Well, the cost requirement is fine everywhere except maybe Rio/Sao Paulo. And certainly most everywhere is pretty weed friendly besides maybe Chile. So you haven't narrowed it down much.

OH! Really?
I like all the post above and found its informative for me. I am here to gain all the knowledge as much as i can.
Thanks to all and please update your reviews continuously.

is anybody able to make one of these for Taiwan?

Surprised no one did this one.

Cluj-Napoca / Romania
Local - 26 years of this... fml.

Cost of Living - 10 - Depends on where you're coming from. A lowstakes RB nit would be in heaven. Anyone winning over 1000 USD/month is good. Obv. more the moneys, more the fun.
- A decent 3 BD app rates from 400$ to 600$/month , no electrical, gas, tv, internet included. They are close to 200$ for such an appartment (if you live alone - which is stupid ) off course this is not in midtown. The nice thing is that the city is smallish sizewise... a 1 hour walk kinda gets you anywhere worth going.
- Buses are available from 5 AM to 11 PM at 1 Eur to anywhere, cab rides are expensive imo... but like I said the city is rather small... so 2-3 eur cab rides are common.
- Food is really good(you can easly go on eating sprees... yeah...) Costwise I really can't say... if you make it yourself it's really cheap. I don't go all that much to restaurants... but as a reference a pizza is like 4-5 eur(local food is cheaper).
- So if you live with a roomie and don't go on restaurant sprees you'll manage with 500-600 $/month... nightlife not included.

Recreation - 9 - Not that many museums... but who needs them as you are in a region of Europe filled with history - more than 300 castles in Transilvania. The city is 1000 years old with all kinds of buildings... most of them shops, coffe houses and pubs nowdays... but hey why not have while visiting?
Winter - Ski resorts nearby, even one like 2 km close to the city... a really small one, but larger such resorts can be found 1 hour away from the city.
Summer - Most students go home or on vacation, but there's enough of partying going on, and festivals going on. The only downside is that the nearest sea is like 600 km away... but really... who wants to stay in the city during the summer?
Hiking, climbing, camping, availible anywhere. The city is situated close to the Carpathian Mountains, lots of going around into the wilderness, one of the last wildernesses left in Europe, get it before they cut the rake from the forests )

- Nightlife: Yes ! Cluj-Napoca is an university center with over 150000 non local students who party all night long. The most common establishment in the city are churches(available for redemption for all the crazy s.it you did last night...) and pubs/bars/clubs... during the week there are some places to party but from friday to monday morning it's a madhouse: the streets are filled with young hot babes during the day, which fill the clubs during the night. A beer is like 1-2 eur, music is good, drugs are available; all in all a perfect combination for a great night you won't remember .
- Separate section for the girls: one of the hottest girls in the world(tall, small, petites, brunetes, blondes, redheads... blues ) , all too your hearts desire)... you really have to be looking for the ugly ones . Escorts and such are available if you are looking for such a thing, but imo if you are a foreigner and have moneys for cocktails and such and you can make conversation like ... it's raining outside(though there isn't a cloud in the sky) you have no need for escorts.

How Scary? - 7 Safe during the day, no probs, during the night there are alot of drunkies... so naturally alot of fighting goes on, but if you're not looking for it, it won't be looking for you either.
- Police is not so corrupt as Thailand or anything like that, usually they give you a pass if you don't knock somebody senseless on the boardwalk. Nobody cares about weed and such unless you plan on increasing your winrate by selling such things

Poker Playing :
1. Live Games: - 5 -There are 2 legal poker casinos with games ranging from NL25 to NL600... I dunno how big is the rake, but there are a ton of whales going around, you just have to be a good boyscout and take their moneys... they don't need it either way . Some small MTTs - 30-200$ buy in, and some private cash games which are available if you know the right persons(illegal off course, but nobody cares so far...). However the live poker market is growing and I won't be surprised to see this city become one off the poker centers in Eastern Europe somehwere in the future.

2. Online Games: - 10 - The internet connection in Romania is godlike, one of the first 3 countries in the world in that respect. You can play on the site of your choosing, everything is legal. From what I gather the sites are the ones that are paying the taxes... I haven't heard off anyone paying taxes out off their own pockets so far, even though the law states that any>180$ revenue/day will be taxed ... but perhaps I dunno so many people :P.

