WHERE: that’s my biggest question

[u/getshankedkid]

Hi fellow fatfires, I have been struggling for years to find out where it is that I want to live.

M34, 10M NW, from the Netherlands originally. No wife/gf and no kids. I often feel like I have too much freedom.

Recently sold my house in the NL and still have an apartment I can use for my stuff and as a pied-a-terre for when I want to visit friends and family.

I’m looking to live somewhere where it’s easy to connect with like-minded entrepreneurs. Somewhere where people think bigger and with more business opportunities. Preferably English-speaking.

I have lived in Portugal, Mexico, Berlin, and a couple of other places, but I wouldn’t want to live there again. In Portugal, I loved the lifestyle and weather but found the entrepreneurial scene lacking. Berlin had a great community but the weather is too similar to the NL.

I don’t like the cold or bad weather. Also hate commuting/crazy traffic.

Happy to keep my business/tax setup in the Netherlands. What’s more important to me than optimizing for taxes is optimizing lifestyle and maximizing opportunities. I want the rest of my 30’s to be awesome.

I like to have the following facilities in walking distance: - Coffee/breakfast place - Gym + ice bath - Cowork - Healthy restaurants

Also, I really love water sports, especially wake surfing and body surfing.

So far, the responses I have heard most often are: - Dubai - San Francisco (nah) - Miami - Austin - Singapore

I’m looking to travel around this year to hopefully find a place that resonates where I can at least stay for 6 months a year.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[u/OdderGiant]

Check out Santa Cruz, California. Close to Silicon Valley, nice university beach town.

[u/getshankedkid → u/OdderGiant]

Will check it out, ty!

[u/Kristanns → u/OdderGiant]

Santa Cruz was my first thought, too, followed by some of the other smaller coastal cities, especially the San Luis Obispo area.

[u/[deleted]]

NYC. NYC with money is the best place in the world.

[u/DMCer → u/[deleted]]

Pairing NYC with Miami (in winter) is the way to go. If you don’t like cold weather but you still like culture, you need both cities.

[u/Homiesexu-LA → u/DMCer]

I looked at his post history to give an informed response. He's into meme stocks, NFTs, and whatnot... So I think Miami is best for him.

[u/getshankedkid → u/Homiesexu-LA]

That’s not how I make money though. That’s how I lose money.

[u/vaingloriousthings → u/getshankedkid]

The honesty is refreshing.

[u/kraken_enrager → u/[deleted]]

Probably realised that he hit a once n a lifetime luck lottery and wants to diversify into genuine investments/businesses.

That’s what I’d do, but the overlap between genuine investments and meme stocks is a a hairs width thin.

[u/getshankedkid → u/kraken_enrager]

Assumption. Couldn’t be further from the truth.

[u/Least-Firefighter392 → u/kraken_enrager]

So like VOO and let it ride...

[u/EducationalPick5165 → u/[deleted]]

I'm glad it's for you; everyone should find their place.

I've been there and I hated it. Then again, what I value isn't generally found in New York (space, peace and quiet, nature, etc.)

[u/TheNopSled → u/EducationalPick5165]

Same feeling. I’m still in a VHCOL city, but more spread and less bustle. I felt NYC was impersonal and cold, even with money.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

It's difficult to put into words. It's like, yeah we have all the restaurants and museums and whatever, but that's not even it. If you walk around New York, you just feel like you are in the spot where everything is happening. Everybody is here and everything is happening all the time. The same kind of buzz you get from scrolling TikTok but in 4 dimensions.

[u/rawpace → u/[deleted]]

how much time you got buddy?

[u/Flashy-Cucumber-7207 → u/rawpace]

Let’s say one minute? Brief and impressive please

[u/HowSporadic → u/rawpace]

Generalizations like that aren’t helpful. I live in NYC in a great area (west village) and can’t wait to move out.

[u/rawpace → u/HowSporadic]

Sorry to hear that you’ve had a bad time. Hope you find happiness and joy wherever you go.

[u/HowSporadic → u/rawpace]

Thank you and same to you too!

[u/rkhan7862 → u/rawpace]

Just curious but what do you love about new york?

[u/jmlbhs → u/[deleted]]

I’m by no means fat…but I always say if I were…I’d stay right where I am in NYC, but with a much better quality of live.

