> As a solo person, or couple, can you get this by working full time and then paying for it?
Most of this I can get, assuming I'm the one pulling down the 1st world software dev salary.
Obviously, those on the commune who only have basic skills of food prep, farming, child care, etc. wouldn't be able to afford some of this.
So if I'm already able to make this high salary working remotely, I might as well just live in a very low COL country and outsource all this work for a fraction it would cost in the US / EU, instead of subsidizing the low-earners.
A very low COL country is not without it's own risks and problems.
* It could be political unstable.
* You might have to pay for 24/7 armed security due to local crime and bad police.
* Locals will constantly be trying to rip you off.
* You will have to learn the local language or be at a huge disadvantage.
* Buying property is going to be tricky and you could get screwed.
* Buying stuff is more difficult because you are in a foreign country. No more amazon.com or any of the cool tech stuff you see on HN (most of that stuff is US/EU only)
* Your family & friends are back in the US. You are very very isolated unless you really want to build a whole new life in the new country.
I have experienced some of these challenges myself, living in Germany and not speaking the language. It's not easy. You might not realize how different it is from the US until you try to do more than just be a tourist. Like, you think you understand the govt and what paperwork you need to do, but it will be completely different in this other country, and all the documentation and forms are in a foreign language. Good luck figuring this out unless you have a trusted local to help you.
So it's not a total slam dunk, there are a lot of trade offs here. That isn't to say it isn't a good option for some people, especially if they know the language. I know a family doing this kind of thing in Indonesia and they are living a great life just by monetizing their youtube videos.
I think for me, it would be a better option if you had some kind of tie to the new country. Maybe a SO that was from there, some extended family, some close friends, just something.
Most of this I can get, assuming I'm the one pulling down the 1st world software dev salary.
Obviously, those on the commune who only have basic skills of food prep, farming, child care, etc. wouldn't be able to afford some of this.
So if I'm already able to make this high salary working remotely, I might as well just live in a very low COL country and outsource all this work for a fraction it would cost in the US / EU, instead of subsidizing the low-earners.