实战口语情景对话 第1052期:Living on the Cheap 在物价低的地方生活

Todd: So I'm here with Dan, and he lives in Bali, Indonesia. And he's talking about slow travel, which is the concept of living in a foreign country for a long time to experience the culture and the lifestyle. Dan, can you talk a little bit about the cost, like if somebody wants to really do this, how much money do they need for housing, transportation, food, things like that?
托德：今天我们请到了丹，他生活在印尼巴厘岛。丹之前介绍了慢旅行这个概念，即在外国生活一段较长的时间，以体验那个国家的文化和生活方式。丹，你能谈谈花费吗？如果人们想体验这种慢旅行，那在住宿、食物等事情上大概要花费多少钱？

Dan: Well, when I quit my job four years ago, I had a mantra in my head. And I always said, all I need to be happy in life is a thousand bucks and a backpack. And I thought, if I could really simplify my life and take away all the overhead cost of car payment or a mortgage on a house or student load debts, credit cards, things like that, all I would need is a thousand dollars of income a month in order to own my time and to spend my time going to anywhere I wanted. I think realistically in places in Southeast Asia, if you want to move around every two or three months or go visit friends at another city, you're going to want at least $1,500 to $2,000 a month. And that's going to give you, I would say, a quite luxurious lifestyle. Obviously, you could come here to Bali and live for $700 a month and you could do the same in Nha Trang like we're talking earlier, maybe even easier in Vietnam. But the real cost come in is when you want to explore and move around internationally. So if you're living in Nha Trang and you'd like to visit a friend in Bangkok every three months or something like that, you're going to want more like 1,500 to 2,000 a month.
丹：我四年前辞职时，我一直在脑海中对自己重要一句话。我一直在说，在生活中保持开心只需要1000美元和一个背包。我认为，如果我可以简化我的生活，去掉所有杂项开支，比如汽车贷款、房屋按揭、学生债务、信用卡费等，那我想支配自己的时间、去任何我想去的地方，每个月只需要1000美元的收入。我的理想目的地是南亚，如果你想每两三个月换个目的地或是去其他城市看望朋友，那每个月至少需要1500美元至2000美元。这种水平的收入能确保你享受一种非常奢华的生活方式。显然，在巴厘岛每个月700美元的收入就足够了，你还可以在我们之前谈到到的芽庄享受这种生活，可能越南的生活费用要更低一些。你在各国之间的移动才是真正需要花钱的地方。如果你生活在芽庄，你想每三个月去曼谷看望朋友，那每个月需要1500美元至2000美元。

Todd: So could you like break down the cost? So what kind of cost are we talking here? Like how much would you pay for housing? How much would you pay, you know, for food every month? How much would you pay for health insurance? Things like that.
托德：你的花费是怎么分配的？我们这里提到的是哪种花费？比如，房租大概多少钱？每个月购买食物的花销有多少？健康保险之类的花费呢？

Dan: Sure, I mean, if we can make like a vast generalization across Southeast Asia in general. I know it's a huge place but in most places for a furnished apartment, for a solo traveler, you're going to look at anywhere from $250 to $750 a month. So let's just ballpark it and say $500. You know, in a place like Manila, you're going to get a great apartment for $500. In a place like Bangkok, you're going to get even better apartment for $500. And again, you have to commit to a month at least to get these kinds of rates. But if you're willing to do that, stay for few months, you're going to get really good advantage there. Let's take Bangkok as an example. $500, you're going to have a great apartment. For another $500, you are going to eat like King Midas. And then let's say your internet is $30 a month and your health insurance in $120 a month. We're at about $1,200 a month now. And I'd say, on top of that, it's all about the most dangerous habit for your wallet on the planet, and it is travel. So if you decide that you want to go home for Christmas and you want to go home for Thanksgiving as well for Americans, you know, that's going to kill your piggy bank. But if you don't travel so much, you could easily stay in a place like Bangkok for $1,000 to $1,500 a month.
丹：我指的是南亚的普遍情况。我知道南亚非常大，不过就独自旅行者来说，大部分地区带家具的公寓，租金大概是一个月250美元到750美元。我们取个大概的数字，假设一个月租金500美元。像马尼拉这样的地方，一间不错的公寓大概一个月要500美元。曼谷的话，500美元可以租个更好的公寓。基本上这种费用至少要付一个月的。但是如果你愿意多待几个月，那你就会得到优势。以曼谷为例，500美元可以租到一间很好的公寓。就饮食来说，每个月花500美元你可以吃得像迈达斯国王一样好。假设每个月的网费是30美元，健康保险是一个月120美元。现在我们一个月需要1200美元。除此以外，还有在这个地球上对你的钱包来说最危险的习惯——旅行。因为我们是美国人，如果你计划在圣诞节和感恩节回家，那你的存钱罐可会少一大笔钱。不过如果你旅行的次数不多，在曼谷这样的地方一个月1000美元至1500美元足够了。

Todd: So, what about like a, you know, going out having beers and thinks like that? Like are there certain habits that you have to kind of curtail or keep down so that you save money?
托德：那出去喝杯啤酒之类的呢？为了节省开支或是存钱，你没有需要限制一下的习惯？

Dan: Well, it really depends where you live. So, in the Philippines you could go out and party every night and it won't make a dent in your wallet. Whereas in places like here in Bali, you had to be really careful because beers can be $7 for one cocktail. So if you go out to the club and you order 4 cocktails, and you meet a cute girl and you buy her 2 cocktails, that could easily turn into a $50 evening, and that's going to kill your traveler's budget. So generally in Southeast Asia going out for social drinks isn't a big impact on your wallet because booze here is relatively cheap. But definitely that can have a big impact.
丹：这要看你生活在哪里。在菲律宾，你可以每天晚上都去参加派对，这不会花费你太多钱。但是在巴厘岛这种地方，你就要格外谨慎了，因为啤酒或是一杯鸡尾酒可能要花掉你7美元。如果你去夜店点4杯鸡尾酒，然后你遇到了一个非常可爱的女孩，你请她喝两杯鸡尾那一个晚上的花费可能高达50美元，这会大大增加你的预算。通常来说，晚上在南亚外出喝酒不会使你的钱包有太大损失，因为这里的酒水相对便宜一些。但是也可能会让你花掉一大笔钱。

Todd: Alright, thanks for the advice.
托德：好，非常谢谢你的建议。