Is Rio de Janeiro Safe?

The reality about how safe is Rio de Janeiro is not what you imagine.

Rio is often in the spotlight for negative and film-like violent situations. From a police helicopter downed by gangsters to celebrities kidnapped, the dangers from Rio are as famous as the natural beauty of its panoramic landscapes. So, is Rio de Janeiro safe?

Personal advice: Always read and watch the news with a pinch of salt. The truth is that Rio de Janeiro is one of the world’s most beautiful cities, and with a little care and attention, it can be one of the most beautiful trips of your life!

Is Rio Really That Dangerous?

Depending on what you are comparing with. If your basis of comparison the Europan continent, yes, Rio is dangerous. But if you consider cities American cities like Baltimore, Detroit, or New Orleans, Rio de Janeiro is far safer.

In 2020, Rio had a homicide rate (20.4 per 100 000 inhabitants) even lower than Chicago, the 3rd largest city in the United States (24.3 murders per 100 000 residents).

And the finest news: the violence is decreasing quickly in Rio (almost as quickly as in São Paulo, a case that I explore in detail in this article). In the last section of this article, I will prove that to you with solid numbers.

How Safe Is Rio de Janeiro?

One of the most striking aspects of Brazil is inequality, and just like in all its nuances, violence also does affect everywhere in the same way.

There are regions in Rio that are indeed violent, while others are far safer.

First of all, remember that Rio de Janeiro has two meanings: it can be one of the 26 Brazilian states, or also the capital of the homonymous state. In this article, I will talk mostly about the capital, but if there is any city you would like to know more about in particular, feel free to ask about it in the comment section.

The safest areas of Rio are in the South Zone. The tourist-friendly beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema are considered safe during the day. At night there are issues with criminality as with most large cities, but nothing abnormal. Take the usual precautions (listed at the end of this article) and you should be fine.

The wealthy areas of São Conrado and Barra da Tijuca, where many expatriates live, are also relatively safe during the day. However, both areas can be dangerous at night, so you should be careful at all times when in these areas.

I would not advise any tourist (unless it is for a very specific purpose) to travel to the West Zone since it holds most of Rio’s gang conflicts. This region is famous for its favelas (though some are tourist-friendly)and should generally not be visited due to safety concerns. After dark, it is wise to avoid the favelas completely

Is Rio de Janeiro Safe for Tourists?

Here is the thing: most of the violence in Rio is associated with gangs and the dispute for drug-selling points.

If you are not involved with these matters, you will avoid a large part of the risks. Still, gangsters in Rio have military-grade, long-range weapons and it is not uncommon that, in the vicinity of the favelas, during large conflicts, innocent people are hit by stray bullets. In 2021 alone 100 people died in Rio due to random stray bullets.

Other than the favelas and stray bullets, there are two other places where tourists could have bad experiences in Rio.

The beaches. Tourists love the beaches in Rio; however, this is one of the places most attractive to groups of petty criminals since they have very few guards and there have been several incidents of robbery during the daytime. The beaches are the place of the famous arrastão, when groups of thieves rob multiple tourists in a matter of a few minutes and then rush out of the scene. Follow the advice at the end of this article and you will be safe.

The other place where you may face undesirable situations related to crime in Rio is the historical center. Unfortunately, it is also one of the regions that most deserve your visit since districts like the Lapa, with its restaurants, bars, and attractions like the Arcos da Lapa.

Is Lapa in Rio de Janeiro Safe?

Lapa, which is located in the Tijuca neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, is a fun neighborhood, full of bars and restaurants, and one of the more popular places to party in Rio.

But Lapa is also an area of town that can be considered a bit sketchy. There are lots of beggars, homeless people, drug dealers, and all-around shady characters.

It’s not unusual to see drunks passed out on the sidewalk or people who seem like they might want to take advantage of you.

However, as long as you don’t wander into any dark corners late at night and walk with a considerable group, you should be just fine.

Always keep your valuables locked up tight in your hotel room, or if you do bring them with you when you venture out for an evening, be sure to secure them in one of those money belts that all tourists seem to wear. (One of the many valuable tips taken from the book Budget Travelers, Digital Nomads & Expats: The Ultimate Guide)

Budget Travelers Digital Nomad and Expats Book — Budget Travelers, Digital Nomads & Expats: The Ultimate Guide: 50 Tips, Tricks, Hacks and Ways to Free Stuff & Cheaper Flights

How to Be Safe in Rio de Janeiro

To make your trip to Rio as safe as possible, here are some tips:

Avoid walking around after dark in areas with not many people around. Violent crimes are more likely to occur at night than during the day.
Do not go out alone or with a small group after dark. Stay in groups for safety; the larger the group, the safer it is (although an arrastão may still affect your group no matter how large it is).
If you go out alone, stay on well-lit streets where there are plenty of people walking around and avoid using parks or beaches alone at night.
Be aware that police officers may stop you on the streets and ask for an ID. Do not resist giving them your ID even if they are acting rudely; otherwise, you could be arrested.
Do not carry or wear flashy jewelry or expensive-looking electronics around town since these can attract unwanted attention from robbers. For example, do not flash your brand new iPhone off while walking down a street in the Lapa district.
Avoid carrying large amounts of cash with you anywhere in Brazil, especially Rio de Janeiro.

Remember: Be aware of where you’re going and what you’re doing. Be aware of your surroundings, especially in areas you are not familiar with. It’s also a good idea to let someone know where you are at all times, so if something does happen they will know where to look for you.

Uber in Rio de Janeiro: Safe? (Also Valid for 99Taxis)

The rise of Uber in Rio has been met with challenging times. Taxi drivers have protested against the company, sometimes violently.

Still, there are no reports of Uber drivers robbing or hurting passengers. Ride-sharing apps may not have the best security, but you don’t hand a total stranger your credit card and cash.

You can use the app to see the driver’s name, car model, and license plate number before getting in the car. It also has a feature that lets you share your ETA with friends and family via text message or email.

Rio has more than its fair share of criminals preying on tourists and locals, but there are no reports of an Uber or 99Taxis driver being involved in a crime against a passenger so far.

Despite the safety concerns, Uber (or 99Taxis) is still popular because it’s more convenient than hailing a taxi off the street or waiting for a radio taxi to drive by. It’s a great option when you’re trying to get somewhere quickly and don’t want to walk or pay for a taxi ride from

Conclusion: How Violent is Rio de Janeiro?

The violence in Rio de Janeiro is decreasing, especially in the South Zone, which includes Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon.

The city’s southern area is still a safe place, but tourists should avoid walking alone at night and avoid areas close to favelas. Tourists are advised to stay away from isolated places after dark and exercise caution at all times because of the high rate of crime.

Most of the bad fame of Rio is still a reflection of former decades when it was one of the most dangerous regions in the world.

In the chart below, you can see that Rio had a 61% decrease in violence during the last 20 years. Today, it has violence rates comparable to Puerto Rico, an autonomous region from the USA.

It is still far from ideal, and there is a lot to improve. However, it is not that bad (and violent) as it once was.

State	Homicide Rate in 2000	Homicide Rate in 2010	Homicide Rate in 2020	Difference between 2000 and 2020	Country with similar homicide rate.
Pernambuco	56.17	39.48	33.8	-40%	Nigeria
Bahia	9.46	41.69	44.9	375%	Jamaica
Minas Gerais	12.06	18.6	12.7	5%	Uruguay
Rio de Janeiro	52.75	35.44	20.4	-61%	Puerto Rico*
Sao Paulo	42.89	14.64	6.96	-84%	Russia
Parana	18.85	34.33	18.37	-3%	Namibia
Rio Grande do Sul	16.55	19.5	15	-9%	Botswana

Homicide rates in the 6 most populous Brazilian states, and comparison with other countries. Source: IPEA and Government agencies.

Check also:

Save Money on Travel — 4 Travel Hacks to Give You Peace of Mind

Best Place to Visit in Europe on Each Month of the Year

Subscribe to my articles (for free) and receive the digital book 20 Essential Hacks for Saving Money While Travelling.

If you wish to become a Medium member and have access to articles like this, check this link. It is only $5 per month.

Levi Borba is the CEO of expatriateconsultancy.com, creator of the channel Small Business Hacks, and best-selling author. Subscribe to my articles (for free) and receive (also for free) the ebook “The Blueprint for First-Time Business Owners”.

Digital Nomads

Best Country to Visit in Europe on Each Month…

Spectacular places from July to December. Here is the list of the Best Country to Visit in Europe on Each Month of the Year.

If the first part of this list (the best country to visit in Europe from January to July) was dominated by islands, continental Europe will be the sole ruler in this second part.

But don’t expect the obvious.

There are no recommendations for Paris or Prague (especially because they disappointed me, as I explained in this article).

Yes, this is a controversial list. But I hope I made a strong case for each nominee. Nonetheless, all suggestions are welcome! (And don’t forget: I’m still looking for recommendations for countries to visit in February, which is the only month out of the year where I don’t know where to go.)

Best Place to Visit in Europe in July:

Portugal

Why visiting Portugal in July:

Traveling during this time allows you to experience multiple festivities taking place throughout Portugal, such as the Festa dos Tabuleiros in Tomar, the cultural festivity that attracts the most visitors to Portugal and takes place every four years.

July is also considered the best month for beach vacations, as it is the warmest month of the year. Algarve has a lot of events during this time of year including music and food festivals. There are several water sports along the coast, especially surf.

What to visit in Portugal this time of the year:

The Palácio da Pena in Sintra.

It is a castle in the town of Sintra (on the Portuguese Riviera), built by Romanticists. The castle is at the top of a hill in the Sintra Mountains, and from there you can even see Lisbon. One of the best examples of 19th-century Romanticism in the world, it is a national monument and an amazing example of this type of Architecture in the world. UNESCO named the palace one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal. It looks straight out of a fairy tale.

