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.
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.
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.
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:
Low tax rate
Oz has no taxes.
Low cost of living
Oz has no money.
Not extreme weather
Outside of a single instance of a tornado dropping a house on someone, it’s got near-perfect weather.
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.
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.
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.
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):
Sewage/corpses in the streets.
Nobody dies in Oz (outside of the occasional wicked witch). No sewage because everyone is a responsible person.
Extremely hot weather.
Weather is perfect.
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.
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)
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.
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.)
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).
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.
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.
There are plenty of safe places in Florida. You might want to avoid the Southern FL, though.
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.
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”.
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.