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.

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

The Best Places to Buy Real Estate When You Retire Overseas

The Best Places to Buy Real Estate When You Retire Overseas

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January 5, 2014

Whether you are looking for a home on the coast, on an island or in a colonial city, these three countries have the best value real estate. If your dream home includes a pool, a big back yard in which to swing from a hammock in the sun, a place close to the beach where you can snorkel, relax with a good book or watch the sunset…rest assured, you can have it—because your real estate dollar stretches further overseas. You can buy a superior property in a better location for the same amount or less than you would spend on a home in the U.S.

Best Places for Families to Retire Overseas

Best Places for Families to Retire Overseas

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January 5, 2014

We all dream of giving up the rat race, packing our belongings, and moving some where warm and sunny, but why wait until you retire? Moving overseas can be a big decision, even bigger when you have children—but the benefits that make living abroad a good thing for adults are similar to those that make it a good thing for kids. A lower cost of living, healthier lifestyle, varied life and cultural experiences…they all benefit your child’s life in some way. Here are some of the best places to retire for families.

Best Places to Retire Overseas and Slash Your Cost of Living

Best Places to Retire Overseas and Slash Your Cost of Living

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December 17, 2013

A low cost of living is one of the most important factors for retirees who move overseas. You can live a richer life overseas, probably for what you’re currently spending at home (or even less). Here are some of the top places where the cost of living is low, and the quality of life is high, according to International Living’s Annual Global Retirement Index 2014.

The Top Three Best Places to Retire Overseas to Buy Real Estate

The Top Three Best Places to Retire Overseas to Buy Real Estate

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October 22, 2013

Buying real estate overseas is different in each country as they all have their own laws and rules to abide by. But once you have an in-country attorney the process should be straightforward. In International Living’s annual Global Retirement Index 2013 we took real estate into consideration when coming up with the best places to retire overseas.

The Top Two Best Places to Retire Overseas and Claim Special Retiree Benefits

The Top Two Best Places to Retire Overseas and Claim Special Retiree Benefits

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October 16, 2013

Many countries overseas provide retirees with special benefits, but the two that have taken the top spots in our Annual Global Retirement Index 2013 really take care of their retirees. For retiree benefits, Panama holds top place, as our Panama editor, Jessica Ramesch reports in this year’s Retirement Index.

The Top Three Best Places to Retire Overseas and Enjoy a Great Climate

The Top Three Best Places to Retire Overseas and Enjoy a Great Climate

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September 25, 2013

Many places all over the world have great climates, but those that took the top three spots in our Annual Retirement Index 2013 are three of the best. The country taking the number one spot not just in the climate category but overall in the Retirement Index lies directly on the equator. It enjoys 12 hours of direct equatorial daylight 365 days a year.

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