Hey everybody? If you seriously feel the need to leave the country (as I do) then

[LiberalLoner]

Last edited Wed Nov 6, 2024, 05:25 PM - Edit history (5)

A suggestion.

It’s hard to get accepted to live in Europe, Canada, other places we might think of.

I’ve been looking at Egypt. Because I lived there for a year, 1990-1991, stationed there in the Army.

They are very tolerant of expats. Very friendly and helpful. Cost of living is 65% of US cost of living.

You can get a retirement visa with only this…show proof of ability to support yourself financially (maybe about 2,000 dollars a month), show no criminal record, show no serious communicable diseases like HIV etc.

I will post some videos about living in Egypt as an ex-Pat tomorrow.

It’s not as crazy an idea as it might seem.

I felt safer in Egypt than here in the U.S.




Cost of Living > Egypt
Cost of Living in Egypt
Select city in Egypt:
Summary of cost of living in Egypt:

A family of four estimated monthly costs are 1,172.1$ (57,682.0EG£) without rent.
A single person estimated monthly costs are 330.7$ (16,271.9EG£) without rent.
Cost of living in Egypt is, on average, 70.6% lower than in United States.
Rent in Egypt is, on average, 91.0% lower than in United States.

?si=AkJbThEAC-l16lov

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https://www.expat.com/en/destination/africa/egypt/




P.S. I’m not saying move there without first doing a ton of research. Talk with expats on line, watch videos, spend dozens or hundreds of hours on research before deciding. And I’m not saying Egypt is right for anyone except me. Well, maybe I am because I am offering it up as a possibility people may not have considered. But for sure do tons of research, don’t just take my word for anything. I just felt the need to offer it up as an idea. And I am truly trying to talk my husband into moving us there, so you can tell I do have the courage of my convictions.

P.P.S. As far as the weather goes, not all that different from Southern California, actually.

[Susan Calvin]

1. This is the kind of suggestion I am currently looking for.

Thank you.

[SheilaAnn]

6. I am interested also. Many thanks.

[newdeal2]

2. Heard good things about Egypt from a friend who just visited

I wouldn’t consider it at the top of my list but might be a reasonable suggestion.

[Farmgirl1961]

3. We seriously feel the need to leave the country

But not sure about Egypt. I do think I will join up with the expat forum to figure out options

[bamagal62]

4. I'm looking at Portugal.

[Susan Calvin]

7. I had been looking at it, but

How do you get in if you are over 70 years old?

[bamagal62]

10. Not sure. But I have

A good friend that left and moved there. Lots of expats have moved there.

[LiberalLoner]

37. It's easy to get a retirement visa there. Have proof of an income enough to sustain yourself. No criminal record, no bad

Communicable diseases.

[intrepidity]

61. Social Security income? nt

[LiberalLoner]

62. Well, I wouldn't count on SS. I think it's gone forever now. But some people

Have savings, or pensions outside of SS, or can work as digital nomads anywhere.

Here was the average annual salary of Egyptians in 2023.

The Egyptian pound has slid against the U.S. dollar since then, so the income when expressed in dollars may have decreased slightly.

Based on this, I would think a salary of 2,000 a month would leave you living well in Egypt.



The average salary in Egypt is 9,200 EGP (Egyptian Pound) per month or 110,000 EGP per annum. This amounts to roughly 303 US Dollars per month, according to the exchange rates in May 2023.

https://www.timedoctor.com/blog/average-salary-in-egypt/

[peacebuzzard]

12. oh now Portugal is absolutely the best choice of all though...

I love that country.
I highly recommend a visit first to test the waters you will not regret anything.

[bdamomma]

48. found this article

https://expatra.com/living-abroad/best-countries-to-live/

[Susan Calvin]

5. How is the medical care?

Do you happened to know how Tricare for Life works there? What about taking pets?

As you can see, I am fairly serious. I hope not to have to remain that way. I like it where I am.

[peacebuzzard]

14. Tricare for Life works.

It covers 75% of the bill. The bills for medical care there are much smaller than here—like a lot smaller.
Medicare does not work there on a permanent basis, but the supplements to Medicare will pay temporary absences—not permanent.

[tinymontgomery]

56. Thanks, the tricare for life was my question also.

[peacebuzzard]

16. check constantly on the pet requirements with the consulate of Portugal.

