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Best combination of high quality of life, entrepreneurial freedom and low taxes

Nice climate
Source: Average Weather in Cebu City, Philippines, Year Round - Weather Spark

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As you've been told there's no place in the world that fits all the requirements.

You can't be near to family and have subtropical climate with low tax.

You have to give up something so next question is: what are you willing to give up?

- climate?
- low taxation?
- being near to family?

if you are willing to give up the climate part you are looking for southern part of Switzerland like Lugano.

Low taxes, very high quality of life, high safety, high privacy, high stability, high personal freedom, entrepreneurial mindset, best banking sector in the world. No CFC rules. The proximity to Italy and Milan gives you a lot of options. Cost of living could be high but imho is the best place where somebody could settle while being literally in the center of EU.

If you want to escape colder months you simply go to Miami for 3-4 months.

Another option could be Cascais in Portugal. It's where the rich retired in Portugal. it's only a 30min drive from Lisbon so plenty of options there. I put this in second position because the NHR program is time limited (which means you will have to move again) and somehat complex.

If you care more about the climate and you also want to minimize taxes wait until the MM2H program will reopen.

If you care more more about the climate and don't care too much about minimizing taxes go for Florida.
 
As you've been told there's no place in the world that fits all the requirements.

You can't be near to family and have subtropical climate with low tax.

You have to give up something so next question is: what are you willing to give up?

- climate?
- low taxation?
- being near to family?

if you are willing to give up the climate part you are looking for southern part of Switzerland like Lugano.

Low taxes, very high quality of life, high safety, high privacy, high stability, high personal freedom, entrepreneurial mindset, best banking sector in the world. No CFC rules. The proximity to Italy and Milan gives you a lot of options. Cost of living could be high but imho is the best place where somebody could settle while being literally in the center of EU.

If you want to escape colder months you simply go to Miami for 3-4 months.

Another option could be Cascais in Portugal. It's where the rich retired in Portugal. it's only a 30min drive from Lisbon so plenty of options there. I put this in second position because the NHR program is time limited (which means you will have to move again) and somehat complex.

If you care more about the climate and you also want to minimize taxes wait until the MM2H program will reopen.

If you care more more about the climate and don't care too much about minimizing taxes go for Florida.
Thanks a lot for taking the time to write this reply. I think it summarizes my situation and the tradeoffs very well.

I’ve been to Switzerland and while the quality of life is very high, the climate definitely is the biggest downside. I’ve also been to Portugal, so next I’ll spend some extended time in KL and then decide.

However, given everything that has been posted here, I think I’d still tend to compromise on taxation and not climate and go with Florida, if I can get a visa. But, let’s see where life will lead me to.
 
The way you put it - it knd of reminds me of this

Cyprus has about everything except it's an island.

Have you considered Romania?

It's been discussed here many times...
A micro-company will cost you 1% - 3% on the income (not profit!).
Main city is roughly 2M people. Not English but that won't be that of an issue I guess...
Cheap place to live and you can easily move across Europe.
 
Romania? He would be better of in KL or Miami or even the Bahamas and Dominican Republic compared to that shithole. But the micro-company setup is something I like and is nice to see. Maybe one day Romania would rise up in to a better light, but just forget any post soviet country and specially those full of gypsies. I know what I am talking about.
 
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Romania? He would be better of in KL or Miami or even the Bahamas and Dominican Republic compared to that shithole. But the micro-company setup is something I like and is nice to see. Maybe one day Romania would rise up in to a better light, but just forget any post soviet country and specially those full of gypsies. I know what I am talking about.
:D I’ve never been to Romania but would never have thought that someone would say that it is worse than Dominican Republic in terms of shitholiness..
 
:D I’ve never been to Romania but would never have thought that someone would say that it is worse than Dominican Republic in terms of shitholiness..
Believe me it is in at least half of the country, not all of Romania ofcourse but majority is like I said. When you see how many tourists visit each year the caribbean island and find it beautiful and then look at Romania, you will find out the difference. Just if he compares cities like Miami or Kuala Lumpur and than someone suggests Romania for him, it is a very very bad idea. I would do my business in Florida and live in a great place and pay more taxes rather than spend time in shitholes saving on taxes for suffering many other problems you can´t even imagine if you are not born in Romania, Bulgaria and the Balkans.
 
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When i read your requirements, i thought Philippines.

Zero Tax for foreigners. Great people. Easy immigration. Nice climate. Cheap luxury living.
The biggest problems with the Philippines is not the hot weather but natural disasters that the country is not prepared for Lived thru 3 typhoons, 2 earthquakes, 1 volcano eruption and ash fall then lahar flood. Last one strictly man made.
 
I totally agree on spending time in the countries, which is exactly what I am doing right now.

I am looking at HDI because when I was driving around for instance in the Bahamas it became clear that there is a massive separation between how the rich and the poor live.

You have these beautiful gated communities where everything is "nice" but as soon as you leave you feel like you're in a third-world country. I learned that this kind of lifestyle (being rich in a poor country) is not for me. I want to be able to just walk around and feel safe and comfortable. I want to be able to connect with locals and not just meet them because they are cleaning my pool.

