The GOOD:
- Wi-fi works great. Great country for digital nomads.
- Outstanding natural areas for hiking and canoeing.
- Food in restaurants is good and cheap.
- You can eat a proper meal from 8 am to 23 pm. No breaks.
- Even pork aficionados will easily forget about its absence.
- I would say most Kosovans are courteous, peaceful and honest. Maybe I am just lucky or they are like this because I am a foreigner, I have no clue. My experience was positive. UPDATE 2023: after one year, I can tell they are like this all the time with everyone. Obviously if you are here for few days they want to show you more and make you experience more of their rich culture and traditions. Nonetheless, even after staying here long term, I can say most people are fantastic.
- Flights are ridiculously-cheap. I don’t know how nor why. UPDATE 2023: Not anymore. Give us back Roma – Prishtina for 12 bucks!
- Almost zero multinationals operating here. Small businesses are not threatened by Amazon and co.
- Inclusive for LGBTQ+, different ethnicities and religions.
- There are funny situations; plenty of activities, communities, nightlife and events.
- Very affordable housing.
- Life is simpler and people chill out more. Stress is rare.
- Sports are everywhere and cheap to practice.
- It is very easy to practice a healthy lifestyle.
- Easy to make friends, hard to pay for your own meal. They will offer often, so you better learn offering tactics.
- Women in Kosovo are pretty to say the least. UPDATE 2023: I ended up marrying one of them, so I can confidently back up my claims.
- Although the Slavic propaganda wants us to believe the opposite, this country is one of the safest I have ever been to. Thanks to this bad propaganda, most foreigners you can meet in Kosovo are openminded and courageous.
- Almost everyone speaks English or German.
- People are smart, resourceful and hustle a lot.
- The country has a bright future ahead. It will surely grow economically and become one of the most civilized and wealthiest countries of the Balkans. UPDATE 2023: I still believe so, but many are afraid about depopulation.
- Visas for foreigners are easy to get. Almost everyone gets 90 days on arrival, and can renew it by exiting and re-entering the country. Meaning you just need to do 4 day trips to surrounding countries and you can live here for a long time. If you establish an LLC for free and you are already eligible for residence permits.
- To start a limited liability company, you need a capital of € 1,000. You need a local partner for the accounting, but if you get the residence permit you can be that local partner. No additional costs. 3 days to setup. Sweet.
- Omega-3 and other medicines are cheap.
- 70% of the population has less than 35 years.
- Taxes are low.
- UPDATE 2023: There is Da Michele, the best pizzeria in the world. It’s a franchise from the original one in Naples. People come from Naples every 2 months to check the quality. In Italy you need to stay in queue for 40 minutes to get served, in Prishtina no. As an Italian, I highly recommend.
- UPDATE 2023: There is the Pristina Mall, the biggest mall in the Balkans, it’s bigger than the city center, it’s ridiculously-big. It should be an airport.
The BAD:
- €5.00 withdrawal fee! WTF Update 2023: WTF!!!
- People have low salaries so they have to work all the time, sometimes even with multiple jobs.
- Kosovans are “caged” because their passport does not allow them to travel to many locations and visas are hard to get. Some women may go out with you just because of your passport.
- Banks from the Middle Ages. This is really the only thing that sucks a lot.
- Few people have national pride and most of them define themselves as Albanians, not Kosovans.
- Patriarchy, there’s quite a lot of it. You can feel it.
- Serbians still hate this place. You cannot go to Serbia without going into another country since they won’t recognize the Kosovo passport stamp.
- Americans treat this place as their colony and sometimes they feel superior to locals.
- Nobody uses dating apps here, don’t know if it’s a con. People are more approachable and kinder.
- There is no sea, but the lakes are great.
- Kosovans complain about younger generations having this unusual ambition to become a drug dealer. Hopefully, next generations will look back at them with disdain.
- Architecture is interesting.
- Plenty of thunders when it rains in Summer.
- Kosovo is a trap. It is very hard to leave and so easy to extend your stay.
Conclusion
You have a brain and you should always use it to make your own conclusions.
This is my conclusion. I really like it overall. Comparing to other destinations is extremely unpopular, and I believe this is the main reason it is so appealing. So do not come!