Cabled internet not WIFI

Safety and crime very much depends where in the UK one is. Our UK house is in a commuter belt town not far from London, which appears on internet lists of good low crime places to live near London. My husband left the front door ajar while in the side garden, no more than twenty feet from the door but out of sight from the porch. He went back into the house to find someone in the living room looking for things to steal! We've three locked up bicycles stolen, plants stolen, garden hoses stolen, a car vandalised. I feel far safer in the Bulgarian house!

Sweden -- beautiful houses can be found at surprisingly low prices. But the cost of living is high and Sweden is a big country, sparsely populated outside the cities. You may find that the lower cost properties are in very remote villages, possibly those areas where grain is being stockpiled in case of problems. Before I bought our Bulgarian house, my husband ( who speaks some Swedish) set his heart on a superb Swedish property he found online, until I showed him where it was on the map!

Thanks Jane

i know what you mean about the swedish houses being in remote villages, but some of them listed are within the bottom quarter of sweden which is where gothenberg and stockholm are.

A few other plus points about sweden -

96% broadband coverage, low electricty and petrol prices, low car tax prices, 0.75% low property taxes, universal healthcare, no inheritance tax,

There must be some sort of catch with the prices on homestra dot com though? Like is it a monthly rent price or something 🤔

as theres some absolutely ridiculously low prices for properties with big gardens in paradise locations.

I was reading on reddit recently of a Brit who went to live in sweden and learnt some swedish beforehand to help, and they said their colleague said i dont know why you bothered learning swedish because everyone speaks english!

I looked at Sweden some years ago - the taxes are ridiculous and property prices are very steep in the cities, where the amenities are. Also, crime in most Nordic countries is pretty high, with (mostly immigrant) gangs allowed free rein, and native populism seems to be on the rise in response.

I recommend "Black Swan", a Norwegian documentary, to anyone who's tempted by the region - it might well give you pause for thought...

Safety and crime very much depends where in the UK one is. Our UK house is in a commuter belt town not far from London, which appears on internet lists of good low crime places to live near London. - @janemulberry

I have just been out for a walk to a local coffee shop with my sweet lady wife. To get there we have to pass a shop that retails using online market places such as Shopee.

Their last lot of parcels to send were piled up outside the shop (awaiting the van that picks them up) where anyone could just walk off with a few and nobody would be any the wiser.

However, nobody ever does.

@digitalnomad1

I think the house price question is one for the Swedish forum as they'll know the website and what prices should be.

Thank god for my EU passport it's such a blessing.

I find being a well spoken English speaking native so lucky and it carries so much respect in Europe, just think of some Europeans who need to learn 3+ languages to get by in places like Belgium and Switzerland and near borders.

The passports I'd value most outside Europe are - Australia/NZ and Canada but will never get them.

In Europe I think within the British isles Ireland is the best place to live.

And within the EU Sweden and Bulgaria are the top contenders for me as a home worker.

The EU countries that have done best in protecting their borders I think are Poland Hungary Croatia and Bulgaria.

Portugal isn't too far behind Bulgaria for me.

But I'll probably go to Ireland Sweden or Bulgaria, not sure which just yet, time will tell.

Yuletide greetings to everyone. 👍

@digitalnomad1

I'm not sure if you're getting the point (or at least one of the main points) of being a Digital Nomad, as per your handle. :-) That is you work remotely for employers in HIGH INCOME locations (e.g. UK, USA, etc.) but hang out in INEXPENSIVE locations where your savings and Nomadic income will go the furthest.

If you're a specialist tech guy raking in $200k in your jammies, then you can go anywhere you fancy, including Sweden. But I'd guess that high living costs, high taxes, high social security, high utilities... coupled with long, dark winters would put it pretty far down the list of desirable options, regardless of how tempting these "bargains" in the middle of nowhere are. If you're earning a more typical Nomad's low-ish salary, then I'd suggest you stop looking at cheap Swedish property right now! :-) And focus more on those countries known for their low living costs and appeal to Digital Nomads (e.g. Bulgaria, Bali, Thailand, Portugal, Georgia, Colombia, etc.).

Once upon a time, i too was tempted by a "bargain" property in the former East Germany. It was a huge beamed townhouse overlooking the fountain in the town square,. with a 2nd house (the town's former Meeting House) at the back, overlooking the small river... and next to a famous long-distance trail through famous forests. I imagined that it had huge potential (in fairness, it probably did), but... the place was cold and miserable, as were my East German neighbours. And it cost a small fortune to light/heat the place, and exorbitant wages to get local Meisters to tile, plumb, paint or any other renovation work. In short... a total nightmare, and I took a huge loss to get outta Dodge (i.e. Finding the Greater Fool is pretty tough these days with plentiful info online about everywhere/everything). I never went back, and 99.9% sure I never will. :-)

PS Might good to start a new topic if you want to talk about Sweden and/or desirable low-cost locations. We're pretty far off the "cabled internet" track. :-)