How is the weather in Portugal in July:

Little rainfall and sunshine. July has got little rainfall in the major areas, which means that you can expect to enjoy your trip with fewer worries about rain. Temperatures in Lisbon range, on average, from 18°C during the night to 27°C during the day.

Best Country to Visit in Europe in August:

Bulgaria

Why visiting Bulgaria in August:

Traveling around Bulgaria in August offers a range of benefits, most notably delightful weather and low costs. Places like Sunny Beach (Slanchev Bryag in Bulgarian) have infrastructure compared to any western summer resort city, with the differential that the prices are simply unbeatable.

To put into perspective, I am talking about beachfront 4-start hotels with breakfast included for less than 50 dollars a night. The city has also bustling nightlife and there are multiple bars where you can buy a pint of beer for 2 Lev (US$1).

What to visit in Bulgaria this time of the year:

Nearby the aforementioned Sunny Beach, there is an ancient city called Nesebar. It is a short bus ride from Sunny Beach, but you may go walking if you are in the mood for some exercise.

Also known as “Pearl of the Black Sea”, it is a rich city museum with a three-millennium history. An isthmus separates the old settlement on the peninsula (formerly an island) from the newer development (hotels, etc.) on the mainland. The older part has been occupied by many different civilizations over time: Thracians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Crusaders, and Ottomans, to name a few.

In 1983, UNESCO added Nesebar to its list of World Heritage Sites due to its abundance of historic buildings.

How is the weather in Bulgaria during August:

The weather in Bulgaria during August is pleasant, with temperatures ranging from 14.9°C during the night to 27.5°C during the day. It is also the month with the lowest amount of rainfall. Enjoy the beach.

Best Country to Visit in Europe in September:

Croatia

Why visiting Croatia in September:

Traveling to Croatia during September brings a lot more advantages than just avoiding the crowds.

Here are some of the main ones:

There are no school holidays, meaning less crowded areas, public transport will be less busy, beaches will be less crowded, and you can have a relaxing vacation.
The weather is still good.
Croatia celebrates numerous festivals throughout September. If you are a fan of classical music, there is the International Late Summer Music Festival in the coastal city of Dubrovnik, which presents internationally acclaimed artists to town. There are also numerous concerts of electronic music and even reggae artists.

What to visit in Croatia this time of the year:

Split. This coastal city may not be as famous for beachgoers as the acclaimed Dubrovnik, but it has also a lot to offer.

From the palace of the Roman Emperor Diocletian to the ancient towers and churches, many city sights may look familiar if you ever watched Game of Thrones. This is because Split was the main filming location for the fictional city of King’s Landing.

It has also some adorable beaches.

How is the weather in Croatia during September:

The weather in Croatia in September is usually great — warm enough for swimming, but not too hot. In Zagreb, the capital, the temperature ranges from 13°C to 24°C, but in coastal cities, it is considerably warmer.

Best Place to Visit in Europe in October:

Poland

Why visiting Poland in October:

One could say that the best time to visit Poland in the winter, to enjoy the great Christmas market of Krakow and wander across the snowy Tatra mountains. Others argue that the best time to visit is during the summer when the longer days are filled with life and events in major cities and allow people to visit castles and palaces without freezing.

However, Autumn (or fall, for our American readers) is a hidden treasure in Poland. It is by far the most scenic and captivating time of year, particularly during the few weeks (which vary depending on altitude) of what Poles call Złota jesień (the golden Autumn).

The explosion of orange, gold and copper colors in the forests and parks, the squirrels and birds scurrying around, the swans in the lake, the maple leaves on the sidewalks… I couldn’t possibly list everything that makes this time of year so beautiful.

What to visit in Poland this time of the year:

Białowieża Forest. One of the last primeval forests of Europe, almost untouched by human activity, a major character of multiple folk tales and epic sagas, and a UNESCO world heritage.

If you visit it in the first half of October, you will witness the previously mentioned Złota jesień. Take pictures.

How is the weather in Poland during October:

The weather in the Polish capital during October ranges, on average, from 4.4°C during the night to 12.3°C during the day. This is also the expected temperature in most places, except in colder mountainous or remote areas.

Best Country to Visit in Europe in November:

Italy

Why visiting Italy in November:

Touring Italy in November is a fantastic time to visit because it is still warm but not too cold. You can still visit historical sites such as Pompeii without feeling miserable in the cold air.

Italy is a diverse country with something for everyone. It has a varied landscape, ranging from the Alps to the Adriatic coast, as well as cities steeped in history, culture, art, and food.

November in Italy is a great time to visit famous monuments such as the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, St Peter’s Square, Vatican City, and many others because you will avoid the crowds while still having a memorable experience.

Visiting Italy in November will also give you an advantage in terms of cheaper flights and hotel rates.

What to visit in Italy this time of the year:

Besides the eternal city of Rome, you can also visit Milan and the nearby Lake Como (which is a bit colder since it is in the vicinity of mountains).

How is the weather in Italy in November:

In Rome, the temperature averages go from 6.9°C during the night to 15.9°C during the day. Northern places like Turin or Milan may be slightly colder, while southern cities like Napoli may be warmer.

Best Country to Visit in Europe in December:

Hungary

Why visiting Hungary in December:

Budapest is a true one-of-a-kind city, especially during the Christmas season. Hungary’s capital city is home to one of Europe’s largest Christmas markets, which draws visitors from all over the world. It is an unforgettable experience.

In the seasonal market, there are also food stalls where you can taste traditional goulash soup, strudel pastries, and other regional delicacies. You can eat lunch or dinner in the restaurant area, which fills up every evening with people looking to spend their free time in the heart of the city.

Besides food, there are numerous attractions for people of all ages, such as concerts by local bands and dance groups, puppet shows, etc.

What to visit in Hungary this time of the year:

Besides Budapest’s Christmas Market, December is a good time to check the famous Hungarian baths (in special Szechenyi with its hot spring waters) and watch locals playing chess in the pools. They say it is a healthy habit, and I believe them.

How is the weather in Hungary in December:

It is cold in Budapest, ranging from -1°C during the night to 3.4°C during the day, and often snowy. All this just adds splendor to the atmosphere of Christmas time.

Conclusion: The Best Country to Visit in Europe Each Month of the Year

Month	Country	Night and Day Average Temperature (Capital City)	Reason to visit it in this month	The Must-See
January	Montenegro	2°C to 9°C	Stunning nature and inexpensive skiing.	Kolašin
February	I	DON’T	KNOW	🙁
March	Austria	3.5°C to 11.5°C	Longer days, Bustling Spring in Vienna	Innsbruck
April	Ireland	6.4°C to 12.4°C	Less Crowded, and not that wet	Guiness Factory in Dublin
May	Cyprus	14.8°C to 29.7°C	Good weather, still not that crowded or expensive	Ayia Napa
June	Malta	18.4°C to 27.5°C	Pleasant Weather and plenty of package offers	Marsaxlokk
July	Portugal	18°C to 27°C	Great Weather, Little Rainfall	Sintra
August	Bulgaria	14.9°C to 27.5°C	Balmy beaches with unbealivable low costs	Nesebar
September	Croatia	13°C to 24°C	No School Holidays = Less Crowded	Split
October	Poland	4.4°C to 12.3°C	Złota Jesień	Białowieża Forest
November	Italy	6.9°C to 15.9°C	Cheaper and still not that cold.	Rome, of course.
December	Hungary	-1°C to 3.4°C	The Budapest Christmas Market	Thermal Baths

The Best Country to Visit in Europe Each Month of the Year

I hope you found this list useful. It took me days to write everything, and it was sometimes difficult to leave out wonderful places like Vilnius, Lithuania, or Brasov, Romania — but we only have 12 months in a year.

If you have any suggestions about cities that I omitted, I will be glad to read them in the comment section, and if you enjoyed this article, check also:

Check also: The 8 Best Beaches in the World for Vacation, Honeymoon, and Families

3 Cheap Cities in Europe to Visit This Winter (And 1 to Avoid)

4 Expert Tips to Pay 40% Less during Your Next Holiday

If you wish to become a Medium member and have access to articles like this, check this link. It is only $5 per month.

Digital Nomads

Best Place to Visit in Europe on Each Month…

From January to December, this list has the 12 best places to visit in Europe, one per month.

This is the first part of a 2-part article about the best place to visit in Europe each month. The second part, with the months from July to December, is here.

Our vacation period does not always coincide with the best time to visit that wonderful destination on our bucket list.

It’s possible that you’ve always wanted to go to Cyprus, but your company let you go on vacation only in February when it’s still cold even on the Mediterranean islands. Or your family might not be able to have a winter vacation in the alps because your husband can only go on vacation in May.

Do not worry.

Europe is made up of nearly 44 countries. I’d been to 25 of them, and in this article, I’ll tell you which one is the best for each month of the year.

Except for one month: February.

I’m not sure which country is best to visit in February. Due to school holidays, it is a month when many places are either fully booked or overpriced. Please leave a comment if you have a suggestion for a nice place to visit in the second month of the year. I’ll be delighted to learn about it.

Best Place to Visit in Europe in January:

Montenegro.

Why visiting Montenegro in January:

When I visited this young country (it is one of the newest sovereign states in the world, independent since 2006), it was just a place on my road trip across the Balkans, on my way from Croatia to Greece.

It didn’t take long until I realized how wonderful is the natural heritage of Montenegro. Across curvy roads, I witnessed some of the most breathtaking views of my life. Emerald rivers, canyons, untouchable nature.

What to visit in Montenegro this time of the year:

Just hire a driver (or rent a car, if you are used to driving in curvy, single-track roads) and see the natural wonders of Biogradska Gora or the Kolasin region.

If you love winter sports (like I do), don’t miss the lovely and inexpensive ski resort of Kolasin 1450. It is less than 80km far from the capital, Podgorica. The resort has 45 kilometers of well-maintained ski slopes, and a ski pass costs only 20 euros per day. A bargain.