All regulations fluctuate. All of Europe is pet-friendly except for one country, which requires a six-month quarantine. Is it the UK? I can't remember which one.

[LiberalLoner]

38. Yes TRICARE for life covers expats in Egypt. Medical costs in Egypt are very low.

[Ananda62]

9. I'm considering Panama

For the pensionado visa, all I need is a letter from SSA to show my retirement income and an FBI background check. The law firm I contacted said they would 1st issue a 6 month temporary retiree visa and after that, a permanent retirement visa. Panama uses the US dollar as currency and I previously spent a month there. I like the Boquete area.

[cannabis_flower]

32. A question I've been wondering about

I am 66 and have a misdemeanor marijuana conviction from way back in 1985, almost 40 years ago. Would that keep me from going to Panama. Or Honduras? My husband is from Honduras is a TPS (temporary protected status) holder. He came illegally in 1997 and has a pending case for a Waiver of Inadmissibility. I would hate to see him deported and hate it even more if I couldn’t go with him.

[peacebuzzard]

11. Before you sell everything take a test trip there first with just a backpack

I am sure you will change your mind.
No matter what happens, this is a great country...
trust me, I did just that during the Bush years it was a disaster that saddens me to this day.
Nothing wrong with short trips outside of this country to check it out though.

[Susan Calvin]

17. Yeah, but if this goes the wrong way

It's going to be a lot worse than the bush years.

[peacebuzzard]

22. the count is going to turn. Kamala has got this ...n/t

[Susan Calvin]

25. I sure hope so.

In a rational world it would have been a blowout, but of course this is not a rational world. Or at least not, it would appear, a completely rational country.

[SoCalDavidS]

28. Sorry To Disagree

This is in no way a "great country."

[peacebuzzard]

31. By great I mean that anything you want/need you can find.

within minutes.
stocked stores on every corner
you can fulfill most of your needs very quickly
it might be a lonely life but at least you can satisfy hunger and thirst and take a bath more readily than in many places.
and have working toilets
I would say the worst part is the lack of joy of life because we are too busy worried about what we need or don't have.

I would call Portugal a great country but many people I have known that have moved there do not regret it. It is a safe country.

And there are many safe countries but perhaps expensive.
Still, we have endless entertainment, great music, access to endless information and easy methods to complete most tasks or wants/needs quickly.

[LiberalLoner]

43. P.S. you can get anything you want in Egypt easily too. Pork and booze included, and

They have a culture of everything being delivered to the home (if you wish) including doctors making house calls.

I lived in the Netherlands a couple of years and Egypt for a year.

There are many countries where you can live better than in the U.S.,

Every single time I had to come back to the U.S. after being an expat, I was deeply depressed for months.

I was always hoping my husband would have an overseas posting but it didn’t happen.

[peacebuzzard]

45. I think I am too spoiled with specifics to feel comfortable in a new country for an extended time.

My diet has to be specific items only found in high-end groceries. I am spoiled. by the Fresh Market Stores, Whole Foods, local Co-ops, and even Trader Joe's. I go for primarily organics and fresh. Sure you can probably find that somewhere over there but it would be harder than just pulling into a relatively safe parking lot and not having to look around for odd characters eager to consider you a victim. I like parking spaces on asphalt and a really quick trip inside the store. I like to cook my own food and have had incidents of food poisoning and salmonella while traveling which isn't often, but I am discriminating as to where I eat and what I consume. And I do need to eat something nourishing and not question the sources. My days of experimenting with food and choosing a dinner place are gone. When I do travel I tend to pack snacks I can consume if it is a quick trip out of the country and I am not sure when/where I will eat.

[LiberalLoner]

49. I understand. I just posted this to offer an alternative country to move to, that many may not have considered. But

I totally understand why many people would take a hard pass on Egypt.

Me, I totally loved it there. But I come from a place of privilege…not having to work, not having to worry about having enough money for rent or food. Many Egyptians are not so lucky.

[Farmgirl1961]

29. That's what we're thinking about doing n/t

[LiberalLoner]

39. I lived in Egypt for a year. I didn't want to come back to the U.S..

[róisín_dubh]

13. A word of advice

Moving to Europe, unless you have a skill or the ability to get a golden visa or ancestry passport, isn’t easy.
Moving to England without any of the above is nigh on impossible and even if you have a skill is it insanely expensive

[GenThePerservering]

42. No it isnt

I'm living there (here) now.

