Edition 9 September 2026

Which city, honestly

Start with what would rule a city out. Ten cities, each with the sentence that decides it for most people.

Kuala Lumpur /kuala-lumpur Cheapest real nomad visa Chiang Mai /chiang-mai Best value, burning season Ho Chi Minh City /ho-chi-minh-city No long-stay visa exists Hua Hin /hua-hin Quiet, and you will drive Pattaya /pattaya 42,000 unsold units Bangkok /bangkok Excellent transit, bad air Bali /bali You cannot own the land Koh Samui /koh-samui Villas only, island prices Phuket /phuket High-season rents bite Singapore /singapore No friction, triple the cost

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Still deciding?

Torn between two? Nine pairs, each with a verdict. Visas and rules Fourteen rules across five countries, every one dated.

Edition 9 September 2026. Every figure carries the date it was true and the source it came from. We last changed this page on 17 September 2026.