Bali is a great place to be for a 1000$ dollars a month or less. Though that is in Indonesia and not the two countries you mention. I haven't been to either of

Bali is a great place to be for a 1000$ dollars a month or less. Though that is in Indonesia and not the two countries you mention. I haven't been to either of those countries, but I guess they would have the same set of advantages too. I have also lived in Colombia, and well my expenses were a little higher because I was living a little lavishly, I stayed in Cali / Bogota and Medellin for two months each, and Colombia is great too for what you want. I semi-rented/bought a motorbike, and it was a great convenience to have, if you want to look into that. I would recommend SE Asia the first time around just from personal experience.