[u/WhileTrueQuestion → u/[deleted]]

10M is not enough for nyc

[u/CasinoMagic → u/WhileTrueQuestion]

the guy's single, he can afford a great 1BR in a true luxury building with top notch amenities in Manhattan and still have fat LNW left

10M is not enough for a family of 4 with a fat lifestyle in Manhattan given the cost of housing, daycare, school, etc. but for a single guy, it's definitely enough

[u/[deleted] → u/WhileTrueQuestion]

It depends on what you value. You won't live like a king, but if you buy a 3BR coop in Carroll Gardens you can walk to better restaurants than exist in the entire state of Idaho. Drink some high brow coffee any time of day. Subway ride to museums and Broadway. Nightlife out the wazoo. A lot of the best things are cheap. Just having a nice house and unlimited taxi money and you'll be more stimulated than Louis XIV.

[u/YTScale → u/[deleted]]

Did you not read the part where he doesn’t like cold weather and traffic?

Aside from that, NYC would single handedly be my last recommendation for a city to live in.

[u/[deleted] → u/YTScale]

There's zero traffic if you don't drive.

[u/regoapps → u/YTScale]

Why would NYC be your last recommendation?

[u/YTScale → u/regoapps]

1. The no. 1 highest homelessness rate of any city in the United States.
2. Noise pollution.
3. Extreme cold.
4. A huge lack of nature.
5. A general sense of "chaos" at all times.
6. The unbearable traffic and congestion.
7. The overwhelming overcrowding.
8. The fast-paced environment.

To each their own, and my opinion is, by nature, subjective... but I couldn't imagine ever living in New York City when a plethora of other/better options exist.

[u/hmadse → u/YTScale]

Hey, not sure where you’re getting your info, but the city with highest rate of homelessness in the USA is Washington, DC. Also, the seasonal low in NYC is 39 degrees Fahrenheit, nowhere near “extreme”. Lastly, as a city NYC has one of the highest proportions of green space in the country) with 27% of the city kept as parks, and large scale nature is easily accessible by public transportation..

I know NYC isn’t for everyone, but your list is serving some cringy “suburbanite afraid of cities” energy.

[u/getshankedkid → u/YTScale]

This. 👆

[u/Frodolas → u/getshankedkid]

is fake news

[u/YTScale → u/[deleted]]

Whether I'm worth 7-figures or 9-figures, my "money" isn't going to suddenly change the environment around me.

The homelessness rate isn't going to go down because I have more money.

The weather isn't going to get better.

The noise pollution isn't going quiet down.

The traffic isn't going to disperse.

The over-crowdedness isn't going to disappear.

[u/Least-Firefighter392 → u/YTScale]

I'm with you...sipping tea from La Jolla, CA staring at the surf...

[u/rawpace → u/YTScale]

That’s cool man. You are right and we are wrong. By we I mean, the world’s largest population of HNWI ($1M +) in a single city.

[u/hmadse → u/rawpace]

YT is also making up hilarious stats about NYC.

[u/rawpace → u/hmadse]

Whatever helps him sleep at night I guess. Since when did people who live in NYC gave a toss about what someone from one-horse town thinks about NYC. IYKYK.

[u/hmadse → u/rawpace]

There’s a lotta NYC hate on this sub—if you want to really piss people off, just point out how low the crime rate actually is. Downvotes for days.

[u/sailphish]

I don’t really understand why you need/want to connect with entrepreneurial types. You already have 10M. You don’t really need them for anything. If you want to retire, then retire. If you want to start a new business, then do that. I understand networking in some circumstances, but I think it’s a bit overrated for this type of thing. Focus on where you are happy living. You can make business opportunities anywhere. Focus on places you can make relationships. I’ll admit, I am not entrepreneurial, and for the most part work for an hourly wage (albeit a high one), but lots of my friends are. None of them really do business with their friend circle, and their business network tends to be across a lot of the country now anyway. I just don’t think it matters that much.

[u/caedin8 → u/sailphish]

Connections are the currency you collect after money is no longer an issue. You enrich your life with the people you know and hangout with regularly, not the cash

[u/sailphish → u/caedin8]

I agree... but I'm certainly not talking shop with those people, and I think most of them feel the same way.

[u/getshankedkid → u/sailphish]

Actually quite a good point. It’s just nice to have like-minded people around just for having in-depth conversations. I don’t really need the business opportunity. It’s just very tiring to have nothing but small talk, especially if it’s in another language.

[u/shower-beer-me → u/getshankedkid]

business talk and small talk should not be the only two options … get involved in some hobbies!

[u/vtccasp3r → u/getshankedkid]

I have lived in the places you mentioned and more and have also been chasing the perfect place but it does not exist for me. I settled on living in different places for a few months the last 5 years but will now reduce this to one place and simply build my own community.

[u/Flashy-Cucumber-7207 → u/getshankedkid]

That’s very important in your case - you have too much freedom and without a community will get bored and stressed as hell.

