Someplace cheap to live and study
_delirium: It depends on the length somewhat. The shorter you intend it to be, the closer to where you currently are it should probably be. For example, moving abroad wouldn't be worth it for 3 months, because the cost of the plane ticket would likely overwhelm any cost-of-living savings. But it might be worth it for a year.Within the US, basically anywhere that isn't one of the stereotypically expensive cities is cheap. In California, it's dirt-cheap to live anywhere that isn't in the SD, LA or SF areas; San Luis Obispo and Eureka are decent coastal options. Anywhere in Oregon outside Portland is also cheap. Among cities, the midwest rust-belt cities are cheapest, e.g. Pittsburgh, and pretty interesting.