Best Places In The World To Retire

If you are in the downtown areas of Chapala and Ajijic, walking is a fantastic way to move. You want to have good walking shoes because there is a lot of cobblestones and uneven sidewalks. The good weather allows for lots of walking year round so that is a plus.
 
There is public transportation in the form of buses and taxis. The larger buses stay on the main roads and they move a little faster from town to town. There are shorter buses that come down into each village so it...

If you are in the downtown areas of Chapala and Ajijic, walking is a fantastic way to move. You want to have good walking shoes because there is a lot of cobblestones and uneven sidewalks. The good weather allows for lots of walking year round so that is a plus.
 
There is public transportation in the form of buses and taxis. The larger buses stay on the main roads and they move a little faster from town to town. There are shorter buses that come down into each village so it takes longer but if you are going from one village to another, taking these buses is more convenient.
 
Taxis are plentiful here and they are fairly well priced but they do not work too late at night.  There are private drivers as well. 
 
A lot of people tend to get a car because a lot of the housing is not right in the village. It is also convenient to have a car when you have guests that you need to pick up in the airport and if you need to go to other places like Costco or shopping. It’s also just nice to move yourself around like going to the beach for the weekend. But in general, you don’t have to have a car in Chapala and Ajijic, but a lot of people do.

 

(Thomas Hellyer with his kids exploring downtown Chapala, Mexico, pictured.)

The cost of homeowner’s insurance is approximately $8/$1,000. In general, you can insure the same things in Belize as you can in the U.S. and Canada and the rates are reasonable.
 
Interestingly, the average Belizean does not have homeowners insurance because most cannot afford it and it is not in their mindset.  There are many that believe that you simply use common sense in life and if destiny strikes you, it was meant to be. Recently, a Belizean friend lost his...

The cost of homeowner’s insurance is approximately $8/$1,000. In general, you can insure the same things in Belize as you can in the U.S. and Canada and the rates are reasonable.
 
Interestingly, the average Belizean does not have homeowners insurance because most cannot afford it and it is not in their mindset.  There are many that believe that you simply use common sense in life and if destiny strikes you, it was meant to be. Recently, a Belizean friend lost his house to a fire, he was not insured with an insurance company and had no savings in the bank, but he had another kind of insurance and savings, FRIENDS.

 

He is a great guy and has been a true friend to many over the years and now he is in need. It is said, “A friend in need is a friend indeed,” and I witnessed it firsthand in true Belizean style. His family, friends, church and community pitched in and helped provide building materials and labor to rebuild a house for him and his family. The cost of that insurance is priceless.

 

(Pictured: family in Belize.)

The question about how Americans and other expats are treated in Granada Nicaragua is always a funny question to me because I have lived out of the United States for so long. But, in reality, the Nicaraguan people, especially in Granada because of the tourist industry, treat all foreigners with respect.  They are so willing to help and to communicate with you. They are the first to come to your defense if someone treats you badly and the first to make excuses for you in the event you...

The question about how Americans and other expats are treated in Granada Nicaragua is always a funny question to me because I have lived out of the United States for so long. But, in reality, the Nicaraguan people, especially in Granada because of the tourist industry, treat all foreigners with respect.  They are so willing to help and to communicate with you. They are the first to come to your defense if someone treats you badly and the first to make excuses for you in the event you do something truly stupid like tell everyone you are "pregnant" when you meant to use the word for "embarrassed".

 

Your employees will invite you to their children's birthday parties or their wedding, keeping a very special seat for you right at the front with the family. They are proud and honest people on the whole and will become a part of your life, a part of your family. 

 

Now, not to say that you won't run into that one surly taxi driver that runs the stop sign, cuts you off at the intersection and when you honk at him, he screams at you "This is my country, I can do what I want!". I just never understand that. 

The cost for landline phone service in Portugal is about €10 to €20 (US $10.75 to $21.70 or £7.21 to £14.42), which would give you unlimited calls within Portugal.
 
During weekends, you would also get free calls from 9 PM to 9 AM to any place in Europe. Outside those times, you would have to pay for calls that you make to Europe.

 

(Telephone booth in Lisbon, Portugal, pictured.)

The cost for landline phone service in Portugal is about €10 to €20 (US $10.75 to $21.70 or £7.21 to £14.42), which would give you unlimited calls within Portugal.
 
During weekends, you would also get free calls from 9 PM to 9 AM to any place in Europe. Outside those times, you would have to pay for calls that you make to Europe.

 

(Telephone booth in Lisbon, Portugal, pictured.)

The cost of living in Panama is sometimes exaggerated by some retirement sites but overall it is less than in comparable places in the US, Canada, and Europe. If you want to compare apples with apples, city to city, etc., it costs a lot less here in Panama.

The cost of living in Panama is sometimes exaggerated by some retirement sites but overall it is less than in comparable places in the US, Canada, and Europe. If you want to compare apples with apples, city to city, etc., it costs a lot less here in Panama.

The answers submitted so far have been very general because the question was so general. The reply to check up on health insurance is a very good one, but there is a lot more.

 

Hence it would be best to either ask specific questions or if you give more details, such as whether you have selected a country, whether you are fluent in other languages besides English, whether you have ever been abroad before, what your financial status is, whether you want to live with...

The answers submitted so far have been very general because the question was so general. The reply to check up on health insurance is a very good one, but there is a lot more.

 

Hence it would be best to either ask specific questions or if you give more details, such as whether you have selected a country, whether you are fluent in other languages besides English, whether you have ever been abroad before, what your financial status is, whether you want to live with expats or with the rest of the population, whether you are married, if you want to try to work abroad, and if so, what your profession is, how your health is, and so forth.

 

Alternatively, it is a good idea to visit the place you are thinking of moving to before taking any definitive steps, and even once you have decided to move there, not to buy anything substantial for a few months, because you may change your mind. To choose a country, do a little traveling first. In general, you will always find out new stuff once you move, no matter how much you read beforehand. Anyway, the discovery of new stuff is part of the fun!

 

(Pictured: Israel, one of the places David Reid has lived.)