Hey Fam,
First off welcome to the real thing.
Issue 0 was the origin story. This is where the strategies begin.
Before I get into it I want to say something that most newsletters won't.
You didn't end up abroad because things went perfectly. Neither did I.
Some of you left or want to leave, because rent in your city is a joke. Some of you got laid off and realized the safety net you thought existed wasn't there. Some of you looked at what it would take to buy a house back home and did the math and it just didn't add up. Some of you are rebuilding something, a business, a savings account, a sense of control over your own life.
I know because I'm doing the same thing.
I lost $300K in crypto. Ahem. Not in one trade in a series of increasingly confident bets on memes and digital assets I couldn't control. I had skill. My position was wrong. Skill in a bad position still loses.
That loss forced me to look at everything differently. Not just how I earn money but where I earn it, where I spend it, and what systems I build in between.
What I found changed everything.
◆ // THE PLAY
The 6 Types of Arbitrage — and the one to start with
Arbitrage means taking advantage of a gap or price difference between two markets. Most people think it's a finance term. It's actually a life strategy.
Geographic Arbitrage
Earn in a strong currency. Spend in a weak one. Keep the difference. Austin rent is $3,200. Manila rent is $1,200. Same $4,000 income, but one version of you saves $24,000 a year the other version is barely scrapping by.Currency Arbitrage
The dollar buys more inn16 countries on our list than it did two years ago. That gap is a real financial advantage, and it expires when exchange rates shift. The window is open now.Labor Arbitrage
A skilled developer in the Philippines earns $800-1,200/month. Same skill set in California costs $8,000-12,000/month. The gap funds your entire operation.Information Arbitrage
As a founder / creator, you know things your home market doesn't. Which banks don't charge foreign fees. Which visas are easiest. Which cities have the best infrastructure. That knowledge has real value. Package it up sell it to your audience.Health Arbitrage
A doctor visit in Cebu costs $15. In the US it's $250. Dental work that costs $3,000 in California costs $200 here. International health insurance runs $100/month vs $600 in the US. Most people never factor this into the math.Time Arbitrage
While competitors do things manually which takes time to do, AI lets solo operators do the work of entire teams save more time on workflows that used to take a whole team to do. The gap between those using it and those ignoring it widens every week. That gap is arbitrage.
The one to start with: Geographic. Always. Everything else builds on top of it. If you're already abroad you're already doing it, you just may not be optimizing it yet.
◆ // THE NUMBER
$28,800
That's how much more per year the average American expat in Southeast Asia saves compared to their equivalent living in a mid-tier US city on the exact same income.
Not by earning more. Not by working harder. Just by living somewhere else.
Most people spend their entire career trying to get a $28,800 raise. You got it by moving.
◆ // THE TOOL
The free Arbitrage Calculator Lite is in your welcome email, but if you missed it grab it here:
→ Get your free Arbitrage Calculator → galaxyarbitrage.com/calculator-lite
Plug in your income and your current US city. Pick 2-3 expat destinations you've been curious about. The gap number that comes out is your real raise. Not taxed. Not negotiated. Just math.
Next issue I'm breaking down the Pro version, the one that factors in healthcare costs, tax advantages, currency spreads, and visa costs across the 10 cheapest high-quality countries for American expats right now.,
That's Issue 2. It's going to be the most useful tool I've ever shared with this list..
◆ // THE MOVE
This week — calculate your gap.
Take your monthly income. Subtract your current monthly expenses. That's your current gap.
Now go to Numbeo.com and look up the cost of living in one city you've been curious about. Recalculate.
What's the difference?
That number is what geographic arbitrage is worth to you specifically. Not in theory. In your actual life.
Reply and tell me what you found. I read every reply.
◆ // FROM THE COMMUNITY
This section grows as you do.
Reply to this email. Tell me which of the 6 arbitrage types you're already using or which one you want to understand better. The best reply becomes the opening of Issue 2.
I'm using all 6 right now to get my $300K back.
Some are working faster than others. I'll tell you which ones as we go.
That's the deal, I share what's actually working as it happens. Not theory. Not a course. The real thing in real time.
Issue 2 is the full arbitrage calculator. The one I wish existed when I first left.
Don't miss it. Make sure to Follow the build on X → @ExpatBuildr
— Galaxy 🇺🇸🇵🇭
Building from Cebu. Earning in USD. Sharing the math.
P.S. If someone forwarded this to you and you want every issue in your inbox, it's free → galaxyarbitrage.com