Latest news with #affordableLiving
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Travel + Leisure
4 days ago
- Business
- Travel + Leisure
Why Every Expat, Retiree, and Digital Nomad Should Consider Moving to This Affordable European Island Destination Right Now
Moving abroad to a warm, sunny spot that looks out on the azure waters of the Mediterranean sure sounds dreamy. It also sounds expensive. But, as a new report in International Living shows, there is one place where you really can have it all for under $36,000 a year. In late March, the website dedicated to helping expats live, retire, and travel abroad released a list of the top spots to live in Malta, an archipelago located off the coast of Sicily, known for its beautiful scenery, fantastic architecture, and a growing expat community. "With its stunning coastline, mild climate, and affordable cost of living, English-speaking Malta offers expats and retirees a high-quality yet budget-friendly lifestyle," International Living reported, adding that Malta is often one of the European Union's most overlooked retirement destinations. 'Malta offers the best of Mediterranean living—history, safety, and affordability,' Kathleen Evans, a contributor to International Living, shared. 'It's an incredibly safe place where living on $3,000 a month, or even less, is still a reality.' According to Evans, expats and retirees can stretch their dollar by living outside hotspots, such as Valetta's Inner Harbour. International living highlighted three locations as the best destinations for affordable living in Malta: Mellieħa, Marsaxlokk, and Gozo. In Mellieħa, a less populated area of the island, expats will find gorgeous beaches and thinner crowds. They'll also find two-bedroom, two-bath apartments renting for about $950–$1,000 per month. (Though the website notes that "sea-view properties come at a premium.") Those who want to buy can find houses in the $250,000–$300,000 range. Marsaxlokk, located in the south, is a quaint fishing village with just 4,000 full-time residents. Here, apartments rent for about $900–$1,000 per month, while homes can be purchased for over $300,000. And lastly, in Gozo, Malta's northernmost island, expats will find a bit more energy, thanks to its 41,000 residents. Here, a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment rents for $900 per month, and homes sell for around $309,000. International Living noted that those seeking permanent residency should consider buying property worth at least €300,000 (about $309,000), which will qualify them for the country's MPRP permanent residency program. However, if you just like to test the waters first, you can apply for its Digital Nomad Visa, which allows non-residents to stay for up to one year and can be renewed up to three times. As for the rest of your living expenses, International Living reported that groceries are a little pricey due to shipping costs, and there is only one public hospital in Malta, complicating access to specialized care. See the full report and more insights on Malta at
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
This Is the Living Wage Your Family Needs To Survive in the Midwest
The Midwest has long been considered a great region to raise a family in America, with a largely good quality of life and affordable places to live. In fact, four of the most affordable states to raise two kids are in the Midwest, according to a GOBankingRates study. Check Out: Learn More: You need no more than $92,000 in Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa and Missouri. And only three Midwestern states require six figures for a family of four. That's in contrast to the rest of the country, where 23 other states mandate a six-figure income for the family. Check out the living wage needed for a family of four in the Midwest. Living wage for a family of four: $100,332 Annual cost of housing: $18,479 Annual cost of groceries: $7,872 Annual cost of healthcare: $7,758 Find Out: See More: Living wage for a family of four: $93,544 Annual cost of housing: $16,965 Annual cost of groceries: $7,227 Annual cost of healthcare: $7,535 Also See: Living wage for a family of four: $91,667 Annual cost of housing: $16,548 Annual cost of groceries: $7,049 Annual cost of healthcare: $7,458 Living wage for a family of four: $87,944 Annual cost of housing: $15,517 Annual cost of groceries: $6,610 Annual cost of healthcare: $7,141 Living wage for a family of four: $93,807 Annual cost of housing: $17,228 Annual cost of groceries: $7,339 Annual cost of healthcare: $6,987 Living wage for a family of four: $96,640 Annual cost of housing: $17,623 Annual cost of groceries: $7,507 Annual cost of healthcare: $8,090 Explore More: Living wage for a family of four: $91,669 Annual cost of housing: $17,250 Annual cost of groceries: $7,348 Annual cost of healthcare: $7,064 Living wage for a family of four: $94,102 Annual cost of housing: $17,448 Annual cost of groceries: $7,432 Annual cost of healthcare: $7,820 Living wage for a family of four: $94,752 Annual cost of housing: $17,514 Annual cost of groceries: $7,461 Annual cost of healthcare: $8,152 Discover More: Living wage for a family of four: $99,453 Annual cost of housing: $19,226 Annual cost of groceries: $8,190 Annual cost of healthcare: $7,488 Living wage for a family of four: $90,659 Annual cost of housing: $16,394 Annual cost of groceries: $6,984 Annual cost of healthcare: $7,658 Living wage for a family of four: $100,000 Annual cost of housing: $19,686 Annual cost of groceries: $8,386 Annual cost of healthcare: $7,805 Living wage for a family of four: $107,324 Annual cost of housing: $21,618 Annual cost of groceries: $9,209 Annual cost of healthcare: $8,128 Methodology: GOBankingRates surveyed annual living expenses for a family of four in all 50 states, using the 2023 Consumer Expenditure Survey (latest available) data for a married couple with children (oldest child 6-17) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The itemized costs of living evaluated were housing, groceries, utilities, healthcare and transportation, collectively termed 'necessities.' Based on each state's respective cost-of-living index for each category, sourced from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center's 2024 Q3 Cost of Living Data Series, the study calculated the annual cost of each necessity and summed them up to find total annual expenditure on necessities. Using the 50-30-20 budget rule, which allocates 50% of income for necessities, the study doubled the total annual expenditure on necessities in order to determine the 'living wage' for a family of four in each state. 'Living wage' is defined as the income required to be able to cover 50% necessities, 30% discretionary/luxury spending and 20% for savings. All data was collected on and is up to date as of Dec. 11, 2024. More From GOBankingRates The 10 Most Reliable SUVs of 2025 10 Cars That Outlast the Average Vehicle This article originally appeared on This Is the Living Wage Your Family Needs To Survive in the Midwest Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Times
17-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Times
Kate Spicer: I needed a new home, a new life — and a new wardrobe
Move to a more affordable bit of west London, meaning the 'burbs. Ditch the dogs and live a more compact high-rise central London life. Or surrender west London life entirely and move to the country. These were the options; I chose the country. When people asked, 'Where?' I gave them three guesses. The first was usually Bruton, and they were right. It's a migration route from west London so well trodden now that to move to the Somerset town is 100 per cent cliché. 'What is it about that place? What's wrong with Yorkshire?' asked my friend Grev. He had a point, but now was not a time to be taking risks. I'd recently split up with my long-term partner and could no longer afford
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
This Is the Most Affordable Fastest-growing City in the U.S.
