Which tropical city should I move to?

[initiald]

If I had the option of doing so I would move to Belize. It's my retirement plan.
It is great for expats - no capital gains tax etc. I've been to Caye Caulker and it and Ambergris Caye are amazing.

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by M.R.Victor

Such an odd question, re-locating is never easy, and making the choice to leave friends and family to move to a potentially underdeveloped nation is stranger still... isn't San Diego a city that already fits your criteria of good weather with hills and mountains nearby?

That said, I think it's important to know the reason why you're fed up with the US in the first place, that way your move will be better informed. If social justice is important to you, then you'd look for a country with high HDI. If community is imporant to you, then you'd have to pick a place where you'd eventually fit in. If urbanism and urban life are important to you, well you'd have to choose carefully on that also

what an unhelpful response.

[Centropolis]

most of the larger places that i would think of in south america, like chile or buenos aires aren't particularly tropical and/or mountainous. i'd probably look to asia/oceania part of the pacific rim for that combo, as has already been mentioned.

[ChargerCarl]

so where did op end up moving?

[10023]

Originally Posted by initiald

If I had the option of doing so I would move to Belize. It's my retirement plan.
It is great for expats - no capital gains tax etc. I've been to Caye Caulker and it and Ambergris Caye are amazing.

Yeah but that weather is brutal.

[initiald]

Originally Posted by 10023

Yeah but that weather is brutal.

Not for me. I hate, HATE winter and I live in North Carolina yet I still complain about our winters. I spent 6 weeks in Jamaica without AC and it's easy to get adjusted to with a nice fan and a porch.

[CaliNative]

Originally Posted by Crawford

I always hear really negative things about Singapore. Obviously it's safe, prosperous, etc. but boring as sin. At least the young people I know always wanted to get the hell out and go to Tokyo, Hong Kong, or really anywhere else in Asia.

Unfortunately, when the winds blow from Sumatra in the dry season, you get smog from the illegal burning of the forests in Indonesia to establish palm oil plantations. Supposedly, the Indonesian govt. will stop this in the future.

I've heard Merida, Yucatan Mex. is a fairly safe and cheap "tropical" city, with plenty of inexpensive apts & housing, and lots of interesting Mayan sites nearby.

Bogata Colombia is near the equator, but not tropical exactly because of the high altitude. But the climate is nice--never really hot or cold. As the cocaine cartels are cleared out, Medellin Colombia is becoming more attractive, and the climate is fairly cool because of the high altitude. San Jose Costa Rica is pretty nice, I hear. The poverty of other Central American countries is daunting though.

If Venezuela can ever get a decent government and stability, keep an eye on that too in the future. Right now a mess.

Also, keep an eye on Cuba. If they open up the real estate market to outsiders, could see some bargains.

[Private Dick]

Originally Posted by CaliNative

If Venezuela can ever get a decent government and stability, keep an eye on that too in the future. Right now a mess.

Also, keep an eye on Cuba. If they open up the real estate market to outsiders, could see some bargains.

Venezuela and Cuba, huh?

Those are really big "Ifs" filled with a huge variety of other serious issues (particularly for someone looking to relocate from the US).

[Crawford]

Venezuela doesn't really have beaches, so if that's a requirement, not a good option. Most of the coast is given over to energy-production or is just brackish/swampy (think New Orleans). And Venezuela is incredibly hot and humid.

I've been to Bogota and it isn't close to tropical. Summers are much cooler than Alaska, to say nothing of mainland U.S. It's pretty much 70's daytime/50's nighttime year-round. It's like Mexico City, but even sunnier, colder and higher elevation.

Also, if you're pale, better come to Bogota with a serious skincare routine. The combination of near-equator + extreme elevation + sunny and clear most of the year means the sun can be incredibly damaging. It makes Phoenix feel like Scotland in terms of sun exposure. I think I burned in about 15 minutes (with sunscreen).

[the urban politician]

Damn if this telehealth thing really takes off I might move to a tropical locale as well.

Of course, right now it's a fantasy because I have a family and kids and a job and real estate in a Chicago, but......perhaps some day?

[mrnyc]

Originally Posted by Gordo

Santiago is a little colder than San Jose, but I'd say the climates are pretty similar (spent a lot of time in both). There are mountains with snow right outside the city, but the city itself isn't at that high of an elevation (~2000 ft), receives snow about once a decade, and it never sticks. Freezing temperatures within the city are as rare as they are in SJ. That said, it's not a tropical city by any stretch, and the pollution can be pretty overwhelming during the summer - it makes Salt Lake City look smog-free.

