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

One of the Best Places in the World to See Christmas Lights

One of the Best Places in the World to See Christmas Lights

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December 25, 2015

Boasting an epic display of over 30 million lights, it is no surprise that Medellin, Colombia has been rated by National Geographic as one of the top 10 places to view Christmas lights in the world. The festive season in Medellin officially starts on November 30 at midnight, with an elaborate firework celebration. It’s called La Alborada and marks the night when EPM (the city’s public utilities company) who designs and sponsors the lights, turns on the extravagant displays and the locals chime in to celebrate with an incredible spectacle of homemade fireworks seen (and heard) throughout the whole valley of Medellin until dawn.

Gracious Living in Mexico’s Best-Known Colonial Town

Gracious Living in Mexico’s Best-Known Colonial Town

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December 14, 2015

One of the best-known places to enjoy colonial living is San Miguel de Allende, in Mexico's Colonial Highlands. Even among colonial towns, San Miguel is famous. It's been dubbed ''the most beautiful town in Mexico,'' and it may just be. Colorful, well-preserved colonial buildings line its streets, and fountains tinkle in quiet squares. Brightly painted doorways open onto shops that overflow with colored textiles, hanging stars, and lamps of hammered tin, and pottery or sculptures. Walk down cool stone passageways to open-air patio restaurants or to upstairs terraces where the city opens out below you.

Is This The Best Place for Americans to Bank?

Is This The Best Place for Americans to Bank?

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November 19, 2015

Not that long ago, you could buy a CD in a U.S. bank and get a decent rate of return…4% or 5% annually was typical. Sure, you wouldn’t get rich this way. But it was a safe and affordable way to build a nest egg. Today of course, times are very different. For nearly a decade, the Federal Reserve has kept interest rates at zero. And instead of paying 4% to 5% annually on CDs, now you’re lucky to get 1%.

The Secret to Fun in the World’s Best Retirement Haven

The Secret to Fun in the World’s Best Retirement Haven

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April 24, 2015

My wife, Cynthia, and I moved to Cuenca, Ecuador, almost five years ago with no plans other than to have fun and look for interesting opportunities. Retirement had kind of taken us by surprise. The "Economic Tsunami of 2008" slapped us pretty hard, so that retirement had arrived sooner than expected. Still, we had for years been envisioning what it would look like: a life where we were free to pursue the activities and interests we wanted to and not be held hostage by busy careers and hectic schedules.

Costa Rica’s Best Beach Towns Within Two Hours of San José

Costa Rica’s Best Beach Towns Within Two Hours of San José

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April 8, 2015

Costa Rica’s Central Pacific coast has a long history as a beach destination. Costa Ricans from the Central Valley (the mountainous interior region surrounding the capital, San José, where most of the population lives), have been coming to the area for vacation and beach getaways for decades. And North American and European visitors have been right there with them for many years, too. They’re drawn by several factors, many of which also attract expats to the area for long-term living…

3 of the Best Beach Towns for High Rental Yields

3 of the Best Beach Towns for High Rental Yields

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April 1, 2015

Mexico's Riviera Maya runs south of Cancun to Tulúm. The sand is white...and the water, turquoise. In the jungle, you'll find Maya ruins. Offshore, the world's second-longest coral reef is home to brightly colored fish. The biosphere at Sian Ka'an is a great place to hike, kayak, and study nature. The coral reef offshore attracts divers and snorkelers. Golf, hiking, spelunking in ancient caves...it's all here. Tulúm is, and will stay, boutique. The Sian Ka'an biosphere means that much of the land is protected. Development will be low rise and low density—that's if and where it's permitted. Yet, amazingly, you're just a 90-minute drive to the airport and two hours in the air to the U.S.

5 of the Best Tropical Islands for Retirees

5 of the Best Tropical Islands for Retirees

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March 19, 2015

In this article, we outline the best five tropical island paradises for retirees. These places meet all the criteria needed to make them perfect retirement havens. As well as looking the part, all five of these islands—spread throughout the world—are becoming easier to get to as more and more flights open up to and from North America. Many tropical getaways have been consumed by commercialism, leaving them beyond every reasonable budget. But the islands on our list remain affordable, as attested by our expat experts on the ground. On some, it’s possible to live for as little as $1,500 a month including rent.

The Four Best Countries in the World for Retiree Benefits and Discounts

The Four Best Countries in the World for Retiree Benefits and Discounts

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January 28, 2015

Panama, Ecuador, Belize and France offer the best retiree benefits in the world, according to International Living’s just-released annual Global Retirement Index 2015. In a bid to entice expats, these countries have assembled attractive benefits packages, which offer huge savings for foreign retirees on everything from travel to utility bills to medication. Topping the “Retiree Benefits and Discounts” category in the Index is Panama, which offers the best incentives for retirees in the world.

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