You know that slightly uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach about the economy? Yeah. Everyone is feeling that, too. But if you're hoping to surround yourself with movers and shakers in a city that's also affordable, GoBankingRates has a few ideas for you. In late April, GoBankingRates released the findings of its new study ranking the most affordable places to live in the U.S. that are also experiencing significant population growth. After looking at all the data, it named Frisco, Texas, as the top spot. MethodologyTo figure out these destinations, the team used the Census American Community surveys from 2018, 2022, and 2023 to find the total population growth, total number of households, and the median household income, which were all used to calculate the one-year and five-year changes. (GoBankingRates noted that "to qualify for this study, the city had to have a total population of at least 100,000, a 1-year and 5-year population growth larger than the national growth rate … and an average rental cost or average mortgage cost lower than the national average.) It also pulled relevant data from Zillow's Observed Rental Index and the Zillow Home Value Index, along with data from the Federal Reserve Economic Data, Sperling's BestPlaces, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey. Next, it used the median household income and the total cost of living for homeowners and total cost of living for renters to calculate the leftover savings potential for renters and homeowners. And after looking at all the data, it named Frisco, Texas, as the top spot. Related | Frisco, Texas, Is Having a Moment—What to Know | Learn More "Frisco, Texas, is the nation's most affordable, fastest-growing city," it proclaimed in the findings. "Within a five-year span, the population has increased by 26.9 percent. The annual cost of living is reasonable for both renters and homeowners, with renters paying $46,718 and homeowners $72,262 annually." In case you're unfamiliar, Frisco is a smaller part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, and comes with a population of about 225,000 people. As the city's website explains, there's plenty to do for just about everyone, including exploring the 6-acre Kaleidoscope Park, taking in a show at the Black Box Theater, visiting the National Soccer Hall of Fame, or getting a little walk in by checking out the Big Bluestem Trail. However, Frisco isn't the only Texas town making a splash. "Texas is officially home to the most cities that are fast-growing and affordable enough for your money," GoBankingRates noted. 'The Lone Star State recently swept a new GoBankingRates study ranking the most affordable U.S. places that have large population growth, with 12 cities in the top 50." Other top spots on this list include Goodyear, Arizona, in second place, followed by McKinney, Texas; Fishers, Indiana; and Allen, Texas; rounding out the top five. See the full list at Read the original article on Travel & Leisure
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Travel + Leisure
08-05-2025
- Business
- Travel + Leisure
This Is the Most Affordable Fastest-growing City in the U.S.
You know that slightly uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach about the economy? Yeah. Everyone is feeling that, too. But if you're hoping to surround yourself with movers and shakers in a city that's also affordable, GoBankingRates has a few ideas for you. In late April, GoBankingRates released the findings of its new study ranking the most affordable places to live in the U.S. that are also experiencing significant population growth. After looking at all the data, it named Frisco, Texas, as the top spot. Methodology To figure out these destinations, the team used the Census American Community surveys from 2018, 2022, and 2023 to find the total population growth, total number of households, and the median household income, which were all used to calculate the one-year and five-year changes. (GoBankingRates noted that "to qualify for this study, the city had to have a total population of at least 100,000, a 1-year and 5-year population growth larger than the national growth rate … and an average rental cost or average mortgage cost lower than the national average.) It also pulled relevant data from Zillow's Observed Rental Index and the Zillow Home Value Index, along with data from the Federal Reserve Economic Data, Sperling's BestPlaces, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey. Next, it used the median household income and the total cost of living for homeowners and total cost of living for renters to calculate the leftover savings potential for renters and homeowners. And after looking at all the data, it named Frisco, Texas, as the top spot. "Frisco, Texas, is the nation's most affordable, fastest-growing city," it proclaimed in the findings. "Within a five-year span, the population has increased by 26.9 percent. The annual cost of living is reasonable for both renters and homeowners, with renters paying $46,718 and homeowners $72,262 annually." In case you're unfamiliar, Frisco is a smaller part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, and comes with a population of about 225,000 people. As the city's website explains, there's plenty to do for just about everyone, including exploring the 6-acre Kaleidoscope Park, taking in a show at the Black Box Theater, visiting the National Soccer Hall of Fame, or getting a little walk in by checking out the Big Bluestem Trail. However, Frisco isn't the only Texas town making a splash. "Texas is officially home to the most cities that are fast-growing and affordable enough for your money," GoBankingRates noted. 'The Lone Star State recently swept a new GoBankingRates study ranking the most affordable U.S. places that have large population growth, with 12 cities in the top 50." Other top spots on this list include Goodyear, Arizona, in second place, followed by McKinney, Texas; Fishers, Indiana; and Allen, Texas; rounding out the top five. See the full list at
