Best Places

For over 30 years, International Living has searched around the world for retirement destinations that are right for you. We have explored all manner of dream locales, assessing how well they can provide for all your retirement needs—including cost of living, retiree benefits, climate, healthcare, and much more. The result is a comprehensive resource of essential information to help you find your dream retirement overseas.

The Best Places to Retire in 2020

Where can you find the best quality of life in the world…the best places to live…the best climate…the healthiest places to live…the cheapest? Which countries make it into the lists as the perfect destinations for your retirement…and why? We have all the answers.

From bustling beach towns to small fishing communities, stunning stretches of sand to lush rainforests teeming with life, there’s a huge variety of choice on offer for expats. In all of the destinations we speak about, you can enjoy a relaxed lifestyle, with established expat communities, friendly, welcoming natives, good healthcare, and an ideal climate.

Each destination is desirable in its own way, but they all offer something increasingly hard to come by at home: A good quality of life for a reasonable price.

What are you waiting for? Go ahead and dive into our selection of articles to learn more about the best places in the world to retire.

Best Places Archives

What country would be best for an english speaking 50 something year old African American woman to live better in?

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November 24, 2017

I am interested in relocating to a different country. i have lived in United States my entire life, yet my heart has never really been here. Being an African american i love my African culture yet i’m also native american. What country would be best for an English speaking 50 something year old African American Read more...: What country would be best for an english speaking 50 something year old African American woman to live better in?

Choose Your Paradise in Sunny, Affordable Costa Rica

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June 2, 2017

Costa Rica may be a small country—it’s about the size of West Virginia—but it’s incredibly diverse as far as the landscape, climate, lifestyle, and “feel” you’ll experience in its different regions. You’ll find plenty of lush rainforests filled with capuchin monkeys and sloths, and jungle-covered mountains cascading down to the glittering Pacific.

Beach Towns in Ecuador: Which is Best for You?

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June 1, 2017

Where is the best beach town in Ecuador to hang your hat? Well, that depends entirely on the lifestyle, climate, and environment you’re after, of course. Because not every beach town is created equally. That’s especially true in Ecuador, where every journey along the country’s 530–mile long Ruta del Sol coast, from the border with Peru northward to Colombia, takes you through several diverse eco-systems.

The World’s 10 Best Travel Adventures

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June 1, 2017

We’ve all spent enough vacations lying on the beach…day after day…only to return to the office feeling like we’ve somehow wasted our precious time away. How many people do you know who stand at the water cooler recounting the time they led a team of dogs across the Norwegian snow plains…or were guided up beginner-level Read more...: The World’s 10 Best Travel Adventures

“Life is Good” at $2,000 a Month in Costa Rica

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March 24, 2017

Costa Rica has been a destination for retirees and other expats going on four decades now. The benefits that drew those first pioneers all those years ago are still very much part of life in this little Central American gem. It ticks a lot of boxes. You can’t beat the weather, especially when you’ve just endured another chilly North American winter.

Where in Central America should a single woman retire to and why?

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January 23, 2017

It would be great if you published articles for those of us single women in our 60’s wanting to retire to places like Panama, Yucatan, Roatan, Belize. All your articles are for couples – what about the very large population of single women who want to retire to a sunny climate in central America? Where Read more...: Where in Central America should a single woman retire to and why?