Best Places In The World To Retire

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Recently Answered Questions

Is the electricity reliable in Puerto Vallarta? Are there blackouts or brownouts in Puerto Vallarta?

Zaide Brambila

Upper bedroom terrace, Sayulita, Mexico – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

Electricity in the area of Puerto Vallarta and Sayulita (where I am from, about an hour north of Puerto Vallarta) is reliable, but it is expensive. The electric bill for a house that we manage is 8,500 pesos (US $465) every 2 months. This is for a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house. It has air-conditioning, four wall fans, and a pool. The electric bill is about the same throughout the year.

Here in Sayulita, we have blackouts, but in Puerto Vallarta, the...

What are the best and worst things about living and retiring in Granada, Nicaragua?

Carlos Roman Gutierrez Solis - Casa Granada Properties

Chuch of Guadalupe, Granada, Nicaragua – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

One of the worst things of living in Granada would be the noise. The city is sometimes very noisy. As you move farther away from the city, there will be less and less noise. Keep in mind though, that the city keeps on growing. It is a Catholic city, so the churches like to have processions and demonstrations. (Iglesias de Guadalupe, pictured.) There are also kids playing drums. You’ll see cars passing by. So the noise could be a problem because some...

The heat is another thing. If you are not used to the heat, then you might find it uncomfortable. April and May are usually our hottest months. Sometimes we reach 90 to 95 degrees during these hot months. That is something that can be a problem if you are not used to it. That is why a lot of people here like to have swimming pools. Expats love it and they need it because it is a good way to cool off.

Another thing could be the lack of options. Some people like having a lot of options such as having different types of restaurants to choose from. They want supermarkets to have more variety of goods like they are used to in their home countries or in the US, for example. We don’t have a Home Depot here in Granada, where you can find all the tools you will ever need. Pretty much what people do who live out of town is to drive back and forth into to Managua and buy what they need in the hardware store there, which is similar to Home Depot.

But if you would consider the low taxes and the low cost of living, those are the best reasons for living and retiring here. Another good thing about living here in Granada is that everything is close. You don’t need a car right away because you can walk. You can easily get to the center, the supermarkets, and you can easily find stuff in the local market, too. You ocean is only an hour away, and you can visit the lake any time. You can always go to the Lake Apoyo.

The houses in Granada are not that big. You don’t need to buy gigantic colonial homes to live here. Overall, Granada is decent and safe. Life is easy going and everything is slow paced. If you are tired of living in a cosmopolitan city in the US or Canada and you don’t want to pay a lot of money in taxes and services, Granada is a great place because this is a laid back city. Then, if one day you would like some change of environment, you can just go to Managua, which is only 35 minutes away.

If you want to deal with the locals in Granada and with the culture, this is a good place to be. I am not from Granada; I am from Managua and even I can see the difference. When I go to Granada, I can relax; I can walk down the streets. I don’t have to carry any guns or any weapon and feel safe. I can walk to the market while seeing all the nice colonial houses, which are very lovely. It is like a weekend every day. I don’t feel like I am working. I appreciate Granada now more than before when I used to work in Managua full time.

What are the main cities, towns, communities and developments of the Coronado, Panama area and what is each one like?

RICH Novak - RE/MAX Beaches & City! INC.

Rio Mar Beach Coronado Panama area – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

Coronado, Panama, itself, is definitely a place to look for real estate, and there are a lot of new developments here.

To start with the beach towns, Chame, which is 75 miles away from Panama City, is the first beach town, but there are no stores, hospitals, or malls there. If you were to live in Chame, you have to commute to Coronado, and that can take half an hour or more each way.

The next beach town is Gorgona (77 miles...

Coronado, Panama, itself, is definitely a place to look for real estate, and there are a lot of new developments here.

The next beach town is Gorgona (77 miles away from Panama City by car) and there is a new beach development going in there, but Gorgona is not as nice a beach as Coronado, because in Coronado, there are people who take care of the beach. They clean and groom the beach. That does not happen in Gorgona.

All the beaches in Panama are public, but the roads to get to the beach are not.

