Posted on 02/21/2022 6:02:14 PM PST by DoodleBob
For many in the global North, retirement is a time to wave goodbye to workday stresses and discover an idyllic spot where you can take things easy. For some, it's a deckchair, for other it's a whole other country. For the lucky latter, the only question is…where to live?
Everyone has their own take on what makes the perfect retirement location, but International Living’s 2022 Global Retirement Index may make it easier to find it.
The annual index features a list of global retirement hotspots, compiled using personal experiences of expats in each location, combined with factors like cost of living, climate, medical provision and ease of bureaucracy.
Careful planning is essential as an enjoyable retirement can be costly. A survey by AAG found a quarter of respondents in the US believe they will need at least a million dollars to retire comfortably.
Here are the Global Retirement Index’s top-10 retirement destinations for 2022.
10. Uruguay
Situated between Brazil and Argentina, Uruguay is a Spanish-speaking nation of around 3.5 million people, with warm summers and mild winters.
A range of lifestyles and living costs are on offer, including ranches and farms in the interior grasslands, tree-lined cities like Montevideo and beach towns dotted along the coastline.
Navigating visas and residency is straightforward, healthcare is cheap and accessible and there are plenty of outdoor activities, street parades and good eating available.
9. Spain
There’s more to Spain than its well-known sunny beaches, low cost of living and relaxed lifestyle. Straddling the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, the nation also has bustling historic cities, snow-covered mountains and picturesque rural landscapes.
A Mediterranean diet, excellent healthcare provision and a festival culture make this one of the best places to retire for many people from Europe, and increasingly those from North America.
8. Malta
Surrounded by the warm waters of the southern Mediterranean Sea, the tiny islands of Malta - five in total but only two are inhabited - are a mix of Western European lifestyle with a hint of Arabic language and culture.
Summer temperatures can get hot and humid, and this isn’t the cheapest retirement destination, but the all-year sun attracts many residents who also benefit from a world-class healthcare system and plenty of outdoor sports and activities.
Both Maltese and English are widely spoken and, over the centuries, invaders from several civilizations have left their mark on the local cuisine and culture. Malta offers a mix of ancient megaliths, medieval fortresses, rocky hinterland, beaches and coastal fishing villages, with a few cities thrown in for good measure.
7. France
The home of fine wine, haute cuisine and a certain…je ne sais quois, France has something for everyone: big cities, rural hideaways, mountains and sun-soaked beaches.
Residents benefit from a price-protected top-tier health system, reasonable housing costs in many regions, a rich cultural heritage and a laid-back way of life, not to mention the country’s addiction to gourmet culture.
Regions like the Dordoigne in the south-west of France have attracted British expats for many years, but more North Americans are appreciating its charms in recent years, notes International Living.
6. Ecuador
A combination of good climate, environmental diversity and plenty of culture at an affordable price makes Ecuador one of the best places to retire for Europeans and North Americans.
Here, modern living in cities and beach communities meets untapped natural resources, including the Andes mountains, the Amazon Rainforest and the biodiversity of the nearby Galapagos Islands.
There are few places still unspoilt by global commercialism, but this is one of them. Expatriates can mingle with indigenous locals in tribal dress and live an easygoing and varied lifestyle for around $1,500-$1,825 a month.
5. Colombia
Across the border, Colombia is more developed than Ecuador but shares many of its neighbour’s attributes. These include climate options that suit most tastes and a mix of coastline, Andes mountains and Amazon Rainforest.
Healthcare here is excellent, property and living costs are comparatively low, and the visa application process is straightforward for many nationalities. Retirees can live well for little here, among friendly people where English is widely spoken and stunning scenery.
4. Portugal
From the old-world charm of cities like Lisbon and Porto to the sun-drenched beaches of the Algarve, Portugal has been a favourite retirement destination for some time.
The country has friendly people, low living costs, a world-class healthcare system and low crime rates, making it a safe, enjoyable and affordable place to live.
English is taught in schools and is widely spoken in some areas, and the government offers free Portuguese language courses around the country.
3. Mexico
Located next to the southern border of the US, Mexico has long been a popular destination for North Americans looking for an affordable place in the sun. Expats can choose from a range of climates and lifestyles, which include busy beach resorts, city life and remote rural or desert hideaways.
A monthly budget of around $2,000 is enough for housing, transport and daily living expenses, but you can get by on less or spend a lot more if you choose. Applying for visas or residency is straightforward for those that meet the criteria, and the country boasts affordable and professional healthcare provision that attracts flows of medical tourism.
2. Costa Rica
A tropical climate, affordable living and medical costs, an active outdoor culture, friendly locals and sun-soaked natural beauty have made Costa Rica a magnet for retirees.
Situated between Nicaragua and Panama, this Central American nation is a stable democracy with high literacy rates and a laid-back approach to life. Citizens and residents have access to one of the highest-rated healthcare systems in Latin America, according to International Living.
The landscape ranges from beaches to lush jungle regions, covering multiple climate zones. Protected national parks and wildlife refuges cover about a quarter of the country’s landmass, providing visitors with ample opportunity to connect with nature.
1. Panama
Not for the first time, Panama tops the list of the world’s best places to retire. Located away from Central America’s hurricane belt, its warm tropical climate is tempered by breezes from the Pacific Ocean on one coast and the Caribbean Sea on the other.
It appears Panama has it all: friendly people, a safe living environment and excellent hospitals and medical provision within easy reach of most places. Retirees can choose from beach communities, cool mountain retreats, grassy highlands or modern city living.
Panama is one of only three carbon-negative countries in the world. The famous shipping canal has brought modern communications, infrastructure and affordable transport links to popular domestic expat destinations like Boquete in the highlands.
