# Episode 628: When Moving Abroad Makes Coming Home Unaffordable Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-bittersweet-life-1089562/episode-628-when-moving-abroad-makes-coming-home-unaffordable Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-bittersweet-life-1089562/episode-628-when-moving-abroad-makes-coming-home-unaffordable.md Podcast: [The Bittersweet Life](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-bittersweet-life-1089562) Published: 2026-05-11T07:01:00+00:00 Episode link: https://thebittersweetlife.net/episode-628-when-moving-abroad-makes-coming-home-unaffordable Audio file: https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/prfx.byspotify.com/e/traffic.libsyn.com/secure/bittersweetlife/Episode_628_When_Moving_Abroad_Makes_Coming_Home_Unaffordable.mp3?dest-id=482016 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-bittersweet-life-1089562/episodes/episode-628-when-moving-abroad-makes-coming-home-unaffordable Duration seconds: 1899 ## Resource Lots of Americans move abroad to a lower-cost-of-living country in hopes of making their salary stretch further. And if they manage to continue earning an American salary from abroad (even a modest one), they can go on to lead prosperous and comfortable lives far beyond what would be possible in the States. But what happens when they decide it's time to move home? A recent article in the New York Times, They Went Abroad to Save Money. Moving Back Seems Unaffordable looks at this conundrum, and we continue the discussion by musing on the article and its subjects, as well as scrutinizing Tiffany's lifestyle as a long-time expat. (Could SHE afford to move back to the States?) And is this all just an issue of people blind to their privilege who don't want to give up their cushier lifestyle? Be sure to weigh in with your thoughts, especially if you are an expat who has moved back home (a repat, like Katy). ------------------------------------- COME TO ROME WITH US: Our 4th annual Bittersweet Life Roman Adventure is taking place this year from 1 to 7 November 2026! If you'd like to be part of an intimate group of listeners on a magical and unforgettable journey to Rome, discovering the city with us as your guides, find out more here . AD-FREE LISTENING: After well over 10 years on the air with little-to-no advertising, in 2026 we have finally made the difficult decision that this completely independent and self-funded show is no longer sustainable without it. HOWEVER! If you join us on Patreon , for as little as $3 per month, you will have access to all new episodes completely ad-free! ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started. GET TWO BONUS EPISODES PER MONTH: Pledge your monthly suppor… ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-bittersweet-life-1089562/episodes/episode-628-when-moving-abroad-makes-coming-home-unaffordable/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-bittersweet-life-1089562/episode-628-when-moving-abroad-makes-coming-home-unaffordable.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.