Obviously these vary, but Yangon (Rangoon, the capital city) has a reputation of being an unlivable city by Western standards coming in at number 195 out of 221 cities in the world in a 2012 survey making it the worst in Asia. It is notorious for power cuts, broken roads and sidewalks, lack of street lighting, and its generally poor infrastructure. There is a lack of international banks (no ATMs), a decent (and affordable) mobile phone network and cheap, good, accommodation. On the upside, despite the traffic, it is very safe to live there and there’s little pollution.
However, with the influx of more foreign companies and the improvement of relations with the outside world, things are set to change.
Accommodation is relatively expensive. It also tends to be very basic and, at times, primitive. Monthly bills will be low, a small apartment begins at around K200,000 or $250 USD (€198, £159) per month. Some schools will have their teachers share an apartment.
The cost of living is low. A meal can cost as little as K1.5 or $1.5 USD (€1, £1) and a large beer about the same.
As regards social life, in the capital there are a lot of international organizations and embassies and there is a thriving expat community involving these people.