15 Places on Earth That Look Like They Belong on Another Planet — And You Can Actually Live There

You've seen them on Instagram. You've assumed they're Photoshopped. They're not.

These are real places, on this planet, where the landscape looks so alien that NASA uses some of them to test Mars rovers. And here's the part that makes this different from every other "beautiful places" listicle — people actually live in these places. Some of them are shockingly affordable.

Key Takeaways

1. You don't need to leave Earth to see alien landscapes — these places are real and accessible
2. Turkey has two entries (Cappadocia + Pamukkale) — both affordable, both mind-blowing, both livable
3. Mexico's Guanajuato is the most practical — cheap, great infrastructure, easy visa, and the underground tunnels are everyday life, not a tourist attraction
4. Bolivia and Brazil offer the most surreal landscapes at the lowest cost
5. Some places are visit-only (Socotra, Danakil, Myanmar) — beautiful but not safe/practical for living
6. Use our country comparison tool to compare costs between any of these destinations

The world is stranger, more beautiful, and more affordable than you think. Stop scrolling Instagram. Go see it.

Last updated: March 31, 2026

1. Cappadocia, Turkey — Where You Sleep Inside Fairy Chimneys

Imagine waking up inside a cave carved from volcanic rock, opening your curtains to see 200 hot air balloons floating over a landscape of mushroom-shaped stone pillars. That's a Tuesday in Cappadocia.

The "fairy chimneys" were formed 60 million years ago when volcanic eruptions covered the region in ash. Over millennia, wind and rain carved the soft tuff into towers, cones, and pillars — some reaching 40 meters high. Ancient civilizations then hollowed them out into homes, churches, and entire underground cities.

Can you live here? Yes — and it's cheap. Cave hotels run $30-80/night, but long-term cave apartment rentals are $300-500/month. Turkey offers a digital nomad visa, and Cappadocia has growing WiFi infrastructure.

Cost of living: $800-1,200/month | Internet: 30-50 Mbps | Vibe: Surreal, quiet, tourist-heavy in summer

2. Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia — The World's Largest Mirror

10,582 square kilometers of pure white salt. When it rains, a thin layer of water turns the entire flat into a perfect mirror — reflecting the sky so precisely that you can't tell where the ground ends and the sky begins. NASA uses it to calibrate their satellites because the surface is flatter than the ocean.

The nearby town of Uyuni is small and basic, but Bolivia as a whole is one of the cheapest countries in South America. La Paz and Cochabamba offer proper city infrastructure at rock-bottom prices.

Can you live here? Uyuni itself is tiny (20,000 people), but La Paz is 8 hours by bus and costs $600-900/month total. Bolivia doesn't have a digital nomad visa, but tourist visas are easy to extend.

Cost of living: $600-1,000/month | Vibe: Raw, adventurous, off-grid

3. Socotra Island, Yemen — The Alien Forest

The dragon's blood trees of Socotra look like they were designed by an alien art director. Their umbrella-shaped canopies are found nowhere else on Earth — literally. A third of Socotra's plant life is endemic (exists only here).

The island has been isolated from mainland Africa for 6 million years, creating a unique ecosystem that prompted UNESCO to name it a World Heritage Site. The landscape includes cucumber trees, frankincense groves, and beaches with turquoise water.

Can you live here? This one's tough. Yemen is in conflict, and Socotra is technically Yemeni territory. It's visitable (some tour operators run trips) but not a realistic relocation destination. Still — worth seeing once.

Status: Visit only | Access: Limited charter flights from Abu Dhabi

4. Danakil Depression, Ethiopia — Earth's Closest Thing to Venus

Temperatures hit 50°C. Sulfuric acid pools glow neon yellow and green. The ground literally bubbles. The Danakil Depression sits 125 meters below sea level in the Afar Triangle, where three tectonic plates are pulling apart — you're watching a new ocean form in real time.

