Making money from the internet is supposed to be a global industry. However, online commerce for the most part centres around one part of the world in particular, North America (or even more specifically the USA). Online retailers, advertising networks and all the support services that enable us to make money online concentrate on the US first and the rest of us somewhere on a sliding scale behind. As far as currencies go the US dollar rules the roost. You may be able to find networks that will pay in your local currency (after being converted from USD) but the number of networks and vendors out there that will let you earn in your native currency is going to be very limited. Generally speaking most of us are slaves to the US Dollar – Our Currency exchange rates.
I’ve been getting a feeling of wanderlust recently. I’ve lived in the same house now for 6 years, that’s longer than anywhere I’ve ever stayed before. With John Cow heading to Australia it got me thinking around to if we (the Mrs, daughter and I) were to go anywhere where would it be? A big part of this equation would be how much bang could I get for my buck. Obviously there is the quality of life issue and infrastructure as well, I aint going to no war zones even for the increased spending power! When thinking about our requirements these were the top 5 countries I could think of from where to make money online:-
1. Australia. A nice exchange rate relative to the cost of living and lots of sun! It’s a very safe country, has great telecoms infrastructure, they speak English (I’m very lazy with languages, I’ve got no excuses!) and the entry requirements are quite stringent. ProBlogger Darren Rowse seems to make an OK living based in Australia, in fact the only bad thing for me would be the spiders, I don’t do spiders. As an added bonus looking at current property prices and exchanges rates we could sell our house and quite easily buy a nice 4 bedroom villa property with a pool and still have enough money in the bank to live for 12 months without having to earn a penny. Come to think of it why are we still here?!
2. Canada. Yes the exchange rate has got worse (I think this is a general thing as the dollar has weakened against just about every world currency in recent times) but it’s still a great place to base yourself. Excellent and affordable communications and the fact you’re in the same times zones as the US makes it a winner. Housing isn’t that expensive and the cost of living from what I’ve heard is very affordable. The only bad thing I’ve heard about Canada (from a friend who recently returned after living there for several years) was that the people are about as cold as the weather. This shouldn’t be too much of a problem as I’d be spending most of my time locked in a dark cupboard working anyway. Besides John Chow seems friendly enough. They also don’t drink that much, maybe they wouldn’t let me in the country? Then again I have lots of Canadian family. One useless fact is that on of my relatives was one of the very first members of The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, one of these (I’ll dig out his name from my dad later):-
The initial force, commanded by Colonel George Arthur French, set out from Fort Dufferin, Manitoba, on July 8, 1874, on a march to what is now Alberta. The group comprised 22 officers, 287 men
3. Thailand. If you’ve never been then you should go, tomorrow. Thailand has everything you could possibly want, excellent communications, brilliant weather, a cost of living that makes earning in US Dollars an absolute pleasure and some of the happiest people I’ve ever had the pleasure to deal with. House prices are on the up for a very good reason. I’ve got a few friends who live out in Thailand, many who have lived all around the world and it says a lot that none of them would choose to live anywhere else. In terms of making money online you wouldn’t have to earn more than $1500-$2000 a month to live a very nice life out in Thailand. The only thing I wouldn’t be sure of is just how family friendly it would be, but then again that could just be some prejudice on my behalf.
So that’s my top 3 places, I’m fairly sure that once our daughter finishes school we’ll be making our way to one or the other. What about you, how do you find making money online where you live, how much do you get for your dollars, do you have reliable telecoms/net access, are you taxed out of existence, what’s the quality of life like? I’m open to all ideas so let me know.
