To retire in Nicaragua is to enjoy a life in what MSNBC featured as “The World’s Best Kept Retirement Secret” and the U.S. News and World Report deemed one of the top 10 retirement spots in the world.
Today, Nicaragua is a premier destination for Americans, Canadians, and Europeans thinking about retiring overseas. Driven by an abundance of great real estate investment opportunities, low property taxes, and a low cost of living with a high quality of life, Nicaragua is a hot destination for would-be expats looking to flee the financial crisis that still looms worldwide and threatens the ability of millions to retire. In fact, Nicaragua tied for first place (cheapest place to live) in International Living’s 2015 cost-of-living index. And for those just turning 50, with Nicaragua in mind, you can retire 10, perhaps 15 years earlier than you planned.
There are other factors that have also played a role in defining Nicaragua’s arrival as a premier retirement destination: its unbelievable physical beauty, comprehensive retiree benefit program, and the many desirable locations scattered throughout the country. Add to that: Sunny skies, warm air, beautiful landscapes, welcoming people, generous laws, and it’s the safest place in Central America.
Instead of worrying whether you will be able to retire or when, consider Nicaragua, where you can live a happy life in a paradise you never thought possible. Leave the stress and cold behind. Nicaragua awaits you.
Nicaragua’s Retiree Benefit Program Makes Retirement in Nicaragua Easy
The country’s “retiree” program is much like the Costa Rican program was in the 1980s, attracting thousands of expatriates to Nicaragua. To be eligible, you need only be over 45 years old and have a monthly income of at least $600. The Nicaraguan government provides significant tax incentives for foreigners and encourages investment in the country.
The benefits come mostly in the form of tax incentives or permissions. As a foreign retiree, you:
Pay no taxes on any out-of-country earnings.
Can bring up to $20,000 of household goods, for your own home, into Nicaragua duty-free.
Can take advantage of a sales tax exemption on home construction materials up to the first $50,000.
Can import or purchase one automobile for personal or general use and pay no import tax or protective tariff, and sell it, tax-free, after five years.
Can import an additional vehicle every five years under the same duty exemptions. Get into national parks and monuments for the lower Nicaraguan (not the foreigner) price.
Can open a local bank account.
Can buy things on credit.
Can get a Nicaraguan phone plan.
Many retirees are moving to Nicaragua to take advantage of the country’s amazing coastline, its colonial cities and the new place in the mountains.
Where Are the Foreigners Retiring in Nicaragua Living?
The hottest Nicaraguan retirement destinations right now are the colonial cities of Granada and Leon, the capital of Managua, and most notably the southwestern corner of the Pacific coast around San Juan del Sur, where beachfront property options abound. Matagalpa, a beautiful town in the mountains is just now rising on the radar as expats begin to move in and set up homes and businesses.
