Best Places In The World To Retire

There are several ways to pay gardeners in the Lake Chapala / Ajijic area, depending on the size of the property and other factors.

 

For example, I have some clients who pay their gardeners 200 pesos (about US $12) a week for coming for one day a week for a couple of hours. Other people will pay them 600 pesos (around US $35) for the same work.

 

Many times, the term “gardener” is a catchall phrase for a guy that comes and helps you...

There are several ways to pay gardeners in the Lake Chapala / Ajijic area, depending on the size of the property and other factors.

 

For example, I have some clients who pay their gardeners 200 pesos (about US $12) a week for coming for one day a week for a couple of hours. Other people will pay them 600 pesos (around US $35) for the same work.

 

Many times, the term “gardener” is a catchall phrase for a guy that comes and helps you out with everything that’s in your yard, which might be repairing cement work, cleaning your swimming pool, cutting the grass, pulling the weeds, doing painting, etc., so a lot of the gardeners are multi-taskers.

 

Based on what they do, they can make 1,000 pesos (about US $59) a week. Other times, if you have a smaller yard, no pool, and it’s a condo, you may pay them anywhere from 30 to 70 pesos (about US $2 to $4) an hour with the average more towards 30 to 50 pesos (about US $2 to $3) an hour and they might just get paid for the time they work. 

 

I have double experience as far as maids, gardeners, hours and duties because I do a lot of labor liquidations when people sell houses so I have to ask how many hours the person worked, when did they start, what the person did, etc.  

 

(Garden in Chapala, Mexico, pictured.)

The insects in the town of San Juan del Sur are not bothersome.  A government agency has been pretty successful in keeping the insects to a manageable level.
 
As a point of reference, about six months ago, I was in Miami at a friend’s house.  When we went outside to eat a hamburger, the mosquitoes attacked me.  That doesn’t happen in San Juan del Sur.  I’ve been going to San Juan del Sur for 14 years and I’ve never felt that mosquitos...

The insects in the town of San Juan del Sur are not bothersome.  A government agency has been pretty successful in keeping the insects to a manageable level.
 
As a point of reference, about six months ago, I was in Miami at a friend’s house.  When we went outside to eat a hamburger, the mosquitoes attacked me.  That doesn’t happen in San Juan del Sur.  I’ve been going to San Juan del Sur for 14 years and I’ve never felt that mosquitos were a nuisance. 
 
However, if you go to the more rural areas, outside of the town, it’s a different story.  In these areas, you’re going to have more mosquitoes and other bugs, but not in San Juan del Sur proper, where the insect population is pretty much under control. 

We know of no country which requires a person to obtain a second passport to retire or work abroad.

However it would be prudent to point out that retiring abroad (meaning the ability to reside in another country) does not in-and-of-itself grant you the right to work in that country should you so wish to do so.  Although working abroad may somewhat contradict the point of retiring abroad, you may get a little bored over time or find the need to...

We know of no country which requires a person to obtain a second passport to retire or work abroad.

However it would be prudent to point out that retiring abroad (meaning the ability to reside in another country) does not in-and-of-itself grant you the right to work in that country should you so wish to do so.  Although working abroad may somewhat contradict the point of retiring abroad, you may get a little bored over time or find the need to create additional income should your retirement budget prove insufficient in satisfying your desired lifestyle.

For example, Belize offers a "Qualified Retired Persons Program" which, upon approval of meeting their annual $24,000 per year retirement income qualification, allows foreigners to reside (retire) in their country.  The same program also offers an optional "work visa" for applicants willing to pay the additional application fees.  So, this is an illustration of how a second passport is not required to retire or work abroad and furthers the answer by distinguishing the ability to retire and the ability to work in a foreign country.

 

So, although the immediate answer to this question is direct and straight forward, I would caution readers to be aware of the difference between a residency or retirement permit and a work visa.  Be sure to seek legal advice with regards to the laws of the country wherein you have an interest to retire or work abroad.

Additionally, if you choose to live in a country which currently offers any dual-citizenship programs by means of naturalization or investment, you should be conscious of the laws in your home country too.  Some retirement benefits may require you to maintain residency in your home jurisdiction and certain government pensions forbid residing outside the country for extensive periods of time - usually determined to be in excess of 180 days.

 

If you are moving your things to Portugal, it is best not to bring your electrical appliances because we have a different voltage here in Portugal than in the US. We use 220 voltage here, which is the same as in England.
 
You don’t really have to bring a lot of your stuff here because you can purchase everything here in the Lisbon area. You can find nice furniture, wonderful linen, wonderful china, etc. so you don’t need anything else. The same is true for the whole...

If you are moving your things to Portugal, it is best not to bring your electrical appliances because we have a different voltage here in Portugal than in the US. We use 220 voltage here, which is the same as in England.
 
You don’t really have to bring a lot of your stuff here because you can purchase everything here in the Lisbon area. You can find nice furniture, wonderful linen, wonderful china, etc. so you don’t need anything else. The same is true for the whole country of Portugal.
 
It costs pretty much the same in Portugal as in England to buy things. England is a bigger country so it has a lot more variety and a lot more competition. Here in Portugal, the Swedish have opened up a new chain for us called IKEA. They are here now and everybody shops in IKEA. The prices are pretty much competitive here.
 
If you want to buy some Portuguese furniture, you will find it a bit more expensive but it is because it is of higher quality and of good craftsmanship. When I moved back here from England, I didn’t bring my stuff over. I sold them in England and just bought everything new here in Portugal.

 

(Roof patio, Tavira, Portugal, pictured.)

Cell phones in Panama cost about the same as here in the USA.  You can have an expensive phone on a monthly contract. I find that I have a rather inexpensive phone for which I purchase a card that has a certain number of minutes on the card. These cards can be purchased at most supermarkets, gas stations or from vendors on the street. The sale of this type of card is going on all the time. The reason for this type of service is that the average citizen cannot afford the cost of a...

Cell phones in Panama cost about the same as here in the USA.  You can have an expensive phone on a monthly contract. I find that I have a rather inexpensive phone for which I purchase a card that has a certain number of minutes on the card. These cards can be purchased at most supermarkets, gas stations or from vendors on the street. The sale of this type of card is going on all the time. The reason for this type of service is that the average citizen cannot afford the cost of a contract but they can go into a store and buy $5.00 worth of minutes or a larger amount is so inclined.