Regulatori

I live in Seattle and have been contemplating moving overseas to Europe or Asia after my older dog passes away.

I would mainly ride my fixed gear or if I have to, take public transportation (that is bike friendly).

Every "Best bike cities" list I come across tends to be the most expensive regions in a country (highest rents, cost of living, etc..)

Is there an affordable bike (non-US) bike friendly city available or is it a mythical unicorn?

TejanoTrackie 

Well, for cycling as transportation in general, you can't beat the Netherlands. For affordability, I'd choose a city like Groningen. I have no idea about Asia, so perhaps someone else can chime in on that. As to fixed gear riding, remember that some countries may require a front brake, or lights, or a bell etc. If you decide to remain in the USA, just move to Portland.

Broctoon

I've spent some time in Albacete, Spain (southeast of Madrid, about midway to the coast), and in Pordenone, Italy (northeast of Venice, near the foothills of the Alps).These smaller, often overlooked cities are beautiful, rich in culture and history, filled with good food, and I believe have much lower cost of living than the big northern European cities. They're just a few examples, and dozens of other possibilities exist. The weather is beautiful in these more southern latitudes. These examples can't really be considered ideal biking cities, like Amsterdam or Portland. But, like most of Europe, they're reasonably friendly to bikes. I find the people in Spain and Italy to be much friendlier and more welcoming than the people in Germany, Luxembourg, and Belgium. Landscape and architecture are stunning in all of the above, but the social climate is much more comfortable in the southern countries.

A few more that I love, although I only passed through and didn't stay: Udine, Italy, a larger city that's a bit farther northeast. And Sacile (pronounced sah-CHEE-lay), Italy, just west of Pordenone. This small town is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen, and I've been a few places. If you lived there and wanted access to stuff that one can only find in cities, it's not a long ride to Pordenone. Valencia, Spain is a very big, modern city on the coast. It is beautiful and offers everything that most westerners would want. It is very tourist-oriented, and I believe more expensive than my other suggestions. It's quite bike-friendly.

Turkey is another possibility. Look to Mediterranean cities along the southern coast, like Mersin, Alanya, or Antalya. I've been to this region a few times, and it's really nice. You might find the politics there to be less desirable than western Europe, although modern Turkey is generally pretty tolerant of westerners. It is more so in the European portion of Turkey, near Istanbul, although the south is not bad. The only region of that country I'd not recommend is the eastern third, where traditional mid-east culture is more prevalent and tensions still exist between the Kurds and Turks. Western 2/3 of the country is fairly progressive. Cost of living is very reasonable.

Slovenia is very underrated or overlooked by westerners. I've only been to the extreme western part of the country, where it's all mountains, farms, and tiny towns. But I understand they have some fine cities. The cost of living is very attractive, and their social/political climate is not bad.

If you want to stay English-speaking, Glasgow, Scotland is a wonderful place. It's not bad for cycling, although parts of the city are quite hilly. I believe the cost of living is pretty high.