As an expat be prepared to hear “this is normal in Georgia” every time something goes wrong. No one is in a hurry to fix anything - from broken lift in the building (I even got stuck once on a Sunday night and was told “maybe someone will come tomorrow to free you”! - had to break out myself) to your wifi (stopped working for almost 2 weeks, not until we threatened to change companies that they decided to send a technician). We didn’t find it very friendly. People don’t smile, staff in stores are surly and unhelpful. The taxi drivers are the worst in the world (including Uber). Utter maniacs. The cost of living has risen steeply because of inflation. People also constantly thought we were Russian and we got yelled at several times by locals who don’t want Russians around (for obvious reasons). Overall, it’s not the most pleasant place to be an expat. However, the food is delicious (if heavy), the scenery is gorgeous. The mobile data is cheap, but groceries ans eating out is more expensive than we expected. I’d recommend it for a month or two, but no more.
Pros and Cons of Living in Prague, Czech Republic
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Pros of Living in Prague
Very safe Fast internet Lots of fun stuff to do Good air quality on average Nomad List members liked going here a lot Many Nomad List members here all year round Spacious and not crowded Very easy to do business High quality of education Great hospitals Roads are very safe Great freedom of speech Democratic Very safe for women Family friendly Very friendly to LGBTQ+
Cons of Living in Prague
Too expensive Gets cold in the winter Difficult to make friends People don't speak English well People smoking tobacco a lot -
I visited Prague on more than one occasion and tried something new each time. I really wanted to enjoy it but unfortunately it turned out to be one of my least favourite cities. Perhaps it was just me, but there was an overwhelming sense of distrust and dislike towards foreigners, you have to try pretty hard to blend in if you want to experience the life of a local & avoid the tourism. I met some wonderful people and and there’s some cool communities to be part of, but another extended stay just isn’t for me.
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My husband and I spent about 6 weeks testing Prague in Nov-Dec 2018 as we were considering it as a semi-permanent base of operations for the next year or two. Honestly it was great and we plan on leaving Malta where we have been for the past year. Pluses - transportation is very good and quite cheap tons of restaurants, lots to do. People are more reserved, perhaps even a bit suspicious, so I would not say it was an OVERLY welcoming vibe, however there are a lot of expats from the US, CA, UK and more, so I did meet some very nice people and there is a good Expat network there. Not very racially diverse, I noticed this very quickly. Language is somewhat of an issue - unlike say France or Spain where you can figure out some words - in Czech you won't have a clue. Overall though - 2 thumbs up for us!
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Possibly the best city to live in Europe especially in the summer. It's clean, people are friendly, lots of cafes to work, fast internet, lots of Airbnb's, and it's relatively cheap.
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Prague is super awesome it’s a very beautiful city. However, I have learned two things about Prague which I want to share with future travelers and nomads, they are: - Only use ATMs that has the word “Bankomat” on it, all the other ATMs have really high fees or commission and may even in some cases support organized crime. - if you need to call the police for some reason, because of e.g. robbery or physical injury, make sure to call the state police or ask for the state police and not the municipal police. The municipal police can be very corrupt and in some cases support organized crime. That’s my advice, take care.
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