I currently live in South Africa and well, I want a plan for a place to move to in the next 5 years max. The problem is i can’t decide where to go and as much as I love Australia, it feels too far from the time zones where all my people are.

So I have decided that Europe/UK would be perfect but can’t find a perfect fit. I have a UK passport

I am looking for:

  • mild weather. Not too bothered to be honest but not looking for a snow 8 months of the year or rain 8 months of the year. Ideally i just want a place that gets some sunlight, some rain, some cold and some hot days
  • low level or low acknowledgment of corruption. I want my taxes to do something -low crime rate
  • good work life balance with a decent opportunity for living. Currently working at a Big 4 consultancy so hoping I can have a nice enough lifestyle but not be working 24/7

I really like places like Netherlands, Scotland, Germany but have found various flaws. I also really like the Mediterranean

I don’t really like the UK but prefer something like Scotland. They just apparently get less sun than I’d like

  • ApprehensiveStudy671@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    In Southern Europe (Spain, Italy, Portugal…) you’d need to learn the local language or else you won’t really be part of society. Same in France.

    Lack of sunshine and overcast, cloudy weather does affect some people more than others, specially if you come from a sunny region.

    Also, salaries are much lower in Southern Europe and unemployment is higher. If you work remote and don’t have to rely on local wages and local job market, then you’ll have some interesting options such as Romania, beautiful country, four seasons, affordable…

    But if you need to work locally and earn local salaries, then you’d be better off in the UK, Ireland or the Netherlands. The weather is mild in all three but they all lack sunshine for most of the year, though you can take short trips to sunny location as many do. One advantage to living in Europe is how close you’re to tons of interestuig destinations, by land, sea, air…

    My pick would be: The Netherlands, UK, Ireland… Housing is an issue in the Netherlands for sure but its infrastructure is far beyond that of Ireland. I just like the vibes in the Netherlands!!!

    I’d also take a look at Brussels.

    All that being said, I’d recommend the US over Europe! Despite the bad rap it gets, its such a diverse and amazing country with many states and cities to choose from.