s the lowest-cost island in the Caribbean, but it has the added advantage of not being an independent country. If you've been to other Caribbean islands, you already know what we're talking about: Island nations have to be self-supporting, and they usually do this through the mechanism of sky-high customs fees, so everything on the island is very expensive.

Margarita has excellent infrastructure, with DSL available in the major cities of the island. Margarita is also known as a "free port" which doesn't mean that there are no customs duties, but rather that the national sa

If you've got a digital business that really only requires a connection to the net to do business, your concerns boil down to having a cost structure that maximizes your profit while providing you with a high quality of life. Being productive is difficult in an environment where you're miserable. Having a high quality of life isn't a guarantee of success, but it sure makes it easier to be productive.

The problem is that most of the really enjoyable places aren't exactly what we'd call "low-cost" and in order to live in a nice place you're business will have to really produce, or you'll have to hold down a job while you try to build your internet business. At some point this juggling act gets out of hand and your business will demand enough time that you can no longer hold down a job to pay the bills. If your internet business isn't producing enough to pay the bills, your only options are to downsize and cut expenses, burn capital in hopes that your business will produce more later on or give up on the business altogether.

Those can be hard choices. Our vote is to minimize expenses and save as much money as long as possible. The lower your burn rate the longer you last, and thus the better your chances of success.

For many people, this means trying to find a low-cost location that still provides high-quality infrastructure, and that usually means living somewhere that isn't that desireable and doesn't offer a very high quality of life. Sure, there are places in Kansas where they're practically giving away houses, but who wants to live in Kansas? The people who want to live in Kansas are already there, but the state has a declining population because of all the people who are moving out. Same goes for North and South Dakota. Just think "40 degrees below zero" and you'll get an idea why.

Most entrepreneurs agree that they are more productive in a pleasant environment.

Radically Lower Your Costs By Moving Offshore

One of the best solutions to the dilemma is to move abroad to a low-cost location with excellent infrastructure, and in this article we'll discuss the relative advantages of Margarita Island.

Margarita is an island off the coast of Venezuela, and it's the largest of the three islands that make up the Venezuelan State of Nueva Esparta. Margarita is the lowest-cost island in the Caribbean, but it has the added advantage of not being an independent country. If you've been to other Caribbean islands, you already know what we're talking about: Island nations have to be self-supporting, and they usually do this through the mechanism of sky-high customs fees, so everything on the island is very expensive.

Margarita has excellent infrastructure, with DSL available in the major cities of the island. Margarita is also known as a "free port" which doesn't mean that there are no customs duties, but rather that the national sal

e, or you'll have to hold down a job while you try to build your internet business. At some point this juggling act gets out of hand and your business will demand enough time that you can no longer hold down a job to pay the bills. If your internet business isn't producing enough to pay the bills, your only options are to downsize and cut expenses, burn capital in hopes that your business will produce more later on or give up on the business altogether.

Those can be hard choices. Our vote is to minimize expenses and save as much money as long as possible. The lower your burn rate the longer you last, and thus the better your chances of success.

For many people, this means trying to find a low-cost location that still provides high-quality infrastructure, and that usually means living somewhere that isn't that desireable and doesn't offer a very high quality of life. Sure, there are places in Kansas where they're practically giving away houses, but who wants to live in Kansas? The people who want to live in Kansas are already there, but the state has a declining population because of all the people who are moving out. Same goes for North and South Dakota. Just think "40 degrees below zero" and you'll get an idea why.

Most entrepreneurs agree that they are more productive in a pleasant environment.

Radically Lower Your Costs By Moving Offshore

One of the best solutions to the dilemma is to move abroad to a low-cost location with excellent infrastructure, and in this article we'll discuss the relative advantages of Margarita Island.

Margarita is an island off the coast of Venezuela, and it's the largest of the three islands that make up the Venezuelan State of Nueva Esparta. Margarita is the lowest-cost island in the Caribbean, but it has the added advantage of not being an independent country. If you've been to other Caribbean islands, you already know what we're talking about: Island nations have to be self-supporting, and they usually do this through the mechanism of sky-high customs fees, so everything on the island is very expensive.

Margarita has excellent infrastructure, with DSL available in the major cities of the island. Margarita is also known as a "free port" which doesn't mean that there are no customs duties, but rather that the national sa

urn rate the longer you last, and thus the better your chances of success.

