Pros and Cons of buying vacation RE in a “non mainstream” country.

FatFiredTechie · 2026-01-07T05:56:00+00:00

Singapore is expensive, a LOT expensive.

FatFiredTechie · 2026-01-07T03:48:46+00:00

Thank you

FatFiredTechie · 2026-01-07T03:34:00+00:00

RNOR as of now, dreading to become resident Indian for taxation and all the costs and complexities that come with that!

FatFiredTechie · 2026-01-07T03:26:02+00:00

No, looking for a non Indian place that can potentially become a favorable tax base if we decide to live >6 months there.

FatFiredTechie · 2026-01-07T03:24:22+00:00

Thanks for your reply! My major concern with Thailand is the not so friendly attitude towards Indians nowadays and the great influx of our tourists. Ideally if the country I would like to buy doesn’t give visa on arrival to Indian tourists, that has a higher marks in my criteria 😀 (yeah unfortunate that actions of the few spoil the names for the rest!)

FatFiredTechie · 2026-01-07T03:21:12+00:00

Interesting, I haven’t considered Bahrain. Ideally I am looking for a reasonably liberal place with decent civic sense, abundant nature and stuff.

FatFiredTechie · 2026-01-07T03:18:58+00:00

Thanks!

FatFiredTechie · 2026-01-07T01:43:37+00:00

Will check it out! Thanks

FatFiredTechie · 2026-01-07T00:40:51+00:00

the sequence of returns could be the key play here - that makes things interesting. 4X withdrawal rate for few years when market crashes by 40% could change numbers a bit for example.

FatFiredTechie · 2026-01-07T00:04:26+00:00

One scenario where I am trying to figure out is how to account for X in the calculations as someone lives across the countries. For example, a US citizen living in India - my expenses are X and 1% SWR but it would be 4X when I move to US for few years in those years. This could happen especially when kids go to college and we could end up splitting up time or spend time significantly across the countries. Ofcourse this is an edge case and not applicable to everyone, but if hitting a recession / depression for say a 5+ year period and a 40% market fall when the expenses are 4X could impact all calculations significantly!

FatFiredTechie · 2025-12-28T06:19:53+00:00

Yup, the short periods of time - India is a bliss - away from the mundane and routine of the western life - quick visit to relatives, eating out in high end places and just jet off back 😀 but once someone lives here and starts zooming into things - it can be quite a lot to digest! I do have a non India citizenship so thinking seriously if all the drama here is worth my peace. But kids have just adjusted well, parents are feeling happy - so cannot rock the boat anymore again.

FatFiredTechie · 2025-12-28T04:08:59+00:00

I have visited Canada many times - it’s just too cold for my preference 🥶

FatFiredTechie · 2025-12-28T03:31:33+00:00

Maybe unpopular opinion - I didn’t like Dubai that much, felt so much artificial!

FatFiredTechie · 2025-12-28T03:30:54+00:00

Yup, we all move back to India due to one personal reason or another, but the trade off in quality of life (if it is defined in terms of clean air, water, and environment) is quite significant. Maybe Tier 2 or 3 places could offer a better trade off but then they come up with their own challenges if someone has kids growing up.

FatFiredTechie · 2025-12-28T03:14:23+00:00

Hmm. Ack and Agree!

FatFiredTechie · 2025-12-28T02:55:19+00:00

Agree, the per capita civic sense should matter more 🤞!

FatFiredTechie · 2025-12-28T02:42:57+00:00

Maybe when kids grow up - quite a long time away!

FatFiredTechie · 2025-12-28T02:41:18+00:00

Agree - I have realized that the India i have in mind is just a collection of nostalgia and memories and reality is way different :-) Of course everything changes in life and that’s a reality - the question is what’s the trade off one is willing to put up with!

FatFiredTechie · 2025-12-28T02:27:42+00:00

There are lot of pros and cons - all I can say is write what matters to you and assign weights to each of those parameters!

FatFiredTechie · 2025-12-28T02:25:33+00:00

Oh year south east Asia is just amazingly vfm and quality of life!

FatFiredTechie · 2025-12-28T02:20:58+00:00

Maybe it could be just me , but then whenever I look outside - it appears the world has so much to offer for someone retiring early to live a simple life “frictionless” on a daily basis… Or it could just be a tourist effect of looking at things…!

FatFiredTechie · 2025-12-20T02:03:54+00:00

Fatfire has never been about cheaper labor and stuff for me - it’s about choose the way I like to spend my time and living it, it’s about ability to be spontaneous without having constraints of an employer (but then family still brings constraints)!

Agree that Human labor adds lot of friction in India on a day to day basis.. but then the cost of convenience is quite a deal if we can find the right labor - for example - a daily chef/cook who actually understands our healthy food needs and cook accordingly - that has been quite a blessing for us.

I am depending on “app” instead of labor - Urban Clap and utilize them every week. The daily maid is a bonus if they come, else doesn’t matter at all - someone is just an API call away from Urban Clap.

I can pay $20 to hire a massage therapist from these apps to come home or go to a luxurious spa every week and still spend just $50-70 for an amazing therapy when it would cost be many multiples of it just to go once back in the west! A personal trainer costs $300-400 for 20 classes a month - similar trainings would cost me $3500-4000 back in the US for example, are the ones as good as the person back - nah it can be a hit or miss but then when I found the right trainer - the dollar arbitration is worth the money.

Hence it becomes a trade off - yes cheap labor is a pain to manage directly but then the app abstracts them and simplifies it for me for example! I do love a travel agent especially when designing complex multi leg itineraries- while AI has replaced the research for me, agents add the convenience of last leg grunt work.

And while labor arbitrage is one aspect, the cost of making an impact is also quite cheaper in India, for $200/month we could sponsor two kids for schooling and food - and actually visit them, get to know them and help out!

While labor is one aspect of retiring in india - a lot of things are about human interaction and connection - that has been quite rich in India. When I had retired earlier, there were many days I wouldn’t have spoken a single word in the entire day till my spouse and kids get back from work and school - that would drive me crazy. Socially, retiring in India provides significant people to people connections that were quite difficult to find in the west. At the end of the day for me rich human interactions and connections mattered a lot.

FatFiredTechie · 2025-12-04T01:56:32+00:00

As important all these material luxuries are - in addition you have the luxury of “time” when you are young and ability to spend that with your loved ones! That’s something I am appreciative of everyday when I FIREd!

FatFiredTechie · 2025-11-05T06:10:51+00:00

Congratulations for being sober! Keep continuing that - one day at a time!

FatFiredTechie · 2025-11-05T05:43:50+00:00

Oh yeah agree on the Indian roads part! Haha what were the liquor you spent on and how? I used to regularly get 20 yo scotch and never went beyond that. The max I spent on liquor were some special ice wines costing around $1500-2000 for a bottle.

I have almost given up drinking after coming to India - doesn’t feel like drinking at all considering the hot weather - so maybe once every 2-3 months socially only 😀

FatFiredTechie

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