Best Places In The World To Retire

The price of a home in San Miguel de Allende is a big range. In San Miguel de Allende, you can get a little condo for US $100,000, you can get a really nice mansion for US $9 million, and you have everything in between. In Centro, it’s usually around $250,000 or $300,000 to get a place. The average cost of houses in the nicest parts in Centro would be around $500,000. 

 

The houses in San Miguel de Allende are quite expensive. For example, in San...

The price of a home in San Miguel de Allende is a big range. In San Miguel de Allende, you can get a little condo for US $100,000, you can get a really nice mansion for US $9 million, and you have everything in between. In Centro, it’s usually around $250,000 or $300,000 to get a place. The average cost of houses in the nicest parts in Centro would be around $500,000. 

 

The houses in San Miguel de Allende are quite expensive. For example, in San Miguel de Allende, you can purchase a 100 square meter (a little less than 1,100 square feet) 2-bedroom condominium in the nice part of the historic Centro for US $300,000. You can build a new one or rebuild in the historical area. If you go to San Antonio, which is 10 minutes from Centro, you can get a 220 square meter (about 2,400 square feet) 3-bedroom home with a garage and 2 ½ baths for US $300,000. 

 

The parts of San Antonio in San Miguel de Allende that are closest to Centro are more desirable than the parts that are further from Centro. Every house in San Miguel de Allende is different. You can have a very humble house next to an extremely expensive house. There are multi-million dollar homes that are big, but if you’re walking down the street, you might see this little façade with a door and a window, and could be a larger property- you will never know from the outside. And that’s kind of how it is- you’ll never know until you explore. 

 

The countryside in San Miguel de Allende is beautiful. There are developments out there- ranch properties, haciendas, etc. It depends on where you want to go. As an example, there’s an off-the-grid adobe house about 10 minutes from Centro. It’s a 3-hectare (about 7 ½ acres) property with a house, a little guesthouse, and a little area for animals. This property costs US $300,000. This property is not even connected to electricity, but they have solar systems and access to water.

 

It’s very hard to find lots in Centro, depending on what part of Centro you’re in. If you are right in the heart of Centro, you can pay US $1,250- US $2,000 per square meter for land (US 1.25 million to $2 million for a quarter of an acre) on the best parts. If you go to the north of Centro, it’s usually around $759 - $1,000 per square meter (759,000 to $1 million for a quarter of an acre), and you’re usually looking at very small lots; much smaller than a quarter of an acre.

 

The most expensive and most desirable parts of Centro in San Miguel de Allende are streets that go between the Jardin and Juarez Park. That’s where Rosewood Hotel is. The south side of the Parroquia in San Miguel de Allende is more expensive, especially if it’s between or around the park. 

 

Some people would think, since there are no empty lots in Centro that they like, they’ll just buy a ruin., demolish it, and construct something new. If the existing structure is old, however, they can’t just take it down. The walls are protected, so they work with what’s there. If it’s a new construction, they can take it down, but they would have to go to INAH (Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia) and let them determine what can and can’t be done to modify the property. For example, they would present their plan, and INAH would say there cannot be a big room in the front of the house because these walls are old. 

 

In purchasing properties in San Miguel de Allende, you can get an architect, which is the easiest way to determine what INAH will and will not allow. The architect can determine if the property is old or not, although you can tell pretty easily- the old properties have very thick walls. The architects can consult INAH and let you know before you purchase a property so you know what you’re looking at.

 

(Grand three story home in Centro, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, pictured.)

People are different. Some like it hot, some like it cold. Some like orderly societies, others enjoy a bit of chaos. Some are obsessed with good food and wine, others don't much care what ends up in their stomachs. Some like to be surrounded by fellow  expats like themselves in gated communities, others prefer to blend into the local culture.

 

There is no one-size-fits-all best place in the world for everyone to retire. (And if there were, it would...

People are different. Some like it hot, some like it cold. Some like orderly societies, others enjoy a bit of chaos. Some are obsessed with good food and wine, others don't much care what ends up in their stomachs. Some like to be surrounded by fellow  expats like themselves in gated communities, others prefer to blend into the local culture.

 

There is no one-size-fits-all best place in the world for everyone to retire. (And if there were, it would get crowded very quickly).

 

The real questions is: where is the best place in the world for you to retire?

 

And that depends on many factors, such as what you enjoy doing (e.g. surfing, snow skiing) and don't enjoy doing (e.g. drowning, getting frostbite). It also depends on what you can afford, your ability to learn new languages, and what you want to do in your new home.

 

Retirement is not death, or at least it shouldn't be.  When you move to your retirement paradise, you will quickly discover that a 24 hour day is exceedingly long if you have nothing to do. You will need to fill up up those hours with activities you enjoy, and that will influence where the best place is for you.