ETA - I was in Seattle metro before which really IS insane, so maybe relative?

[róisín_dubh]

60. Living in England isn't necessarily

expensive. YMMV.

The nearly £8000 on visa fees is extortionate.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

15. If you are disabled

No country wants you, secondly If I leave I will also leave my SSI and medical assistance behind. If the orange bloat wins I am good as dead.

If lose hud lose hud I am homeless , lose SSI I cannot afford food or a cheap ass hotel room in a godawful place.and without Medicaid I can’t get my diabetes meds .

The diabetes would kill me hopefully fast. Or I will be put in some disability type home with a bunch of other undesirables until the death camps are up and running and they’ll kill me there. Or at the home they’ll inject me with a death drug. After all last time fascists took over people like me went so fast we never even got assigned a triangle. They may see my life as unworthy of life , what the fascists don’t know is I feel the same about them.

I hope if everything goes to shit as many narcissists as possible die. Cause if you have to fight take out the toxic ones .Cause I am tired of this country being held hostage to people with oversized Amygdala's with toxic personality disorders. To vote for a fascist you know is a fascist in a democratic country means your personality is toxic and you are a drag on progress to a better kinder nation.

However whatever happens I will not go quietly into that dark night.


May Kamala be Victorious. Sekhmet, make it so.

I am terrified about how close this election is. It shows how many ugly hearted people are in this country that that vile orange pustule can even be running for an election at all. Wtf happened to my country?

If this shit happened in the 70’s that treasonous bastard would have been locked up for life already. But Reagan happened and our country has become so damaged because of Republican motherfuckers and the rich assholes who think they are masters of the universe because they are toxic and high on thier own bullshit.

[Susan Calvin]

19. God I'm so sorry.

Here I am in good health and with the decent income and feeling sorry for myself. But I'm not sure how much that will count for in a second Trump Administration. Not that I'm predicting one. I'm hoping very hard against one.

[peacebuzzard]

20. sorry for your health challenges...

it would be a disaster to move anywhere for many people who need their health care, as bad as the health care is...it is better than none.

[Jack Valentino]

18. How are they on gun control and arms trading ???

[peacebuzzard]

21. I can tell you one thing...it is hard to fing thugs firing assault guns at random

and mowing people, children and everything it their path down.
That is a strictly U.S. phenomenon in peaceful settings.
I am not speaking of war zones, I am speaking of gunmen in shopping areas, schools etc....

[Jack Valentino]

23. I have no interest in turning Egypt into a war zone...

[peacebuzzard]

26. That is one country on my bucket list.

I would love to go there...for vacation.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

24. There are a lot of

Fucking sociopaths in this country.
They’ll be itching to kill people and trump a sociopath himself will be too busy getting off on it to do anything about it.

[ancianita]

27. Are you a woman? I am, and I'd definitely not move to a Muslim country.

I'll just go to Plan B and move away from this trump-red-enemies-list state.

[LiberalLoner]

33. Yes, I am a woman.

[mucholderthandirt]

34. Yes, as a woman, even an old bitch like me, I'd never move to a Muslim country.

They may seem fine now, but remember Iran was a lovely place, great for women. Until it wasn't. The same for other countries.

I can't afford to travel around, check places out. I can't leave my sons behind, and they won't leave. The oldest has a long-time girlfriend, the youngest a wife and stepson. The middle one likely voted for this mess (although he's such a good man, and I don't understand it at all).

No country is going to taking on mass American immigrants, unless they have enough money to pay for it. Even places like the Philippines, or Thailand. I'm old, have health issues, basically broke. What do I do, go live in a hovel and make things worse for the citizens wherever?

[Bayard]

30. Too hot,

Can't garden.

I don't know what we'll do. I had started looking at other countries several months ago, and was very discouraged by the COL in any country where I could stand the weather.

[Beringia]

35. Egypt? A 2 second search shows they are repressive there

November 23, 2023
Egypt: Authorities step up repression ahead of presidential elections

The Egyptian authorities have ramped up their repression of dissent against political opponents, peaceful protesters and other critics ahead of the country’s upcoming presidential elections, said Amnesty International today. Presidential elections are scheduled to take place between 10-12 December, amid a mounting financial and economic crisis, with genuine opposition candidates barred from running.