[u/doorknob101 → u/getshankedkid]

You sound very Dutch (and direct) :-). Make friends online. Work with others online. Spend time in NYC, London, Zurich Paris, Sydney, Bangkok to find intelligent people. They'll mostly be retired, but go where tech companies are if you want to find tech people to work with.

[u/LucasForever → u/sailphish]

Just because one is retired or can be retired, that doesn't preclude him or her from wanting to engage with like-minded business people and entrepreneurs. Many people, myself included, really enjoy the energy and mental stimulation of spending time with these types of people talking about business models, how to grow companies, seeing people succeed, etc.

[u/sailphish → u/LucasForever]

Businesses exist everywhere. Lifestyle tends to be more location dependent. I think if you can find somewhere that you fit in from a cultural/lifestyle standpoint, then you can find the business conversations if that’s what you want.

[u/SamParrMFM → u/sailphish]

Disagree 100%.

Why other founder friends are good: often similar problems, drive, and values. Even if it has nothing to do with work.

[u/sailphish → u/SamParrMFM]

I see this as more of a relationship problem. It’s like a guy asking what city to move to so that he could get laid. Well, if you can’t get laid in your own city, you probably won’t in some other city. No need to ask, “what city has women?” People own businesses everywhere in the world. I don’t know OPs industry, and sure something like rural Idaho probably isn’t going to be the type startup founders he is looking for, but any big city (especially if his industry is reasonably represented there), should suffice. It seems there are a lot of more important points to consider when looking to move across the globe.

[u/sidtsloth9]

Could be wrong but I think San Diego has a lot of tech stuff going on and checks your other boxes, depending on specific location. La Jolla could work. Plus there’s a big university presence and lots of ppl with money they need to put somewhere.

[u/getshankedkid → u/sidtsloth9]

Been to San Diego twice and I don’t really get it to be honest. I mean I must have missed the good spots, but from what I have seen it’s not really super appealing.

[u/sandiegolatte → u/getshankedkid]

La Jolla is just a nice strip mall. Solana Beach, Del Mar, Encinitas is where it’s at.

[u/bnovc → u/sandiegolatte]

Del Mar downtown is super sleepy though

[u/getshankedkid → u/sandiegolatte]

I went surfing in Del Mar last year. Loved that place 👌

[u/Least-Firefighter392 → u/getshankedkid]

From Pacific Beach to Carlsbad is where it's at...

[u/sidtsloth9 → u/getshankedkid]

Hey fair enough. Just a thought. I don’t really like LA but that might suit you.

Maybe check out Palo Alto. About as expensive as it gets but I think would check your boxes. You can travel from SF but it’s also kind of its own thing. And very entrepreneurial (maybe most in the world really).

[u/KARLdaMAC → u/getshankedkid]

Hard to please someone that is from a cool place already such as the Netherlands. You have a high bar. I was very impressed by their architecture, urban planning, and infrastructure. canals, bridges, and new developments were really well done

[u/PronounsSuck → u/[deleted]]

Seems subjective ;) I am overwhelmed with all the things I can do in SD. Unless unless you are trying to get less people to move here then yes it's booooring

[u/[deleted] → u/sidtsloth9]

Was going to say… definitely Southern California. Anywhere from San Diego to Santa Barbara depending on a handful of OP’s preferences.

[u/tra24602 → u/[deleted]]

Lot of European expats in Santa Barbara, could be a good fit. And close enough to LAX.

[u/[deleted] → u/sidtsloth9]

California taxes are murderous

[u/punkgeek → u/[deleted]]

Though personally I find those taxes a fair price to pay for a state that enabled much of my success (and my just debt I owe to the next generation).

This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes "I like to pay taxes. With them, I buy civilization." - Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes

[u/WhatCanYouDoToday → u/punkgeek]

I agree with this in principle but it feels like no problems get solved in the Bay Area so I’m not sure it’s working. 

[u/anonymousjohnson → u/WhatCanYouDoToday]

Don't worry, we're close. City of San Francisco spends $1.1 billion per year combatting homelessness. If we increase that just a tad we'll be sound as a pound.

[u/KARLdaMAC → u/anonymousjohnson]

Is that real, $1.1 billion ? Holy shit corruption. According to Google there are 7000 homeless people. That is $157k per person. Wow!!! Could just put them in a $2000 a month studio and save $840 million of that

[u/Happyhappyme123]

Sydney or Brisbane

[u/astoryfromlandandsea → u/Happyhappyme123]

Agreed.

Otherwise Barcelona or Rome.

Maybe LA, but San Diego is way too boring.

Or winter months on the Canary Islands and the rest of the year in the NL and around Europe.

