IL Magazine: Discover the World's Best Retirement Haven for 2020 + 23 more SUBSCRIBE NOW AND SAVE 35% about subscribing to International Living Magazine One of the benefits of retiring to Portugal is having access to their low-cost, public healthcare system. It was a Sunday afternoon as I entered the busy emergency room. I registered at the reception desk and within a few minutes I was called into a little room...
Affordability is one of the most important qualities of a great retirement destination, especially if you’re trying to stretch savings, pensions, and Social Security as far as possible. Here are the five countries that score highest in the Cost of Living category of the 2020 Annual Global Retirement Index.
Cancun, the northern anchor of Mexico’s Riviera Maya, has long been a favored destination for those seeking a suntan and a hangover. In fact, with over 5 million visitors each year, Cancun is the most popular vacation destination in the Caribbean. Combined with the growing communities of Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen, Akumal, and Tulum Read more...: Cancun, Mexico
Vietnam is an inexpensive country to live in. Most items cost less than half of what you would pay in the West, and anywhere from 5% to 25% less than what they would cost in many other Southeast Asian countries. Vietnam’s most expensive city is Ho Chi Minh City, followed by Hanoi. Even in these two places, a couple can enjoy a comfortable, middle-class lifestyle for less than $1,100 per month. Many Westerners who live in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City get by spending around $500 per month, but it’s a no-frills lifestyle. A monthly budget of around $4,000 provides for top-end luxury, including a large, furnished home with a view of a lake or park, eating at 5-star restaurants, and taking frequent cruises and sightseeing trips throughout Vietnam.
One of the main benefits of living in Colombia is the low cost of living. And what’s more, it’s a low cost of living in a country that offers many of the first-world amenities and infrastructure that you’d expect in a much more expensive location.
Everyone seems to agree: the quality of your life improves when you move to Mexico. And a huge part of that is the lower cost of living you’ll enjoy. Goods and services cost less…so you can afford the kinds of luxuries only the wealthy enjoy in the U.S.—like a maid, a cook, and a gardener.
The area in and around Oaxaca de Juarez is rich in native culture including arts, food, and architecture. A walk down the cobbled streets and lanes of the central historic district allows the history to seep through your soles and into your soul.
If you retire in Ecuador, every cliché you've heard about living large on little money--about settling into the lap of luxury on even a pensioner's budget--is true. This is one of the world's most affordable places to live. Take $450 out of the ATM Monday morning, and your expenses are covered for the week.
For just over a quarter of a century, International Living has ranked, rated, and named the best retirement destinations in the world. Each year we’ve refined and improved the process, bringing new categories and considerations into play.
I guess you would classify me as the "tirelessly moving, globetrotting workhorse." That's my takeaway from a recent story in Kiplinger magazine by a financial adviser and investment educator that categorizes retirees into nine buckets: Tireless Mover, the Lost, Workhorse, the Lonely, Globetrotter, Reluctant Spender, Superhero, Overly Generous, and Never Retired.