 

So, what have we got now? We have several criteria to be applied in choosing your retirement home: Ask yourself:

 

 

1) What are my likes and dislikes? What is important to me?

 

Make a list of the things that are important to you -- warm sunny weather, friendly natives, bird-watching. Then make another list of countries that fit with those likes and dislikes. If you hate seeing graffiti on walls and chewing gum on sidewalks, your list should include Singapore, because in Singapore you can be whipped with a cane for vandalism and thrown in jail for leaving gum on sidewalks. On the other hand, if you are big on personal liberty, Singapore is probably not the place for you. Similarly, if you are a Mormon missionary, you should probably not consider Saudi Arabia; and if you are a nudist, France is a better option than Iran.

 

 

2)  What do I want to do when I retire? How am I going to spend my time?

 

Golf? Hiking? Cross-country skiing?  Reading your Kindle? Surfing the internet? Sitting on a beach? Make a list of countries that excel in the activities you want to pursue when you retire. If you are a sport fisherman and live to catch yellowfin tuna, then Panama would be a good bet.  If you are an avid cross-country skier, then Canada and Norway should be on your list.

 

 

3)  Where can I afford to live when I retire?

 

There are lots of fabulous places to live on this planet -- Lake Como or Florence (Italy), Paris or Nice (France), NYC or The Adirondacks (New York), Laguna Beach or Marin County (California),  Barcelona or Ibiza (Spain) . These are all great places -- if you can afford them. If not, you will need to start thinking about other wonderful places with lower costs of living. This is the point at which places like Panama, Costa Rica, Mexico and Thailand come into view. These countries all have areas where English speaking expats live and thrive in substantial numbers, and they are all relatively inexpensive.

 

 

4) Can I learn the local language?

 

Understanding the local language is important for two reasons. First is the practical one that you will need to get around and do stuff in your new country, which is hard to do if you cannot talk to people (waving and pointing has distinct limits). Second, you will never really understand the local culture if you cannot speak the language.

 

Some languages are harder to learn that others. Spanish is relatively easy. Mandarin, Thai and other Asian languages are very hard for most westerners. This is one of the main reasons I moved to Panama instead of Thailand, Cambodia or China, which I also love.

 

 

You are now at the end of my short rant, but you are only starting the work you need to do if you want to retire overseas. You will need to consider a host of other factors that depend on your personal circumstances.

 

Are you healthy or do you have medical issues? If you do, then you may want to consider Panama, which has excellent health care, but not Cambodia, where you can die on the street and no one will notice.

 

If you worry about crime, Honduras is not the place for you (highest murder rate in the world) but Thailand would do nicely, as would Canada, England or Japan, which all have very low rates of violent crime.

 

Now is the time to start thinking and making your lists.  Do your homework. Do not rely for all your information on businesses that make money pitching one destination or another, or organizing retirement tours. If you are interested in a particular country or region, read everything you can on the internet. There is an enormous amount of information available on the internet. Use it. Make yourself the master of your own destiny. Start figuring out which retirement location is best for you! 

There are different types of schools in Nicaragua. There are Catholic schools, private schools, public schools, English-speaking private schools, and Spanish-speaking private schools. There are even French-speaking private schools here in Nicaragua.

 

The level of education in the public schools is low. In the private American-Nicaraguan school that I went to, however, everybody who went to that high school went to study in the States at a university. Only...

There are different types of schools in Nicaragua. There are Catholic schools, private schools, public schools, English-speaking private schools, and Spanish-speaking private schools. There are even French-speaking private schools here in Nicaragua.

 

The level of education in the public schools is low. In the private American-Nicaraguan school that I went to, however, everybody who went to that high school went to study in the States at a university. Only about 10% of those who go to the other private schools here in Nicaragua go to the US for college. Then those who went to public schools have only a slimmer of a chance of going to the US. They go to college here in Nicaragua. I was pretty much in one of the best school here in Nicaragua.

 

In the private American-Nicaraguan school in Managua, other students included the sons and daughters of different ambassadors from the embassies. The students there were mostly from high society families. When I went there, about 10 years ago, there were about 1,000 to 1,200 students, but the population has grown since then.  The student to teacher ratio was about 20:1. It is a nice school and I would say that I was very much prepared for college after going to that school. The tuition fee is around US $500 to $600 per month.

 

Almost all schools here in Nicaragua, both public and private, require that their students wear uniforms.

 

*In Photo: National Autonomous University of Nicaragua - Leon, Nicaragua

Retirement in Portugal is very good and we have a tremendous amount of new people retiring here.