Easy to get here? - 7 - For non EU zone people I honestly dunno, for EU it's easy, we be neighbours . You can stay as much as you like.
- There is an international Airport available... for longer flights you should reroute via Budapest.

All in all this is a great (more cold, with no ocean, in EU) version of thailand, clean, lotta fun and friendly palce. As long as you don't care about the most corrupt Government in Europe, you're all good ).

Cheers !

Country: Brazil
City: SÃO PAULO

Cost of Living - 5/10 - To live here is kind of expensive. São Paulo is the biggest city in the south hemisphere, there are 14 millions habitants here, but there is a lot of apartments/flats to buy or rent. Eating is the worse, the restaurants are very expensive here, but the food is quite of amazing, there are food from everywhere, brazillian food, sea food, japanese food, us food, and some european plates too. Metro and Bus are not expensive...its like 1 euro.

Recreation - 9/10 - There is a full range of activities from night life, we don't have any beaches like Rio de Janeiro, but we can compare São Paulo to New York. We are the city that never sleeps in the south. There are A LOT of nightclubs open all days in the week, in all styles, but some of them are expensive...like 50 euros. If you are younger search for universities parties, they are awesome, beautiful chicks, not expensive and OPEN BAR! talking about Bar, there are maybe more then 1.500 pubs and bars, this city is crazy at night.

How Scary? - 7/10 - Well, watch out when you visit not just São Paulo, but any city in Brazil. São Paulo as a big city is kinda dangerous at night, don't walk alone at night, don't use metros or bus at night...only taxis. By the day the only problem is the traffic, if you are planning to rent a car be prepared to stay some hours at the traffic, and we have a big number of traffic crimes. Another tip, try to look like a native (no, Im not talking about skin collor, cause here we are not all black), cause if people see that you are a 'gringo' (tourist) they r going to explore you and your money.

Poker Playing - 9/10 - Perfect! Online scene is normal, all softwares are legal to play and the government doesn't care at all, the internet is pretty good down here, I have 30mb and pay like 40 euros per month, but 10mb is ok.
Live scene is even better, in São Paulo we have every year LAPT (main event+side events), 3 BSOP (Brazillian Series Of Poker, main event+side events), CPH (Circuito Paulista Hold'em, is like the stadual official tournament) and we have like 4 big clubs in São Paulo that offers cash games 1/ 2 - 5/5 and omaha 5/10, and off course a nice schedule of reg tournaments. (50+R, 150+R,250, 350, 800)* REAIS = brazillian currency.

PS. we play in poker clubs cause casinos are not allowed here. But there is no difference, poker clubs are not illegal.

How Easy to Get There and Stay There? - 8/10
in terms of flights, is easy. São Paulo has a big airport (Guarulhos), far from the center but its ok. You can find a flight to São Paulo in every big city and medium citys in the world (and to go to anywhere in Brazil, you have to make connection in São Paulo). In terms of VISA I cant really tell, but I think for US citizens it's getting easier as US and Brazil made some agreements on VISA stuffs, for European I can't really tell, I just know that for Spanish are getting harder, because of country conflicts.

Girls? - 10/10
do I really need to talk about girls in Brazil? they are simply amazing! best bodies, gorgeous! You go to a brazillian beach and see the brazillian girls using bikinis and then come talk to me....true story.

Most would want for Taipei, but the best I can do is for Kaoshiung, which is Taiwan's second biggest city found in South Taiwan.

I lived there from 8/11 - 6/13

Cost of Living - 8/10 - You can get a decent apartment for $250 U.S. and a more modern 2 BR with small office for around $500, a total baller pad for $800. Food is very cheap and can eat off street for a dollar or two. Western food is around 7 bucks for a meal. Drinking is expensive at bars from around $3 -5 for a beer or other drink.

Recreation - 7/10 - If you like the outdoors it may be higher as there are tons of mountains to climb and other nature based stuff, in and outside of Kaoshiung. Kenting is within two hours and there are nice beaches there. There are modern malls with movies and other distractions.

Safety - 10/10 - You could pin hundred dollar bills on your shirt and walk around Kaoshiung at night without an issue. The biggest issue is bike theft.

Nightlife - 5/10 - This was tough for me as I was a teacher at an international school and when I went to clubs I would run into students so I avoided this scene. The clubs are more geared towards the 18 - 22 year old crowd. There are tons of small bars with western and local themes. IMO is a little boring overall.

