Picked a coliving in Chiang Mai over a private apartment in Lisbon and I don't regret it

Everyone in these groups always raves about Lisbon for digital nomads. Great cafes, nice weather, all that. I went there for 3 months last year and honestly the cost of living ate me alive. I was paying like $1,200 a month for a tiny studio near Alcantara. This year I tried a coliving spot in Chiang Mai for $350 a month including utilities and coworking space. The internet is faster, the food is way cheaper, and I actually meet people instead of sitting alone in my apartment. Yeah the air quality gets bad in March but I'll trade that for not stressing about money. Has anyone else made a similar switch and found the cheaper option actually worked better?

2 comments

2 Comments

mason4991mo ago

Nah I gotta disagree here. Chiang Mai's cool for a month but the burnout from the air and the visa runs gets old way faster than dealing with Lisbon's price tag.

wright.caleb1mo ago

Wait, is the bar so low now that we're weighing "toxic air particles" against "overpriced toast"? That's a wild contest. Don't get me wrong, I get the visa run headache. I did three border bounces in four months once and wanted to shove my passport in a blender. But I also spent a week in Lisbon last year and paid 8 euros for a sad little sandwich that looked like it was sad about its own existence. The air in Chiang Mai sucks, no argument there. But at least you can afford to buy a proper air purifier with the money you're not burning on rent. And the whole "burning season" thing is like a bad seasonal tradition you can plan around. I'd rather spend five months choking on smoke for cheap than three months broke and breathing clean air while wondering if I can afford a bus ticket. But hey, different strokes for different broke folks.