From your list I'd say that as of right now I can't imagine Costa Rica, Panama and Uruguay because of Spanish. Thailand I spend some extended time in and was *very* happy when I left. Philippines is too crazy for me Over 7,000 people killed in six months in Philippines 'war on drugs', Malaysia is an option.
Hi man I've similar issues like you on deciding what to do and where to go.

May I ask you what you didn't like about Thailand?
 
I mean, it seems like you already made up your mind. Move to Miami if that's what you want, and see for yourself. sometime the grass is always greener on the other side, and you have to see it for yourself to see if it fits what you've imagined, and I'm here talking about living long-term not the tourist experience.

If you really want to live in the US, then one other option is Puerto Rico and it has 4% corporate tax/fixed income tax rate, and 2 hour flight from san juan to Miami for $200 - not a bad deal.

the city of dorado is where would I live if I moved to Puerto Rico, it's only 25 miles san juan, has lot's of luxurious properties, lot's of beaches, lots of expats (mainly Americans), very walkable and it's pretty affordable.

back to florida, I just would like to remind you that while you can live relatively safe in Miami, that doesn't mean you won't face any sort of crime/violent encounter, that could be said for any country really, but in the US, specially florida, it's extra, anything can happen and that includes violent encounters. it's an interesting place, there is a reason why there is a "Florida man" meme lol.

Even gated communities there, have this HOA rules and guidelines that you have to follow and you get that karen boss that tells you what you can do and can't do, it's a fun experience.

Overall, what you want doesn't really exist, So you have to compromise a little bit. I live part of my time in KL, and yeah it's no New York (I'm talking about the good things of NY not the shitty things), but life is awesome, I have ALL the things that I want here, direct flights to major hubs in Asia, Europe, the middle east, and the Americas, pretty fast internet, safe big luxurious apartment with 1/7 of the price of it's neighbor Singapore, plenty of nature, great beaches, all the western amenities that I'm used to, MMA classes, malls, everything. and it has a territorial tax system with no CFC rules and it is cheap. and the best thing is they leave you the f**k a lone, but yeah it's Islamic (somewhat :) ) the only minus is the weather, but you get used to it.

For me, although I bank and invest in the US But I would never live there, but that's my opinion, and as I always say, one man's hell, is another man's paradise. what might suit you, might not suit me and vice versa.

Good luck!
Hi, does Malasya apply the Sharia Law or there is more "like western countries" freedom over there?

If I might ask you, what was your corporate setup? A Malaysian company or something different?

And also how did you find yourself living there? Could you integrate with locals or there is a huge expat community?

Also do you know if I can play poker legally (online and live tournaments). thanks!
 
As you've been told there's no place in the world that fits all the requirements.

You can't be near to family and have subtropical climate with low tax.

You have to give up something so next question is: what are you willing to give up?

- climate?
- low taxation?
- being near to family?

if you are willing to give up the climate part you are looking for southern part of Switzerland like Lugano.

Low taxes, very high quality of life, high safety, high privacy, high stability, high personal freedom, entrepreneurial mindset, best banking sector in the world. No CFC rules. The proximity to Italy and Milan gives you a lot of options. Cost of living could be high but imho is the best place where somebody could settle while being literally in the center of EU.

If you want to escape colder months you simply go to Miami for 3-4 months.

Another option could be Cascais in Portugal. It's where the rich retired in Portugal. it's only a 30min drive from Lisbon so plenty of options there. I put this in second position because the NHR program is time limited (which means you will have to move again) and somehat complex.

If you care more about the climate and you also want to minimize taxes wait until the MM2H program will reopen.

If you care more more about the climate and don't care too much about minimizing taxes go for Florida.
About Lugano it's pretty expensive and boring, but everything else is like you said.

What about The Republic of San Marino?
 
Believe me it is in at least half of the country, not all of Romania ofcourse but majority is like I said. When you see how many tourists visit each year the caribbean island and find it beautiful and then look at Romania, you will find out the difference. Just if he compares cities like Miami or Kuala Lumpur and than someone suggests Romania for him, it is a very very bad idea. I would do my business in Florida and live in a great place and pay more taxes rather than spend time in shitholes saving on taxes for suffering many other problems you can´t even imagine if you are not born in Romania, Bulgaria and the Balkans.
Hi can you please tell us what problems are you referring to? thanks
 
Hi man I've similar issues like you on deciding what to do and where to go.

May I ask you what you didn't like about Thailand?
- as European you always stick out, everyone knows that you are not local
- you constantly had to be on the guard so that you are not ripped off in stores, by cab drivers, hotels, restaurants etc., even in front of Bangkok main station people were trying to convince us that there were no trains and we should rather "take a bus" to travel
- most people were not friendly - it felt like they simply accept you because you pay them but to me they were not welcoming at all and just saw you as a walking ATM
- all the infrastructure was always "on the edge" and I always felt like buses were one bump away from breaking down, when we were diving it felt like they crammed as many people as possible on the boat and there definitely were not enough lifevests for everyone
- you are constantly and quite aggressively approached by people who want to sell you stuff ("SUIT SUIT MISTER SUIT SUIT PING PONG MISTER SIR SIR TUK TUK")
- the hygienic situation even in better hotels is quite bad and we did get food poisoning multiple times (only country where I had this issue so far)
- the beaches were nice but not *that* nice (compared for instance to the Caribbean)
- they often treat animals (for instance elephants or dogs) quite badly
- you cannot trust the government nor the police, when we were mugged we want to the tourist police and they basically said "yeaaah, bad luck.."
- it wasn't actually that cheap

So, all in all you get all the downsides of 3rd world countries like corruption, not trustworthy police, shitty infrastructure, rip offs / frauds and harassment without a lot upsides like cheap prices or great nature.

