Looking for cheap international marina cities to live in

[mikedefieslife]

Originally Posted by Standbly

Oh this one is easy: Las Palmas Gran Canarias. Winner of a "best climate of the world" selection.

Super cheap but very good marina. Safe! Very good and cheap healthcare. Cheap groceries, cheap wine, bear, Iberigo ham! super cheap rental cars (2,50 a day if you shop right off season). It goes on and on.
Las Palmas was a good place to live in.

Windy though no? Most times i've checked the weather it's often in the upper teens or low 20s, and thats no fun for playing on the beach, or generally just living about town. Oddly though now that I check it seems to be experiencing some very mild weather.

I don't really understand that in canaries they decide to have most of the marinas in the windy side of the islands.

[Ponzoa]

Originally Posted by mikedefieslife

Windy though no? Most times i've checked the weather it's often in the upper teens or low 20s, and thats no fun for playing on the beach, or generally just living about town. Oddly though now that I check it seems to be experiencing some very mild weather.

I don't really understand that in canaries they decide to have most of the marinas in the windy side of the islands.

I believe the windy part is the channel of wind with a kind of Ventury effect between the Islands. The Islands themselves are really very pleasant and you have everything you need there at good prices and very low tax.

Not to mention that the ARC leaves there every November or December and you have all the marine services you can imagine with a lot of experience.

If you go there, I'd recommend you join ANAVRE which is a recreational boating association.

[kennj123]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Whats the number followed by a "K" mean?

the info on the list generally comes from the links at the bottom. The number followed by K shows realatively expensive the country is. its purchasing power parity.



I'm probably not going to put Guatemala on the list since Guatemala City is far from the coast but the only city with close to modern infrstructure.

[kennj123]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

If you give up on the boat...very doable.

Lately we've been bouncing around to various airbnb places (boatless at the moment). It's easy to use tourist visas and costs are very manageable with a little planning. It also means you aren't tied to one area of the world.

The problem with the boat is it has significant ongoing costs even when you aren't using it. Can it be done...yeah but the more time you spend away from the boat the less it makes sense on a limited budget.

The boat I think I would be perfectly happy with is something like a Hunter 240 or 27' with outboard motor and open transom (I like swimming) and larger bimini. Something I can take out myself for up to a week or just an afternoon. and small enough I can pull it out of the water on a trailer anytime I want and store cheap on land and not have to mess with bottom paint. There are problems with boats that small, for instance its tough to take a dingy since there is so little room, makes visiting some places difficult.



In general I agree about big boats. It ties me down too much and costs to much when not using it.



I'm curious if your bouncing around Airbnb on tourist visa, what do you do for health insurance?

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by kennj123

the info on the list generally comes from the links at the bottom. The number followed by K shows realatively expensive the country is. its purchasing power parity.



I'm probably not going to put Guatemala on the list since Guatemala City is far from the coast but the only city with close to modern infrstructure.

Yes, once you leave Guate City, infrastructure can get pretty sparse in Guate.

Antigua is quite nice, but its also far from the coast. Its closer to the Pacific coast, but Guate's Pacific coast is not very interesting and has limitied facilities (one marina I know of). There is an expat community there, some of whom keep boats on the Rio Dulce.

Note that outside of major cities/tourist area, rents are relatively cheap in most of CA. Example: we rented a nice home, fully furnished, over 2,000 sq ft, utilities & internet included, for $695/mo in Volcan, Panama while we were building there.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by kennj123

....


I'm curious if your bouncing around Airbnb on tourist visa, what do you do for health insurance?

There are several threads here re health insurance for cruisers. Give those a look.

In general: in many countries outside the USA affordable good quality healthcare is readily available. In Guatemala for example, I quit carrying insurance because healthcare, even for major events, was so affordable (of course, if you have a heart attack outside of Guate City then you're just going to die). If you only plan to do this part time then look into travel insurance. World Nomads and Jack Line are two Im familiar with. Coverage that excludes the USA is generally much cheaper.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Standbly

Nobody ever checks the Las Palmas Marina. There are thousands of foreign boats not cleared in or overstaying months. Clearing out (getting to customs for a stamp or a clearance form) is almost impossible. If you're flying in and out it's a different matter. Anyway, you can fly from or to the Netherlands for only 40 dollar. It's by far the cheapest place to live that we've been to. Civilized place that is

That's all great...until it's not.

