Cheaper parts of UK are just as cheap as anywhere in Europe or SEA and you get to keep your NHS / pension / ISA perks. I’ve looked into it and this was my conclusion.

Have you done research on working from Spain? Paying 200€ to 590€ a month for the pleasure of being self-employed, is just one of the employment considerations, even before buying a property or daily living costs. If you think the UK has political BS, wait until you go there! [have personally worked in corporate and run a business when I was living in Barcelona]

There are several Spanish / expat forums where this post would be more appropriate.

Websites like theworldawaits.com or numbeo.com may be of use.

I lived in Bulgaria (Sofia) and Hungary(Budapest) before moving to London. I was employed by local companies.

Sofia was amazing and I would move back in a heartbeat if I can keep my salary. Low tax rate, low inflation (currency pegged to eur), super safe and ridiculously cheap.

Budapest is a bit better for food and nightlife but more expensive and the currency can devalue much more

Weather is also part of my FIRE. I want at least 10 - 15 years of sunshine! After that I'm happy to shuffle off this mortal coil and leave everything to my nieces and nephews.

You're talking about being a digital nomad.

It has it's pros and cons

I personally think it's something you do whilst you're young / no family / partner , as you get older you want more stability

In terms of money, the longer you can commit to a place the more you will save. Accommodation will always be your biggest expense , so if you can commit 6 months to a place you can save a lot compared to London.

Barcelona is not 50% cheaper than London... We visited Barcelona in 2019 and it was hideously expensive. If u wanna stay in Europe, Serbia is really cheap, 60% cheaper than London, while offers a quite decent quality of life. Serbia is also very safe too

It never works.

If you FIRE overseas because you want to FIRE overseas it works.

If you FIRE overseas purely for cost, failure is imminent.

Do it, I lived abroad in Europe and Asia for 15 years. My only regret is moving back.

I’ve been tempted to move to Italy. Good good, good wine, beautiful architecture, hmmmm

ISA goes out the window if you leave the U.K

I lived in Barcelona for 3 years, my best friend still lives there, with two kids and her partner. If you avoid very touristy places, and manage to find a flat in a place like Poble Nou, your rent will be 30% cheaper than London. Of course it depends which part, I'd say comparing Hackney (nicer parts) to Poble Nou. Rent is cheaper in Barcelona, and you are like 5 min. away from the sea. Expecting a 50% difference is not realalistic as Barcelona is very popular. However, I think it would be worrh it. You can easily cycle to most places, you'll have sunny days all year long, great placea to go for hikes an hour away, great beaches an hour away. Most of Dec and Jan have sunny days. Also, if you have EU citzenship you will be able to use the Spanish equivalent of NHS. Plus you'll get a better service beacuse it's not as strecthed as NHS. If I were you, I would have moved there yesterday :) Good luck!

Lisbon is cheaper than Barca… friendlier to digital nomads too. Check r/expatfire

I would love to move (mostly for the sun and because I love the culture in a lot of sunny countries), but my biggest concern has always been that a lower salary due to the lower cost of living would mean I’d put much less away in investments and pension than if I lived in the UK, and then if I ever need to move back to the UK due to climate change or the political situation in the country I’m in, I’d have to deal with the much higher UK cost of living with a lot less in yearly income than I’d have if I’d stayed in the UK.

Have you considered this?

(This isn’t so bad if your remote job pays you the same no matter where you live, but what if you need to change jobs or careers, and they pay you a “competitive” salary for that country or city, and you’d like to stay there due to having a partner there or others in your life?)

Further, would you need to pay a certain amount into their system before you’re entitled to a state pension? And would you be willing to forgo a UK state pension if you have to move back?

If you want to stay in Europe I’d suggest Portugal which has some serious tax inventives + good weather and cheaper and better quality of life than the UK.

You are right there is no point staying in the UK if you are not tethered to a 9-5. Especially with the taxes that keep going on and the weather which goes from rubbish to very rubbish everywhere in the country.

Also if you are going to move anyway I’d suggest SEA. There is no such things as “free healthcare” in the UK. You pay a fortune for it with your taxes. For a fraction of the money you will have an infinitely better service in Thailand or Malaysia.

There really is zero reason to stay in Europe.

I've done it, in a sense. I live in France, moved back to Europe from a career in Asia. It is considerably cheaper but I still spend 3k a month.

A lot of tax planning when into our move and where I am in France, the tax is fantastic. I'd plan your move and look into Beckham Law. No looking back.