'Things Are A Lot Cheaper Out Here': U.S. Teacher Chooses Rural Japan Over Burnout, Gets By On $1,700 A Month

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When Lexi Smith, a 24-year-old teacher from Atlanta, began feeling burned out by long hours and low pay, she decided to make a change. Smith told CNBC that she "wasn't quite loving the school system" and wanted to live more simply while experiencing another culture. 

That search eventually led her to Chiba Prefecture, a rural region on Japan's Pacific coast about four hours from Tokyo.