International Living Daily Postcards

For the past eight years, New Jersey native Michelle Bottalico has called the Italian city of Turin home. Along the way, she’s furthered her photography business…acquired citizenship through her ancestry…and even met her husband-to-be...

Having grown up in Chicago, I never thought it would be possible to live in a big, First World city for $1,000 a month. That much wouldn't even cover my mortgage for a month back home… But when I arrived in Cebu City, which is on the eastern shore of the island of Cebu in the Philippines, I was immediately surprised by what I saw. High rises, malls, fancy cars—a major First World city. Yet, it really is possible to live there for $1,000 a month.

In the United States, single-family home owners pay an average of $3,296 in property taxes a year. In some states—like New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Texas, Virginia, Connecticut, and California—the average is $7,000 a year.