The only places in France where Americans are still respected are in all of the WWII burial grounds of our G.I.s and that is particularly true of Normandy. The school children in those areas are tasked with the upkeep of the graves. All of them which I have seen - one cannot even find one blade of grass out of place. The school children are taught that Americans saved their bottoms in WWII. ;-)
I was intrigued, so looked it up.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/president-rutherford-hayes-paraguay
Twenty miles north of Asunción, hugging the west bank of the Paraguay River, sits a bustling cattle-ranching hub called Villa Hayes. This dusty city serves as the capital of Paraguay’s Presidente Hayes Department, features a Hayes Primary School, and boasts a statue of its namesake: Rutherford B. Hayes, the 19th President of the United States.
Hayes may be obscure in his homeland, but citizens of this South American nation absolutely revere the long-dead president. “Rutherford B. Hayes is our national hero,” says Maria Teresa Garozzo de Caravaca, director of the municipal museum in Villa Hayes. Kids from across Paraguay take school trips to the museum to view Hayes-themed artifacts, including a life-sized effigy next to an American flag. “They really admire the man a lot,” Garozzo explains. “He didn’t fight any battles here, but he’s in the hearts of all Paraguayans.”
Hayes never visited Paraguay, but he involved himself in the defining moment in Paraguayan history. From 1864 to 1870, Paraguay fought and lost the Paraguayan War against the Triple Alliance of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay. It remains the deadliest international conflict in Latin American history. By some estimates, Paraguay lost 70 percent of its pre-war population and 90 percent of adult males. It also hemorrhaged huge chunks of its previously claimed territory, and didn’t want more bloodshed to try and wrangle them back.
That’s when President Hayes, a Republican who once graduated from Harvard Law School and practiced law in Ohio, tiptoed into the picture. In 1878, when there was no United Nations or World Court, the governments of both Argentina and Paraguay tapped him to arbitrate a protracted dispute over a large swath of the Gran Chaco lowlands, between the Pilcomayo and Verde Rivers. At the time, these prickly shrublands were home mostly to indigenous communities such as the Guaycurú, Lengua, Wichí, Zamuco, and Tupí-Guaraní, which were losing their ancestral lands to colonizers and had little allegiance to either government. The Gran Chaco was so hot and arid that European settlers often referred to it as “the Green Hell.” Nevertheless, when Hayes, a neutral third party, ruled in favor of Paraguayans in 1878, he essentially bequeathed them about 60 percent of their current land, much of which now bears his name.
You win Post of the Thread.
...from an 83-year old German living not in any of these places...
The Villages Florida, There's nothing that compete.
Toured The Villages once. We like Sun City Hilton Head in Bluffton, South Carolina *much* better. :-)
Panama, only legal residents may own and/or carry guns, as opposed to visitors and tourists. Therefore a foreigner can apply for gun ownership once he or she has satisfied immigration requirements and obtained legal residence. Since Panama has neither an army nor the equivalent of the N.R.A., gun ownership rules differ sensibly from U.S. regulations. To begin with there are no gun fairs... you can only purchase a gun from a handful of authorized dealers, and the choices are very limited - not to mention prices are about double what you would expect to pay. Unless you prefer to place a special order, which is going to delay the process by a number of months, you can purchase a gun under five minutes, the time it takes to process your credit card. This is however where the similarity ends... The gun(s) shall remain in the store's custody until you secure a permit - which in practice can easily take six to nine months. And this is where the fun begins: you'll have to provide a urine sample on the spot (to check for drug use) and later blood samples (to keep your DNA on file) not to mention fingerprints. Also you'll need to visit a psychiatrist to undergo a psychological evaluation. In the meantime, the store will ship the gun to the police, which will perform ballistic tests and keep all records on file, together with your full ID and address. The permit is valid for 5 years and must be showed prior to purchasing ammunition.
This article lost all credibility with me when I saw the author misspelled Dordogne.
What you say about the French not respecting Americans is completely false. I live in France part of the time, and I can assure you that Americans are very highly respected in France.
Until the SHTF and suddenly you are the "Gringo" holding wads of "funny money" in his fists.
Regards,
BINGO!
Regards,
The locals (incl. police) are not very "gay-friendly."
They don't like aging "Gringos" coming on to their local boys.
No wonder your "friend" doesn't want to talk about his experiences there.
Regards,
“None of em have hockey. So, no”
We like the Tampa and spring training areas in Sarasota, just south.
and Mexico?...were bodies can be found hanging in the city square?....
the whole deal of moving to another country is this:...you are leaving your kids and grandkids, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, parents perhaps, friends , etc....
if one can live without having close contact with your kids or grandkids, then by all means ditch the US and head to Costa Rico.....
10. Uruguay
Where everyone works for the government
And nobody works very hard
And don't forget: Continuing to have to file your U.S. income tax returns even if you never again set foot on American soil.
(Even if you give up your U.S. citizenship, you have to continue filing for another ten years.)
And now you also have to file and pay local income taxes, etc.
Unless you become naturalized in the new country, you will forever be a foreigner, subject to special scrutiny and treatment by local authorities.
Language problems, anyone? Yeah, you can speak enough Spanish to order your meal in a restaurant - but can you plead your case in a Court of Law?
Regards,
The second step is the captured sunlight energy has to be deep-sixed in the ground, initiating the process of making coal, else the carbon will soon be returning to life.
Without humans. We’re made of carbon.
‘course, if you join the local street gang you are probably issued an AK, pistol, and a box of grenades on the spot.
Are you outside of Paris?
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