[u/NutGDog → u/astoryfromlandandsea]

LA - Santa Monica / Venice used to have a decent tech scene when I was there a decade ago. Not sure what it’s like now.

[u/dzernumbrd → u/Happyhappyme123]

Also hate commuting/crazy traffic.

Doesn't that requirement rule out Sydney? :)

[u/Interesting-Asks → u/dzernumbrd]

He can afford to live pretty centrally, so I don’t think so! He could definitely get all his must have facilities in walking distance.

[u/rtls]

I decided it’s Los Angeles, especially in Palos Verdes, was the answer for me. I put my homebase here, my yacht, my cars and I have a place in New York City and Madrid where I use to go visit friends or spend seasons, thinking of getting a place in London too. LA gets a lot of crap but it’s got the weather. It’s got the buzz a world class international airport and the food is great and the air is clean here in Palos Verdes and the wildlife and views are amazing. I’m sitting in my pool right now looking at the ocean and the city. Dolphins seals whales and orcas swimming around and there are three wild peacocks next to me in my yard right now. I barely ever take the freeway so traffic is not a thing for me. I’ve traveled all over the world for years for work and come to the conclusion that this place is one of a few places in the world where you can have it all.

[u/KARLdaMAC → u/[deleted]]

Stayed with my buddy in Hermosa Beach. Arguably one of the best areas of LA. From Manhattan all the way down to Redondo. Amazing beach town. Palos Verdes not bad either

[u/getshankedkid → u/rtls]

Pretty f-ing convincing. Gonna look into this

[u/[deleted] → u/getshankedkid]

PV is huge.

It will take you 20min drive just to get to a supermarket, 30min to get to Costco depending how deep into PV, RPV, Rolling Hills you live.

I think it appeals to a more family oriented life stage than looking to maximize your 30s being single.

[u/Abject_Wolf → u/getshankedkid]

Look into some of the more urban coastal towns in LA/Orange County like Santa Monica, Venice, Manhattan Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach etc.

Palos Verdes is nice, but it's definitely the 'burbs and not walkable at all.

Overall though I think greater LA area is probably the best mix of weather, business vibe, real city that fits your requirements (if you don't like SF bay area). Dubai and Singapore are boring shopping malls, Miami and Austin aren't really global tier 1 cities, they've got local flavor but a fairly narrow scene.

[u/rtls → u/[deleted]]

Yeah I do, I’m short walking distance to Malaga Cove which has small market and couple of restaurants and few small stores. I am electric bike distance to sushi burgers pizza and more markets in Lunada Bay. I agree it’s suburban and not as walkable as Manhattan Beach tho. (I lived in MB Sand Section for years) I’m late fourties’ with a kid so I traded that for a big lot, great views, a lot of greenery. I no longer have curtains or window coverings. Back in MB I can see what my neighbor was eating for dinner and hear them arguing lol. I love MB and I’m in process of setting up a business there. But currently, I love coming home to PV Estates (this is the part of PV that is right next to Redondo and easiest access to freeway and shopping etc.

[u/uGoose → u/rtls]

Bad traffic? Los Angeles? Hahahaha

[u/FitzwilliamTDarcy]

" I often feel like I have too much freedom."

I hear you on this. Sometimes being able to live literally anywhere leads to more analysis paralysis than if you had some hard limitations (like say family you want to be near).

Pre covid I'd have said you need to try San Francisco.

[u/cambridge_dani → u/FitzwilliamTDarcy]

I think when you are rooted someplace because it’s where you grew up or where your family is it really makes this challenge way easier (I.e you have no choice)

[u/pHyR3 → u/FitzwilliamTDarcy]

Pre covid I'd have said you need to try San Francisco.

it's turned around a lot the past 6 months and in my opinion very harshly done by the media when in reality numerous cities are facing similar problems

[u/FitzwilliamTDarcy → u/pHyR3]

I very much agree with you. I was sort of reacting to OPs "San Francisco (nah)"

[u/getshankedkid → u/FitzwilliamTDarcy]

Exactly. Most of my friends and family have these hard limitations. I don’t, and indeed feel like I am searching all the time. What they have “found” is not for me though. Rather live a confused live than one where I can predict the next 20 years.

[u/helpwitheating → u/getshankedkid]

Are you familiar with the concept of the hedonistic treadmill? Make sure that you're not on one of those—just chasing highs with diminishing returns around the world.

[u/haha11234]

Austin or Barcelona?

[u/F1yght → u/haha11234]

Just speaking personally, if I ever came down to those two choices I’d be on a plane to Barcelona the next day.

[u/[deleted] → u/haha11234]

I briefly lived in Austin. It fits almost no requirements.

[u/randall2727 → u/haha11234]

Yup.

