**See the scores for the 2013 Annual Retirement Index here**
Months ago, our far-flung editors and in-country advisers began collecting all the data and details that inform our Retirement Index.
We’ve changed how we do things, narrowing down the countries we focus on to the top 19, and considering each across eight crucial categories: real estate, special retirement benefits, cost of living, ease of integration, entertainment and amenities, health care, retirement infrastructure and climate.
This is a qualitative assessment, based on real-world data gathered on the ground. For each category in our Index, we looked closely at what matters most to you when you’re considering an overseas retirement spot—everything from the price of bread to how easy it is to make friends or stay in touch with family.
We considered a vast range of data points, from the average humidity to the cost of a taxi. And with costs in mind, we examined prices for real estate, rentals, and utilities like water, electricity, and cable TV. We looked at costs for groceries, eating out, even specific medical procedures. We took into account what kind of discounts retirees can get on travel, taxes and entertainment. And we considered whether there were direct flights back home…how many and how long they are, too.
And we asked: What is the Internet like? Do you need a car? Can you catch a movie in English? Are the people friendly? Does it rain? In effect, we asked all the questions you should ask when you’re considering a retirement overseas. The results are below.
| Country | Real Estate | Special Benefits | Cost of Living | Inte. | E&A | Health | Infras. | Climate | Final Scores |
| Ecuador | 97 | 98 | 100 | 95 | 90 | 85 | 80 | 83 | 91.1 |
| Panama | 95 | 100 | 95 | 96 | 96 | 91 | 82 | 68 | 90.4 |
| Mexico | 94 | 91 | 88 | 96 | 96 | 88 | 75 | 89 | 89.6 |
| Malaysia | 94 | 79 | 95 | 95 | 96 | 87 | 91 | 66 | 87.7 |
| Colombia | 93 | 76 | 60 | 92 | 96 | 93 | 84 | 75 | 83.7 |
| New Zealand | 87 | 72 | 69 | 90 | 93 | 84 | 86 | 89 | 83.6 |
| Nicaragua | 92 | 79 | 94 | 89 | 85 | 78 | 63 | 70 | 82.6 |
| Spain | 79 | 68 | 78 | 90 | 93 | 76 | 94 | 81 | 82.1 |
| Thailand | 90 | 68 | 71 | 91 | 97 | 83 | 76 | 75 | 81.4 |
| Honduras | 82 | 89 | 76 | 95 | 96 | 78 | 67 | 63 | 80.7 |
| Uruguay | 91 | 76 | 81 | 87 | 57 | 81 | 83 | 87 | 80.4 |
| Italy | 69 | 74 | 60 | 71 | 98 | 80 | 90 | 100 | 80.3 |
| Brazil | 81 | 87 | 68 | 81 | 99 | 85 | 69 | 71 | 80.2 |
| Ireland | 70 | 90 | 57 | 99 | 91 | 70 | 85 | 79 | 80.2 |
| France | 68 | 75 | 57 | 82 | 100 | 90 | 88 | 90 | 80.1 |
| Costa Rica | 88 | 79 | 65 | 97 | 94 | 83 | 74 | 60 | 80.0 |
| Belize | 80 | 84 | 84 | 100 | 83 | 82 | 70 | 57 | 79.9 |
| Chile | 90 | 73 | 77 | 80 | 93 | 81 | 84 | 61 | 79.8 |
| Dom. Republic | 93 | 68 | 60 | 85 | 89 | 72 | 75 | 72 | 76.8 |
*E&A = Entertainment and Amenities; Inte. = Integration; Infras. = Infrastructure
See the 2012 Retirement Index article here.
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