I’ve already mentioned that I read a blog of a couple from Russia, Maria and Ajay, who spend their life in travel around Asia. Today I decided to share with you their review of 4 Asian countries where they lived so far: India, Thailand, Indonesia (Bali) and Philippines. If you are thinking about traveliving in Asia, then you might find their review quiet useful, as it has a lot of numbers and comments on the cost of living and comfort of these places.

LONG TERM RENTALIndia
The quality of houses is relatively low: if we talk about average rental houses, then there’s same cheap furniture and dull „interior” everywhere. At the same time rental prices are quiet low – $130-300 per month. You can also rent very comfortable and stylish house, but price will be much higher – starting from $700-800 per month. Rooms at guesthouses are available for some $3-5 a day.

Thailand
To rent a house in Thailand you’ll have to pay same price as in India, but you’ll definitely get better quality. If you are lucky enough, you can even find house in condominium with pools, gyms and 24h guarding and stay within a budget of $300. Guesthouses are a bit more expensive then Indian – about $8 a day.

Indonesia, Bali
Living in Bali is nice. Here you’ll find the most comfortable and tastefully furnished houses among all the countries Maria and Ajay visited while traveliving. It worth living in Bali for a longer time just for the sake of this beauty around you. Youc an rent a house in Bali for $200 a month. Guesthouses cost around $7 a day.

Philippines
Overall same level as in India. Price for long term rental in more or less same as in other countries. Maria and Ajay rented both a room in the mountains and a detached house within walking distance from the sea for a mere sum of $160 per month. Prices for guesthouses are more expensive then in other countries – you’ll hardly find anything decent for $9 a day.

FOODIndia
Living in India is a paradise for vegetarians, but the choice of meals for meat lovers is quiet small. Food is tasty, but a bit too spicy, but you can get used to that. A lot of diary products, cheap cheeses.

Thailand
Also cheap and tasty. Thailand has a real cult of food. Here situation is strictly opposite to Indian food market – small choice of vegetarian meals, but real paradise for meat lovers.

Indonesia, Bali
It depends on the taste, but Maria and Ajay have found Indonesian cuisine quiet boring and preferred to cook at home. Diary products are hard to find, cheese is expensive.

Philippines
Cuisine is not too exotic, so you can choose any dish and eat it without any concerns. Lots of meat dishes, not too much choice for vegetarians. Price are same as in the countries above – around $1-2 for a dish in a cheap place and some $3-4 for same food in restaurant.

BIKE RENTAL
Bike rental in tourist places is not a problem, but it is a big problem in cities with no tourist infrastructure.

India
Maria and Ajay lived mostly in Goa. There you can rent a scooter for $4 a day or $80 a month. Bikes are for some 20% more expensive.

Thailand
Scooters are rented for $7 a day or $100 a month, bikes are much more expensive – $15 a day and $200 a month.

Indonesia, Bali
Scooters – from $3 a day and $45-50 a month (twice cheaper then in Thailand and India). Bikes – from $6 a day up to $90 a month. Gasoline costs only half a dollar per litre, while in other countries the rate is around $1.

Philippines
It’s much harder to rent scooter or bike in Philippines then in other countries I mentioned above. If you rent them by day, then price starts from $10, if you need a monthly rental, then you’ll have to drive a hard bargain. This is one of the rare disadvantages of living in Philippines.

MOBILE CONNECTIONIndia
Mobile connection is widely spread, quality is not that good, neither is mobile Internet. To buy a SIM-card and get Internet connection you’ll probably have to go through bureaucratic procedure. Wifi is not common. Prices are changing rapidly – call are relatively cheap, price for Internet varies a lot. If you’re lucky enough you can get an internet leased line with limitless use for $25-30 a month.

Thailand
Easy to connect, a lot of free public wifi. Free Internet often comes a bonus for long term rental in Thailand. Call are cheap, mobile Internet costs around $25 a month.

Indonesia, Bali
Quality of mobile connection is lower then in Thailand, but it depends a lot on the region. Connection is also simple. Wifi is not very common, but more common then in India. Calls are more expensive then in Thailand and India, price for mobile internet varies a lot and the choice of operators is quiet limited.

Philippines
SIM-cards are cheap, mobile internet is quiet good and costs around $6 per week, wifi is quiet common.

CLIMATEIndia
Country is huge and climate differs a lot! If you wish to stay in India for the whole year and avoid severe heat and winter, then there’s the only option – spend one half of year in a Southern part of India and another half in Northern part.

Thailand
There’s also a change of seasons, but heat is not that severe and there’s no snow and real winter. Living in Thailand for the whole year round doesn’t require any sacrifices in comfort. During monsoon rain showers are on the daily basis, but sun also appears for at least 1-2 hours each day.

Indonesia, Bali
Bali is located near to the equator, so it’s winter during European or American summer and vice versa. Temperature difference between seasons is not big, so it’s quiet comfortable to stay in Bali whole year round.

Philippines
Similar to Thailand, except Luzon region, where it gets pretty cold in winters – around +4 at nights. Summer is hot, you’ll definitely need good air conditioner.

SUMMARYIndia
Beautiful exotic country, but climate is not very comfortable and the attention of locals is sometimes too intrusive. Not the best option for long term living.

Thailand
Very beautiful country. Less exotic then India, but that’s actually an advantage for traveliving.

Indonesia, Bali
Overall good, but there are some points like food and small choice of affordable long term rentals that puts this place at the end of Maria’s and Ajay’s list of countries attractive for life in travel.

Philippines
So far Maria and Ajay think this is the best option for traveliving due to good combination of price and quality of goods and services.