All it takes is one new head official sent in by the central govt to fix the broken process or they decide to clear out undesirables (ie: they think you aren't spending enough or just don't like the looks of you and your boat) and they use your visa status against you.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by kennj123

The boat I think I would be perfectly happy with is something like a Hunter 240 or 27' with outboard motor and open transom (I like swimming) and larger bimini. Something I can take out myself for up to a week or just an afternoon. and small enough I can pull it out of the water on a trailer anytime I want and store cheap on land and not have to mess with bottom paint. There are problems with boats that small, for instance its tough to take a dingy since there is so little room, makes visiting some places difficult.

In general I agree about big boats. It ties me down too much and costs to much when not using it.

I'm curious if your bouncing around Airbnb on tourist visa, what do you do for health insurance?

If you are looking at something small and trailer-able, that's a lot more doable without breaking the bank.

As far as airbnb...we just limit our time to what the tourist visas allow. In the case of Europe, that means considering the Schengen as one area but even then you can have up to 6 month in the Schengen each year...just need to plan ahead. We've actually included a calculation in our schedule spreadsheet to track it.

Example for last year: (still working and I have been loaned out to our middle east office for a month at a time which is cool because then our airfare is covered between destinations and they pay for housing while in the middle east)
- Prague
- Middle East
- Egypt
- Middle East
- Barcelona
- USA (in our RV)
- Middle East
- USA
- Italy
- Middle East
- Thailand

Health insurance is thru work but if you are retired and not making much Obama care subsidy makes it pretty cheap (not considering if you agree with the subsidy or not but that's a separate issue). We are prepared to head back to the USA if any serious long term health issue arises and do check the out of country coverage for your insurance. We are covered but it's a hassle as w have to pay and then submit for reimbursement.

[jmh2002]

Thanks for the suggestion of https://weatherspark.com for weather seasonal averages.

I used to use Weather Underground but this information seems to be disappearing from their site.

I have also used Travel Weather Averages (Weatherbase) but it is more numerical rather than graphical.

[kennj123]

Originally Posted by jmh2002

Thanks for the suggestion of https://weatherspark.com for weather seasonal averages.

I used to use Weather Underground but this information seems to be disappearing from their site.

I have also used Travel Weather Averages (Weatherbase) but it is more numerical rather than graphical.

here's a map I've been working on with links to various resources.


https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?...xdmmxWKPM3gt59


Google Mymaps can be a bit frustrating to work with. if you have any ideas or what to help with it contact me.

[td0tz]

Any recent info or experience on New Zealand? Used to be inexpensive, but that was early 90's, before the Asian invasion.

[kennj123]

Originally Posted by td0tz

Any recent info or experience on New Zealand? Used to be inexpensive, but that was early 90's, before the Asian invasion.

I looked it up, from a cost stand point its at 27K per year on a purchasing power parity basis which puts it around Spain and Portugal which is pretty good from my perspective. I believe the South Pacific can get pretty rough sailing wise, I don't intend to do much blue water sailing. I'll put it on my map.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by td0tz

Any recent info or experience on New Zealand? Used to be inexpensive, but that was early 90's, before the Asian invasion.

Yes, we have been in NZ since September...VERY expensive, but also very first world. Quality of life is quite high here, but comes at a steep cost. Amazing scenery and sailing venues (Google Picton and Bay of Islands). And of course, they have winter here...which rules it out for me!

[hpeer]

Try looking at escapeartist.com. It’s been quite a while but at one time they had some good info.

[sailcrazy]

Based on our personal experience, I can recommend a few spots that really stand out in our mind. Philippines: AVOID Manila!!!, Subic Bay, Puerto Galera, Buswanga, Cebu, Coron Town, western Palawan, and Merican Bay Resort area. Malaysia: Penang, Langkawi, Phuket, Tailand, Nha Trang, Viet Nam, Turkey: Marmaris, Fetye, Bodrum, Chanakile, Greece: Corfu, Boschata Island. Note...spelling on some is only a guess, but you'll fund them.