Best Places In The World To Retire

There are lots of places to shop here in Los Cabos and La Paz and the food cost here is about 65% less than how much it costs in Toronto, Canada or in Seattle, Washington. In La Paz, most of the shopping is done in the markets but we do have Wal-Mart.
 
In Cabo San Lucas, we have Costco and they have good prices, which are quite competitive. We like to support the local merchants, who sell at a lower price. About once a month, we buy a lot of things in bulk at Costco such as...

There are lots of places to shop here in Los Cabos and La Paz and the food cost here is about 65% less than how much it costs in Toronto, Canada or in Seattle, Washington. In La Paz, most of the shopping is done in the markets but we do have Wal-Mart.
 
In Cabo San Lucas, we have Costco and they have good prices, which are quite competitive. We like to support the local merchants, who sell at a lower price. About once a month, we buy a lot of things in bulk at Costco such as certain brands of wine, which are mainly French and Italian wine that are not available in the local stores.

 

(Groceries delivered to the resorts in Los Cabos, Mexico, pictured.)

Whether or not you are satisfied with your decision after one year, two years, three years, four years, five years, and so on. You really have to know yourself and you really have to know the community in which you are going to choose to live in order to ensure that you’re in it for either the long term or enough time that made the effort worth it. Maybe it’s not permanent. You could decide to stay for only three to five years but the point is to choose the right location so...

Whether or not you are satisfied with your decision after one year, two years, three years, four years, five years, and so on. You really have to know yourself and you really have to know the community in which you are going to choose to live in order to ensure that you’re in it for either the long term or enough time that made the effort worth it. Maybe it’s not permanent. You could decide to stay for only three to five years but the point is to choose the right location so you feel that you are able to achieve that goal that you have for yourself.
 
In order to make that happen, it is best to spend time reading up on the different cultural dynamics, hearing stories from other expats, and actually spending time in two to three locations probably for three weeks to a month, or maybe more. It is nice to really get into a rhythm before making that choice to move. I think it would be rather naïve, and most likely, a catastrophic mistake to show up and buy a place after being there for only three to four days. You can have a feeling that this place feels right after a few days but you really need to test that feeling out and that means doing your due diligence by spending three weeks to a month there. Make new friends in the area and try to figure out what part of the town you could imagine yourself living in. You have to figure out what your routine might be if you lived in that certain place. Going through that testing phase, I think, is a requirement in order to make sure that the decision you are going to make is based on sound judgment.

The Portuguese Constitution assures the principle of private ownership of assets regardless of the nationality of the owner. Thus there is no risk of confiscation by the Government authorities. Please note that the Constitution prevails over any law that exists in the country and can only be changed with a qualified majority in the Parliament which is hard to obtain and will (based on the last 40 years of democracy) always require the two main parties (which are both moderate parties) to...

The Portuguese Constitution assures the principle of private ownership of assets regardless of the nationality of the owner. Thus there is no risk of confiscation by the Government authorities. Please note that the Constitution prevails over any law that exists in the country and can only be changed with a qualified majority in the Parliament which is hard to obtain and will (based on the last 40 years of democracy) always require the two main parties (which are both moderate parties) to approve it.
 
Besides the protection afforded by the Portuguese Constitution, there is also the European Union rules and the European Union Courts that would also stop this from occurring, as it violates all rules and principles that are in place.
 
This is not a risk in Portugal as it would mean a complete revolution in the political scenario and in the population’s mentality as there is a tradition of private ownership in Portugal since the day of its foundation back in the year of 1143.
 
The only legal and possible reason for the Government to assume the ownership of private assets in Portugal is in cases of expropriation for public interest (for example, private land that is required to be transferred to the government for the construction of a highway) in which case the expropriation law would be applied which will allow the owner to receive a fair compensation for its assets calculated on market value prices and supervised by a court judge.
 
Regarding banks, there were banks that failed during this crisis as in most of other European countries.  Nevertheless, the process of bailout made by the Portuguese Government and the European Union did not affect the deposits that existed in those banks.

 

(The Couros River near Guimarães, a town that precedes the settlement of  Portugal, pictured.) 

The average cost for a housekeeper in San Ignacio where I have made some enquiries is about 5$ BZ (US $2.50) per hour so 25$ BZ  (US $12.50) for a 5 hour day. Some employers pay Social Security benefits or may pay for transportation, probably by bus and often lunch or breakfast may be supplied.

 

There are many possible arrangements including live in housekeepers or a small house on the property. There are also people who can be hired for...

The average cost for a housekeeper in San Ignacio where I have made some enquiries is about 5$ BZ (US $2.50) per hour so 25$ BZ  (US $12.50) for a 5 hour day. Some employers pay Social Security benefits or may pay for transportation, probably by bus and often lunch or breakfast may be supplied.

 

There are many possible arrangements including live in housekeepers or a small house on the property. There are also people who can be hired for personal care of an injured person or older people with mobility limitations or dementia. All of these arrangements are subject to negotiation. Of course 8 hr days are possible for similar rates.

 

Many homeowners have someone in for one, two or three days a week. Often the problem is to find someone who is reliable and honest. Belize depends on word of mouth to make contact with suitable people so many people make recommendations so screening or trial periods are often necessary. Another consideration is that 5$ BZ is a very minimal wage and often employers feel the need to pay more just to feel fair to a person who becomes a friend or like a family member.

 

(Pictured: Home in San Ignacio, Cayo District, Belize.)

I am not aware of any strict construction standards in Bocas Del Toro. You do need to get permits but there is no requirement or procedure where they have to inspect every little thing.

I am not aware of any strict construction standards in Bocas Del Toro. You do need to get permits but there is no requirement or procedure where they have to inspect every little thing.