ps I should probably tell you about where I live. At today’s exchanges rates $1 will buy me about 48p. If I was to go and fill up my car it would cost me £1.17 a LITRE for petrol. A loaf of bread is about £1.13 and a pint of milk is 53p. Our most recent 3 month electricity bill was £200 and gas heating comes in at around £250 for 2 months. For a basic unrestricted 2meg ADSL line its £30 a month. Basic electrical supplies from local retailers are roughly twice those of the UK. In short the cost of living is hugely expensive and it suffers worse than just about anywhere else in terms of the current US currency problems. The weather is crap with it being cold (but not cold enough for snow) and rain for 8 months of the year. It has a government that offers low rates of personal income tax on one hand (10% lower and 18% higher) but counteracts this by setting up monopolies for all life’s essentials such as the bread and milk and having VAT (at 17.5%) on goods. Even local food products like beef costs more in our local shops than when it is exported because “we’ll put up with it”. If you want to travel anywhere in the world you need to take the costs of flights from the UK and then add on an average of £200 per person. What I’m really trying to say here is that if you’re in the business of earning a living in US Dollars, like the idea of travelling for your work then I would seriously doubt if there is a worse place to live than the Isle of Man. If I haven’t put you of yet then great, get here as soon as you can! You’ll just need about £200,000 ($400,000) to buy yourself a nice small 3 bed semi which looks like it’s been made of cardboard. If you like the idea of the tax savings then there’s no need to move here, we welcome foreign investors (just remember the more money you have the fewer questions will be asked)!
7 Responses to “Top 3 Countries From Where To Make Money Online”
Robert Nabloid
September 27, 2009
LOL. Canada is very diverse. Depending on what area you visit your view on what the country is like can be EXTREMELY different. It’s a biiigg country.
The people are super friendly. Not cold at all! Where was your friend, Toronto? LOL. (Most Canadians hate Toronto and find those residents to be cold as well, BTW). Toronto DOES NOT equal Canada. It’s just one city (and a stuck up one). The rest of Canada is pretty friendly.
The weather sucks. That’s #1 reason to avoid living here (though areas of BC never have bad weather (not by Canadian standards, lol, though they still complain once in a while. We just laugh at them.)) and can get very little snow, if any. Taxes are starting to come down. Economy is as solid as anywhere. Banking system is the best in the world (they are super conservative and don’t get into trouble). We are rich in natural resources and have a beautiful diverse landscape. We are a very “connected” (to the internet) country. In 1996, I honestly didn’t know ANYONE in my city who didn’t have internet… Not a single person. That wasn’t the case in all cities, though, obviously.
Oh, and the drinking comment… not true. Canadian beer is stronger than American and we drink tons of it. Honestly, I don’t know where your friend was… but it sure wasn’t anywhere in Canada I’ve been (and I’ve been all over!).
Cost of living in some parts is VERY high, higher than most US areas… I live in an area that has a higher per capita income than anywhere else in the world (except DC). But Canada also has poor areas too… Some areas have good cost of living, some not. Some areas are new, some are old. Some are booming, some are stagnant. Some areas are filled with young, some with the old. Regional differences exist and you need to do a search on a specific area. YOu can’t just decide Canada versus Thailand versus Australia… You have to literally specify what area of Canada, or it is a COMPLETELY different set of experiences. Weather, people, cost of living, culture, outdoor activities, local rec, economy, etc, all vary sooo much. I can’t stress it enough.
It’s like the states, the mid west is different than the west coast which is different from the east coast, which is different from the south…
If you’re going to move anywhere, pick an area with a stable government, great economy, good people and a nice climate. Somewhere safe. A place for your family to make a life.
I’d suggest looking at Western Canada (when comparing Canada to the other options). If you want a nice area with very little or NO snow… it would have to be the coast. Either Vancouver Island (it’s nice), or somewhere along the coast in BC. It can snow ONCE in a while, but most times the weather is pretty tame. If you just want an awesome booming economy, then anywhere in western Canada (BC or Alberta (ie, Calgary)). Then compare it to the area in Australia or Thailand you’re interested in. Weigh out the options. You’ll make a good decision.
I think I can speak for most people when I say, AUSTRALIA would be neat. Thailand is a nice place to visit, but living there is another story. Yes, cost of living is cheap, but cost-of-living is cheap most areas of the globe. You could just as easily choose the Caribbean, Bahama’s, Barbados, Cayman Islands, etc, or one of those areas where the rich go to play (and the tax havens aren’t a bad idea).
|Nick Pettit
May 23, 2010
Canada is great. People are great.
|Nick Pettit [Domainfortune.ws]