My wife and I are quite happy in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I think I could probably stay here for 10 years.
The cost of living is very low, and the climate is pretty nice all year. There's a lot of good restaurants and cafes, and lots of variety. You can find some pretty good Mexican, Indian, Italian, Japanese, etc. There's a lot of 24 hour coworking spaces and cafes to work from, and it's always very safe to walk home at 3am. The crime rate is very low. There's also a lot of meetups and things to do. There's a lot of cinemas with movies in English (and Thai subtitles). There's bowling, ice skating, archery, paintball, and lots of parks and hiking trails.
Major downsides are the "burning season" which lasts for a few months every year, when the air is full of smoke. Also, the traffic is pretty dangerous. It's nowhere near as bad as India, Cambodia, or Vietnam, but it's pretty bad. Another downside is the lack of live music, theater, etc. You have to go to Bangkok to see any international bands, and they don't come very often.
If visas and money weren't an issue, I have a big list of places that I would like to explore before moving somewhere long-term. Examples: Hong Kong, Taiwan, Andorra, Austria, Sweden, Estonia, Dunedin (NZ), Arrowtown (NZ), New Haven (CT), San Luis Obispo (CA), Portland (OR), or Denver (CO). Maybe New York.
The cost of living is very low, and the climate is pretty nice all year. There's a lot of good restaurants and cafes, and lots of variety. You can find some pretty good Mexican, Indian, Italian, Japanese, etc. There's a lot of 24 hour coworking spaces and cafes to work from, and it's always very safe to walk home at 3am. The crime rate is very low. There's also a lot of meetups and things to do. There's a lot of cinemas with movies in English (and Thai subtitles). There's bowling, ice skating, archery, paintball, and lots of parks and hiking trails.
Major downsides are the "burning season" which lasts for a few months every year, when the air is full of smoke. Also, the traffic is pretty dangerous. It's nowhere near as bad as India, Cambodia, or Vietnam, but it's pretty bad. Another downside is the lack of live music, theater, etc. You have to go to Bangkok to see any international bands, and they don't come very often.
If visas and money weren't an issue, I have a big list of places that I would like to explore before moving somewhere long-term. Examples: Hong Kong, Taiwan, Andorra, Austria, Sweden, Estonia, Dunedin (NZ), Arrowtown (NZ), New Haven (CT), San Luis Obispo (CA), Portland (OR), or Denver (CO). Maybe New York.