$1,700 Social Security — $1,000 Albania Expenses #expatlife

At 68, I left America and moved to Vlore, Albania, where I live on about $1,000 a month. In this video, I show exactly what that money buys me—from rent and food to utilities, internet, insurance, and caring for my two small dogs, Cookie and Hooch. No fantasy numbers. No luxury lifestyle. No extreme bare-bones budget. These are my real monthly living expenses in Albania. My current costs include: • Furnished two-bedroom, two-bath apartment: about $525 • Food: approximately $300 • Electric: about $60 • Water, building maintenance, and internet: about $50 • Cookie and Hooch: about $50 • Basic insurance for residency purposes: about $12 My regular monthly expenses total approximately $1,000. That leaves roughly $700 from my $1,700 Social Security check for medical needs, transportation, household expenses, emergencies, and everyday life. Your expenses may be different depending on your apartment, lifestyle, health needs, city, exchange rates, and how often you eat out. This is not a promise that everyone can live in Albania for the same amount. It is simply an honest look at what my life currently costs. Before moving here, I was living in a 24-foot trailer in Desert Hot Springs—eating too much, feeling sick too often, and spending too much time depressed. Albania is not perfect, but living here has given me something I badly needed: Room to breathe again. On Starting Over With Steve, I’ll show you the real experience of leaving the United States and beginning again overseas at 68—the affordable parts, the frustrating parts, the surprises, and the things nobody tells you before moving abroad. Subscribe and come along as I share daily life in Vlore, Albania, including housing, groceries, healthcare, retirement, residency, local life, and what it really feels like to start over later in life. I am not here to sell you a dream. I am here to show you the real thing. Maybe you are not done yet. Because I’m not. 00:00 Introduction 02:28 Small Expenses 03:18 Electricity 04:08 Dogs 04:57 Insurance 05:48 Food 06:37 Rent 07:27 Monthly Total 08:16 Priceless 09:06 Next Video #Albania #CostOfLiving #ExpatLife #RetireAbroad #LivingAbroad #AmericanInAlbania #VloreAlbania #StartingOverWithSteve