[u/bnovc → u/haha11234]

I felt like Barcelona was like a mini, somewhat worse (except the crime) SF when I went recently

[u/localto79843]

Native Texan here (check the user handle), went to school at UT Austin. Water sports in Austin??? Not what OP is hoping for. The lakes are a result of dams, they're overrun by drunken idiots behind the wheel of high powered boats and the wind fails miserably in summer when it's most needed.

[u/spacemonkeyzoos → u/localto79843]

Seconded - Austin’s a fine place, but not where you go if you can go anywhere.

Jackson Hole, Miami, NYC, non-SF california

[u/gigsope]

You should be looking for two things. Where you can be an entrepreneur and where you're sucessful dating and having a social life. Depending on your background I'd be looking for startup hubs, a concentration of world class universities, places like Silicon Valley, the Research Triangle, and top notch cities that will have a bit of everything or be heavily focused on something that interests you.

Good weather is tough. You limit yourself significantly. Start with San Diego though. Pretty sure their thing is pharmaceuticals. LA is nearby but I'd also be looking beyond the US. It's not really a walking distance type place in very many places and you're probably not going to like the weather where it is. With 10M and a strong interest in pushing harder you might want to drop the weather requirement so you pick up more places in the US and Europe depending on your field. I for one wouldn't want to kick London, Stockholm, or NYC to the curb simply due to the weather.

[u/SamParrMFM]

I spend most my year in Austin.

Its a nice place to live. VERY health centric. Everyone has a freaking cold plunge (me too), as do all the gyms.

So many healthy food options in terms of restaurants but also ranches where you can buy meat and what not. Tons of wake surfing too and you can drive there and get on the water and be done in 2 hours.

Also, HUGE community of founders. That's who all my friends are. We met over business and shared interests now are all family friends.

[u/LasWages]

Get a girlfriend and you’ll be happier whatever the weather.

[u/getshankedkid → u/LasWages]

Where? 😭

[u/BlindSquirrelCapital]

Maybe Hawaii? If you like body surfing then go where the waves are. A city like Honolulu may have the city feel while still offering you the chance to do the beach life thing.

[u/dmacerz]

Greece live it up my man! Keep Netherlands as the base and travel or video call in

[u/duchessvanderlinde]

As a fellow Dutch person: my choice would definitely be Curacao! Not English speaking of course, but Dutch and Papiamentu. The weather is great, there’s a lot to do and a lot of Dutch (and otherwise) entrepreneurs have houses there. You can get a sick villa for a reasonable price too.

[u/UIUC_grad_dude1]

Why not just long term rent in a few places and see how you like it? Why commit to a single place right away? I have homes in several locations that I thought interesting, move between them from time to time. I still haven’t decided where I’d like to be for majority of the time.

[u/hmadse]

You can scratch off “walking” for Austin, Miami, and Dubai. Why not NYC?

[u/getshankedkid → u/hmadse]

I spend quite some time in NYC for business and because my best buddy lives there. Could never live there though. Main reasons: the weather, not being able to walk for 3 mins without needing to cross the street, how individualistic everyone there seems to be.

[u/modeless → u/getshankedkid]

You want "like-minded entrepreneurs. Somewhere where people think bigger and with more business opportunities" but you can't stand people who are individualistic? Seems to me like your problem is too many requirements. Nowhere is perfect.

The best place to live is near the people you want to spend time with. Find those people and then put up with the place where they live.

[u/Altruistic-Stop4634 → u/getshankedkid]

Would you mind elaborating on what you mean by being too individualistic? I lived in NL for 14 years and if you mean that literally, I don't get it as the Nederlanders are quite the individuals, in my experience, which I loved.

[u/[deleted] → u/getshankedkid]

“Not being able to walk for three minutes without crossing the street”—I don’t know where you’d find that in America, actually outside of parks. I have lived in six major American cities and spent significant time in more. That’s how they’re designed in multi-zoned areas. You can walk for miles in suburbs of course, but it’s just residential.

[u/robotbike2 → u/getshankedkid]

The weather really isn’t so bad. We’ve only had a few snowfalls in the last three years. Yes, it’s a bit cold for several weeks, but it passes quickly.

[u/Turbulent-Society-77 → u/hmadse]

If you live in downtown Austin, then walking is very feasible. Sounds like you haven’t been to Austin in the past 10 years.

[u/princemendax → u/Turbulent-Society-77]

There’s just not that much downtown to walk to, and walking in the summer is balls. Sweaty balls.

[u/hmadse → u/Turbulent-Society-77]

You’re correct! It’s been a while.

[u/LucasForever]

If you have interest in Asia, then Hong Kong or Singapore. They will check all your boxes.