The next town after Coronado to the west is Punta Barco (Boat Point). Punta Barco is 5 to 10 minutes away from Coronado. They have exclusive million dollar homes over there and again the beaches are public, but there are two guard gates and you will not be able to get in through the gates to one of those beaches.

Going further to the west is Vista Mar (15 minutes away from Coronado by car), which is also a gated golf course community. It is the only golf course in the country of Panama where you can see the ocean from the golf course. They are now putting up a marina there, too. The developers that are developing that marina have a helicopter, and they have a boat that is big enough to land the helicopter on. Vista Mar is a really nice development.

Continuing to the west, there is another development called Rio Mar (above photo), which is around 20 minutes away from Coronado by car, and if you go further to the west, there is a new airport being developed at kilometer marker 115. This airport is currently called by different names, but it is in the town of Farallon. Right now, flights are coming in every day from Toronto, Canada and it’s my understanding that starting November, there will be flights coming in from Montreal, and in December, there will be new flights coming in from Minneapolis. The airline is Sunwing. When the Canadians come in from these nonstop flights, they have a choice to stay in four all-inclusive resorts and they can stay for a week. The pricing is pretty good, because they are promoting for people to come over to Panama. The resort that we recommend is Riu at Playa Blanca, which is a new resort. Next to Riu, I would recommend the Royal Decameron Resort, which is also an all-inclusive resort.

Another beach community is Buenaventura, which is about 77 miles away from Panama City. Buenaventura has a Jack Nicklaus golf course and a JW Marriott Hotel. Buenaventura is one of the nicest developments in the country of Panama. It is a very beautiful beach community. I would say the top three best beach developments would be Buenaventura, Vista Mar, and then Rio Mar.

Do I need a second passport if I retire, work, or live abroad?

Karyn Saunders

No you do not need a second passport to retire, work, or live abroad. You can reside in Panama as a tourist but it is recommended to apply for one of the many visas offered. There are plenty to choose from for the retired and non-retired. Panama has opened its doors to many nations due to the need for skilled labour. The new Friendly Nations visa has made it a lot easier for individuals who are not ready to retire but who want to live and work in Panama.

How much does it cost for a housekeeper or maid in Placencia, Belize?

Veronique McKenzie - CTTBeliZe

Casa Del Sol Villa in Placencia Village, Belize – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

Being a property manager here in Placencia, I employ my housekeepers per week, so their salary is a little bit different. I sometimes hire them on a daily basis. I think US $30 would be a great amount to pay a housekeeper, but unfortunately, I doubt that many people pay that much to their housekeepers here. If you retired in Placencia, you live here all year round, and you have a cleaning person who comes to your house once a...

How’s the dental care in Portugal?

Ana Ferraz

Malo Clinic for dentistry, Lisbon, Portugal – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

Dental care in Portugal is all privately provided. The public healthcare system doesn’t contribute to dental care. There are numerous dental clinics here and lots of them have foreign dentists. I know some dentists who come from Denmark, England, Brazil, etc. They also have orthodontists and they are all really good.

To have a filling here in Portugal costs around €60 to €80 (US $65 to $87 or £44 to £58). A root canal costs around €200 (US...

Recently Posted Expat Stories

Tips and Observations About Driving Through Baja California, and the Release of Your “Inner Mexican”

Driving…

in …

Mexico.

These three words are enough to strike fear into any news watching / Internet reading American. We are led to believe that we would either be kidnapped or just plain murdered within minutes of crossing the border. Even Mexicans who lived in the US advised us against driving in Mexico.

So, in order to add some firsthand experiences into the mix, and at the risk of contradicting...

My House Hunters International Experience - Casco Viejo Episode

I don´t remember exactly how it happened, who contacted who that contacted me. It was for sure one of Panama`s classic two degrees of separation, which in Casco makes for a cozy half degree. All I know is that I said “sure, sounds like fun”, emails were sent, and all of a sudden we were on camera! And I`m glad we did.

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Bi-Cultural Experiences

For 65 million years, the world has changed, and those in the human race interacted with one another. People change where they live for convenience, and most of all, for personal choices, and to seek happiness and quality of life.

From personal experience, after having been an expat in the US for 23 years myself, I can surely and candidly say that moving to a different country which brings you their best and opens their doors for you is a gift. Not everyone can...