11 Places We Could Live Around the World

Craig and I are eternal nomads, and it’s no secret that we’ve moved around the world a lot – not just as travelers, but as expats too.



We’ve lived in Dublin, Bangkok, London, and now Raleigh in the United States – the world is our home, and we’re always visiting places and contemplating whether it’s somewhere we could live.



Even though we’re settled in Raleigh, we’re always being asked where in the world we could live. We’ve seen much of this world and we’ve got quite a few contenders on our list.



While we’re happy with our home in Raleigh, there are other destinations in the world that we would happily put roots down in.



Of course, there’s always visa, work, and logistical issues to packing up your stuff and moving, but hypothetically speaking, if we had to do it again, these are the places we’d consider…



Places In The World We Could Live



Phuket, Thailand







Okay, so we have already lived in Thailand so of course we’re going to feature it highly on this list.



We loved living in Bangkok and could happily live there again, but next time I think we might head down to the islands for a while.



We would probably base ourselves in Phuket, just because it’s a hub with excellent links from the airport – you can fly to Kuala Lumpur or other destinations in Southeast Asia really conveniently, which means we could still travel around.







There is plenty to do in Phuket , not just beaches, and there are so many surrounding islands we could explore too.



Thailand for us has everything we could ever need in a place to live: a lovely warm climate, relaxed lifestyle, cheap living, great beaches , delicious food, awesome shopping and massages.



Let’s not forget the people. Thailand is known as “The Land of Smiles” and for good reason – the people are always happy, welcoming and friendly. It rubs off on you, and you’ll find all your worries ebb away.



Find me one person who moved to Thailand and said they hated it – I bet you can’t!



Bordeaux, France



Credit: Yay Images



It is a toss up between Paris and somewhere like Bordeaux in France, but ultimately, the decision comes down to Bordeaux just because the traffic in Paris would get to me after a while.



I would love to rent a cottage near the wine region, that is also not that far from the coast.



I could handle spending my days cycling around the village, eating french bread and cheese and drinking red wine.



It would also be great to learn some French, get to know more about a culture outside of the city (so unlike my own), and use it as a base to explore more of Europe.



The only downside would be that Bordeaux is quite expensive. You’re looking at a cottage for around $1600 per month, and European food prices are through the roof in 2024.



The Loire Valley may be another option for those who love wine and cute French villages nestled in a river valley filled with chateaus.



Cape Town South Africa



Muizenberg Beach, Cape Town, South Africa



I think Cape Town is the only place I have visited in Africa where I could see myself living.



Cape Town is my favorite city, it’s hard to put it into words how wonderful it is. Not only is it spectacular, but it has an outdoor lifestyle similar to Australia, with Table Mountain and Lions Head dominating the skyline, and the coast being right there in the city.



There are beautiful beaches, wineries to explore within an hour’s drive, lots of hiking and exploration activities, cultural diversity, and it gives you a base to explore more of this stunning country and continent.



Table Mountain as seen from Lion’s Head



It’s also incredibly liveable. The cost of living is low, with the average family of four spending around $2000 USD per month.



The food is always fresh and high quality, and there’s always something going on, from live music jams at Mojo Market to hiking groups on the weekends.



The only downside is you need to pick your area carefully as some districts in Cape Town are less safe than others. Typically, anywhere on the Atlantic Seaboard (Seapoint and Green Point) or over at Camps Bay, are pretty safe.



See more of Cape Town on this post o f top things to do in Cape Town .



Hanoi, Vietnam



Beautiful Hanoi



Hanoi is one of my favorite cities in the world. I love its Oriental charm, and could spend days wandering around the old quarter, exploring more of the city on bicycles, or waking up to early morning Tai Chi sessions around the lake.



Hanoi has that bustling Asian city life that I love and it just feels authentic and non-touristy, even though a lot of travelers come here.



It’s cheap, the food is great, and it can be used as a base to explore more of the wonderful South East Asian region.