Live Poker - 9/10 - There is an underground poker scene that is 99% local players, but foreigners are welcome if you have the right introduction. There are 25-50, 100-200, 200-400 NT games about 5 nights a week in rotating locations. I played almost the whole time there with no worries. They even extend credit after you have played awhile, which was not good for me as spew when on tilt. The level of play is decent and the players are tight. Nice looking dealers in crazy locations out of a Bond movie, like in the back of clubs in rooms that must be entered by book cases. I can't comment about online poker as I didn't play much, but I fired a few freerolls on Carbon with no problem. Internet is really good, so no worries there.

Girls - 7/10 - There are a lot of cute Taiwanese girls, but they all Hello Kitty types and I find them annoying, plus the chance of a jungle is 95%. A Taiwanese 9 or 10 is pretty darn hot though, but the top-notch locals have their attention, unless you're a complete high roller with strong game.

Bud - .25/10 - This is Taiwans biggest downfall. Its there, but bad quality, hard to find and ridico cost (I bought once for 5 grams of crap for $180).

Ease of Travel - 9.5/10 You really need a scooter/moto in Kaoahiung imo, but there is a nice metro that takes you to the top spots. Taiwans HSR is awesome and you can get to Taichung and Taipei very quickly. Getting to Kenting is easy on a shuttle. Taxis are cheap too.

Getting to Hong Kong and SE Asia is very easy from Kaoshiung.

I would for sure live back there, but I was working FT and I think a FT poker player may get bored after awhile, unless they have something else going on.

Looking forward to visiting in May or June, if anyone wants to shoot down from Taipei to play in the live games, send me off a PM. The organizers of the games here are connected to the games in Taipei/Taichung so there is live play to be found on the island and its legit not scammy at all, but there were reported busts the time I was there in Taipei, so there is a risk , but I think very minimal in Kaoshiung as there was highly connected people all over the game...

Barcelona, Spain
First hand experience: Lived there for 6 weeks

Cost of Living - 3: Slightly cheaper than Madrid, which means that it's still one of the cheaper big cities in Western Europe.

Recreation - 10: You want to do it, Barcelona has it. Due to noise ordinance laws, the major nightclubs are located outside of the city center and they are quite pricey and crowded. If not that, then the beach is awfully close by.

Safety - 7: Barcelona is regarded as the pickpocketing capital of the world. There are over 300 thefts reported to the police a day in the city. Given the economic turmoil, pickpocketing and petty theft has seen a small surge in most of Spain. Violent crime is rather low, but little effort is required to obtain illicit drugs and prostitutes at night.

Poker - 4. I posted the story with the **** online poker scene. The .es site has nothing beyond NLHE and PLO and there's no high stakes and almost no mid stakes action there. BCN has a very large casino that has hosted EPT events in the past. There are plenty of home games once you make connections.

Getting There - 10: Very accessible city. Staying there can be a pain if you're not an EU citizen though. There's a lot of red tape to cut through.

Getting Around - 9: Very thorough public transport system and the city is becoming more bike friendly as time goes on.

Country: Portugal
City: Aveiro, Porto, Lisbon

Cost of Living - 9/10 - Living here is very cheap compared to places like France, England, or Germany ...
A trip to the restaurant its like $ 5 - $ 10. Yeah that's it... The Big Mac menu here is only € 5 also.
You can get a decent apartment for like 300/400 $ probably more in Oporto and Lisbon.

Recreation - 10/10 - a lot of activies all across the country!
Night and bars are awesome. Incluiding Algarve. Best beaches in Europe and also pretty girls. Summer in Portugal its awesome for sure!

How Scary? - 10/10 - I think we are the most safe country in south europe. Just don't go to the dangerous neighborhoods in Lisbon.

Live poker - 4/10 - awful.. just in lisbon you can get any action.

Online Poker - 9/10 - Well, no taxes, no laws. But the governement probably will change this... but they will take some time. Maybe next year.

How Easy to Get There and Stay There? - 9/10 - lisbon and porto have airport. And its easy to get a ticket to many cities across the europe.

OVERALL 9/10

Seville, Spain

Cost of living - 5 (1 = most expensive) - According to expatistan.com, Seville is tied with Malaga for the 2nd cheapest city in Western Europe with a population of over 300,000 people (Murcia, Spain is the cheapest). Of course, Western Europe in general is expensive. So that doesn't say too much about Seville. Compared to my current home (Valencia), I found prices to be more or less the same though hostels are much cheaper in Seville than Valencia. Since I spent most of my time in the city center in a tourist-heavy district, I spent more money than I would if I lived there.

