I left the US for Serbia. My rent dropped from $2,000 to $650, and my income rose.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Daria Ershova, a 25-year-old brand communications consultant based in Belgrade, Serbia.

The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I was born in Russia and moved to the US on my own for school at 16, first to Northern California for two years, then to Arizona for about seven years.

I had various social media and marketing internships in the Phoenix area, and, in May 2024, I was hired from my internship at the Italian Association of Arizona as the part-time marketing coordinator.

On the side, I also took on a role as marketing coordinator at International Business Seminar (GLO now), a study abroad organization.

When I was 23, I quit my jobs, left the US, and moved to Belgrade.

After the move, I launched Daria Ershova PR Soma Creative as a fully independent freelance consultancy, providing marketing, PR, and brand communications services.

My current annual income is about $54,000.

Most of my paycheck went straight to rent, car insurance, phone, and the usual bills.

I wasn’t struggling exactly, but I couldn’t do much with what was left.

I started seriously thinking about leaving in November 2024 and quit both of my jobs by April 2025.

I initially looked into Master’s programs in Europe, but by February 2025, I realized I didn’t have the funds.

Serbia kept coming up in my research.

Since I had never been, I was moving here based on what I could find online.

The entrepreneur visa process was very straightforward, and Serbia has a very favorable tax structure for freelancers and small businesses, which mattered to me because I knew I wanted to properly register my own company and not have to worry about the documents.

I also discovered that registering as a freelancer qualifies you for a temporary residence permit valid for three years, with a path to permanent residency afterward.

I had a solid résumé and a decent network, so I thought, why not try opening a freelance business and see how it works.

My brother was also relocating to Serbia for personal reasons, and my moving here gave him confidence that he wouldn’t be alone in a new country.

Moving was a chance to be closer to family again after years of living far away from them.

I don’t own a car; the public transport is excellent and free.

Groceries are cheaper, especially at the street market, where a whole chicken, for example, costs $3.50.

I go out to eat when I feel like it.

I’m even able to help my brother financially sometimes.

I’m a lot less worried about money.

My clients are international, and I get paid international rates.

If I were working for a local business or earning a local salary, my life would look a little different.

I’m grateful to have this experience and opportunity.

In Arizona, my monthly expenses were about $2,000 for rent, $200 for car insurance, $85 for my phone bill, around $400 for groceries, and roughly $200 for other expenses.

In Serbia, my monthly expenses are $650 for rent, $35 for my phone bill, around $300 on groceries, $7 a month for private health insurance, and around $300 for other expenses, including weekend trips.

Belgrade has an abundance of third spaces, such as cafés, board game rooms, riverbanks, and hiking trails.

On long weekends, I drive to Tara National Park, ski at Kopaonik, or spend a few days on the coast in Montenegro with my brother and sometimes my friends.

All of it is relatively affordable.

We like to travel and explore nearby cities or, sometimes, even countries.

For longer weekends when I’m traveling, I take time off, or I work from wherever we are.

I love rain, cold, and snow, and Belgrade gets all three.

Although I don’t enjoy hot weather, I will admit to missing tanning in November in Arizona, when the weather was still warm.

The language barrier was the first real hurdle.

I assumed most people spoke English, and while that’s true in cafés and restaurants, it’s absolutely not true at the police station when you’re applying for residency, or at certain banks.

Serbian is the language of bureaucracy here.

Serbian has a lot of similarities to the Russian language.

By this point, I understand and can hold up a very basic conversation.

The whole bureaucratic system operates differently from the US, with most things having to be done in person.

You find listings online and meet directly with the owner, which has its benefits, but requires you to understand how local rental agreements, utility payments, and contracts actually work.

The thing I wish someone had told me is to hire a helper, which I didn’t do.

There are people, sometimes called relocation assistants, who know the system and will guide you through the first months, with things such as paperwork, appointments, translations, all of it.

I also wish I had learned the local holidays before I arrived.

Serbia celebrates different holidays from the US, and you can absolutely wake up one morning to find every store, bank, and office closed with no warning.

Working for yourself with no set schedule means the hours can creep up on you.

That’s less a Serbian problem and more a freelance problem, but it’s worth being honest about.

What I genuinely miss about the US is the convenience, things like same-day delivery, signing documents online, and having everything accessible from your phone.

I definitely miss Arizona sunsets — they’re the best — and authentic Mexican cuisine.

I yearn for some good birria tacos.

People romanticize relocating abroad as a fresh start, a chance to reinvent themselves overnight.

There is truth in that, but being alone in a new country carries real weight on your mental health that nobody warns you about.

My advice is to get out at least once a week, even if you don’t speak the language, even if you’re just sitting in a cafe.

Just be around people — it matters more than you think.