The only downside to Hanoi is the scooters. Honestly, it’s a culture shock when you first arrive, and everyone spends at least 20 minutes trying to cross the road before eventually braving it and walking into traffic.



But, the Vietnamese coffee, cheap pho, smiley locals and charming French colonial architecture make up for it! It’s definitely one of my favorite places in Vietnam.



Melbourne Australia



Hosier Lane, Melbourne



Melbourne is a city we didn’t spend a lot of time in, but immediately felt like it would make a great city to live in.



I would love to get to know it more over the summer months, as the summer in Melbourne is when everything is happening. The weather of course is warmer and there are lots of major sporting events and festivals happening.



Melbourne is a city of culture, arts and sports. We would love to be there for the Melbourne Cup, Australian Open, Grand Prix.



If you’re into art or live music, Melbourne would be a great city to live in. Wander down Hosier Lane and you’ll see why it’s called the “stencil art capital of the world” and get a feel for the city’s artistic rhythm.



It has a huge cafe culture (perfect for those of us who work remotely), and many amazing eclectic neighborhoods. It has a huge foodie scene too, with so many award-winning, Michelin-starred restaurants .



Twelve Apostles, Great Ocean Road



It’s also a great base for exploring more of Victoria. The Great Ocean Road , Australia’s most iconic scenic drive, is just a two hour drive, and some of our favorite national parks in Australia are all within easy reach ( Wilsons Promontory National Park , Grampians National Park, and Yarra Ranges National Park, to name a few).



The only downside to Melbourne would be the weather. It’s no secret that Melbourne is the wettest city in Australia, with 139 days of rain on average per year.



In some ways, it reminds of me Seattle in the US – sure, it’s rainy, but it has a coziness to it, so you don’t mind it.



London, UK



Take an amble down the streets of Chelsea



Okay, I have also lived here before and although I wouldn’t want to live here again, Craig would really like to.



London is such a dynamic city. It’s very multicultural, so no matter where you’re from you can always find your community here.



There’s always something going on and events happening, all throughout the year, and it boasts a large array of attractions from world-class museums to iconic landmarks. I lived here for two years and still didn’t see everything! I actually only saw the major tourist sites in London for the first time when we visited as a family in 2022!



I would limit my nomadic experience here to just the summer months. This is when London comes alive and the vibrancy is really unlike a lot of other places, probably because it is so sombre, cold and wet in the winter time.







London is also a great point to explore more of Europe. You can fly direct to most European cities from any number of the airports in the city (Stansted, Luton, Heathrow or Gatwick), so if you have the travel bug it’s a great place to set as base camp.



As well as this, London has a buzzing pub culture that I love – you can always see people sitting in beer gardens on weekends in the summer or laughing around roaring pub fires in the winter. There’s no shortage of historic sites, beautiful parks and a bustling nightlife scene that is unmatched by any other city in Europe.



I would say it makes a great place to live for a while , but long-term, it can feel overwhelming and chaotic. I would say that the entire time I lived in London, I rarely went a day without hearing sounds of honking, yelling or sirens.



Some people thrive on this, but I personally love to hear the sound of silence once in a while.



Chicago, USA







Chicago is another city I would live in during the summer time.



I could not do a winter here; four days over Thanksgiving was enough. There is no wind in the world I’ve ever experienced like the wind which blows through this city in winter!



However, Chicago has such a big cultural and arts scene, and is also really pretty with the river that winds through it and Lake Michigan nearby which gives you the feel of the ocean being nearby even though it’s not.



There is plenty to do and see here and it would satisfy our love of music and cafe culture.



It also feels very safe and would be a great city for families. Kalyra loved it on our mother daughter getaway to Chicago .



Coolangatta or Burleigh Heads Queensland, Australia



Coolangatta



Coolangatta is a place that feels like home to us the minute we cross the border from New South Wales into Queensland, Australia.



If you’ve ever heard of The Gold Coast in Australia, you’ll probably be thinking of surf culture, amazing beaches, a laid-back lifestyle, cute coffee shops and a vibrant community.