How is the weather in Montenegro during January:

The temperature in Montenegro during January depends on the altitude — it is a mountainous country after all. You may expect heavy snow in the mountains, but not so much in the capital, Podgorica, which has a temperature range between 2°C to 9°C.

Best Place to Visit in Europe in February:

I have no idea. If you have a suggestion, please drop me a comment.

Best Place to Visit in Europe in March:

Austria

Why visiting Austria in March:

Visiting Austria in March is a great idea because of the longer days. The average daylight lasts up to 14 hours and you can enjoy more time outdoors. Vienna is full of life during spring, the parks and squares bloom and locals feel more relaxed and friendly. Do not miss a stroll along the promenade by the Danube River or through one of Vienna’s many parks. Numerous events are taking place all over the city in March- be it festivals, art exhibitions or concerts.

What to visit in Austria this time of the year:

If you enjoy nature and sports, take a train to Innsbruck and spend some days there. It is the Austrian winter capital, and during March the ski slopes are less crowded and have low-season ski pass prices.

How is the weather in Austria during March:

It will feel like Spring is slowly coming when you visit Austria in March! It’s a great time to visit if you want to see some green; many trees are starting to blossom although there won’t be many colors just yet. During March, the average daily temperature falls between 3.5°C (night) and 11.5°C during the day in Vienna.

Best Place to Visit in Europe in April:

Ireland

Why visiting Ireland in April:

April is a great time to visit Ireland if you are looking to avoid the crowds from March (when it is Saint Patrick’s day) and not be out in the rain all day. April is also a good time to visit as it is before the peak season of summer. Ireland has an amazing culture, great music, and it is famous for its whiskey. It is also the birthplace of the Guinness Beer.

What to visit in Ireland this time of the year:

Besides the amazing architecture and stony churches, one of the highest points of my visit was the Guinness factory. Even if you are not a fan of dark beer, it is still an interesting and interactive experience. They may even teach you how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness.

How is the weather in Ireland during April:

April is a lovely month to visit Ireland. It’s nicer and warmer than the previous months, and also not that rainy. The sunshine lasts for around 11 hours and the average temperature ranges from 6.4 Celsius at the night to 12.4 during the day.

Best Place to Visit in Europe in May:

Cyprus

Why visiting Cyprus in May:

Cyprus in May is a beautiful month. Not yet crowded or expensive as in the high summer, and the weather is pleasant, not so hot that you cannot walk around comfortably. It gets warmer across the month and there are no more winter rains. The days get longer, so you will have plenty of time for your excursions.

What to visit in Cyprus this time of the year:

Ayia Napa. It is a town on the southeastern coast of the island with some of the most splendid beaches that I witnessed in my whole life. Words fail to describe how beautiful it is. Still, in the peak season (July and August), it can get terribly crowded, so if you are in Cyprus during May, you got lucky.

How is the weather in Cyprus during May:

The weather in Cyprus during May is great. The temperature is pretty much ideal all month, with high temperatures around 29.7°C and low temperatures on average at 14.8°C. It’s a great time to visit, as you can enjoy the mild Mediterranean climate

Best Place to Visit in Europe in June:

Malta

Why visiting Malta in June:

June is a fine time to visit Malta as it has pleasant weather and great last-minute package deals. The temperatures are pleasant and warm during this period.

While you may plan your entire trip by yourself, from buying an airplane ticket to booking a Hotel, Malta is one of those destinations where the offer of travel packages is worth checking. Even better: if you have the flexibility to travel last-minute, it is common to find unbelievable prices. Here I explained my last-minute travel methods for a Hyper-Cheap holiday

What to visit in Malta this time of the year:

Malta has wonderful beaches and hundreds of historical monuments, but one of the highest points of my trip was Marsaxlokk.

It is a beautiful fishing village on the southeast side of Malta. It’s unusual for a Maltese seaside village because it doesn’t have any modern buildings, and none of the traditional homes have been demolished to make way for rental apartments. A fish market is held on Sundays where people can buy the best seafood from the Island — Lampuki fish is a local specialty. You may have lunch at one of the quayside restaurants and see traditional fishing boats made in the same way that the Phoenicians did. It has peaceful surroundings.

How is the weather in Malta during June:

June is an excellent month for traveling to Malta, and you may not have to worry about whether or not it will rain. The main island is full of life and you will have a chance to visit some of the most interesting festivals, which are held during these days. Temperatures, on average, range from 18.4°C during the night to 27.5°C during the day, and it’s still pleasant because of the lower humidity levels.

You will have a nice time visiting the beaches of Malta, as well as exploring the historical sites where you might have a chance to see some of the numerous festivals organized during this period.

Conclusion: The Best Place to Visit in Europe Each Month of the Year

Month	Country	Night and Day Average Temperature (Capital City)	Reason to visit it in this month	The Must-See
January	Montenegro	2°C to 9°C	Stunning nature and inexpensive skiing.	Kolašin
February	I	DON’T	KNOW	🙁
March	Austria	3.5°C to 11.5°C	Longer days, Bustling Spring in Vienna	Innsbruck
April	Ireland	6.4°C to 12.4°C	Less Crowded, and not that wet	Guiness Factory in Dublin
May	Cyprus	14.8°C to 29.7°C	Good weather, still not that crowded or expensive	Ayia Napa
June	Malta	18.4°C to 27.5°C	Pleasant Weather and plenty of package offers	Marsaxlokk

The Best Country to Visit in Europe Each Month of the Year. For the other months, check the 2nd part of this article.

Once the journal Advances in Physiology Education published that the attention span of most adults is limited to 10 minutes. Since this article would surpass this amount if it had all the 12 months at once, I split it into 2 parts.

Take a cup of coffee (or green tea if you are not into caffeine), stretch, and check the second part of this article here, with the best places to visit during the months of July, August, October, November, and December.

Check also: The 8 Best Beaches in the World for Vacation, Honeymoon, and Families

3 Cheap Cities in Europe to Visit This Winter (And 1 to Avoid)

4 Expert Tips to Pay 40% Less during Your Next Holiday

If you wish to become a Medium member and have access to articles like this, check this link. It is only $5 per month.

Books

Must Read Self Development Books: The Top 7

The Best Self Development Books to Transform your Life Next Year.

Do you often read personal development books?

I admit that for a long time I was somewhat wary of this kind of reading (also called, often in a derogatory tone, self-help).

And this fear was not entirely without reason: many authors are either imposters or just wordy (taking 100 pages to explain something that could be done in 1 paragraph).

But there are also excellent, hands-on personal development books written by big names whose own results attest to the effectiveness of the methods advocated.

What are these books?

It is precisely to answer this question that I made this list and recommend them to improve our lives. And here, when I say our lives, I mean mine and yours, dear reader. Enjoy it.

The Must Read Self Development Books of the Year

Moral Letters to Lucilius Volume 1

by Seneca

“It is the time for you to reflect: Not only that all things are mortal, but that mortality is subject to no fixed law. Whatever can happen at any time, can happen today.” (On Grief for Lost Friends, Moral Letters to Lucilius, Volume I)

Seneca is my favorite Roman philosopher for a reason: All his letters and manuscripts are atemporal and his thoughts carry invaluable lessons. Some of those lessons even bring the boldest meanings for our age. And at the same time that he is brilliant, his writings are also a pleasure to read.

Or should I say “a joy”, since the term pleasure is not very welcome for stoics like Seneca?

One of the best books I read, ever.

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World

by Cal Newport

Deep Work is the type of book that will assist you in acquiring a meta-skill, or an ability that aids in the acquisition of other abilities.

At some point, you may be concerned about how deeply entangled distraction is in our daily routine and how much we can accomplish if we can break free from those nets of shallowness.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that, by using the methods described in this book, we potentially increase our efficiency in acquiring knowledge by an order of magnitude.

Thinking, Fast and Slow

by Daniel Kahneman

Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Nobel Laureate in Economics Daniel Kahneman, is a fascinating journey through the mind and an explanation of the two systems that power our thought process.

The author introduces us to two types of human thinking: one that is fast, intuitive, and emotional, and another that is slower, deliberate, and rational.

Kahneman demonstrates the exceptional powers of the rapid thinking, as well as its flaws and vices, and the impact of instincts on our judgments. Loss aversion, strategic overconfidence, the difficulty of predicting what will make us happy in the future, and the difficulty of accurately detecting the dangers in investments can all be understood if we know how both types of thinking affect us.

Enchiridion

by Epictetus,

My first encounter with Epictetus was in Seneca’s works, and I listed both among the 5 greatest ancient authors I ever read.

The Enchiridion is a collection of 50 thoughts from the author, a former slave that somehow managed to raise in life and become a teacher. Some lessons are about how to have a more fulfilled life, others, about a more rational approach to time, relations, and existence. This book is worth reading every single phrase.

Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World

by Cal Newport

Is social media harmful?
Short answer: social media giants are harming our social relationships while benefiting from hyper-targeted ads.

But it’s not that easy. More than just selling ads, social media behemoths want as much of your time as possible. They have entire departments dedicated to making you addicted.

By the end of this book, you will not only understand how you are manipulated, but you will also know how to escape from this trap. This is a knowledge that has the potential to be liberating.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

by Stephen R. Covey

A name that most would expect in a list of must-read self-development books.

This was, as far as I remember, the first self-development book I ever read. I was initially skeptical about the idea of reading this type of book.

But The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People was a recommendation from a friend I trust. He said this book went far beyond the usual cliché of “hacking your way to success.”

He was right. The entire book is not about techniques and quick fixes for success. It’s not even about success in the strictest sense, it’s about principles.

The author shares a series of personal stories to illustrate his point: principles and values (the transformation from the inside out) is the first step on the journey to living an effective life.

12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos

by Jordan Peterson

A fantastic book. While most self-development books focus on quick fixes, Jordan Peterson provides an ontological foundation for his writing that stems from the Bible, Latin and Greek philosophy, and modern psychological research.

