There’s a lot of crazy stuff going on in the world right now. China and the USA are both facing huge economic problems. There’s an energy shortage in Europe. And global supply chains are deteriorating fast. With all this uncertainty, should you move off the grid to Vanuatu?
Vanuatu is a South Pacific Ocean nation, made of approximately 80 different islands.
It’s a small country, and very remote from the rest of the world.
If you want an idea of how isolated Vanuatu is, here’s an image of it from Google Maps:
The country is so out-of-the-way that it was actually used as a hideout for criminal mastermind and international drug kingpin, Paul Le Roux. And keep in mind, this wasn’t something that happened 50 years ago either.
Le Roux had his base here in 2008.
This is very much a remote destination.
How Much Does It Cost To Live In Vanuatu?
Island living is generally more expensive than living on a mainland continent. Almost everything has to be imported, and real estate is scarce.
Interestingly enough, rental prices don’t seem that bad here.
A lot of properties rent between $500 and $1,600 per month. And, you can stay at a luxury resort for about $80 per night. Here’s an Agoda link, if you want to check Vanuatu hotel prices yourself.
Additionally, Vanuatu offers a special residence program that allows you to live there tax-free. And the country’s government often runs special land grants and incentive programs for anyone looking to start a local farm or business. Being a tropic island farmer with a big cattle ranch and no taxes does sound pretty fun.
And if you don’t like agricultural, you could always run a web business instead.
The country does have some downsides though. Because it is remote, Vanuatu isn’t very westernized or modern. A lot of the buildings look like they are from the 1980’s, and Port Vila (both the capital and largest city) has a population of around 45,000. That’s pretty tiny.
On top of this, remote Vanuatu is very primitive.
We’re talking natives with spears and loincloths running around the jungle, primitive. There are also 113 indigenous languages here. And, the infamous “Cargo Cults” (tribespeople who thought supplies being airdropped during World War Two were actually gifts from various gods) still exist to this day.
This is definitely one of the “far corners of the Earth.”
In conclusion, Vanuatu is a very remote country where you’re basically left alone from the outside world. This is normally not somewhere that most people would go. But, with international tensions rising and the looming threat of totalitarianism, this might be a good place to ride out the storm.