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THE REAL NUMBERS
What full-time travel actually costs for a solo woman over 50.
You made it. Here are the numbers.
The average single woman in the US spends around
$3,500 a month just to stay home.
Rent. Utilities. Groceries. Insurance. The car. Property taxes. The cable bill you've been meaning to cancel.
For a life that, if you're honest, may not even feel like yours anymore.
What if full-time travel, with more freedom, more adventure, and more joy, could actually cost less?
Not in theory. Not for 28-year-old backpackers. Not for wealthy couples with a second home in Tuscany.
For women like you. Women over 50 who want a different next chapter,
and need to know if they can actually afford it.
Keep reading. The numbers are the answer.
A quick word from me.
I'm Barbara.
At 46, my life cracked open. Divorce, loss, empty nest. I sold what I didn't need, kept what mattered, and left.
That was 17 years ago.
Since then, I've travelled to over 100 countries, lived full-time on the road, and built a life I love on about $20,000 a year. No trust fund. No husband funding it. No winging it.
Just real numbers, smart choices, and the willingness to stop waiting.
Below are 6 places I know personally, where I've lived, stayed, or returned to, where a solo woman over 50 can live well, safely, and more affordably than she thinks.
All costs reflect what I've personally paid or what women in my community consistently report.
Your numbers will vary based on lifestyle. But these are real and current.
1. Chiang Mai, Thailand
A soft landing with low costs and a strong expat community.
Typical monthly cost: $1,000 to $1,500
Rent: $300 to $700 for a modern one-bedroom
Groceries: $150 to $300
Healthcare: Excellent private care at a fraction of US prices
Solo woman friendly: Very safe, walkable, welcoming
You could live comfortably in Chiang Mai for less than many American women spend on rent alone.
2. Bali, Indonesia (Ubud or Sanur)
Beautiful, peaceful, social, and still surprisingly affordable.
Typical monthly cost: $1,200 to $1,800
Rent: $500 to $800, often for a private villa with a pool
Groceries: $100 to $250
Healthcare: Good private options
Solo woman friendly: Yes.
Ubud has one of the strongest solo-woman expat communities in Asia.
A private villa in Bali with a pool and garden can cost less than a basic studio apartment back home.
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3. Mexico (Playa del Carmen or San Miguel de Allende)
Close to home, easy flights, familiar time zones, thriving expat life.
Typical monthly cost: $1,300 to $1,900
Rent: $500 to $900
Groceries: $150 to $300
Healthcare: Excellent and affordable, with many US-trained doctors
Solo woman friendly: Very safe in expat areas
Close enough to fly home for the holidays. Far enough to finally feel free.
4. Panama (Panama City or Boquete)
Comfortable, convenient, and especially good for women thinking long-term.
Typical monthly cost: $1,500 to $2,100
Rent: $600 to $900
Groceries: $300 to $400
Healthcare: Internationally accredited hospitals
Solo woman friendly: Very safe
Panama uses the US dollar, so there's no currency math to do. The Pensionado retiree discounts cut your costs further on travel, restaurants, and utilities.
5. Ecuador (Cuenca or Quito)
Walkable, cultured, affordable, easy on the budget.
Typical monthly cost: $1,200 to $1,800
Rent: $400 to $700
Groceries: $200 to $300
Healthcare: Modern and low-cost
Solo woman friendly: Yes
A spacious two-bedroom in Cuenca's historic center can cost less than a parking space in many US cities.
6. Portugal (Lisbon, Porto, or Tavira)
European lifestyle without the European price tag.
Typical monthly cost: $1,500 to $2,000
Rent: $500 to $800 (outside Lisbon city center)
Groceries: $250 to $350
Healthcare: Excellent and affordable
Solo woman friendly: Consistently ranked one of the safest countries in the world
You may be able to live in Europe for less than you currently spend living a life you've already outgrown.
You've seen the averages. Now your real questions start.
$1,500 a month in Portugal is real. So is $1,200 in Ecuador.
So is the woman in your zip code who just sold her house and moved to Cuenca.
But averages won't pay your bills or book your flight.
Your numbers will.
Only you know what your house could sell for.
What your Social Security will actually cover.
What your monthly expenses really are. What your savings can stretch to.
The question now isn't whether women like you are doing this.They are.
The question is whether your numbers work.
You're a woman 50+, solo, and ready to look at your next chapter honestly.
You're financially secure but uncertain whether this works for you.
You're done with manifestation talk and ready to do the math.
You want proof from a woman who's lived it for 17 years.
THIS IS
FOR YOU
IF
THIS ISN'T
FOR YOU
IF
You want someone to tell you it'll be easy without doing the numbers.
You're looking for a vacation, not a reinvention.
You're not willing to look honestly at your current setup.
If you're still reading, you're the woman this was written for.
Here are two ways to take the next step.
OTPION 1: TALK TO ME
Your Money Freedom Call. Free. 30 minutes. On Zoom. With me.
This isn't a sales call. It isn't a "discovery call" in disguise.
It's 30 minutes looking at your real numbers, with a woman who has lived this life for 17 years.
By the end, you'll know:
✔️ The destination that actually fits your life. Not the fantasy.
✔️ The country where your budget, your safety needs, and the life you want in your next chapter actually line up.
✔️ The real cost of your life there vs. the real cost of your life now. Side by side.
✔️ Your actual numbers, not averages.
By the end of the call, you'll know whether the math works for you.
Your first real move. Not "someday."
The specific next step from where you're standing today.
Sell the house, or rent it? House-sit first, or commit to six months?
Test one country, or two?
30 minutes. Free. Booked on my calendar when it suits you.
OTPION 2: TAKE THE MINI-COURSE
Show Me the Money. $47. One-time payment. Instant lifetime access.
If you'd rather work through this privately before you talk to anyone,
Show Me the Money is the mini-course I built for exactly that.
Six modules. The whole money question, answered.
✔️ How to live well on $1,500 to $2,000 a month.
✔️ How to fund the lifestyle, even without a big savings cushion.
✔️ Where to go to stretch your dollar without sacrificing joy.
✔️ The 4 ways I've lived around the world essentially rent-free.
✔️ How to shift your money mindset from fear to freedom.
✔️ The financial traps that quietly sabotage women's plans, and how to avoid them.
By the end, you'll know whether the numbers can work for you, and exactly how to make them.
If you want to talk after that, the Money Freedom Call is still there.