manofstraw

Hi there,

This may come across as a rather unusual post but I am planning on moving from London to another country in Europe for about 1 year and making a living from playing online poker with a side job in a bar for regular income.
I predict that I can make around $600USD a week playing poker which in London doesnt equate to much after my rent and living expenses but abroad i am hoping it can go a lot further.

I was wondering if anyone could suggest anywhere that therefore fits the following criteria:
- Cheap cost of living (my main expenditure will be food, drink and rent so im not bothered about cheap clothes etc)
- Decent and inexpensive broadband availability
- Hot and sunny.
- Scenic: pref by the sea.
- Culture. I am not really interested in going to a typical holiday resort as I find the prices are hiked up but i would consider it as I am keen to go places where I will be able to meet fellow brits

So far the places I have come up with are Porto, Portugal, Odessa in Ukraine and constancu in Romania. I believe this areas are cheap but Im pretty nervous since I have never been to any of them.

Any ideas would be much appreciated.
Thanks!

IAN.K

Have a look at Girne / Kyrenia Northern Cyprus. They have lots of Casinos etc there.Not expensive either.

Ian

gattone

I guess that you wanted to say Constanta - Romania (Constanţa - România)

Going out is quite expensive during the summer (compared to the rest of the cities in Romania). For the same reason many Romanians prefer to go to beaches in Bulgaria. Also it's not that sunny and warm during winter.

For food prices check hypermarkets' sites (ie: Kaufland, Billa, Carrefour)
An Internet connection is about €10/month for 2mbps with no other limits (or €15 for a mobile 3G connection with 4-6GB download limit per month).
I think you can get a furnished apartment (living room + bedroom + kitchen + bathroom) for about €400 per month.

HBN

I ran across an article in an Italian daily couple of days back about real estate prices: Trapani, Sicily, Belpaese, cheapest place in Italy. Euro 270 the square meter. Have no idea about the cost of living. Location looks good on the internet.

manofstraw

Thanks everyone, really helpful info.

Lorna at Vicenza

you don't have sister called Liz do you ?

manofstraw

no why's that?

Lorna at Vicenza

just wondering because I have an old British friend that moved out to Italy two years ago and she has a brother who makes his living from poker - especially on-line poker. Just thought it might be one of those consequences in life you know.

Lorna at Vicenza

I actually was supposed to write --- coincidence .... and not consequence ..... but that's typing for you !

Ray51

Actually , what with the pound and the US dollar jointly having crashed quite so much , against not only the Euro , but also against such unlikely currencies as Polish Zloty , Slovakian Kruna , Croatian Kuna , Israeli Shekel , Russian Rouble , Czech Crown and any number of others , just now you might find London/England a pretty comfy and affordable place to live , with those sterling and $$$ you make there ...;
but , don't despair : come to think of it , you can get at least 250 Million Zimbabwe dollars for about 40 pence , it IS hot and sunny there , no sea but a great lake ( Kariba ) plus the Victoria Falls ...and there are still quite a few friendly Brits left there - plus excellent steaks and cheap CoL , hardly any crime , even the broadband sometimes works , although it is alleged : suspicions of censorship persist ! ( This would probably be on political basis only , nothing to do with poker , I hope ...) Does this help any ?
Cheers !

TestaRossa

Something to also check out is whether you will be allowed to gamble on-line in your chosen destination.

Someone mentioned on the Italy forum that many gambling sites in Italy can't be accessed because the government doesn't licence them or something. Definitely worth thinking about.

Inzone

What about Torrevieja in Spain. It's not too classy, but there's plenty of bars for work and tons of rental properties.... many Brits are struggling due to credit crunch so you can pick up a bargain!

joggerfan

What about Torrevieja in Spain. It's not too classy (understatement of the year)

....but you did mention bar work and this requirement is going to restrict you unless you speak the language you might end up somewhere like above.

Even Irish bars usually require you to speak the local language.

I would say somewhere on the Med would fit as you want nice weather and sea. Perhaps the Algarve or a Costa del........... would be your best bet.

Have you considered teaching English as your side as this would open up more opportunities if you needed the extra money.

In fact forget Europe. I went to Bali for 6 months while building an online business and lived very cheaply (but well) and it fits all your requirements and more!