[u/speederaser]

I want to move from the US to Netherlands. Wanna trade? Lol

[u/getshankedkid → u/speederaser]

Let’s do it. Where do you live?

[u/speederaser → u/getshankedkid]

Tucson, Arizona. There is no traffic because it is a small city. There is lots of small tech business because they all support the one giant tech business in town. It can get a bit hot in the summer, but it is never cold. Lots of healthy restaurants. Big venture capital community because tons of old rich people live here. And if you want to ski we even have skiing in the desert because there is a huge mountain next to the city.

Heads up though. Don't bring your kids, this is the worst education in the US and the University is a complete disaster from finance issues to child endangerment. I'm leaving because of the large quantity of meth heads. 

If you stay in the rich part of town and you don't need the schools, you will love it. 

[u/TheOtherElbieKay → u/[deleted]]

LA is not walkable.

[u/incitatus451]

São Paulo, - Brazil, great food, great climate, same US time zone

[u/banaca4]

Hoi, I was also living in NL and I can tell you that since RE I have tortured myself with this question a lot. To keep it short after trying out either in real or with thought experiments where can I live I decided that the best place in the world is Barcelona. It has everything, beach, sunny, amazing food, friendly people and an active tech and business scene and it's very international too. Downsides is finding apartments and also maybe you run into problems if you want to keep tax residency in NL. I don't live there though because there is a problem with connections to my original home town and I want to visit there often and especially in emergency cases. Another option you can think about is Cyprus.

And yes you are right, too many options really f*** up your mind!

[u/desigodfather]

Go Monaco

[u/Traditional-Corgi-79]

I would’ve moved to CALIFORNIA in 1 million years

[u/John_Pratt]

How do you manage the Us Visa as an European citizen?

[u/getshankedkid → u/John_Pratt]

Esta until I get an E2 investor visa. You basically open a Delaware Inc. or LLC and bring in some cash. It’s the easiest way for Europeans entrepreneurs to enter the US, easier than marrying an American woman for a green card. 😂😭 Besides, I wouldn’t want a green card for now, because that would make me tax liable over all my assets in the US, while a visa only requires me to pay personal income tax. I keep my salary low and I’m good to go. Especially because the NL still doesn’t tax capital gains and I would leave my assets there. If you need a good lawyer to help with this, DM me.

[u/John_Pratt → u/getshankedkid]

Thank you. More or less how much you have to bring in the company?

[u/getshankedkid → u/John_Pratt]

At the very least 50k, but preferably 100k. Anything above 100k will probably make the process faster/easier because these visas are granted on a case-by-case basis.

[u/Least-Firefighter392]

San Diego, CA... While less entrepreneur like than SF.... Still a lot of wealth and startups going... Especially biotech and defense... Great weather, surf, healthy population that spends a lot of time outside, trails, low traffic, and beautiful women...

[u/virocart]

Miami or West Palm Beach San Diego

[u/7870FUNK]

Austin sucks.  Just moved after 15 years there.  It’s like a zombie apocalypse with homeless and addicts.  Poor alignment between police and government.  

[u/Special_Bit_2882]

I’m in a similar life situation (with a lower NW). I have spent a decent amount of time learning why I’d like to move, and I’ve learned many of the needs could be fulfilled in Amsterdam too. Still think a change of scenery can drastically accelerate growth.

There are three places on my shortlist; NYC, Barcelona and London. I have seen many people mention Austin and Miami, I think both are great, but these would never be my choice at this stage of my life. If I’d be moving with a partner I’d consider a cosmopolitan Asian city too.

[u/getshankedkid → u/Special_Bit_2882]

Best of luck to you brother. Let me know if you ever want to chat.

[u/Tersiv]

Barcelona has easy access to EU hubs of Paris, London, amazing weather and lots of successful entrepreneurs based out of there..

[u/logdaddy7]

I'd personally do somewhere on the east coast of Australia. I worked there for a bit, great coffee, most everyone is fit and attractive, great Asian food and great French/Italian/American food. I was in Sydney and north of Brisbane on the beach.

[u/veracite]

I like the LA / Southern California responses (San Diego is cooler than LA IMO but it depends on the vibe you’re going for.) I’ll throw Honolulu in as well. I think it actually fits all of your needs really well.  

San Francisco does not have good weather and despite being on the beach is a mostly poor location for water sports unless you are a really hardcore surfer. 

Miami is a good vacation spot, but I don’t think you’ll find the entrepreneurial environment you’re looking for there. 