Since Coolangatta is a suburb on the Gold Coast, it has all of this, but without the big crowds that dominate popular places in Goldie like Surfers Paradise.



It has an active outdoor pace to it, beautiful beaches to explore along the coastline, a warm climate, and plenty to do in the surrounding hinterland areas.



It’s small, with a population of around 6,000 people, but it still has a lot of energy for such a small suburb.



Burleigh Heads



If I could make it happen though, if I lived in Australia, I would live in Burleigh Heads. We lived there for 18 months and I absolutely loved it. It was hard to leave and relocate to Raleigh, North Carolina.



Burleigh really has the ideal lifestyle that centers on the beach. A gorgeous beach promenade stretches the entire way and winds through the Burleigh Heads National Park to the stunning Tallebudgera Creek perfect for swimming and stand up paddle boarding (sometimes with dolphins).



The beach is popular for surfers and the foreshore popular for watching them or community gathering events like markets, festivals, and picnics.



I also love its weekend farmers markets, monthly village markets , and vast array of eclectic restaurants and cafes. Plus, it’s local primary school is excellent – a major plus for families.



Sadly, I have heard since we left in 2017 it has gotten quite popular and expensive. Otherwise life in Burleigh is near perfection. See more about life in Burleigh and things to do.



San Diego, USA



Sunset beers San Diego



We had a small taste of what living in San Diego would be like when we spent two weeks hanging out with our Australian friend, Danielle, in Ocean Beach.



She used to live in San Diego and was a huge advocate for it. I can see why!



It’s a coastal city, so for us being Australian and growing up by the water, always resonate with being near to the ocean. It has some blissful beaches nearby, a warm and sunny climate all year round, and a laid-back vibe.



Ocean Beach had a much more local feel to it than Pacific Beach, and we found the lifestyle very similar to an Australian beach town.



The only problem was I found the temperatures did not reach the summer heights I would really like, and the ocean temperature was a little too chilly for me. Check out these fun things to do in San Diego.



Raleigh, North Carolina



Raleigh from our fave beer garden



Of course we have to include the place we actually decided to live! I had no idea how much I would love Raleigh until we got here. In fact, I didn’t know anything about it, we had to pull out the map to see where it was.



Now, it is the only place on this list where we can see ourselves living permanently.



What makes Raleigh, North Carolina so great that two 22 year nomads who have lived in four other countries would make this there permanent home?



There are just some places that grab your heart, and it grabbed ours unexpectedly. We just feel like this is home.







It’s a city that has everything we need – nature, a craft beer and brewery scene, lots of lakes and places to take our SUP, a safe community atmosphere, and affordable prices.



You can amble down its leafy oak streets with bars and cafes lining the sidewalk and still forget you are in the capital city of North Carolina.



It’s two hours to the beach and two hours to the mountains. It is halfway between New York and Florida. We love the Southern culture and hospitality.



Three major colleges are within a 30 minute drive of Raleigh, which means vibrancy.



There are lots of young people adding life to the area, and of course we are now die hard UNC fans so love to be living close to Chapel Hill , the home of the Tar Heels.



We love living in Raleigh so much we have an entire site and business focused on living here called This is Raleigh. And just the other day I was invited to welcome 300 lottery delegates from around the USA to their annual conference hosted in Raleigh. We are self-appointed ambassadors and feel we’ve found one of the best places to live around the world!



Final Thoughts



So that concludes our list of places that we could live around the world, but of course, we have not been everywhere yet!



Some other places that I am yet to explore and have a feeling I may enjoy basing myself for a while would be Costa Rica , Brazil, or Argentina. And after my trip to the Peloponnese last year, I’m really considering Greece for retirement. I’m just not sure where!



Maybe one day we’ll get a chance to experience these places, but for now, we’re happy with our decision to move to Raleigh.



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What are some liveable places around the world that you’ve discovered? Why would you live there? Share your thoughts in the comments.