If you liked this list of must-read self-development books, I also recommend:

Antifragility: A Taleb Concept To Help You During the Next Year

3 Life Lessons from Skin in The Game – Nassim Taleb

If you wish to become a Medium member and have access to articles like this, check this link. It is only $5 per month.

Brazil

Where are the Brazilians Abroad?

The list of the countries with most Brazilian Immigrants has some surprises

Recently the ministry of foreign relations from Brazil (also known as Itamaraty, a peculiar name for one of the most prestigious institutions in that country) released the list of countries that attract more Brazilians abroad.

Here is the top 8:

The USA: 1 775 000 Brazilians.
Portugal: 276 200
Paraguay 240 000
The UK: 220 000
Japan 211 138
Italy: 161 000
Spain: 156 439
Germany: 144 120
Canada: 121 950
Argentina: 89 020

The prevalence of American cities should not come as a shock, since this is a normal thing in most Latin American countries.

But the second and third places may be unexpected. When we compare the number of Brazilian immigrants to the population of the country as a whole, we get even more surprised.

Country	Number of Brazilian residents	Total Population	Brazilians per each 1000 people
The USA	1,775,000	329,000,000	5
Portugal	276,200	10,310,000	27
Paraguay	240,000	7,133,000	34
The UK	220,000	67,220,000	3
Japan	211,138	125,800,000	2
Italy	161,000	59,550,000	3
Spain	156,439	47,350,000	3
Germany	144,120	83,240,000	2
Canada	121,950	38,010,000	3
Argentina	89,020	45,380,000	2

Countries with most Brazilian immigrants according to the Itamaraty (Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

Things get even more dramatic when we consider in which cities are those crowds of Brazilians in Portugal and Paraguay. According to the same source (the Itamaraty):

180 thousand Brazilians live in the region of the Lisbon consulate in Portugal.
98 thousand Brazilians live in the region of the Ciudad Del Este consulate in Paraguay.

Lisbon has a population of roughly half a million people.

That means a European capital with a shocking 35% of the population non-European and from a single, South-American country.

Recently, one of the 3 largest influencers in Brazil, the economist Ricard Amorim, shared on Facebook a table that showed this information, raising comments about how Lisbon had become 1/3 Brazilian.

How is that possible?

Simple: it is not, and here I will tell you why.

Why there are so many Brazilians in Portugal

It is not new for Brazilians to move to Lisbon. Even one of the Portuguese kings, Dom Pedro IV, was a Brazilian emperor before assuming the crown on the European side of the Atlantic.

Still, much more common until a few decades ago was for Portugal’s former colonies in Africa and Asia to send their citizens to Lisbon.

But then came a sequence of economical crises in Brazil, culminating with a presidential impeachment in 2014. Violence erupted (although not equally everywhere, since places like São Paulo are far safer than Northeastern capitals).

Brazilians started to flee in droves owing to the economy and crime (I was one of them).

But less than 2% of the Brazilian population is fluent in English. Therefore, except for this minority, anyone willing to move abroad needed to face a language barrier.

The solution was to move to another Portuguese-speaking country. And in this case, they are plenty of options: Angola, Cape Verde, East Timor, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, and so on.

However, among all of them, only Portugal is a developed nation.

Is that the reason that made turned Lisbon into a city with 35% of all the inhabitants from Brazil?

No, because this is simply not true.

Moving Out, Working Abroad and Keeping Your Sanity Cover — A must-read book for every expatriate (or wannabe expat): Moving Out, Working Abroad and Keeping Your Sanity

The Consulate Jurisdiction Problem

The number of Brazilians in Lisbon is way overestimated because the Brazilian diplomatic mission in Portugal only has three consulates in the whole country. The other two are in the northern city of Porto and the southern city of Faro.

This number is lower than the number of Brazilian consulates in China (4), Canada (4), and Argentina (5), all of which have fewer Brazilian immigrants than Portugal.

Therefore, the numbers of Lisbon are inflated by other cities and even Brazilians that reside in different provinces in central Portugal.

18.6% of the people in Lisbon are foreigners, according to the Portuguese census. This number includes individuals who came from other parts of the world, not just Brazil.

What about Paraguay? Why there are so many Brazilian immigrants there?

Brazilians residing in neighboring Paraguay are known as “Brasiguaios”. In some areas of the country, especially near the border, Brasiguaios make up to 10% of the population. Ciudad del Este, a border city with almost 100 thousand Brazilians mentioned a few paragraphs above, has a population that is almost 30% Brazilian.

Brazilians have migrated to Paraguay due to a combination of factors, including cheap land and real estate, and more favorable tax and labor laws. (Brazil has one of the most chaotic legal codes in the world).

Land prices in Brazil are among the highest in Latin America. In rural areas, a hectare (2.47 acres) can cost close to US$15,000. As such, many Brazilian farmers are attracted to cross the border to Paraguay to buy larger patches of land. Often they also bring Brazilian workers to their ventures, increasing the immigration numbers.

The increasing land purchases by foreign farmers even created conflicts in the region that demand government intervention.

But not only cheaper farmland attracts Brazilian immigrants. The favorable investment policies from the Paraguayan government and the far less complicated labor laws generated a flow of Brazilian industries moving their manufacturing plants to Paraguay. In another article, I explained how this country became the new Latin-American paradise for investors

If you like this article about brazilians abroad, check also:

Save Money on Travel — 4 Travel Hacks to Give You Peace of Mind

4 Tips for Flying (From an Airline Insider)

Why Coffee is Flying from Brazil to Europe?

If you wish to become a Medium member and have access to articles like this, check this link. It is only $5 per month.

Travelling

What are the Safest Airplane and Manufacturer?

The airplane you fly may increase the chance of a fatal accident by 9000%. In this article, you will discover who, between Boeing, Airbus, ATR, Bombardier, Embraer, and Sukhoi, make the safest airplane and is the safest manufacturer. But before, some context.

I used to work for airlines in Revenue Management. Hundreds of analysts, managers, and strategists debated commercial strategies, route planning, and flight scheduling. From ticket prices to the economics of airplanes, we discussed a lot of things there.

But one thing we rarely debated: airplane safety.

Not only because this was not our field (there are entire areas dedicated to that), but also because to travel by plane is safe.

Very safe. It is more likely that a person dies struck by a lightning or falls from bed during sleep than in an airplane crash.

Still, this minor danger is not evenly spread. There are safe, very safe planes, and the safest airplane. In this article, I will tell you which is the safest to fly.

Before you read this, I want to tell you that by no means I am saying that any of the companies below make bad planes. Even the poorest of these six manufacturers is safe enough that you should worry about food poisoning at an airport bar more than an airline catastrophe.

Since I already mentioned that we will rank six different aircraft makers according to safety, here is the list of them.

The airplane manufacturers analyzed

The data used for our ranking is from the Aviation Safety Network (ANS), a private initiative started in 1996. Multiple kinds of planes, from airliners to military transport planes to corporate jets, are registered. The network keeps track of safety problems with all these machines. Over 20,300 incidents, hijackings, and accidents are in the ASN Safety Database. Some data is also from the page Turbli.com, including the statistics from the six aircraft makers, which are:

Airbus: It is the second-largest manufacturer of commercial planes in the world. The owners are the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS), from Germany, France, and Spain, with an 80 percent stake, and BAE Systems, from the United Kingdom, with a 20% share. Its first product, the A300, was put into service in 1974.
Boeing: Created in the USA, it is the world’s biggest aerospace company. William E. Boeing (1881–1956) started in 1916 as Aero Products Company and then, in the late 1920s, it became part of the United Aircraft and Transportation Corporation. It made the Boeing 707, the first American jetliner,
Embraer: a multinational company based in Brazil making planes for commercial, executive, defense, and agricultural use. The company has made over 8,000 planes since 1969.
Bombardier: a Canadian company that makes planes, rail transportation equipment, and motorized consumer products. During the 1980s, the company entered the aerospace business.
ATR: Avionics de Transport Regional or Aerei da Transporto Regionale is a joint venture between France and Italy started in 1981. Its major products are the ATR 42 and ATR 72 planes.
Sukhoi: a Russian holding, manufacturing both civilian and military aircraft. The company is the biggest exporter of Russian planes in the world.

What is the safest airplane model?

There are enormous differences in how many units of the airplanes analyzed sold. Some models, like the Airbus A320 or the Boeing 737, sold over 15 thousand planes each. On the other side, less than 250 A380 (the largest passenger airplane in the world) were delivered to this date.

For this reason, a simple comparison of accident numbers between the different models (and manufacturers) would be extremely unfair. Since there are 60X more A320 or B737 flying than A380, it is obvious that they are involved in more accidents.

To remove the difference in sales numbers, we will use a ratio elaborated by Turbli: the fatal accidents rate per thousand years of service time.

Many models never had a single accident, therefore they have a 0 score in this ratio. Still, most of them had less than 350 hundred sales. One exception is the Airbus 340. Turbli also made a list of the best airplanes during turbulences and the A340 had the 2nd best place. Still, “only” 380 airplanes of this model have been made so far. So, in terms of statistics, it hasn’t had to deal with as many dangerous situations as other aircraft.

When we consider airplanes with large sales (more than a thousand), the Embraer ERJ family 130, 140, and 145 is the pick for the title of the safest plane. With more than 1200 models built, just like the A340, it was never involved in an accident with fatalities.

There were a few accidents involving Embraer ERJ jets, like one that slid off the runway during a snowstorm at Chicago O’Hare Airport, but never a single fatal victim. Therefore, a clear champion in the question of the safest airplane.

What is the safest aircraft manufacturer?

When comparing the various manufacturers, the Brazilian-based Embraer comes out on top with only 0.01 fatal incidents per thousand years of service duration. The Franco-Italian company ATR has a risk that is 50 times higher, while the Russian Sukhoi has 90 times the risk of Embraer, making them the least safe in our study.