 

For the Portuguese who are retiring, because we’ve been through a big economic crisis here and they’ve had to cut down pensions, there are a lot of people struggling. The new government has promised that that’s all going to change but then you’ll wonder where they’ll get the money. But certainly for foreigners coming here,...

Retirement in Portugal is very good and we have a tremendous amount of new people retiring here.

 

For the Portuguese who are retiring, because we’ve been through a big economic crisis here and they’ve had to cut down pensions, there are a lot of people struggling. The new government has promised that that’s all going to change but then you’ll wonder where they’ll get the money. But certainly for foreigners coming here, it’s fantastic to retire in Portugal. 

 

There are several reasons its fantastic to retire to Portugal.  Number one, the climate; number two, the wines; number three, the weather; number four, the people who are sympatico to foreigners. The lifestyle is easygoing. I think the weather helps a tremendous amount for people who are golf players or riders. A lot of people go horseback riding and a lot of people have brought their horses here. Portugal has an easy lifestyle.

 

A lot of people will go down to the Algarve, which is completely different to being up in the Lisbon coast area. The Algarve is sort of a permanent holiday atmosphere, almost like an extension of Spain except all of a sudden you’ll hear Portuguese and a lot of English. I’m not a great fan of the Algarve region because I don’t think it has a Portuguese identity. You know, you don’t feel that you’re really in Portugal even though there’s beautiful beaches, there’s beautiful homes, but that’s it, whereas up here you have good theater, you have good concerts, good shows, and you can still do all that—you can ride horses and you can be on the beach.

 

It really is a relaxed kind of life filled with lunch parties and coffee parties. And with the big expat community that you have here, it’s good social life and a lot of people will entertain at home a great deal. 

 

I live in the Lisbon coastal area, about 20 minutes on the train from the center of Lisbon and if you drive, depending on the time of day, of course, it’s about 20 minutes as well if you haven’t got all the traffic. Nothing’s very far here. We’re a little bit inclined to think, when we’re out in Cascais in Estoril, “Oh gosh, I’ve got to go into Lisbon” and vice versa, but it’s really very, very close.  The style of life in Lisbon is more city life than it is along the coast. It’s quite different but I think that it’s mainly because parking is more difficult in Lisbon and there’s a lot more traffic.

 

(Trains from Lisboa to Sintra, Portugal, pictured.)

If you look at the figures and the crime rate here in Belize, it seems to be dangerous here. But if you look at the crime rate by region, there is definitely much, much more crime in Belize City than in Cayo.

 

Last year, there were two expats murdered in Cayo. One was a Canadian film director who got killed and there was another woman from Chicago. They said that the Canadian man was killed by someone who knew him well and that the victim kept a lot of cash...

If you look at the figures and the crime rate here in Belize, it seems to be dangerous here. But if you look at the crime rate by region, there is definitely much, much more crime in Belize City than in Cayo.

 

Last year, there were two expats murdered in Cayo. One was a Canadian film director who got killed and there was another woman from Chicago. They said that the Canadian man was killed by someone who knew him well and that the victim kept a lot of cash at his home. The woman from Chicago was a tourist who was attacked and killed but I think that it was just a bad coincidence and such crime could also happen anywhere in the world. It doesn’t necessarily mean that expats or tourists are a target of crime here in Belize.

 

Based on personal experience, I don’t feel unsafe here at all. I was never a victim of crime in Belize. I never got robbed. Sometimes, when I go shopping or when I do my groceries, I park my car on Burns Avenue, which is the main road in San Ignacio, the central area of Cayo. I leave it there unattended for an hour and when I come back, everything is still there; there is nothing missing from the car. I never feel unsafe and I am not scared here at all. 

 

Yes, there is crime here in Belize but most of it is drug-related or the result of a personal issue, such as when some guy is messing around with the wrong woman and the husband gets jealous. In general, if you behave properly and don’t mess with people and if you don’t go to a bar and play the big guy and show off all your money and valuables, then you should be safe. I could go out at night on my own here in Cayo but I wouldn’t walk around alone at around 2 AM in a dark street, just as I wouldn’t if I was in Austria or in the US, or anywhere else.

 

Of course we lock our doors just as everybody else does. But we don’t have burglar bars on our windows. I am not in prison so I don’t want to live behind bars. We do have dogs that bark if somebody comes. 

 

Comparing the type of crime here with e.g. Austria, where I am from, they’re totally different. Here in Belize, the violent crimes involve family or personal issues. Belizeans are much more emotional. If you embarrass somebody or if you treat Belizeans very badly, they might take revenge, and these emotional crimes don’t happen as much in Austria because our culture is different.   

 

(Burns Avenue, Cayo, Belize, pictured.)