The area has active volcanoes, lava lakes (Erta Ale), and salt flats that local Afar people have mined for centuries. It's considered one of the most inhospitable places on Earth.

Can you live here? No — and you shouldn't want to. But Ethiopia itself is fascinating. Addis Ababa is a growing tech hub with $500-800/month living costs. Visit Danakil as a 3-4 day tour.

Cost of living (Addis Ababa): $500-800/month | Danakil tour: $200-400 for 3 days

5. Wadi Rum, Jordan — Mars on Earth

When Ridley Scott needed to film The Martian, he chose Wadi Rum. The red sand dunes, towering sandstone cliffs, and natural rock bridges look so much like Mars that NASA has used the desert for rover testing.

Bedouin communities have lived here for thousands of years. You can stay in desert camps (from $30/night), sleep under some of the clearest starry skies on Earth, and hike through narrow canyons with 4,000-year-old petroglyphs.

Can you live here? Jordan offers a straightforward residency process. Amman is 4 hours away with modern infrastructure. Aqaba (1.5 hours) is a free trade zone with growing expat community.

Cost of living (Amman): $1,000-1,500/month | Wadi Rum camp: $30-80/night

6. Lake Hillier, Australia — The Pink Lake

A bubblegum-pink lake surrounded by dark eucalyptus forest, edged by white sand, next to the deep blue Indian Ocean. It looks fake. It's not.

Lake Hillier sits on Middle Island off the coast of Western Australia. Scientists believe the pink color comes from a combination of algae (Dunaliella salina) and halobacteria. Unlike other "pink lakes" that turn pink seasonally, Hillier stays pink year-round — even when you scoop the water into a glass.

Can you live nearby? Australia has excellent visa options. Perth is the nearest major city (6-hour drive + boat). Esperance, the nearest town, is a beautiful coastal community.

Cost of living (Perth): AUD $2,800-4,200/month | Vibe: Remote, pristine, bucket-list

7. Zhangjiajie, China — The Floating Mountains

The sandstone pillars of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park inspired the floating Hallelujah Mountains in Avatar. When morning mist fills the valleys, the 200-meter-tall pillars appear to float in mid-air.

The park has glass skywalks, the world's longest glass bridge (430 meters), and a cable car ride that makes your stomach drop. The surrounding city of Zhangjiajie has modern amenities and is surprisingly well-connected by high-speed rail.

Can you live here? China has work visas and business visas. The city of Zhangjiajie itself is small, but Changsha (3 hours by train) is a booming tech city with $600-1,000/month living costs.

Cost of living (Changsha): $600-1,000/month | Vibe: Mystical, dramatic, crowd-heavy

8. Fly Geyser, Nevada, USA — The Accidental Alien

This wasn't supposed to exist. In 1964, a geothermal energy company drilled a test well and accidentally hit a geothermal pocket. They capped it and left — but the cap failed. Hot mineral water has been erupting ever since, building a 5-foot-tall mound covered in thermophilic algae that glow red, green, and orange.

Fly Geyser sits on private land (Burning Man Project bought it in 2016) but is now open for guided tours.

Can you live nearby? The Nevada desert isn't for everyone, but Reno is 2 hours away with a growing tech scene and no state income tax. United States living costs vary wildly by location.

Cost of living (Reno): $2,200-3,500/month | Fly Geyser tour: $40

9. Pamukkale, Turkey — The Cotton Castle

Cascading white terraces of travertine (calcium carbonate) filled with warm, mineral-rich water that's been flowing for thousands of years. The ancient Romans built the spa city of Hierapolis on top. UNESCO listed it as a World Heritage Site.

You can actually walk barefoot on the terraces and wade in the warm pools — one of the few World Heritage Sites where you can physically interact with the landmark.

Can you live here? Denizli (the nearest city) is affordable and well-connected. Turkey's digital nomad visa makes it easy. Istanbul and Antalya are popular expat bases.