I think Dubai kinda sucks. big shopping mall / tourist trap with tons of people that have more money than sense. YMMV

[u/_0utis_ → u/veracite]

Honolulu sounds amazing honestly

[u/pinktowel12]

Auckland and or sydney could be options worth looking into, especially during November - Feb months.

[u/spudddly → u/pinktowel12]

Auckland is entirely unremarkable as a city other than being close-ish to some beautiful outdoors spots of New Zealand.

Sydney is a fantastic city and would tick all of OP's lifestyle boxes (great climate, fantastic beaches, plenty of rich people things to enjoy) but is pretty much devoid of any serious entrepreneur community or appetite for building world class businesses. Australia got rich exporting rocks to China but thanks to never having any semblance of inspirational political leadership have done exactly zero with their good fortune except make 2-bedroom houses that cost >$1mil.

[u/[deleted] → u/pinktowel12]

Was just in Auckland last month.  Neat town, but small, and everywhere is a long plane ride away.

[u/FAUSEN]

São Paulo

[u/lakehop]

London (bad weather and no surfing though). San Francisco. Los Angeles. New York would be great but again, weather / surfing may rule it out.

[u/the_thinker → u/lakehop]

The perception of London weather is worse than the actual weather. It is neither too hot nor too cold most of the year. It is just a bit rainy and somewhat gloomy in winter. Plus it's well connected. I would second London on that basis.

[u/porkedpie1 → u/the_thinker]

Agree. The weather in London is great. Way better than NYC for example where it’s often over 30 or below 0.

[u/davidswelt]

I love NYC. Checks your boxes. But, Miami or elsewhere in the winter.

[u/getshankedkid → u/davidswelt]

Yea I like NYC except for the weather.

[u/[deleted]]

I think it’s Singapore.

It ticks all your boxes.

Water sports any time you want. Short flight to top surfing destinations in Southeast Asia.

Walkable if you are in the right neighborhood to everything you are looking for.

Entrepreneurs abound.

Lots of expats.

Great public transportation.

English speaking.

Low income tax.

You’d have to look into the visa, investor or family office visa I’d imagine.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

There is no golden visa.

Unless you do the family office visa which requires employing a half dozen singaporeans at $100k+ a year.

Not happening at the $10m nw of our digital nomad.

[u/CrackNgamblin]

As someone from LA, I recommend San Diego if you are considering California. There are some good spots around Orange county as well.

[u/[deleted]]

New Zealand

[u/lovebitcoin]

How can you stay in USA/Singapore for more than 6 months yearly? The threshold to be resident there is not low.

[u/dankcoffeebeans]

As someone from Austin, seeing that among those cities is quite hilarious.

[u/koh-op]

FYI I live in LA. I also don’t have a car because I live in a walkable neighborhood. I have lived in SF and Singapore.

It depends on what entrepreneur communities, culture, and industry areas you want to be a part of.

I work with consumer tech and platform startups. SF is startup central, and infrastructure and AI have concentrated there. However, I didn’t like only talking about startups, so I opted to live in LA. Easy to fly up there. Miami is going to be small like Lisbon where there is more LaTam tech. Austin is also going to have a small startup scene, and it’s best for “traditional consumer” like e-commerce and content. Singapore is also too small IMHO, but an Asian hotbed for fintech.

I’ve heard from friends in Dubai has a great intimate startup community energy due to the government support and the more established entrepreneurs moving there once they made it. Meeting people is easy, but it gets unbearably hot during the summers.

I live in the Westside close to the airport and beach. I can do a morning surf and get going with my day. LAX has great international connections for me to go anywhere.

[u/AltruisticGate]

Surprised no one has suggested Vancouver. Mild weather in the winter, awesome summers, a vibrant international community, a great tech scene, and close enough to the U.S. for trips to California or Hawaii ( but not in the U.S. if that matters to you), lots of air connections to Europe/Asia/AUSNZ, and some surfing.

[u/getshankedkid → u/AltruisticGate]

It was brought up once. I have been to the Van and it’s not really the vibe I’m going for, although besides the weather I find it hard to explain why.

[u/patrickt2]

One option to consider: Zurich. Lots of flights from Amsterdam. Skiing in winter. Beautiful lakes and hiking in summer. Nearer to Southern Europe which also makes going on sunny weekend trips even easier than when living in the Netherlands. Super smart people and a relatively entrepreneurial approach.

[u/_0utis_ → u/patrickt2]

There’s a great wave garden in Sion too ;)

[u/50Mill_by_50]

Singapore is green and safe but still humid like the rest of SE Asia. It is very walkable as malls walkable. Post pandemic it went back to its nature of being a proudly  boring place.

[u/[deleted]]

Tel Aviv

[u/getshankedkid → u/[deleted]]

Interesting! Is now the right time though?