Safest aircraft manufacturers chart, compiled by Turbli.com with data from the Aviation Safety Network.

The differences between Airbus, Boeing, and Bombardier are minor, all of them being more dangerous than Embraer but far safer than ATR or Sukhoi.

The victory of Embraer in this research may be quite surprising. It is a common belief that larger jets should be safer than smaller planes, therefore most would expect Boeing and Airbus to lead the ranking while ATR, Sukhoi, and Embraer should take the last spots.

But that is not what happened.

Independent of the reason, the Brazilian manufacturer, despite fabricating smaller jets, managed to make them safer than the larger machines from both Boeing and Airbus.

Something that the engineers from the ITA (Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica, the military institution that “supplies” many of the company’s technicians) should be proud about.

If you like this article about the safest airplane and manufacturer, check also:

Save Money on Travel — 4 Travel Hacks to Give You Peace of Mind

4 Tips for Flying (From an Airline Insider)

Why Coffee is Flying from Brazil to Europe?

If you wish to become a Medium member and have access to articles like this, check this link. It is only $5 per month.

Europe

The Best Country for Medical School (Considering Quality and Costs)

If you are considering the possibility of studying medicine abroad and looking for the best country for medical school, you can be sure of 3 things:

You are going for one of the few careers respected nearly everywhere in the world (maybe only comparable to firefighters).
It is a long journey.
Costs can be high. Very high.

With this in mind, we prepared this article. Differently from dozens of other articles about the best countries to study medicine that you find on the internet, here we will also consider how much of a burden to study medicine is for your pockets.

Because yes, if your father is a billionaire, maybe you already decided on an Ivy League school, but not everyone has deep pockets (or an uncle that is an influential congressman so you can have privileged entrance).

The first step is to define which countries have a respectable level of medical infrastructure. Why? Because it would be difficult to find good medical schools in places where hospitals have no decent structure or the health care system (public or private) is in ruins.

Which Country Is the Best in Medicine?

The quality of healthcare is determined by a lot of different things, like how the care process works (preventative care, coordinated care, engagement, patient preferences, etc.), how much it costs, how quickly it can be delivered, how equitable it is, and how well it works (population health, disease-specific outcomes, etc.).

It’s not hard to find a decent healthcare system. While medical organizations are complicated, there are a lot of ways to figure out which systems are the best. For that, we will use the “Health Care Index” published by the CEOWorld Magazine.

The Health Care Index is a statistical glance at the overall quality of the medical system, including how well doctors, nurses, and other workers do their jobs; how much it costs per person each year; how often top-notch medicine is available; and how prepared the government is to assist. It also considers external factors like sanitation, public health programs, and so on. There are 89 countries in the study, ranked based on five different health factors.

Here are the top 20 countries with the best healthcare in the world:

Rank	Country	Health Care Index (Overall)	Infrastructure	Professionals	Cost	Medicine Availability	Government Readiness
1	South Korea	78.72	87.16	14.23	83.59	82.3	87.89
2	Taiwan	77.7	79.05	13.06	78.39	78.99	65.09
3	Denmark	74.11	90.75	30.01	82.59	92.06	96.3
4	Austria	71.32	86.18	20.25	78.99	88.23	91.8
5	Japan	70.73	78.77	21.6	74.88	74.18	93.2
6	Australia	67.99	92.58	17.37	96.22	67.51	89.91
7	France	65.38	77.86	13.24	71.82	55.1	81.38
8	Spain	64.66	86.28	34.25	75.81	83.82	96.8
9	Belgium	64.63	72.48	24.51	68.68	64.78	94.9
10	The United Kingdom	61.73	88.63	14.66	75.61	90.25	88.41
11	Netherlands	60.16	79.09	13.56	69.93	67.29	85.03
12	Finland	59.6	77.76	13.41	68.97	59.65	84.59
13	Thailand	59.52	98.7	29.05	94.99	98.74	96.1
14	Czech Republic	57.96	76.39	14.96	67.47	71.33	88.86
15	Norway	56.71	79.73	21.24	68.59	75.73	92.6
16	New Zealand	54.86	86.58	16.55	71.23	73.86	89.51
17	Germany	52.3	78.93	13.6	66.04	60.94	85.68
18	Switzerland	52.25	77.77	16.4	65.42	69.68	89.49
19	India	52.1	74.2	17.84	63.51	97.84	89.98
20	United Arab Emirates	51.99	68.21	14.95	60.36	55.08	88.74

The top 20 countries of the Health Care Index published by the CEOWorld Magazine and used by us as criteria to define the best country for medical school.

Which Country Is Best for Medical Students?

There are a few sources that list the best countries for medical students. Many of them are contradictory (and we will end those contradictions in a few paragraphs, using data). Here are some examples:

AbroadGurus, who mention The United Kingdom, Ukraine, Hong Kong, Malaysia, France, Russia, Germany, Singapore, and Canada.
Jeduka, who considers The United Kingdom, The USA, Canada, France, China, Ukraine, Russia, the Philippines, and the Netherlands as the best countries to study medicine.
GoAbroad meanwhile lists Argentina, Belize, Chile, Kenya, Netherlands, Peru, Portugal, Spain, and The United Kingdom.
GlobalScholarships regards The USA, The United Kingdom, Australia, India, Canada, Netherlands, and Sweden as the best countries for medical students
Last, CollegeChalo considers in their top 10 of the best places to study medicine the following countries: Russia, China, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Philippines, Poland, Belgium, Belarus, Germany, and Italy.

As you can see, although some countries are present in multiple lists, there is tremendous diversity. How then to decide which country is the best for a medical student?

Here is the way we found it.

The Final List: The Best Country for Medical School

To build the final rank of the best country for medical school, we will consider the following criteria:

1st — The Cost of Living Index by Country in 2021, an indicator that considers the living costs. Numbeo, the world’s largest database of costs, compiles it. Although this indicator does not consider tuition costs (which will be handled as a separate criterion), it considers all other expenses like rent, food, etc. If a certain country has an index of 120, it is two times more expensive than one with an index of 60.

2nd — The performance of the country in the Healthcare Index.

3rd — How many times a country comes up in the five rankings that came before it (AbroadGurus, Jeduka, GoAbroad, GlobalScholarships, and CollegeChalo). Only countries mentioned in at least three of the five rankings were considered, meaning The UK, Netherlands, Russia, Canada, and Ukraine.

4th — The tuition costs for international students — for European universities, the prices used are for non-European citizens. (Sources: UK, Netherlands, Russia, Canada, and Ukraine)

All this data together gave us the ultimate list for you to decide the best country for medical school:

Country	Number of Ranks that Mentioned it.	Health Care Index (The higher the better)	Cost of Living Index (The lower the better)	Average Tuition Cost (in USD per Year)
The United Kingdom	4	61.73	53.24	$50,268
Netherlands	3	60.16	60.1	$36,064
Russia	3	37.76	26.83	$8,882
Canada	3	48.64	54.62	$22,500
Ukraine	3	33.38	22.12	$4,200

The top 5 of the best countries for Medical School.

Study medicine in The UK

Average Tuition Cost (in USD per year): $50,268

Cost of Living Index (The lower the better): 53.24

Health Care Index (The higher the better): 61.73

Number of ranks that mentioned The UK among the best countries for studying medicine: 4

Yes, some of the best medical schools in the world are in the UK. Even the average British medical school would be considered a top school in most countries.

But this quality comes at a cost. First, a financial cost, since among our top 5 countries to study medicine abroad, the UK is the most expensive.

Besides the money, it also requires personal effort and patience.

Certain things must be done to study medicine in the UK. In interviews, students should expect to be asked about their motivation, past work, and personal interests. They should also be able to show off their past achievements and work experience.

Start applying to colleges a year before you wish to attend to move to the UK. It’s around October 15th the admission deadline. By that time, you should have all of your scores ready to submit with your application.

Study medicine in The Netherlands

Average Tuition Cost (in USD per Year): $36,064

Cost of Living Index (The lower the better): 60.1

Health Care Index (The higher the better): 60.16

Number of ranks that mentioned The Netherlands among the best countries for studying medicine: 3

The Netherlands teaches medicine differently from the UK, both in terms of content and timing. Because they teach students in both countries in different ways, it will be almost impossible for you to move between them while you’re still in school.

According to the portal StudyinHolland, in the Netherlands there are three main steps to becoming a doctor in general practice:

BSc in medicine (3 years)
MSc in medicine (3 more years)
Training (one year)

There are just two Dutch universities that teach the first three years in English, and only a few spots are open to foreigners. The University of Groningen provides a global health BSc. There is a similar program in English at the University of Maastricht. This would be the first step to be a doctor. Every year, Groningen offers 410 medical spots, but starting in 2021, only around 100 will be offered to non-Dutch speakers.

Study medicine in Russia

Average Tuition Cost (in USD per Year): $8,882

Cost of Living Index (The lower the better): 26.83

Health Care Index (The higher the better): 37.76

Number of ranks that mentioned Russia among the best countries for studying medicine: 3

Lower costs are one of the main reasons students choose Russia for medical studies. In countries like the UK or the USA, students cannot afford even the tuition, let alone housing, foreign fees, textbooks, and other expenses.

Meanwhile, in Russia, world-renowned medical institutes have produced global leaders in healthcare and medicine while students pay tuition as low as 5 thousand dollars per year.

There are a lot of places like the UK that accept Russian degrees. Many Russian universities offer medical degrees that are in English and taught by world-renowned doctors. Besides offering English classes and programs at all levels, Russia offers Ph.D. degrees with educational quality and accessible programs.

A medical school application in Russia might seem scary to some people. Each program, university, and level of education has its own set of rules. According to Findcourse.com, some colleges may ask students to submit an online application, a non-refundable interview fee, transcripts from previous schools, letters of recommendation, and health information such as immunization records. Other colleges may require an in-person or a Skype interview.

