Best Places In The World To Retire

I would start with the worst thing about living in Yucatan. Most people complain about the heat. It’s very hot in Yucatan throughout the year. This winter, we haven’t had a day that is below 20 Celsius or around 70 Fahrenheit. There is no winter here; it’s always hot during the day. In Merida (the largest city in the state of Yucatan in the Yucatan Peninsula), from May to September, it’s very hot for most of the people that come here but the rest of year has hot...

I would start with the worst thing about living in Yucatan. Most people complain about the heat. It’s very hot in Yucatan throughout the year. This winter, we haven’t had a day that is below 20 Celsius or around 70 Fahrenheit. There is no winter here; it’s always hot during the day. In Merida (the largest city in the state of Yucatan in the Yucatan Peninsula), from May to September, it’s very hot for most of the people that come here but the rest of year has hot days and fresh nights. On the coast, it’s always nice. The coast has the same temperature as in Merida but you have the breeze and that helps a lot to cool down the area.
 
The best thing about living in Yucatan is the quality of living here, which is an integral part. It is not just one element but rather all of the elements. I have friends and partners who are from other places of the world. They just arrived and they feel at ease here in Yucatan. I don’t know why but I know that that is one of the biggest advantages that Yucatan has. People who come here feel at ease. They feel relaxed and they feel that something is different.
 
I know that there are many things to consider, and in Yucatan, it is about the people, the culture, the food, and the feeling that you are welcome. That is the nicest thing about living in Yucatan. Most of my friends from Mexico City tell me that they really love Yucatan, and we have a lot of people from Mexico City who have started buying houses in downtown Merida.

 

(Riding a golf cart along the white sand beaches and pier near Peten development in Sisal, Yucatan, Mexico, pictured.)

Illegal drug trafficking is a big problem worldwide, in every country in Europe, and unfortunately Portugal is not an exception. There are 73 drug treatment centers in 14 of Portugal's 18 districts, including the Algarve. The number of newly diagnosed HIV cases among drug users has decreased recently to 13.4 cases per million, but that is still more than 4 times higher than the European average of 2.85 cases p/m. These are unfortunate facts and statistics of 21st century life in...

Illegal drug trafficking is a big problem worldwide, in every country in Europe, and unfortunately Portugal is not an exception. There are 73 drug treatment centers in 14 of Portugal's 18 districts, including the Algarve. The number of newly diagnosed HIV cases among drug users has decreased recently to 13.4 cases per million, but that is still more than 4 times higher than the European average of 2.85 cases p/m. These are unfortunate facts and statistics of 21st century life in Portugal.

 

(Vila Real de Santo Antonio, Algarve, Portugal, pictured.)

By all means, keep your home financial arrangements in place while you are exploring new countries.  You never know in advance if you will be staying, or going back home.  In addition, your new country will most probably have different financial products with a different cost and fee structure than you have at the present time.  Most countries have ATMs that can be used to take money from your home bank account as needed, which is useful while you decide if you want a local...

By all means, keep your home financial arrangements in place while you are exploring new countries.  You never know in advance if you will be staying, or going back home.  In addition, your new country will most probably have different financial products with a different cost and fee structure than you have at the present time.  Most countries have ATMs that can be used to take money from your home bank account as needed, which is useful while you decide if you want a local bank account (if available, with FACTA this is getting more difficult for US passport holders).  Some US institutions will even refund ATM fees when you draw funds abroad, but may require that you have a US residence.  This is easy before you leave, difficult to arrange once you have gone.  Better to be prepared and later decide you don't need the facility, than the other way around.

There are two main types of construction types in the Cayo District and San Ignacio, Belize. There is the hardwood homes or pine timber homes, or you have the cement block homes.
 
In real estate we have a term called “Belizean construction.” When someone says, “That is a Belizean construction home,” that usually means that the finish is not really that great. The government recently enacted building codes, which we didn’t have before. So now...

There are two main types of construction types in the Cayo District and San Ignacio, Belize. There is the hardwood homes or pine timber homes, or you have the cement block homes.
 
In real estate we have a term called “Belizean construction.” When someone says, “That is a Belizean construction home,” that usually means that the finish is not really that great. The government recently enacted building codes, which we didn’t have before. So now you need building permits, and as a result, you will see that the construction standards have improved. That was enacted fairly recently; just in the last couple of years.
 
 For new construction, the homes will be close to North American standards. It also depends on what you are looking at. If you come to Belize and you want your home built to North American standards, it is no problem.  You can get that but a lot of the older homes are not. 
 
The building codes tend to me enforced more on foreigners and expats than they do on local Belizeans. If you buy a home from an expat, you can expect to get North American standard construction. The best thing to do is when you buy a home, you inspect it and if you don’t know what you are looking for then have someone who does know what you need to look for and have them take a look at it for you. 
 
In many cases, if someone is buying a home, I take someone who is in construction to come and take a look at it with me.  It is very easy to tell if cement block and cement construction is structurally sound because when the house is about a couple years old and you didn’t put some steel in it, you will start seeing large cracks on the walls. When I am selling a home and I see cracks, I immediately know that this home has some structural issues.  Depending on how bad the cracks are, you will know how serious your problem is. If the house has been up for years and it does not have cracks, then that is a very good indication that it is well-built.  

 

(Cabin under construction in the Cayo District, Belize, pictured.)

We rent a house near the beach near Coronado in Panama. While many people who live in Coronado prefer a full-time maid that comes in every day, we only have a gal who cleans once a week. For the three-beds, three-baths we have, we pay $25 per day. 

 

We rent a house near the beach near Coronado in Panama. While many people who live in Coronado prefer a full-time maid that comes in every day, we only have a gal who cleans once a week. For the three-beds, three-baths we have, we pay $25 per day.