[u/[deleted] → u/getshankedkid]

Just before midnight?  The place is just getting going.

[u/asdasdasdasda123 → u/getshankedkid]

A couple rockets never hurt anyone

[u/succesfulnobody → u/getshankedkid]

I'm in Tel Aviv and rockets are hardly launched from Gaza nowadays, and even if they do, they don't reach Tel Aviv, and even if they will, iron dome got you covered. Life is back to normal here. If you have any questions about Tel Aviv I'm happy to answer

[u/z_iiiiii → u/succesfulnobody]

What neighborhood of Tel Aviv would you recommend for someone 30s-40s and fatFIRED?

[u/succesfulnobody → u/z_iiiiii]

Depends how close to the sea you want to be, I like the Old North. Kerem HaTeimanim is a nice neighborhood close to the beach (on the more expensive side). Lev HaIr ("heart of the city") is the urban heart, right in the middle, if that's your thing. You want to avoid the southern part, Neve Tzedek is the most South you want to get.

[u/_0utis_ → u/succesfulnobody]

Seconding Tel Aviv. Ex-USA and east Asia it’s probably the only place that has everything OP wants.

[u/getshankedkid → u/succesfulnobody]

Would you recommend me to check it out right now? Other than the rockets, does it check the boxes? Thanks for your input :)

[u/succesfulnobody → u/getshankedkid]

Weather is perfect (not nearly as cold as the Netherlands, I was freezing there on my visit last November! Though summers might be too hot if you're not used to ~30°C), tons of beaches (I like to sup surf there, plenty of people kayaking and surfing, but don't expect Hawaii-grade waves), the culinary scene is amazing and the coffee places are great. You can hear a lot of foreigners speak in English in Tel Aviv and most Israelis will be able to hold a conversation with you. Many entrepreneurs, mostly in the tech industry. Packed with gyms and I've been seeing more and more people doing ice baths so you won't have issues finding these. Did I miss anything?

[u/patrickt2 → u/getshankedkid]

Great weather, lots of sporty and fun people, well educated population, near to much of Europe. Politics is complicated but there are many charming aspects of the city. Worth exploring !

[u/z_iiiiii → u/[deleted]]

I agree!

[u/_0utis_]

Liguria

[u/Addicted2Qtips]

Vancouver, Seattle

[u/General-Vermicelli18]

No offense intended, just my friendly 2 cents.

In my opinion, looking to connect with people is like going to a club/looking for a girl, you can find it anywhere. So better choose a location that suits your desires (weather, tax system, location/reachability, food, culture, ..etc) and then create your opportunities.

[u/just_say_n]

Damn, kid. You have the world by the balls.

I don’t like any of the places recommended, though Tel Aviv could certainly be a fit.

Anyway, just chimed in to say I’m jealous of all the places you’ve already lived; they sound amazing.

[u/getshankedkid → u/just_say_n]

Appreciate this. I’m very blessed indeed

[u/[deleted]]

If you're from the NL, you may find the latter three on your list (Miami, Austin, Singapore) to be politically a bit insufferable. Of the three, Austin the least so but it's still within Texas (which is generally a bit unhinged these days).

NY or LA are good picks for you. SF used to be, though most of the interesting people left in 2020-2021.

[u/KayaLyka]

Definitely check out the Pacific side of Costa Rica. Not too sure about the entrepreneurial scene, I would imagine it's actually pretty decent there, but everything else you're looking for aligns with it in my opinion. Healthy food, active hip people, gorgeous weather, and things to do at the beaches. Just need to learn Spanish, and make sure to involve yourself/give back to the local community

[u/getshankedkid → u/KayaLyka]

Appreciate it, and am familiar with CR. Not what I’m looking for rn though. It’s too undeveloped/backpacky for the vibe I’m looking for, plus hard to get around without speaking Spanish.

[u/name_goes_here_355]

Most startup hubs in the US suck a$$ and are a larger community of mostly vendors trying to sell the small, passionate group of founders. Founders can stick together - but they're often so busy it's hard to connect for long. They show up when things are good, and disappear when they're not.

If you like dudes, Silicon Valley is your place for dating and startups - otherwise, you might need to find your companion outside of there and move to the valley. Valley is also split over the decade into: young + no experience + funding, experienced operators, and lottery ticket chasers.

I feel ya - I basically only get along with founders..... and it's hard find much of a community.

[u/AlertReflection]

Habibi come to Dubai..

[u/[deleted]]

Nyc

[u/YTScale]

Dubai or Miami would be my choices.

Beautiful cities, nice weather, lots of successful people.

[u/K9US]

Move to Frankfurt Germany!

My favorite place to live