I would agree with others that the Columbian cities are some of your best bets. Cartagena is a great city, but a bit warm/humid for my taste. Bogota has phenomenal weather and is a great city. Both cities, along with others in Colombia, are improving rapidly in just about every way. The only downside is that travel outside the cities in Colombia is still relatively dangerous compared to say, Brazil.

You mentioned northeast Brazil, and while I have a special connection to Fortaleza (traveled there several different times for different reasons, proposed to my wife there, etc), I can't recommend it based on your view that wealth disparity is alarming in Rio/SP. As someone else mentioned, northeast Brazil takes wealth disparity to another level compared to those two cities. Natal and Fortaleza aren't too bad (probably somewhat similar to SP, maybe a little worse), but Salvador and Recife are orders of magnitude worse than Rio or SP. Each one is basically a nice (ish) colonial center surrounded by some gated highrise complexes surrounded by miles and miles of favelas. If you're looking for a place in Brazil without huge wealth disparity, look to cities in the three southern states. Not really tropical I guess, but still plenty warm. Portuguese is probably a bit harder to learn than Spanish, but not overwhelmingly so. Understanding/speaking Spanish in most of the South American countries (especially Venezuela/Colombia, IMO) is going to be a pretty major adjustment from San Diego Spanish anyway, so I wouldn't worry about it.

Also, if you're tempted to look at southern Brazil, definitely consider Buenos Aires. I lived there for a little over seven months for my first job out of grad school and loved every minute of it.

welp -- we are going to santiago the end of july. i found delta tix for $800, which is a good price, so we went with it.

we might run up to the mountains for an overnight, i dk yet, but definately valparasio for a few days and isla negra + wine country for a day trip. easter island or robinson caruso islands are on the table as well.

so if OP is not in a rush to skeedaddle, i can report back later this summer on that.

also, if you want a city one of my favorite places in south america is montevideo, uruguay. very friendly folks in uruguay. you have the punta del este beaches when you want that. not as warm as brazil, but certainly mild winters.

[James Bond Agent 007]

Originally Posted by surfer808

Thought I'd chime in here. Hawaii is beautiful all year round, we have perfect conditions and we're almost like another country. The temperature here rarely gets into the 90's and in the winters we can get as low as the high 60s (f). What makes our islands so great is the trade winds. The typical trade winds are 15-20 mph, so it's nice and breezy. Unfortunately, Houses in Hawaii are very expensive! and our traffic sucks in Oahu.

I hope you realize this thread was 4 years old. I am pretty sure the person who started it made their decision by now.

[ChargerCarl]

Originally Posted by Crawford

Venezuela doesn't really have beaches, so if that's a requirement, not a good option. Most of the coast is given over to energy-production or is just brackish/swampy (think New Orleans). And Venezuela is incredibly hot and humid.

Also it's a failed state...

[10023]

^ Yes. I don't know how anyone could even think about moving to Venezuela for the foreseeable future.

Originally Posted by initiald

Not for me. I hate, HATE winter and I live in North Carolina yet I still complain about our winters. I spent 6 weeks in Jamaica without AC and it's easy to get adjusted to with a nice fan and a porch.

But how can anyone enjoy humidity?

There is absolutely nothing worse than having your clothes stick to you. I was in Tulum for a few days recently (that was the trade in exchange for my foodie pilgrimage to Oaxaca), and I took 3-4 showers each day. So uncomfortable.

[ChargerCarl]

The only thing I like about humidity is that you don't need a jacket at night.

[Leo the Dog]

Originally Posted by ChargerCarl

The only thing I like about humidity is that you don't need a jacket at night.

That and water sports are more enjoyable.

[suburbanite]

Have to agree, it's pretty annoying to move to the shade and still feel the stifling heat on a humid day. I spent nights in the mountains in the Dominican on some plastic covered mattress where I literally had to peel myself off of the bed in the middle of the night.

I find a tend to like smaller tropical areas more. Really enjoyed the pacific coast of Costa Rica. You won't find any major urban centres, but the area around Quepos/Manuel Antiono National Park is gorgeous. Phuket in Thailand is a ton of fun, but would probably get pretty tiring living there full time.

[10023]

Originally Posted by ChargerCarl

The only thing I like about humidity is that you don't need a jacket at night.

The absence of cool nights might be the worst part. Unless you're cranking the air conditioning it's impossible to sleep.

[ChargerCarl]

Originally Posted by Leo the Dog

That and water sports are more enjoyable.

Yea, I hate how cold our beaches are, but it is why are weathers so good.

Southern California summers are the best.

[Leo the Dog]

Originally Posted by ChargerCarl

Yea, I hate how cold our beaches are, but it is why are weather's so good.

Southern California summers are the best.

Can't beat it even though I'm probably still wearing a 3/2 because I hate cold water.