IL Magazine: Discover the World's Best Retirement Haven for 2023 + 15 more
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Know you want to retire abroad but don’t where? Looking for help finding your personal paradise? International Living has over 30 years of on-the-ground experience in the countries that we think are the best places around the world for retiring, investing, and reinventing yourself right now. We've done the research...you've done the dreaming. With IL correspondents around the globe, we'll help you make those dreams a reality.
So, what makes for the perfect retirement location? That is of course entirely subjective. But, what we do know is, climate, affordability, good healthcare, and a healthy lifestyle are the cornerstones of a happy and fulfilling retirement. In fact, all of the countries we cover in our Annual Retirement Index score highly in these categories.
With IL correspondents living in Central America, South America, Southeast Asia, and Europe, we have you covered when it comes to finding your perfect retirement overseas. If you have ever dreamed of an idyllic life in Tuscany, a cosmopolitan lifestyle in Panama, a slice of paradise in Thailand, or a sun kissed beach adventure in Mexico, we have the experts who have been there…and are still doing that.
Having moved overseas and immersed themselves in the destinations where they live and learned their lessons the hard way, our experts are ideally placed to compare, contrast, and bring nuanced insight to the most appealing retirement destinations in the world.
This on the ground experience means we know the do’s and don’ts of moving abroad and can highlight the best way to make sure this transition is easy for you.
You can get all the tips, tricks, advice, and recommendations you need to make an informed decision. Our extensive library of articles below will give you new ideas about places to visit, invest, or live where you can find your perfect retirement.
A country with surprisingly varied landscapes, Panama is so much more than its modern, cosmopolitan capital city. There are mountain towns boasting cool climates, pine-covered hills, and sweet, Swiss-style cottages framed with bright bursts of bougainvillea.
My husband, James, and I have lived in Malaysia's cosmopolitan capital of Kuala Lumpur for just over two years now. Here we enjoy the wonderful balance of an exciting city life, but with tropical jungle and adventure just 30 minutes away.
Walking along Caye Caulker’s coastline, wherever you look the scenery is pleasing to the eye. Along the village’s front street, an expansive soft-sand beach extends towards the multi-hued aquamarine sea. The sea breeze ruffles the plentiful coconut palm fronds and cools your skin.
Countless people dream of retiring in France—and for good reason. France offers a seductive blend of old-world sensibilities and modern living, all wrapped up in one beautiful package. While it’s true that most people don’t retire to France to save money, life here can nonetheless be surprisingly affordable.
Just 10 minutes’ drive south from the popular tourist destination and expat hotspot of Playas del Coco, is an escape. Playa Ocotal is one of the prettiest beaches on Costa Rica’s northern Pacific coast. It’s a little out-of-the-way but definitely worth the journey to get there.
The small town of Grecia is where my wife and I chose to land three years ago, after leaving our careers in Dallas for early retirement in Central America. Our lifestyle in the U.S. offered little time to be healthy.
Putting a pin in a map is perhaps not the best way of finding the place to spend the rest of your days, but this is what my husband Norman and I did when we decided to move overseas. We simply pulled up Google maps, closed our eyes, and left the rest to chance.
Costa Rica’s southern Pacific coast is known for its dramatic coastline of tree-covered mountains dropping suddenly to the ocean, empty beaches, and lush rainforest full of wildlife like toucans, howler monkeys, sloths, and dozens of other species.
My first taste of Costa Rica came during a six-week college placement. Studying abroad was a requirement for me. After hours of research, I chose Costa Rica, known as “the happiest place on Earth.”
Today was a typical day where we live, in San Ramon de Alajuela in Costa Rica’s western Central Valley. My husband, Paul, who is a morning person, woke to mostly clear skies at 5:30 a.m., fed our two cats, and ate breakfast.