In the May issue of International Living magazine, we consider "quality of life" overseas

Thinking about retirement, we usually focus on money. Are we saving enough? With the cost of living ticking up and interest rates near zero, it’s a reasonable question.

But preoccupied with funds, we often forget to reflect on why we save to begin with. What we’re really after, I’d venture, is an enjoyable, meaningful, comfortable lifestyle. We save, ultimately, so we have greater control over how we live. But at home today, it often feels like we have less control… and fewer options.

That’s why, in the May issue of International Living magazine, we consider “quality of life” overseas. We point you to places where not only will your savings stretch—sometimes doubling, or even tripling your nest egg’s spending power—but we take you to places where you can enjoy a richer lifestyle. On page 18, you’ll find our pick for the best quality of life in Latin America. It’s not the cheapest place, nor the closest. But it offers an enticing, European café culture; truly first-rate, affordable health care; and great infrastructure.

As our editor Suzan Haskins says, “It just may be more First World than the U.S.”

Considering lifestyle, on page 24 our writer says, “We already knew that we would never be wealthy in the ‘jet set’ sense but if we did things right, we could shake things up and live extremely rich lives.” Today they’re enjoying an early retirement on $1,800 a month…in a town of cobblestone streets and bougainvillea-filled courtyards in Mexico.

In good-living Belize (page 11), one retiree reports, “A traffic jam is just three cars in a line. And we have the sea in front of us and forest behind.”

In the Dominican Republic, a European enclave offers white sand, $2 beers, and French croissants (page 10). From Ecuador we bring you the story (page 8) of a couple who have built a home and life they love, right on the beach. To echo what Barbara Diggs says on page 36: Living overseas, your ordinary can be extraordinary.

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