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

Daria Ershova. Anna Krashenina Daria Ershova moved from the Phoenix area to Belgrade, Serbia, in 2025. Living in Belgrade offers her a more affordable lifestyle with reduced rent and expenses. She faced language barriers and bureaucratic hurdles and says she misses the food in Arizona. 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…