For me I don't see any reason to travel to Thailand again, basically every other country that I traveled to was a better experience.
 
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I've selected Dubai for permanent residency. Yes, it is an Islamic country but matching almost all criteria.

From Dubai, I fly to Asia (I love Thailand) and Europe as sitting in one place is too boring for my family and me.

But our dream is to be close to wild nature, so one day, I plan to buy a huge land in Mexican jungles near Tulum =)
 
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I found this program:


So, basically 70% of income are tax exempt and this can be increased to 90% if you live in certain areas in southern Italy, so for example, if you make 100k a year, only 10k of your income will be taxed.

So a beautiful place, relatively cheap, Great food, nice weather, amazing beaches, low taxes, high quality of life, great health care, wide variety of western amenities...etc. The only down side is that this is only valid for 5 years, and you have to spend the majority of your time in Italy, but i would not stress the latter because you know how hard it is to prove where you were in these Schengen Countries.

Here is the thing, Italy is a tax hell, but this is not bad as a short term solution and you can use it until you optimize your taxes and find another place that's better for you.

So, I think you might found your call OP. this program sounds good actually, If I wanted to move in Europe and stay in one place for extended period of time, I would definitely consider it. (and after 5 years I would run lol)
 
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So, all in all you get all the downsides of 3rd world countries like corruption, not trustworthy police, shitty infrastructure, rip offs / frauds and harassment without a lot upsides like cheap prices or great nature.

For me I don't see any reason to travel to Thailand again, basically every other country that I traveled to was a better experience.
True, If You have good money, why are you settling down in 3rd world country. It is not worth the headache. Even drinking water is not safe, It makes you sick.
If you have money, You can get girl in any corner of World.
Lust for Thailand's girls is not worth the other problem you face everyday in Thailand.
 
ITALY
So a beautiful place, relatively cheap, Great food, nice weather, amazing beaches, low taxes, high quality of life, great health care, wide variety of western amenities...etc.
I am Italian and into tech startups. He said he's into that too, so I'll give him a good advice: FORGET ITALY. Read this as do not ever put your money here.
Anything is behind the curve, from VC/advisor/government/consumers. Forget it.
You name it, justice, laws, taxes, startup costs, everything is fucked beyond repair.
Anything gov touches goes to s**t. There's no way to improve.
Extreme left wing country. Constitution was written just after nazi-fascism, by the opposite, the communists... so it's like utopia: everyone should have a job, healthcare should be free, etc, but it doesn't say who's gonna pay for it... all it's made on debt, some one will pay for it.
I tell you who pays: entrepreneurs and small business owners.
But these found it, so many evaded/continue to evade... it's a catch22.
That's why taxes and startup costs are huge.

Italy is for the extremely poor (they get literally everything for free), or extremely rich. Anything in between it'll be a PITA.

Go to Miami and don't look back, even if it seems more expensive short-term. You would struggle as a tech entrepreneur in Italy.
VCs and advisors don't know s**t nor they have the business experience, they just mock some trendy english words in between and that's enough here... you get funded by political sympathy smi(&%
Everyone I knew left and made it elsewhere. The one who couldn't leave, are struggling and cannot grow.
 
I am Italian and into tech startups. He said he's into that too, so I'll give him a good advice: FORGET ITALY. Read this as do not ever put your money here.
Anything is behind the curve, from VC/advisor/government/consumers. Forget it.
You name it, justice, laws, taxes, startup costs, everything is fucked beyond repair.
Anything gov touches goes to s**t. There's no way to improve.
Extreme left wing country. Constitution was written just after nazi-fascism, by the opposite, the communists... so it's like utopia: everyone should have a job, healthcare should be free, etc, but it doesn't say who's gonna pay for it... all it's made on debt, some one will pay for it.
I tell you who pays: entrepreneurs and small business owners.
But these found it, so many evaded/continue to evade... it's a catch22.
That's why taxes and startup costs are huge.

Italy is for the extremely poor (they get literally everything for free), or extremely rich. Anything in between it'll be a PITA.

Go to Miami and don't look back, even if it seems more expensive short-term. You would struggle as a tech entrepreneur in Italy.
VCs and advisors don't know s**t nor they have the business experience, they just mock some trendy english words in between and that's enough here... you get funded by political sympathy smi(&%
Everyone I knew left and made it elsewhere. The one who couldn't leave, are struggling and cannot grow.
Love you man! As Italian entrepreneurs we can truly understand each others better than our gfs
 

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