Best Places In The World To Retire

You will find one of the best scuba diving sites in the world in Mexico. You can go diving in the Mexican Caribbean, in the state of Quintana Roo, which has the second largest barrier reef in the world, second only to the barrier reef in Australia. Diving in Quintana Roo is among the best in the world. I have done some diving in the Great Barrier Reef. I also had an opportunity to dive in the Red Sea, and I have done some diving here in Mexico. Even though the diving here in Mexico is a...

You will find one of the best scuba diving sites in the world in Mexico. You can go diving in the Mexican Caribbean, in the state of Quintana Roo, which has the second largest barrier reef in the world, second only to the barrier reef in Australia. Diving in Quintana Roo is among the best in the world. I have done some diving in the Great Barrier Reef. I also had an opportunity to dive in the Red Sea, and I have done some diving here in Mexico. Even though the diving here in Mexico is a bit different than diving in these other places that I mentioned, the diving in Mexico is unbelievable. There is a peculiarity in the Quintana Roo, especially in the season when the whale sharks go there. These whale sharks are usually 17 meters long (around 60 feet) and you can literally dive in the water and swim along with them. Even though whale sharks are big, they are very peaceful and friendly. Whale sharks do not have any teeth and they eat plankton so they are harmless to humans.
 
On the other side of Mexico, you have the Pacific Ocean, and in the Pacific, there are areas like Cabo San Lucas and several others that are great diving spots. If you want a more exciting adventure, you can find white sharks. White sharks are more popular in Cape Town and Australia but you can also find them here in Guadalupe. If you are going to see white sharks, obviously they are dangerous but when you do go, you’ll be going diving in cages so it’s not dangerous at all. All these trips are planned and manned by professionals. To go there, you have to fly to Baja, and from there, you will take a boat to Guadalupe.

 

You have to take into account that Mexico is fully surrounded by oceans so there are many diving sites here. It’s unbelievable. In general, if you are just going swimming, it’s rare that you will run into a shark in the waters.
 
In the state of Quintana Roo, in the Yucatan Peninsula, there are also some areas where you can go diving. You can go to the cenotes (underground rivers). You can also go cave diving or you can go diving in the cenotes. This area is one of the purest parts of the world where you can do this kind of diving activity. National Geographic and other scientists do a lot of exploration in Quintana Roo because they found mammoth remains inside the cenotes. They opened a new museum in this area, called the Museum of the Jungle. They placed replicas of mammoth remains and humans skulls, which are of those people who lived here in Yucatan millions of years ago. The Yucatan is very rich in culture and adventure.

 

(Cave diving in Quintana Roo, Mexico, pictured.)

(Casco Viejo and Casco Antiguo are different names for the same place.)
 
There are no medical facilities inside of Casco Viejo / Casco Antiguo proper, but the closest facility, assuming little traffic, is just 10 – 15 minutes away.  There are four excellent hospitals in the area within this distance or just slightly more, from closest to furthest: 

(Casco Viejo and Casco Antiguo are different names for the same place.)
 
There are no medical facilities inside of Casco Viejo / Casco Antiguo proper, but the closest facility, assuming little traffic, is just 10 – 15 minutes away.  There are four excellent hospitals in the area within this distance or just slightly more, from closest to furthest: 

As you can see, there is no shortage of very high quality medical care within easy driving distance of Casco Viejo.

The cost of living in Nicaragua is very low. I tell people that a retiree, a husband and wife, or partners, can retire in Nicaragua comfortably for about US $2,500 per month. 
 
They would be living around the beach in one of the beach resorts. They would have a full time maid who works from 8 AM to 5 PM for 5 or 6 days a week. They would have a handyman / chauffer.
 
With a budget of $2,500, utilities and food will all be paid for and they would live very...

The cost of living in Nicaragua is very low. I tell people that a retiree, a husband and wife, or partners, can retire in Nicaragua comfortably for about US $2,500 per month. 
 
They would be living around the beach in one of the beach resorts. They would have a full time maid who works from 8 AM to 5 PM for 5 or 6 days a week. They would have a handyman / chauffer.
 
With a budget of $2,500, utilities and food will all be paid for and they would live very comfortably.

 

(Street in beach town of Playa Montelimar in Nicaragua, pictured.)

Tabitha is correct in what she said. As a US citizen, you must file your US taxes every year, no matter what. 

 

The foreign income tax exclusion of up to $95,000 does come in handy as well as a credit too. This was a nice surprise for us, when we moved here.

 

I don't consider it a disadvantage, but it does get a bit tiresome to file my taxes in Panama (which requires an accountant, especially if you don't speak Spanish). Those are due...

Tabitha is correct in what she said. As a US citizen, you must file your US taxes every year, no matter what. 

 

The foreign income tax exclusion of up to $95,000 does come in handy as well as a credit too. This was a nice surprise for us, when we moved here.

 

I don't consider it a disadvantage, but it does get a bit tiresome to file my taxes in Panama (which requires an accountant, especially if you don't speak Spanish). Those are due prior to March 15th each year for individuals.  Then, that tax return must be used as part of your US tax return.