Study medicine in Canada

Average Tuition Cost (in USD per Year): $22,500

Cost of Living Index (The lower the better): 54.62

Health Care Index (The higher the better): 48.64

Number of ranks that mentioned Canada among the best countries for studying medicine: 3

There is a lot of competition to get into a medical school in Canada, so applicants need to make sure they meet all the requirements for each college. Applicants must not only meet all academic requirements but also meet all deadlines, too (which vary from institution to institution).

Getting a medical degree in Canada usually takes 3 to 5 years, depending on the university and the person who is getting it. The first year of a 5-year medical program in Canada is for people who don’t have a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field of study. If you want to go to a four-year medical school, you must have a bachelor’s degree in biology or another field.

According to Medical Study Guide, even though Canada offers 17 medical colleges providing degrees in English and French, studying medicine in Canada is still one of the most competitive options, with only 15% of Canadian pre-med students going into medical school. Most medical schools require the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test).

The MCAT is a standardized multiple-choice test meant to measure problem-solving, critical thinking, and writing abilities, as well as understanding of science topics and principles.

Study medicine in Ukraine

Average Tuition Cost (in USD per Year): $4,200

Cost of Living Index (The lower the better): 22.12

Health Care Index (The higher the better): 33.38

Number of ranks that mentioned Ukraine among the best countries for studying medicine: 3

Studying medicine in Ukraine is a great alternative for those who want to become doctors but want affordability with quality.

Most medical schools here have an English program. Ukraine’s education is comparable to that of Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, and much of Eastern Europe. Also, the cost of living in Ukraine isn’t as high as in the EU.

International students can study medicine in Ukraine at many large schools. These medical schools offer degrees that are accepted across Europe.

The requirements for admission usually are one of the two below (don’t need to be both).

a general university entrance qualification with specialized courses in biology and chemistry or,
a completed preparatory course (often called a pre-med).

There are 18 medical schools in Ukraine, but according to Medlink, these 3 are the best:

Dnipro Medical Institute. Dnipro is a city full of universities. Living here costs about €300 a month. The medicine course lasts 6 years, but it can be cut down if you have the appropriate qualifications. Entry exams aren’t required, making it easier to get in. After the course, you become a doctor (Medical Doctor). The first year’s tuition costs about €4,600, and the next year’s costs about €3,300.
Kharkiv National Medical University. One of Ukraine’s oldest higher educational establishments. Founded in 1805 by Tsar Alexander I, the institution has more than 200 years of history.
V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University. With the name of the celebrated inventor Vasily Karazin, it is also in Kharkiv. The university now has a lot of international students and lecturers, as well as a lot of associate professors who work there. 21 schools and 124 departments with 61 majors make up the whole thing. The institution requires an entrance test in biology and English.

Conclusion: The Best Country for Medical School

The best country to study medicine, if we don’t take into consideration tuition or living costs, is technically the UK. Nearly every ranking we analyzed mentioned the United Kingdom, and the UK also had the highest result in the Health Care Index.

However, it is also the most expensive place to study medicine from all the places we looked at. When we look at the cost-benefit ratio, both Russia and Ukraine offer the chance to become an MD (medical doctor) while spending a lot less, making both slavic nations the favorite for the crown of the best country for medical school.

An entire medical course in a renowned Ukrainian university as the Kharkiv National Medical University may cost less than a single year of tuition fees in the UK.

If you liked this article about the best country for medical school, check those below:

The Best Countries for Education: Where you should build your future?

4 Tips for Living Abroad (Or Far from Home) That You Wish To Know Earlier

Two Fine Benefits of Living Abroad (Hint: They Will Laugh at You)

5 Tips for Moving to Europe — Crucial Advice for Anyone Coming from a Warm Country

If you wish to become a Medium member and have access to articles like this, check this link. It is only $5 per month.

Europe

The Best Countries for Education in the World

There is one thing that drives the world’s greatest economies. It’s not global firms, infrastructure, or technology. It is their population average skills. The greatest economies are often the best countries for education.

Some folks use the term “human capital”. In reality, it is about using the knowledge that is in books, minds, and masterpieces to help us improve our skills and abilities. Investing our time and money into ourselves and into other people is what it is all about. When we learn new skills, we become more productive. When we learn new skills, we become better problem solvers. It increases our quality of life in the long term.

There are many ways to define the best countries for education in the world, and in this article, we will analyze 4 different rankings and compile a list blending them.

The Rankings Used to Define the Best Countries for Education

There are four different rankings that we will use to figure out which countries are best for education in the world. By doing that, we will look at a lot of different things, like how these countries are set up for higher education, how much it costs to live there for students and professionals from these countries, and so on.

The first ranking used is The Human Capital Index, elaborated by the World Economic Forums. It considers 130 countries to see how well they are developing their human capital on a scale from 0 (worst) to 100 (best). It comprises four sub-indexes: capacity, deployment, development, and know-how.

The other is the PISA, a ranking compiled by the OECD. It measures how well 15-year-olds can use their knowledge and skills in reading, math, and science to solve problems in the real world. Since 2000, PISA has involved over 90 countries and more than 300,000 students from all over the world. The latest results are from 2018.

The 3rd ranking is the “Webometrics Ranking of World Universities”, an initiative of the Cybermetrics Lab, a research group from the CSIC, the largest Spanish public research body. They analyzed and ranked 31097 universities all over the world according to web presence, visibility, and access.

The Cost of Living Index by Country in 2021 is the fourth rank we’ll analyze. Numbeo, the world’s largest database of costs, compiles it. It is a crowd-sourced database with information about the cost of living around the world, including housing indicators, healthcare, and many other things. The countries at the top of their list have lower costs, something crucial for students living abroad. Here, we used the cost-of-living considering rent, because students often have to pay for their places.

Which Country Has the Best Education System?

If we consider only the PISA ranking (which compares high-school systems), then we have these top 10 (not including territories like Macau):

Mathematics: China, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Estonia, Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, and Canada.
Science: China, Singapore, Vietnam, Estonia, Japan, Finland, South Korea, Canada, Taiwan, and Poland.
Reading: China, Singapore, Estonia, Canada, Finland, Ireland, South Korea, Poland, New Zealand, and Sweden.

On the other side, if we consider the Webometrics university rankings, the figure is distinct. The top 10 is the USA, the UK, China, Germany, Canada, Australia, Italy, Spain, France, and Japan. Together, these countries have 76% of the most renowned universities in the world.

The other two rankings, the Cost of Living Index from Numbeo and the Human Capital Index from the World Economic Forum, also have quite distinct results.

Therefore, to put together all the results, my method was to blend them into a table where the position in each ranking is equal to one point, and the best countries are those with the smaller score. Arbitrary? Maybe. But with a logical basis — if you have any other idea that is practical, please let me know in the comment section.

During the rank compilation, we excluded countries involved in internal wars (eg: Syria, Ukraine, etc) or with incomplete information (eg: Brunei, Kosovo, Czech Republic, Russia, etc).

The ranking created using these 4 factors involved 71 countries.

The Results of the Best Countries to Study Abroad

After building the scores as described above, we reached the following TOP 10:

Rank	Country	Position @ PISA (Basic education ranking)	Position @ Webometrics (University ranking)	Position @ HCI (Human capital ranking)	Position @ Numbeo (Cost of living ranking)	Total Score
1	Poland	10	32	21	68	131
2	Canada	6	5	4	118	133
3	South Korea	5	16	3	110	134
4	The UK	12	2	9	111	134
5	Vietnam	9	44	36	46	135
6	Japan	4	10	2	121	137
7	Finland	8	15	5	115	143
8	Estonia	3	42	10	89	144
9	Sweden	15	12	6	113	146
10	Germany	18	4	23	109	154
11	Portugal	26	20	15	93	154
12	Netherlands	16	11	8	125	160
13	Serbia	43	41	40	39	163
14	Slovenia	13	43	12	97	165
15	Belgium	19	17	17	112	165
16	Hungary	32	40	38	55	165
17	France	25	9	16	116	166
18	Singapore	2	31	1	133	167
19	Australia	20	6	14	128	168
20	New Zealand	14	23	11	122	170

The Best Countries for Education – Top 20

Best Countries for Education in Europe

According to the criteria used, the best countries for education in Europe are quite a heterogeneous group, containing Poland, the UK, Sweden, Estonia, Finland, and Germany.

Poland, Estonia, and Finland had great scores thanks to their excellent basic education. People from other countries, however, should know that public education in these countries is mostly (if not entirely) in the local idiom. Polish, Finnish, and Estonian are some of the most difficult languages in Europe to learn. It took me three years just to get the basics of one of them.

It helped Poland that living costs are lower there than in most European Union countries (although not everything is cheap in Poland, lettuce being just one example). Estonia, too, had an excellent result because of lower living costs.

The UK, Sweden, and Germany grabbed their spots in the top 10 for other reasons, like the sizable number of fine universities. But neither the UK, nor Germany nor Sweden had good results in the cost-of-living score, raising concerns for students without access to financial aid. These are expensive countries, after all.

Best Countries to Study in Europe for International Students

Our ranking matches the result from other studies that also placed both Germany and Sweden as two of the best countries in Europe for foreign students. While countries like Poland or Estonia may look attractive because of the lower living expenses, the language barriers may be an obstacle in cities far from the metropolitan areas.

While the German and Swedish expensive living costs may be an obstacle, students might qualify for help programs, like the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst in Germany or the CSN in Sweden.

Opinions about the quality of education in Germany are often favorable. A Hungarian student told the portal QS:

“During my first lecture — real-time machines and robots — I was amazed when the teachers gave us a mini-robot and told us we can have it at home during the whole semester to practice on. All the practice orientated examples helped a lot to understand the aim of the lecture and get the ability to gain industrial insight.” — student from Hungary

Best Country to Study in South America

No South American country made it into the top 20 of our list, but Colombia came in 26th. Colombia was the 11th best country in the world in the cost of living index.

