place for you. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2014, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-place-in-the-world-to-live/691344/59 "2014-06-24T08:43:03Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I know an Englishman who lived on the resort island of Samui for six months, and he said he finally had to move up to Bangkok because there was nothing to do but drink all day, every day, and that was what all the farangs there did. Sounds like they’re just being British, but with better weather. ---
**Author:** ![DrumBum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e79b87/32.png) [@DrumBum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrumBum)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2014, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-place-in-the-world-to-live/691344/60 "2014-06-24T14:57:10Z")
Have you considered Central America ? A colleague of mine recently retired to Costa Rica and speaks quite highly of it. [Here](http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Costa+Rica&displayCurrency=USD) is a website that might be of some use. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-place-in-the-world-to-live/691344.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-place-in-the-world-to-live/691344.md?page=4)