For many people, this means trying to find a low-cost location that still provides high-quality infrastructure, and that usually means living somewhere that isn't that desireable and doesn't offer a very high quality of life. Sure, there are places in Kansas where they're practically giving away houses, but who wants to live in Kansas? The people who want to live in Kansas are already there, but the state has a declining population because of all the people who are moving out. Same goes for North and South Dakota. Just think "40 degrees below zero" and you'll get an idea why.

Most entrepreneurs agree that they are more productive in a pleasant environment.

Radically Lower Your Costs By Moving Offshore

One of the best solutions to the dilemma is to move abroad to a low-cost location with excellent infrastructure, and in this article we'll discuss the relative advantages of Margarita Island.

Margarita is an island off the coast of Venezuela, and it's the largest of the three islands that make up the Venezuelan State of Nueva Esparta. Margarita is the lowest-cost island in the Caribbean, but it has the added advantage of not being an independent country. If you've been to other Caribbean islands, you already know what we're talking about: Island nations have to be self-supporting, and they usually do this through the mechanism of sky-high customs fees, so everything on the island is very expensive.

Margarita has excellent infrastructure, with DSL available in the major cities of the island. Margarita is also known as a "free port" which doesn't mean that there are no customs duties, but rather that the national sa

South Dakota. Just think "40 degrees below zero" and you'll get an idea why.

Most entrepreneurs agree that they are more productive in a pleasant environment.

Radically Lower Your Costs By Moving Offshore

One of the best solutions to the dilemma is to move abroad to a low-cost location with excellent infrastructure, and in this article we'll discuss the relative advantages of Margarita Island.

Margarita is an island off the coast of Venezuela, and it's the largest of the three islands that make up the Venezuelan State of Nueva Esparta. Margarita is the lowest-cost island in the Caribbean, but it has the added advantage of not being an independent country. If you've been to other Caribbean islands, you already know what we're talking about: Island nations have to be self-supporting, and they usually do this through the mechanism of sky-high customs fees, so everything on the island is very expensive.

Margarita has excellent infrastructure, with DSL available in the major cities of the island. Margarita is also known as a "free port" which doesn't mean that there are no customs duties, but rather that the national sa

s the lowest-cost island in the Caribbean, but it has the added advantage of not being an independent country. If you've been to other Caribbean islands, you already know what we're talking about: Island nations have to be self-supporting, and they usually do this through the mechanism of sky-high customs fees, so everything on the island is very expensive.

Margarita has excellent infrastructure, with DSL available in the major cities of the island. Margarita is also known as a "free port" which doesn't mean that there are no customs duties, but rather that the national sales tax (14.6%) doesn't apply there. It has an airport with direct flights to Frankfort and Toronto (but not to the US- for that you have to transfer at Caracas), so travel isn't that difficult. It isn't like other island locations where "you can't get there from here- you have to go someplace else first."

Cost Of Living On Margarita

Where Margarita Island really shines is the low cost of living. A single person or a couple can live comfortably on less than $1000 a month (if they own their own home or apartment), and that includes having a housekeeper and going out to eat at nice restaurants several times a week. The low cost of living is combined with tropical island living- you only need a single wardrobe, and formal dress is practically unheard of down here.

Housing: Housing costs are reasonable. If you're looking for an apartment in a nice area, plan on spending somewhere between $40k and $70k for a nice 2 bedroom 2 bath (quite often you can find fully furnished apartments for sale). Rental apartments can be had for anywhere from $400.00 to $800.00 a month for really nice places: ocean view, secure building, nicely furnished, nice neighborhood. Housing in less desireable neighborhoods will run anywhere from $200.00 to $300.00 a month, but your Spanish had better be pretty good.

Medical Insurance and Medical Costs: Medical insurance for an individual will cost about $150.00 to $200.00 per month, although if you're young and healthy you can do without and just go to the public clinic if you get sick (they're free). Your Spanish needs to be good enough for basic communication, and if you're hospitalized you must have someone who isn't sick who can help care for you (the public hospitals don't provide linens, blankets or meals). Medical costs for dental work are really cheap (typically 10% to 15% of what you'd get charged in the US), and just about any medical procedure you can imagine is available on Margarita for 15% to 20% of what you'd pay in the US. If you've got a young family, you'll really see your costs drop.

• Having a baby by C-section will cost about $2500.00 (all inclusive) for a 2 day stay at a good private hospital.
• Having a baby naturally would cost about $1000.00 (all inclusive) for a 2 to 3 day stay at a g