‘I never felt like I belonged in the U.S.,’ says 62-year-old who fled Minnesota to retire in Bali — where you can live ‘very, very comfortably’ on $3,000 a month

Sherry Bronson, now 69, spent much of her life in Minnesota, where she raised three daughters and worked in real estate. But she didn’t love it: “I have hated the weather in Minnesota since I was a child,” she says.

Indeed, many an expat has felt this way about Ubud, falling in love with its mix of tradition and spiritualism with a modern twist. “This is a place where traditional Balinese culture imbues every waking moment, where colorful offerings adorn the streets and where the hypnotic strains of gamelan [traditional Indonesian music] are an ever-present soundtrack to everyday life,” Lonely Planet, which speaks of Ubud as a place of “spiritual awakening,” writes.

Bronson says her monthly expenses include $100 for electricity, city water and internet; $25 for gas for the house and drinking water; $15 for laundry. Her groceries cost about $75 a month, she says, noting that she purchases them from a traditional market and has “simple tastes,” eating mostly fruits and vegetables. “If you buy organic produce, eat meat every day, and drink a lot of alcohol, your food and beverage costs can approach Western prices,” she adds.

And when she arrived in Ubud, she met that woman, who became a helpful connection. “I’m still a part of that writers group eight years later,” Bronson says. “It’s been easy to make friends here. Almost everyone you meet is either an expat or a tourist,” she jokes, adding that there are book clubs, quiz nights, card-playing groups, salsa dance lessons and more.

Language: “It took me seven years of learning,” says Bronson. But now, she says, “I am conversationally fluent.” She adds that knowing the language — Indonesian — is helpful here. “It’s a communal culture. Connections are everything. If you are a grumpy person, you don’t get far. If you learn the language and make friends [with locals], they will do anything for you.”

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