Cost of living (Denizli): $600-900/month | Antalya: $800-1,300/month

10. Guanajuato, Mexico — The Rainbow Underground City

A city where the streets are literally underground. Colonial-era tunnels that once channeled a river now serve as the main road network — you drive through centuries-old stone tunnels with cars honking and street art on the walls. Above ground, the hillside is a chaos of candy-colored houses in every shade imaginable.

Can you live here? Absolutely. Mexico is one of the easiest countries for expats. Guanajuato has a university, cultural scene, and $700-1,100/month living costs. San Miguel de Allende is 90 minutes away.

Cost of living: $700-1,100/month | Internet: 40-80 Mbps | Vibe: Artistic, colorful, vibrant

11. Waitomo, New Zealand — The Glowworm Galaxy

Deep inside limestone caves, thousands of bioluminescent glowworms (Arachnocampa luminosa) hang from the ceiling on silk threads, creating a living replica of a star-filled night sky. You drift through on a boat in complete silence, looking up at what genuinely looks like the Milky Way — except it's alive and 30 feet above your head.

Can you live here? New Zealand offers work visas, skilled migrant visas, and entrepreneur visas. Hamilton (1 hour away) or Auckland (2 hours) are the nearest cities.

Cost of living (Hamilton): NZD $2,400-3,500/month | Glowworm tour: NZD $55

12. Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland — The Hexagonal Highway

40,000 interlocking basalt columns, most hexagonal, stepping down from the cliffs into the sea like a giant's staircase. Formed 60 million years ago by volcanic lava cooling at exactly the right rate to create geometric perfection.

Can you live here? UK has various visa options. Belfast (1.5 hours) is one of the cheapest cities in the UK with a growing tech scene. Northern Ireland has some of the lowest living costs in the UK.

Cost of living (Belfast): £1,400-2,200/month | Vibe: Dramatic, historic, windswept

13. Tsingy de Bemaraha, Madagascar — The Stone Forest

A 600 square kilometer labyrinth of razor-sharp limestone needles, some reaching 70 meters tall, with crevasses so deep that unique ecosystems evolved at the bottom. The word "tsingy" means "where one cannot walk barefoot" — and that's an understatement.

Between the needles, lemurs leap across chasms, and rare plants grow in microclimates created by the stone maze. It's one of the most biodiverse places on Earth.

Can you live here? Madagascar is extremely affordable but has infrastructure challenges. Antananarivo (the capital) costs $400-700/month. The tsingy is a bucket-list visit, not a base.

Cost of living (Antananarivo): $400-700/month | Access: 10-hour drive from Morondava

14. Lençóis Maranhenses, Brazil — The Desert With Lagoons

White sand dunes stretching to the horizon — but between them, crystal-clear freshwater lagoons fed by rain. From June to September, thousands of these turquoise pools appear between the dunes, creating a landscape that looks digitally generated.

The dunes cover 1,500 square kilometers. There are no rivers feeding the lagoons — they form entirely from rainwater collecting in the spaces between dunes.

Can you live here? Brazil offers retirement visas and digital nomad visas. São Luís (the nearest city) is on the coast with $600-1,000/month living costs. Natal and Recife are other affordable beach cities.

Cost of living (São Luís): $600-1,000/month | Best time: June-September (lagoon season)

15. Bagan, Myanmar — 2,000 Temples at Sunrise

Over 2,000 ancient Buddhist temples and pagodas scattered across a dusty plain, silhouetted against a blood-orange sunrise. From above (hot air balloon, $350), it looks like a city from a fantasy novel.

Bagan was the capital of the Pagan Kingdom from the 9th to 13th centuries. Most temples are accessible — you can wander through 800-year-old corridors and climb to rooftops for sunset views.

Can you live here? Myanmar has been in political turmoil since 2021. Tourism is returning slowly, but it's not recommended for long-term relocation right now. Visit when the situation stabilizes.

Status: Visit when safe | Tour cost: $30-50/day locally

Which Ones Can You Actually Relocate To?