Best Ex-Pat area for full time residency
We are considering moving out of the US to experience another part of the world. We have thought of Mexico, Costa Rico, Belize, Panama each one has plusses and minuses. When reading the blogs it seems...
Forum Discussion
I have lived and worked overseas for many years in countireis as diverse as Egypt Thailand Cambodia, Sierra Leone, London, Switzerland and a few others. I recently returned from living for almost ten years in SE Asia.So my experience is first hand and recent.
I also followed the retireoverseas trend closely and looked at many countries myself. When I am done fulltiming here I will most likely move overseas again.
First: Read all the overseas retirement info you can get. Make a PROVISIONAL list of countries that you may find interesting.
Second: Start by going to the websites of the nations you have set out in a list as possibilities. Look and read carefully their rules for RESIDENCY and income requirements. This will undoubtedly eliminate some right off.
Third: Expand the search to a second tier of countries and repeat the process.
If you decide on a couple of countries go and stay there in a rented house for at least three months and longer if possible. (Most countries will give you 3 months on a tourist visa)
Keep a few things in mind. You are only about 12-15 hours away from the US by air no matter where you choose to live. Don't let an artificial feel of closeness keep you from an otherwise cheap and great place to live.
Now as for areas of the world Generally speaking Europe is extremely expensive to live in, Spain long a retirement haven for Brits is no longer a bargain or cheap for living. The same goes for the Canary Islands, Malta, and other Med Islands.
SE Asia is CHEAP to live in countries like Thailand, where I have lived, are modern with great hospitals great doctors and affordable healthcare. Their infrastructure is very good with WIFI and all other services in generally good working order in the mid size to larger cities. It is beautiful and you can get a very nice house (rent) for very little money. I had a 5 bedroom 6 bathroom house with a view of the ocea, all new and modern with three stories and paid $700 per month for it.
The Caribbean is generally expensive as most food and goods must be imported in small quantities.
Central America where I have traveled and stayed for extended periods of time, (I had friends that owned factories there) can be cheap depending on the country. Panama is like a small US or a Large Miami depending on your view. Costa Rica has been in the retirement game for a long time and costs are high there.
Right now Nicaragua is the new hot spot for retirees and Columbia is coming up fast. Nicaragua is gorgeous, stable, cheap and actually well run. The people are a delight. and there are wonderful old Colonial cities that rival anything in Ecuador or Guatemala.
Speaking of Ecuador...this country is overrun with Canadian and US expats all divided into their own little political groups all spending a lot of their time tearing each other up (verbally and online) and the government is rather a farce. Though it is beautiful and cheap and has decent medical care at bargain prices and if you are a resident it can be free.
I at one time looked at Tanzania. And I still think of it as a possibility. To be able to go the worlds best known iconic game parks and live in a tropical climate is a plus...but it has some daunting hurdles for the first time overseas retiree.
Your ability to adapt will have more to do with your experience overseas and with your mindset than anything else. You will go through a series of well known phases or stages of mind. First will be the Honeymoon...where everything and every one is just WONDERFUL! You will love everything. This attitude generally lessens and turns into HATE for all things of your new country...these stupid people!...Then if you manage to stay through that phase you settle into reality. You realize that every country is good at some things and bad at others. You tend to accept and develop tools to deal with the irritating factors of the culture and government. You soon realize that there are good and bad people in every country. Oh this is easy to say and to think but in reality it is harder to live.
I heartily recommend to go and do it. It is a great experience. We still talk on fB and skype with friends and staff from when we lived in SE ASIA. I still have good friends all over the world and cherish them.
If I can be of any help please feel free to message me.
Good Luck!
I also followed the retireoverseas trend closely and looked at many countries myself. When I am done fulltiming here I will most likely move overseas again.
First: Read all the overseas retirement info you can get. Make a PROVISIONAL list of countries that you may find interesting.
Second: Start by going to the websites of the nations you have set out in a list as possibilities. Look and read carefully their rules for RESIDENCY and income requirements. This will undoubtedly eliminate some right off.
Third: Expand the search to a second tier of countries and repeat the process.
If you decide on a couple of countries go and stay there in a rented house for at least three months and longer if possible. (Most countries will give you 3 months on a tourist visa)
Keep a few things in mind. You are only about 12-15 hours away from the US by air no matter where you choose to live. Don't let an artificial feel of closeness keep you from an otherwise cheap and great place to live.
Now as for areas of the world Generally speaking Europe is extremely expensive to live in, Spain long a retirement haven for Brits is no longer a bargain or cheap for living. The same goes for the Canary Islands, Malta, and other Med Islands.
SE Asia is CHEAP to live in countries like Thailand, where I have lived, are modern with great hospitals great doctors and affordable healthcare. Their infrastructure is very good with WIFI and all other services in generally good working order in the mid size to larger cities. It is beautiful and you can get a very nice house (rent) for very little money. I had a 5 bedroom 6 bathroom house with a view of the ocea, all new and modern with three stories and paid $700 per month for it.
The Caribbean is generally expensive as most food and goods must be imported in small quantities.
Central America where I have traveled and stayed for extended periods of time, (I had friends that owned factories there) can be cheap depending on the country. Panama is like a small US or a Large Miami depending on your view. Costa Rica has been in the retirement game for a long time and costs are high there.
Right now Nicaragua is the new hot spot for retirees and Columbia is coming up fast. Nicaragua is gorgeous, stable, cheap and actually well run. The people are a delight. and there are wonderful old Colonial cities that rival anything in Ecuador or Guatemala.
Speaking of Ecuador...this country is overrun with Canadian and US expats all divided into their own little political groups all spending a lot of their time tearing each other up (verbally and online) and the government is rather a farce. Though it is beautiful and cheap and has decent medical care at bargain prices and if you are a resident it can be free.
I at one time looked at Tanzania. And I still think of it as a possibility. To be able to go the worlds best known iconic game parks and live in a tropical climate is a plus...but it has some daunting hurdles for the first time overseas retiree.
Your ability to adapt will have more to do with your experience overseas and with your mindset than anything else. You will go through a series of well known phases or stages of mind. First will be the Honeymoon...where everything and every one is just WONDERFUL! You will love everything. This attitude generally lessens and turns into HATE for all things of your new country...these stupid people!...Then if you manage to stay through that phase you settle into reality. You realize that every country is good at some things and bad at others. You tend to accept and develop tools to deal with the irritating factors of the culture and government. You soon realize that there are good and bad people in every country. Oh this is easy to say and to think but in reality it is harder to live.
I heartily recommend to go and do it. It is a great experience. We still talk on fB and skype with friends and staff from when we lived in SE ASIA. I still have good friends all over the world and cherish them.
If I can be of any help please feel free to message me.
Good Luck!