Recreation - 8: Like most major cities in Spain, the nightlife starts late and lasts until the early morning. The way I perceive Seville is that if you can't quite afford to stay in Madrid or Barcelona, then Seville is your best bet. The major negative is that there are no beaches. So if you are a beach bum, you might be better off elsewhere. I was surprised to see a free open-air concert smack in the middle of a major nightlife hangout. It came almost immediately after I mentioned the lack of a live music scene here.

Like Barcelona, the architecture is absolutely gorgeous. If you are into art, history, and architecture then Seville should be next after Barcelona and Madrid.

Safety (1 = least safe) - 9: Aside from petty crimes which can be easily avoided through common sense, you have nothing to worry about. You'll see beggars in the streets but they don't pester people for money.

Getting There - 9: Despite not being one of the top 10 busiest airplanes in Spain, San Pablo Airport has domestic flights to every major city in Spain. It also has international flights to major cities in nearby EU countries and Morocco. There is one train station (Santa Justa) and two bus terminals that also connect Spain with cities in Andalucia and major cities outside of it.

Getting Around - 8: I spent most of my time getting around on foot and that was enough for the places I wanted to go to. The subway stops are pretty limited and unlike Valencia, I never used it. However, I didn't find them necessary as Seville has a tram that cuts straight through the center of the city. There's also a thorough bus system should you choose to take the bus. Like Valencia, Seville has a bike rental scheme that allows you to rent a bike at one of the many bike stations outside.

Staying There - 6: EU citizens can stay there no problem assuming you are not staying for longer than 3 months. If you plan to stay long-term, you need a NIE and a few other documents that can be a pain in the ass to get. It's a flip of a coin if you're going to get a lazy, incompetent worker to deal with your papers or one that actually you know, works. If you are not an EU citizen, it is a pain to get a work visa unless you have a sponsor and the paperwork process for one is lengthy. The economic situation is quite bad but it is getting better.

anyone have any info on casinos that spread NL games in cape town, south africa?..

ya, they spread 1/2 NL at grand west casino in CPT. Nothing higher ever runs.

as i am seriously considering moving to lisbon - any news on that?

Anybody have info on the best cities to expat in Mexico?

i would go for an island in Greece

I thought about moving to Panama City. Is there already such an information posting about Panama?

Hello all, I plan to live in Ireland dublin, someone has even confirmed to me that poker is not taxed? Let me know of any other board or contact.

only heard bad things about panama

heard about some luxurious hotel with casino and dozens of hot latina bitches in Panama. Venetian smth?

mh maybe one of those?

http://www.statista.com/statistics/1...iveness-index/

switzerland..well thats definetly not because of the taxes...^^

I was thinking of moving with my girlfriend to London. She is from Europe but I am an American citizen. Would I be able to stay for three months, go to the US, and come back to London? (Rinse and repeat every three months)

Or would I not be able to go back and forth? I realize getting a long-term visa to play poker is impossible. Any insight advice is appreciated.

^^^ I always find it weird when people ask locals about visas. I mean I'm from Australia and have no idea about what the Australian rules are, but could tell you all about 20 other countries for a traveling Australian.

Try to find an ex-pat or google should be able to help.

I find it even more weird when someone takes the time to respond to someone's question and contributes nothing of value.

My question wasn't directed only to locals -- I figured there might be someone browsing the thread who might be able to offer guidance.

"Try to find an ex-pat or google should be able to help."

There was my help.

I hit google and found the answer in less than 5 minutes.

Anyone who can give info on Vienna or other Austrian cities?

I'd be intrested in Vienna as well...
I am planning to move there in the near future...

I already know, that it is more expensive than the average European big cities, a 70m2 flat is around 1000euro.

It is a beautiful city and have 2-3 casinos that offer very good actions, I've been to the Montesino last year, played a tournament (they have lots of nice tournies) and also played cash (1/2, but there was lots of other cash tables as well) where I made quite a nice profit, since I played with 2 good young guys, 3 average fishes, and 2 grandmas around 70, they were so sweet


So if someone have more in-depth infos, I'd appreciate
Or someone else is planning to move there as well, throw me a pm.

GL Everyone!