According to the QS university rankings, there are 2 Colombian institutions among the 300 best in the world: the Universidad Nacional de Colombia (258th place) and the Universidad de Los Andes (236th place). Webometrics ranking also mentioned the former. During my career in South America, I had some colleagues from the de Los Andes and they were indeed well-educated fellows.

The portal Colombia.co also points as an advantage the offer of specialized programs:

One of the biggest advantages of higher education in Colombia is that it offers specialized academic programs that are hard to find in other countries.

Some examples of this include the Nanotechnology Engineering degree offered by Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana,[…] and the Archaeology, Museology and Conservation and Restoration of the Movable Cultural Heritage degree at Universidad Externado de Colombia.

Curiously, Brazil, the country that has the best university in South America (the Universidade of São Paulo, one of the 70 best institutions in the world) and a respectable result in the University criteria, was out of the top 40 because of poor scores in all other factors.

Study in Canada as an International Student: The Best Country in the Americas for Education

Canada has a long history of being one of the best places in the world to study. Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec are the three most popular provinces for foreign students to live in when they come to study in Canada. Canadian universities can be a good choice for people who want to study at one of the best universities in one of the world’s most developed countries.

The University of Toronto and McGill University are the two best-ranked Canadian schools. Other universities that are also good places to study are the Université de Montréal, the Université de Waterloo, and Western University.

They offer undergraduate degrees that can last three or four years, depending on how long it takes to get there and how long to study there. Depending on the type of postgraduate degree you choose and how long you take to finish, it can take anywhere from one to three years to finish. According to QS and Statistics Canada, the average tuition fees for undergraduate international students in 2019/20 are CA$29714 (~US$22,500) per year. Not among the cheapest places, after all.

Best Country to Study in Africa and Oceania

There are no African countries in the top 50, but from Oceania, both New Zealand and Australia grabbed their places in the top 20. The Aussies thanks to their world-class university (the 6th best in this criteria) and the kiwis with the 11th best human capital on the planet. As you can imagine, however, both countries have a relatively high cost of living.

The language of instruction is English in both countries, making them popular choices for students from Asia, the Pacific, Africa, and even Europe and the United States.

But they are a long way from the rest of the world, so travel costs can be high, just like multiple other costs (look for the price of a beer in Australia).

Best Country to Study in Asia

Not a surprise that both South Korea and Japan qualified as the best countries to study in Asia. Both countries also grabbed two of the best 3 places in the Human Capital criteria measured by the World Economic Forum.

While the excellent educational quality from Japan and South Korea is no secret, there are two concerns raised by external observers:

1st — The language. (anecdotal evidence: I have a couple of friends that tried for years to learn South-Korean, with no success). The idiom in these places is an obstacle not only for students but even for skilled workers. The Nikkei Asian Review invited readers to give their opinions. Most international workers in Japan mention language barriers (52%) as the major difficulty, far above visa issues (22%), and unknown career paths (18%).

2nd — The competitive educational system often drives people to depression and even suicide. In 2020, a record number of Japanese schoolchildren took their own lives, according to an education ministry report. There were 415 deaths among students ages 6 to 18. This is the highest number since records began in 1974.

Vietnam also was present among the best countries to study in Asia for the same reason that Poland is among the best Europeans: lower living costs and an excellent basic education. According to Asia Exchange, one of the best options for higher studies in Vietnam is the Foreign Trade University (FTU).

Over the years, it has received recognition both in Vietnam and Asia. FTU’s satellite campus in Ho Chi Minh City offers studies in International Business Management, International Finance, Banking, Logistics, and Economics.

Conclusion: The Best Countries for Education and the Best Countries to Study Abroad

The best countries to study are:

Europe: Poland, the UK, Finland, Estonia, Sweden, and Germany.
Asia: South Korea, Vietnam, and Japan.
Americas: Canada.
Oceania: Australia and New Zealand.

In this article, we propose a ranking that considers 4 other rankings from institutions like the OCDE, the World Economic Forum, and so on. The goal is to look at factors like the quality of basic and higher education, the cost of living, and the level of human capital.

The results obtained should not be considered an absolute truth, but as a basis for analysis and adapted to each student’s reality. Eg: while in Poland the language barrier may be terrible for non-Slavic language speakers, for a Czech it is not a major obstacle, or while the high costs of the UK can burden some students, others may count on the support of the government to ease the expenses.

If you liked this article, check also:

4 Tips for Living Abroad (Or Far from Home) That You Wish To Know Earlier

The Best Country for Medical School (Considering Quality and Costs)

Two Fine Benefits of Living Abroad (Hint: They Will Laugh at You)

5 Tips for Moving to Europe — Crucial Advice for Anyone Coming from a Warm Country

If you wish to become a Medium member and have access to articles like this, check this link. It is only $5 per month.

Business

Use the PEST Business Analysis to Grasp the Local…

What Is the PEST Analysis

I grew up in one of the world’s least business-friendly regions: the countryside of Brazil.

The massive bureaucracy is one cause of this unpleasant reality. So when I arrived in Poland, I hoped I wouldn’t face the same bureaucratic issues that my family’s business had in Brazil.

I underestimated it.

My lofty hopes led to my first setbacks, including a penalty for not signing a very specific permit application. While not as bureaucratic as Brazil, Polish firms must fill out many forms and get multiple permissions.

My example is just one of many stories of entrepreneurs in different cultures. Almost all these stories have a single message: be careful. Yes, Optimism is fine. You wouldn’t leave your home if you were pessimistic. You wouldn’t be an entrepreneur. But first, grasp the local entrepreneurial culture.

Writing this post is my way of giving you some hope. I want to help you avoid my mistakes. For that, I will share with you a powerful tool that I learned to use while running a business abroad.

If you are planning to start your own business abroad, this is the book I wrote for you. Image from the author. — This article is inspired by this book, which you can purchase here.

First, Stop Worrying and Start Asking Questions

RUN from the nostalgic feeling after facing the first obstacles above.

Maybe you already heard someone saying something like “Oh, I can’t believe it. That would never happen back home!”

This kind of phrase opens the gates to FAILURE.

Repeat them a few times and your brain will consider giving up without not even considering workable solutions.

Nostalgic sorrow leads to irritation and harms your initiative.

If you’re stranded on a desert island, lamenting the lack of a handsaw won’t help. Work with the tools (and circumstances) you have.

The PEST Business Analysis is a first step in understanding the entrepreneurial cultural traits and situations. You do it by asking the RIGHT questions about the things you MUST know.

What Is the PEST Analysis

The PEST Business Analysis is crucial in the planning phase of a new project or renovating an existing venture. It is a tool for analyzing macro, external, and uncontrolled issues. Factors affecting strategic planning, implementation, and future success.

Maybe you’ve heard of the PEST analysis if you studied marketing or a comparable field in college.

During the planning phase of my two businesses, I used the PEST analysis and its concepts. It was useful, yet imperfect. The flaw was those typical PEST models omitted legal and environmental considerations. Legal issues prompted my company to deviate from our early plans.

The sub-analysis of the environment and legal circumstances has been incorporated, creating the PESTEL model, an acronym meaning Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, and Legal.

To comprehend each aspect, you need to ask the proper questions. Questions and answers that will prevent shocks like mine, and this is what I will give you below through the PEST (EL) analysis.

Business Environment: Internal and External, Controllable and Uncontrollable Variables.

Understanding your business environment is vital, for a few reasons:

No matter the size or nature of a business, the environment is always interacting with it. You can use these interactions to maximize resources and the knowledge will help you search out additional business chances.
Identifying business opportunities and threats — the interplay between a firm and its surroundings frequently shows business possibilities and risks.
To give growth direction — when a company is familiar with its location, it is simpler to find opportunities. Are specific products or services losing favor? Are your rivals providing things you should provide as well? We may answer similar questions when you know your local culture and business environment.

By “business environment” we mean both the macro and macro aspects. As explained by the Marketing Tutor:

The micro-environment comprises all those factors close to marketing and operations. For example, employees, competitors, partners, customers, the public, etc. They are mostly variables under company control.
The macro-environment are the external factors that affect every business in the industry and often are out of our direct control.

The PEST (or PESTEL) analysis will give you a framework to understand the macro-environment of your company.

The PEST Analysis with Examples of Questions to Ask.

Political questions to ask when starting a business in a distant region:

What are the political risks?
What are the chances of war, revolution, coup d’état, etc.?
What do politicians think of your business? What are the approaches taken by the government to your sector?

Economic questions to ask when starting a business in a distant region:

Is the local economy stable?
How volatile are interest and exchange rates?
Is it possible to hedge (protect your treasury) against sharp changes in exchange and interest rates?
Is the local public able to afford your product?
Is there a decrease or increase in people’s purchase power?
How affordable is credit for the firm and its customers?
How simple is it to hire? How are the unemployment rates?

Social questions:

What are the social norms? Is it a smart idea to sell miniskirts in Saudi Arabia? How to build a common culture in line with social norms?
What is the population’s demographic distribution? How has it changed over time?
How great are the generational gaps?
Do social paradigms affect the business?
What lifestyle changes happened? Eg: urbanization trends and rural exodus.

Technological questions:

What is the condition of the local tech infrastructure (eg: internet bandwidth)?
What are the government restrictions? Eg: Component taxes or import bans.
What are the local regulations over technology innovation and access?
How good are the local R&D agents?

Environmental questions:

Is the climate suitable for your business? Eg: You don’t want to sell house-heaters in Rio de Janeiro.
How steady is the weather and how disruptive is it to business?
How geographically distant are you from your primary stakeholders (people or firms associated with your business)?

Legal questions

How do labor laws may affect employee relations?
How consumer legislation affects your customer relations?
Which laws impact supplier chains, export, and import procedures?
How to respect both substantive and procedural law (the process, timing, and access to law enforcement). In certain places, procedural rules trump substantive rules.

