Benefits of Second Tier Cities For Expats & Digital Nomads
A case for not living in the largest cities in the country.
A second-tier city, by my definition, is pretty much any relatively large city that plays a relatively significant role in the country's economy but doesn't necessarily serve as a hub for any primary industries.
These cities vary in size according to the country, are typically less visited and cheaper, but often still have major airports. They generally aren't the most interesting cities you can go to, but they are often worthwhile for short stays due to some smaller tourism industries. You typically know you're in a second-tier city when you often get the question, "why are you here."
However, not everyone wants to live in the capital cities. Maybe your budget is a little smaller, and the Tier 1 cities like Mexico City, Barcelona, Seoul, Paris, etc., price you out. Perhaps you don't enjoy the large crowds that some cities have, or you don't feel they are as authentic. So, this article's focus is on making a case for second-tier cities.
Cost of Living:
Lower Expenses: Second-tier cities usually have a lower cost of living compared to the first tier. Accommodation, food, transportation, and entertainment expenses can be more affordable. I live in an expensive area of Mexico City where it is not unheard of for people to pay over $1000 to live in a 1-bedroom in the prime area of the city. If you were to go to Guadalajara, your total cost would go down by 20-30 percent. Outside of a country's powerhouse cities, you often find prices more equal to what the true country's average can afford.
Understandably, a lot of expats and digital nomads are searching for a deal. Many retirees get thrown into the mix where they are running on pension funds versus job or business income.
Quality of Life:
Less Crowded: Smaller cities tend to be less crowded. Anyone who's lived in a tier one city anywhere in the world knows that traffic causes the city to almost be at a standstill in the morning and early evening. A 20-minute journey can turn into an hour if you get caught in traffic. Even if you're using the metro system, you might end up cramped. For some people, smaller crowds equal a higher quality of life. Smaller populations typically don't have to deal with hectic lifestyles or constantly rising costs.
In some cases, tier 2 cities also have better access to nature and outdoor activities. Of course, tier 1 cities often have parks and access to nature, but there's nothing like being able to quickly leave the city and be in the forest, mountains, or desert in some cases.
Community and Networking:
Tighter Communities: Mexico City is massive; there is literally a community and niche for everything under the sun. The problem is, people are always coming in and out of the city, and some of the groups start to be so large that there is less a sense of social support that some people go after. For some people, they feel more lonely in big cities than smaller cities.
For example, Playa del Carmen and Puerto Vallarta are both second-tier cities. Despite their small size, they are still places that a large number of people go to live, while not being economic or cultural powerhouses. Because of their smaller size, the expat and nomad communities are much tighter. Due to the smaller expat populations, their communities are often much more tied to the local economy and the tourist economy.
I would also argue that second-tier cities typically force you to dig deeper into the local communities.
Cultural Experience:
Cultural Exposure: For the reasons above, I say that living in second-tier cities might be better to learn the culture. First-tier cities inevitably become a blend of the local culture and the immigrant cultures that come into the city. It's also easy to get wrapped purely in the expat scene and have no idea what the local culture is like in a tier 1 city. It's not particularly hard to branch out, but I have noticed for many people, if you aren't forced into it, you'll stick to what you're comfortable with and stay around people you are already familiar with.
Language Learning Opportunities: Undeniably, it is much harder to learn the local language if you live in a tier 1 city where the local population either interacts often with foreigners or has a large English-speaking population. Typically, when it comes to language immersion, students are not sent to the tier 1 cities. They are sent to tier 2 or smaller cities or sent to live with families where they have fewer options other than to practice the local language.
Dating and Social Scene:
More Conservative: In smaller dating pools, there is less anonymity; people typically have lived in the city for a longer period and have lots of mutuals. This often means that you don't have nearly as prominent a hookup culture. Arguably, if you are the type that is more monogamous or family-oriented, second-tier cities are possibly the way to go. Tier 1 cities are often noted as "superficial," where everyone is chasing their dreams and success, and everyone wants to see and be seen.
Examples: I have lived in multiple tier 2 cities in my life, in Europe, America, and Asia. In Germany, I lived in multiple tier 2 cities before moving to a tier 1. The average visitor to those cities would stop by for a weekend to view a castle and have a couple of drinks. In all of these cities, I was able to “build a name” for myself in weeks. These cities were small enough where being the foreigner brought up a lot of questions. Even though many of the locals spoke English, I was forced to practice my German every day, both in an attempt to fit in and also because without the local language, it was hard to get a good picture of how the city ran or where all the best places to go were.
There were far fewer women in these areas, but I could also walk out of my house and straight into a mountain range or straight into the countryside. At the same time, I was only a train ride away from most of the big cities and airports. I would consider the lifestyle “calm.” Everyone was chill, no one was in a hurry, and all the hottest chicks in the cities were more curious to meet me. You can achieve rock star status thanks to decreased (or non-existent) competition. If you get an apartment in a good area of town, build up a little social circle, and find your niche spots, you can do far better than if you were in a top-tier city. Maybe you’ll even start throwing parties. The nuts are harder to crack, it's not as easy, but it's worth it.
Korea, on the other hand, second-tier cities were almost like hell. Yes, they are extremely cheap to live in, and you're going to be forced to learn as much of the language as possible purely by necessity, but there is typically nothing at all going on in these cities. They have a couple of cool spots to go, but outside of that, you're always going to need to hop on a train and go to a larger city to have any fun.
In some cases, second-tier cities in other countries can be so conservative that even if people are interested in you, they will almost never be interested in forming lasting relationships with foreigners in the same way that 1st-tier cities almost reserve their foreign populations. On the opposite end of the spectrum, some people might not enjoy how first-tier cities often have “gringo groupies.” The sheer numbers of the city will mean there are girls that primarily go after foreigners. Instead of taking a genuine interest in you, they view you as a notch on their bedpost or flavor of the month, which some people might be utterly disgusted by.
In the end…. I’ll break it down into a couple bullet points.
Pros
You stand out more (Could be good or bad)
More “authentic” cultural experiences and understandings
Easier to find a niche since the city will be smaller
Cons
More boring
Harder to get daily life done if you don’t break through the language barrier
Nightlife can be almost at a standstill outside of extremely local places
If you're only going somewhere for a week, then you might as well hit the top-tier spot, but if you have more than two weeks, second-tier cities could be the way to go.
Finding Second-Tier Cities
One way to find a second-tier city is to Google “list of cities in [country name].” Pick a city you’ve never heard of that has roughly 500,000 people (accounting for the country's total population), search to see what the nightlife and adventure potential is like, and book a flight. I'd say be careful with smaller cities in the sense that some of them may be so small that they might as well be considered towns.
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