Read this article in today’s feeder on the five best cities to live if the economy keeps tanking. In a nutshell, the five cities are Medellin (Columbia), New Orleans (USA), Saigon (Vietnam), Vilnius (Lithuania) and Cape Town (SA).
Now, I can understand Vilnius which has been designated the European Cultural city of 2009, and if I push my imagination, I can see Saigon with its low prices as being attractive, but I really wonder how they came up with the rest. I mean if cost were the criteria, I would speculate that Cape Town or New Orleans are not the towns that offer the best cost savings for standard of living. I mean, if the economy keeps tanking, we are looking for the best standard of living for lowest cost. With that in mind, I offer this list in its stead.
1. Rio de Janeiro – Brazil (good standard of living, cheap, sunny, what else would you want?)
2. Bangkok – Thailand (decent place to live, cheap and it seems they have sorted out their political issues….)
3. Marrakesh – Morocco (a bit more controversial, but food is not expensive and seems quite dynamic)
4. Singapore (Things are getting cheaper…what else can I say?)
5. Perth – Australia (Not as vibrant as Sydney but cheaper and there’s always Margaret River nearby….)
Tong Hsien-Hui
http://matadorabroad.com/five-best-cities-to-live-in-2009-if-the-economy-keeps-tanking/