Best Places In The World To Retire

It is important for people to know that Mexico is a cash-basis society. Most doctors only accept cash payments. Hospitals and clinics accept credit cards, cash, and bank / wire transfers. None offer billing options. 

 

An average medical appointment would cost $25 - $30 USD. If you are going to a specialist, it would be $40 -$50 USD. Diagnostic testing costs anywhere between $100 USD and $800 USD, depending on the type of test. A blood test would be...

It is important for people to know that Mexico is a cash-basis society. Most doctors only accept cash payments. Hospitals and clinics accept credit cards, cash, and bank / wire transfers. None offer billing options. 

 

An average medical appointment would cost $25 - $30 USD. If you are going to a specialist, it would be $40 -$50 USD. Diagnostic testing costs anywhere between $100 USD and $800 USD, depending on the type of test. A blood test would be about $30 USD.

 

Most medical insurance plans in the United States such as the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, or other Supplemental Plans require a co-pay. I tell most people that paying out of pocket in Mexico for a medical appointment is similar to paying a co-pay. 

 

Some of the most common injuries in San Miguel are slips, trips, and falls.  A large number of expats suffer bone fractures and dislocations every year. Knee replacement surgery using the most modern prosthetics, costs approximately $7,000 USD. Hip replacement surgery averages $9,000 to $10,000 USD.

 

 

 

(Dr. Claudia Aguilar, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, pictured.)

You can definitely get by in Cayo even if you just speak English. You do not need to speak Spanish because about 90% of the people here in Cayo can understand English. Only some of the older folks in the small villages might not be able to speak English.

 

English is taught in school so all the kids and younger people speak English. It is an advantage if you speak Spanish though. It is a psychological thing because that way you can approach people in their...

You can definitely get by in Cayo even if you just speak English. You do not need to speak Spanish because about 90% of the people here in Cayo can understand English. Only some of the older folks in the small villages might not be able to speak English.

 

English is taught in school so all the kids and younger people speak English. It is an advantage if you speak Spanish though. It is a psychological thing because that way you can approach people in their mother language. Although Belize is an English-speaking country, 80% of the people in the villages still speak Spanish as well. 

 

All legal dealings such as contracts are in English in Belize. If you need to get your water in your house turned on or if you need to go to a government office, the language they use in their offices is English. They speak American type English here.

 

Creole is another important language that is spoken in Belize along with Spanish and English. Creole is derived from English but don’t think that just because you speak English, you could also understand Creole. You might understand some of it immediately because some words are similar to English but as they speak fast you will not be able to follow.

 

Belizeans are tolerant to different cultures and different accents and language in general because there are so many people from different places living here. They know that nobody is perfect and everybody will speak a little different. So if you have a British accent, they will try to understand you. If you are from Texas, they will adjust to your accent as well. If you do not understand them the first time, they will repeat it for you. Belizeans always try their best to please the visitors in their country. They are innately friendly and that is a big factor in communication.  

 

Generally, if you only speak English, you can get by in Belize perfectly. This is one of the advantages of Belize over other Caribbean countries. My wife and I do not speak Spanish and we never had an issue.

 

(Pictured: large carved fish being moved by a Belizean with a t-shirt in English, to Vanilla Hills Lodge, Cayo, Belize.)

We do have crime in Portugal, but it’s not violent crime. One of the reasons that there are so many Brazilians and so many South Africans coming to Portugal now is because Portugal is so much safer than their countries.

 

The crime rate has gone up in Portugal.  Do you have houses burgled in Portugal? Yes, we do. But people are not violent. It’s not like in many other countries where they would probably shoot you first and steal from you...

We do have crime in Portugal, but it’s not violent crime. One of the reasons that there are so many Brazilians and so many South Africans coming to Portugal now is because Portugal is so much safer than their countries.

 

The crime rate has gone up in Portugal.  Do you have houses burgled in Portugal? Yes, we do. But people are not violent. It’s not like in many other countries where they would probably shoot you first and steal from you afterwards. But they do have people breaking in and they have probably youngsters on scooters who rush past you and grab your handbag. But compared to many other countries, the crime rate overall is very low.

 

There are certain areas of Lisbon that are poor areas and in which the crime rate is quite high. Portugal has to be very careful because of its long coastline makes it a natural transit point for drugs. The influx of drugs that also comes from Morocco also causes crime. Unfortunately, gone are the days when most of the Portuguese could leave their keys in the front door and that’s absolutely fine; you can’t do that today, so you do have to be aware. But every foreigner that I know here says that when they come home late, they don’t feel intimidated and nervous like they would in other places. As far as statistics go, I know that the crime rate has gone up but its not astronomical like a lot of countries.

 

In England, in London, I’ve never had any incidents there but my mother’s house was burgled and totally wrecked. In Brazil, I was attacked on a Saturday coming back from the supermarket. I’ve never, fortunately, had anything like that happen here in Portugal.

 

A lot of people ask, “Carol, where would you like to go back to live?” To answer, I think it’s easier to say where wouldn’t you like to live and that would mainly be because of security and I don’t have that feeling at all here in Portugal. And I have to say most of my friends who are foreigners and Portuguese say the same thing. They all feel safe in Portugal.

 

(A village in Baganca, Portugal, pictured.)