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/11/egypt-authorities-step-up-repression-ahead-of-presidential-elections/

[LiberalLoner]

36. Yes, they are. But not to expats. What I am thinking is, they won't round me up to go to

A concentration camp.

I’m just trying to think of a place where we might be left alone. And could easily afford to live once SS and military pensions go away.

You don’t have to move there or anywhere if you don’t want to.

I’m not here to convince anyone or argue.

I’m here to say, this is one place most people could afford to live in, and would be allowed to move to.

I am sorry if I offended anyone or made people angry.

This is one video I watched that I thought was useful.

?si=AkJbThEAC-l16lov

[LeftInTX]

40. No thanks. My sister lives in Qatar

She lives in a westernized cocoon however. Not interested.

[LiberalLoner]

41. I I understand, but please know all middle eastern countries are not the same.

I would hate to live in Saudi Arabia or Qatar. Would never do it.

But I would gladly go back to Egypt to live.

[LiberalLoner]

44. Just to be fair, here are the bad things about Egypt I noticed.

You are expected to give a small tip (less than a dollar if you don’t have more to give) to anyone who helps you, whether a guide or doorman or toilet attendant.

As a woman, you get unwanted attention from men when you are out and about, especially in Western clothing. Egyptian women report the same problem.

I have had men call after me, “cleopatra, your eyes are beautiful…” but never been groped or harmed. The catcalls were unwanted but never vulgar or threatening. (At least, I did not feel threatened.). And tbh I had that happen, and worse, in the US.

The small flies in Egypt, especially the Sinai, are truly from Satan. Lord of the flies. Tiny flies that will land on your face, walk in your eyes, on your lips, to the extent you can sit there and swat them away constantly and still have them land. By the end of my tour there I gave up and let them crawl all over me.

It is the desert, so not much green scenery, except an oasis or right by the Nile River. With irrigation from the river, Egypt has an incredible growing season. Great farmland. Grow stuff year round.

Poverty. It’s hard to witness poverty on the level we are not used to here in the U.S.

Police with rifles. They never bothered me or made me feel unsafe, but some people really are upset by seeing that.

The traffic in places like Cairo is insane. I would never try to drive in Cairo, I have no idea how people do it.

The air pollution etc. in places like Cairo is bad.

I have heard the insulation in buildings in Egypt is not good.

Things imported from overseas, the US etc, are more expensive actually than what you would pay in the U.S.

Local stuff is shockingly affordable, but imports, whoo boy.

[Blue Full Moon]

59. Had that problem with men in France and I was with my husband

[JanMichael]

46. If I want a beer can I have one? How about weed?

If two noes then no thank you.

[LiberalLoner]

47. Beer or any other booze yes. Pot, I don't know. Probably not. Beer was invented in ancient Egypt.

Their local beer is Stella.

Drinking is generally done in hotel lounges catering to tourists.


https://travel2egypt.org/alcohol-in-egypt/


Found this about pot….i wouldn’t risk it, personally.

Cannabis use and possession is illegal in Egypt. If you're caught with it, you could face a minimum of one year in prison, plus a fine of at least 1,000 Egyptian pounds. While the laws may seem tough, they're not strictly enforced. As such, cannabis consumption is relatively commonplace across the country.

[Tribetime]

50. I'm not letting anyone make me move.... F them

People will realize what a monster he is (maga) soon enough

[JohnSJ]

54. Exactly.

[Skittles]

51. I WOULD NEVER ABANDON MY COUNTRY TO FASCISM

I AM NOT A FUCKING COWARD, I WILL STAY AND FIGHT

[Hikerchick57]

52. I'm checking out Cambodia, I have family there...

[Jeebo]

53. I think we progressives need to stay here.

There obviously are not enough of us here as it is. We're needed now more than ever.

— Ron

[Upthevibe]

55. LiberalLoner.............

Thank you....

This is one of the options I'm looking at too.

[LiberalLoner]

63. 💙💙💙💙💙 thank you so much. I think I made a lot of people angry by posting this. I didn't mean to.

[Blue Full Moon]

57. Going there has been on my bucket list

To stay for about a year would be great. I thought about going to NYC before this just to try out. Egypt would be intriguing. I have always loved the Egypt section in museums. Thank you for the suggestion.

[wishstar]

58. Egypt has serious problems regarding human rights as well as economic problems

https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2024/country-chapters/egypt