Finding a place to live is relatively easy. But finding a place to live abroad? That’s another story.
After living abroad for over 4 years, I’ve had many experiences with living situations. I’ve done everything from living with a local family, with roommates I’ve never met, having friends as roommates, an apartment sight unseen, taking over friends’ leases, and even having my job (when I was teaching English in China) search for places.
Obviously, some of these sound more appealing than others. 😉
I’m sharing the 5 ways to find a place to live abroad and a few of the places I’ve lived abroad!
1. Network with your Community
This works best for digital nomads or anyone that is already living abroad and just looking to move to a new place or that has lived abroad before. Networking with your community is likely the best and easiest way to find a place to live abroad. Ask around to friends or your community if they know anyone leaving soon that you can take over their lease or sign a new lease.
2. Airbnb or VRBO
This one is more temporary but a good start. Book an Airbnb or a VRBO in the city you’re moving to abroad for a long-term stay (30 days). This will give you time to familiarize yourself with the city and neighborhoods (see #3) and find where exactly you want to live.
There are a few ways to book a longer-term stay like this. The most obvious way is straight through the site. BUT there’s also another option. Reach out to the host and let them know you’d like to book a 30-day stay. Then ask them if they offer any deals for longer stays. Often you’ll find theres a standard discount but the host will give you a better one. Sometimes I’ve even found hosts have more (& better) properties not listed that you can book off APP. This will reduce the ridiculous amount of fees the site takes.
If you choose to go this route (booking directly with the host) there are a few things you should do. And if this sketches you out, then don’t go to #4.
- Video chat with host
- Do a virtual walk-through
- Ask for a signed contract
- Trust your gut
3. Walk Around
Walk around different neighborhoods. Even if you’ve done the research and know that all the expats live in a certain neighborhood, wander! Check out the cafes you could see yourself working in (and make sure they have good WiFi), nearby trails to walk/run on, is there public transportation nearby or is it easy to call an Uber/DiDi from this area, see what it’s like at night – is it loud, sketchy, etc., and just really get a feel for it.
Walking around is also a great opportunity to look for “FOR RENT” signs or to ask the locals at the cafe or markets if they know of any places for rent nearby (once you establish that’s the neighborhood you like, of course).
4. Facebook Housing Groups
Facebook Housing Groups are the new way of finding places to live. But how do you find a housing group when you’re not even in your next city, yet? Easy. Go to Facebook, select Groups on the left side, and then underneath the search bar, make sure to select “Discover” so that you’re not just searching your own group.
In the search bar type the city and “housing group”. For example, if I’m moving abraod to Tokyo I would type in “Tokyo Housing” and come up with these results:
Some of these groups are public, so you can scroll through and take a look before joining. While others are private, so you’ll need to request to join and agree to the rules before you can look at what’s inside.
Typically in these housing groups you’ll find apartment rentals, rooms for rent, lease takeovers, houses to buy, roommates to find a place with, etc. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, I highly suggest posting your requirements. Example: looking for a fully furnished studio in Daikanyama between 60,000-80,000¥ with good WiFi.
5. Coworking and Coliving Spaces
Many coworking spaces around the world have begun to expand to offer coliving spaces. They range from being hostel-like to offering full apartment-style living above the coworking space. There are a lot of pros with this setup, the first being a fully furnished place. You’ll also receive a membership to the coworking space which usually includes a lot of amenities like wellness activities (surfing, yoga, meditation), happy hour, free coffee/tea all day, and lightning-fast WiFi!
One of the most famous coliving spaces is, Selina CoLive. I actually booked a Selina CoLive 2 months before I moved to Oaxaca but then at the last minute I found a more permanent and cheaper option through a Oaxaca Housing group on FB.
Looking for more resources for your move abroad? Check out this Checklist Before Moving Abroad.