How the Pest Business Analysis Can Make You a Foreign Successful Entrepreneur

The questions above are some of the things you should ask. Remember to adapt them to your sector and industry by asking broad and detailed questions.

You may think that asking even more things can be excessive after I list in the previous section over two dozen questions.

No, it is not.

You ought to place all your doubts through the PESTEL analysis framework. Later, attempt to answer them as best you can. In this manner, you’ll have a good idea of the uncontrolled variables affecting your company strategy.

Next, ask more specific, micro-level inquiries. Controllable elements that may become opportunities.

Questions to ask (and answers) before transferring your company abroad:

Are business visas required? How do you get them? What are the other permits you must have to be an entrepreneur? In this article, I answered these questions for multiple European countries.
Is there a minimum — or suggested — capital requirement?
Can you be the only shareholder or a local partner is required, like in several Asian countries?
What export/import permits do you need?
What safety credentials are required for your job?
What technological abilities do you expect from prospective employees?
Do you have local access to all raw materials required for production or will you need to import them?
How are the neighbors and the locals responding to your business idea? Are they aggressive, neutral, or friendly?

Disadvantages of the PEST Business Analysis

Because it is so simple to use inadequate data in a PEST (or PESTEL) analysis, some entrepreneurs oversimplify the amount of data they use for judgments.

There is also the danger of acquiring an excessive amount of data, resulting in ‘paralysis by analysis,’ which is a situation where people spend too much time analyzing and overthinking and do not execute their plan.

Another risk is when the data utilized derives from assumptions that were shown to be incorrect. Eg: assuming stable interest rates without considering the possibility of new government policies.

Blueprint for first-time business owners — All the Hows of a First-Time Business Owner: There is a thin line between bankruptcy and the freedom to be an entrepreneur

Conclusions about the Use of the PEST Business Analysis to Grasp the Local Entrepreneurial Culture

Because of the rapid changes, it is becoming more difficult to predict changes that may impact an organization in the future.

Ask questions regarding the political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal variables that may affect your business. Some of these questions I gave you above.

Organize your understanding of macro (uncontrollable) and micro (controllable) variables.

Compile everything in a single document, or as part of your general business plan.

This document will impress most government offices, potential investors, and financing rounds. Few individuals know their own industry and geography so well, so you already have an edge.

If You Are Single, This Is the Cost to Live In These 6 European Capitals

The European Capital Where You Can Live With Less than $400 Monthly

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Digital Nomads

4 Tips to Moving Out and Living on Your…

When Moving Out in 2022, Carry These Tips with You

Congratulations! They awarded you a master’s scholarship on the opposite side of the continent. Or maybe you just read an email with a fantastic career offer overseas. These scenarios are occurring more often than ever among millennials. But what happens when you move far away? Here are some tips for moving out in 2022.

How Often Do Millennials Move?

According to a study involving 1000 adults made by Porch.com and published by Housingwire, Millennials, on average, move every two years, Baby boomers, every four years, but Gen Xers remained in the same area for almost six years.

While mortgage rates remain low, Millennials are not purchasing houses as early in life as previous generations, which they attribute to school loan debt and other expenses piling up. They are also the generation that goes from the suburbs to the city and back again.

Here is one thing: I don’t want to dampen your enthusiasm (and I promise to give you all the answers to the questions later), but:

Even minor activities, such as purchasing a monthly transport ticket, may cause trouble when you live far from home.

You may enter either a spending frenzy fueled by lower prices or a feeling of being ripped off by larger expenses.

Then you become ill and find out that your new health insurance doesn’t cover even simple checkups.

Maybe you’re taking a long-term medication (as anti-baldness drugs like finasteride) and it’s over 300% more costly where you moved. When I relocated to Poland, this was my case.

Adapting to a whole new culture already requires a lot of work and might be stressful. Why not make your life simpler and prevent the issues listed above?

Many years ago, I left my tiny hometown, which smelled like orange cake. I made many mistakes when moving to different continents. I’ll teach you how to prevent these blunders and save hundreds, if not thousands, of bucks.

Tip 1 – Remember the questions to ask before moving out

New places may provide new possibilities, jobs, and friendships. But it also can be costly and bring headaches.

So, before you move to another place, ask yourself these questions (and here are a few more others):

1 — Does it fit my budget even in a pessimistic scenario (eg: unemployed for a few months)?

It seems simple, but the thrill of relocation may cloud your financial judgment. Credit card, mortgage, and student loan payments should not exceed 36% of your annual income.

2. Is it worth relocation to your job, and what are the other professional opportunities there?

Examine similar jobs’ salaries in your new city, since management and remuneration vary.

3 — When is the best time to move?

I moved during winter in Poland and I almost freeze my fingers assembling furniture since I still didn’t have heating. Check your local conditions.

4. How will you get around?

You can use the subway in London to go nearly anywhere, but not in Sao Paulo. Before you move, consider the price, availability, and convenience of public transit, as well as the costs and bureaucracy of automobile registration.

7. Is the city’s culture suitable for you and would you be happy there?

Every city has its own flavor, and it’s vital that your new home feels like home. If you’re unhappy in your present city and want to move somewhere better, think about why you’re unhappy and what makes the new area appealing.

9. What are your backup plans?

A move may be a mistake. Relationships end, jobs are lost. So save money or have a backup plan in case the new city doesn’t work out.

Tip 2 – How to Estimate Your Living Expenses and Plan the Perfect Budget

Numbeo and Expatistan are two outstanding websites that I have been using since I moved out of my country a decade ago. Both sites create large pricing databases of everything by combining user-generated material and online cooperation.

Users enter the prices for each item (from food to housing and transportation) in their respective areas onto the websites. The tool’s accuracy improves as the number of consultations increases. Numbeo contains about 6 million values spread throughout around ten thousand cities on the earth. Expatistan provides information on the cost of living in over 2,000 places.

Using those methods, I can verify Doha is 99% more costly than Warsaw. This is consistent with my experiences of paying exorbitant rates for a drink in the Qatari capital.

With this wealth of information, it is simple to compare living expenses between your current location and your previous one. You’ll find out whether your budget allows you to enjoy a thrifty, easygoing, or opulent lifestyle.

If you are a remote worker and want to make the most out of your income, check this article with 8 great cities for remote workers where you can save money and enjoy life.

Tip 3 – Make all the pre-departure appointments.

A buddy in the medical field once told me how crucial it is to have access to a patient’s historical information. He meant former exam scores, diagnoses, and comparable data.

As a result, even if you are moving to a nation with universal healthcare, such as Canada or the United Kingdom, schedule an appointment with your local doctor and dentist.

This is important if your location has expensive medical bills (yes, this is about you, America). Nobody wants to hear bad news from a doctor, but you’ll want to know if there’s an issue before you leave and have to utilize your foreign health insurance.

Dentist fees are lower in my own country than in Europe. As a result, whenever I visit my parents, even if just for a short period, I attempt to arrange a visit to the dentist. He can conduct minor repairs and alert me if anything is wrong.

Make a consultation with your dentist, a medical examination, and a blood test. Check to see whether your immunization card has been updated. These aren’t the most entertaining aspects of a trip, but they may save you money and perhaps your life.

Tip 4 – Examine prescription drug costs.

There aren’t many things cheaper in my own country (Brazil) than they are elsewhere. There is one item, though, that is substantially cheaper in Brazil:

Drugs. Medical drugs.

(And beachfront apartments, but this is a subject for this article here).

The reason for this is that the government encouraged the formation of national laboratories producing pharmaceuticals with expired patents, also called “generic drugs”. A generic does not have a brand name; instead, it is named by the active component. The most crucial aspect is that it may be half the price of its branded equivalent.

I use a generic drug called Finasteride. It prevents hair loss, and Hollywood celebrities such as Bradley Cooper have been using it for quite some time. The monthly cost of using finasteride in Brazil was roughly 30 Brazilian Reais, around US$8. When I went to Poland, I didn’t check the prices before boarding the plane. I grabbed my one-month package, as well as my prescription (as it was required), and relocated to Europe.

After the first month, I needed to purchase more. When you stop using finasteride, your hair falls out again. In Poland, finasteride is available under the brand name Propecia (the same as in other markets like the USA).

The cost of a month’s therapy was (hold your seat): 180zl. 43 dollars, which was 537 percent of the price in Brazil.

When I stopped taking it, my hair began to fall out. Fortunately, I had a vacation to Brazil planned for a few months later. Following a visit to my dermatologist, he prescribed finasteride as a continuous-use medication, enabling me to purchase and transport more boxes to Europe.

I still have my curling, black as obsidian hair on top of my head. Victory.

Tip 5 – Read This Book Before Moving Out (Click Here)

Conclusion of Tips for Moving Out and Living on Your Own

1 — Ask the proper questions before moving (see list above).

2 — Visit Numbeo or Expatistan to compare the pricing and living expenses of your future and current cities.

3 — Make an appointment with your doctor and dentist for a general checkup.

4 — Check beforehand the prices of any medications, treatments, or therapies that you need. Ask your doctor for a prescription if required by the local legislation.

5 — If your destination has a different language, hire a sworn translator to translate the prescription. This will come in useful if airport security stops you because of medicaments. Otherwise, you run the danger of being mistaken for a drug dealer or smuggler. Never, ever travel with medicines unless you’ve double-checked that they’re completely legal in your destination.

And the most important of all tips for moving out: be patient. It takes some time for you to settle.

Moving Out, Working Abroad and Keeping Your Sanity: 11 secrets to make your expat & digital nomad life better than you imagine

If you liked this article about tips for moving out in 2022, take a look at these below:

Save Money on Travel — 4 Travel Hacks to Give You Peace of Mind

Two Fine Benefits of Living Abroad (Hint: They Will Laugh at You)

5 Tips for Moving to Europe — Crucial Advice for Anyone Coming from a Warm Country

If you wish to become a Medium member and have access to articles like this, check this link. It is only $5 per month.